Room to Improve.

iamwhoiam

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-news/i-learned-why-people-go-mad-for-dermot-bannon-and-his-magical-notebook-a-newcomers-guide-to-room-to-improve-36718736.html


Dermot is very good at putting ideas in people’s heads…

And – here’s the fabulous part - making them believe that they came up with them. Don’t believe me? Go back and watch Dermot convincing Micheal that he should reconsider the decking out the back. Seriously, watch it.

But Room to Improve is difficult to watch…

We are, after all, talking about a show where a nice man named Dermot comes into your home, listens to you list off all the ways you’d love it to be better and then tells you all the ways those dreams are impossible, but that – and here’s the best bit – he’ll happily take your money, hire a team and try to prove everyone (including himself) wrong while you go and live with your sister for eight weeks. Two words, lads: me nerves.

riemann

Max Headroom wrote: »

Cant watch it anymore..its gone all too "rehersed" imo....

Only ever watched the last two weeks of this after hearing about it every Monday in work. Very disappointed in the end result. Seems very little bang for what is significant outlay.

Some queries about the design too, seems like the infamous Dermot may have flown the nest and is leaving the details to sort themselves out.

Had to laugh when hearing about 8 week completion dates and then see a complete chancers sign on the windows, not exactly a beacon of high quality. The architect should ensure all materials are of a suitable spec so Dermot definitely went down in my estimation. I just hope the rest of the build was constructed properly.

BabysCoffee

Max Headroom wrote: »

Cant watch it anymore..its gone all too "rehersed" imo....

Yes it is a bit ridiculous in parts.

Dermot making a bet with the builder was very reality TVish and entirely unprofessional.

Dermot doesn't do anything positive for the architecture profession imo

Max Headroom

BabysCoffee wrote: »

Yes it is a bit ridiculous in parts.

Dermot making a bet with the builder was very reality TVish and entirely unprofessional.

Dermot doesn't do anything positive for the architecture profession imo

Over the years he's come across as a spoiled bully imo...

harr

Was speaking to a builder friend this morning and he is still scratching his head at where that extension cost €180,00 ...
The asbestos should have spotted way earlier and the drama surrounding the brick was just stupid and probably played up for the drama factor.
Didn’t seem like good value for money at all...

prunudo

Did anybody else notice the old and new brick courses didn't match. New bricks must be narrower. That would wreck my head, I'd rather have different colours than unmatching courses.
Are the pot plants like bamboo etc sponsored for the sake of the tv shots, just looked like they were placed there and ready to be taken back to the nursery once the cameras left.
2 other points, in one of the demolition shots it appeared the builders were already removing the asbestos roofing. Also when they had the disagreement about the 20k of extras the announcer said they were 2 months into the project, seems the 7 weeks and 4 days is a bit off the mark.

ben.schlomo

Fairly boring episode, your wan was annoying, she was far too try hard/hipster/edgy for my liking.

messy tessy

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Fairly boring episode, your wan was annoying, she was far too try hard/hipster/edgy for my liking.

But you don't have to like her!

The personal comments are ridiculous here, why does it bother people what way she does her hair/ if she is a hipster?

LirW

Honestly I find the horrible swirly brothel style wallpapers people put in their house with their displaced kitchen islands (what's the craze about them anyway?) than anything I've seen in that one house.

These personal comments are so lame, people really have nothing else to worry about than her hair or her personal style?

ShamoBuc

messy tessy wrote: »

But you don't have to like her!

The personal comments are ridiculous here, why does it bother people what way she does her hair/ if she is a hipster?

I suppose it's because this show is as much about the people as it is the house. We all fell in love with Ma, we all have an opinion on Dermot .....on the QS- both of the main ones, we definitely have opinions on the builders, so yeah we have opinions on the couples aswell.
You base your opinion on what you see and hear and it's hard not to see her hair in fairness. So I can see why posters comment on her and not necessarily always favourably.
But it's also the same when they comment on Dermot, or the builders but not Ma.
Ma is a ledge!

Greybottle

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I'm in two minds about the builder. If that 20K overspend was for real (and not just hammed up for the sake of creating drama for the telly) then I'd have absolutely KILLED him. Whoever he was meant to be taking order from, whoever he should have told, whatever the chain of command was meant to have been - if that really was the first the clients heard of an actual (not proposed, mind) overspend that size, then that was a disgrace.

On the other hand, what an efficient machine he appeared to be running. I'd say his manner would have worn thin on me very quickly - but my goodness he was able to run a site to time!

I thought he was efficient too. Which is why I think he would have arranged at the beginning that once he gets the go-ahead from one person to change something, then that is a given that the person has spoken to the clients. That person here was either the QS that the client appointed, or Dermot.

The builder is way too efficient to be running after clients and trying to chase them up in their offices etc, so I reckon that's what he did.

I think that kind of operation he runs is that he takes on one job at a time and is always on site. If you're a good project manager on a site you can have three different tasks running at once. He may have another site or two, but they would be run by people that he inherently trusts.

So I reckon that wither the fault lies with the QS or Dermot. Or it was hammed up for TV as nothing went wrong on the build.

the_pen_turner

i wonder was he trying to give himself a good reputation by finishing early. a lot of these programmes have huge over runs on time

tikkahunter

Found it comical that at the end they said how good the builder was to let them off with the price of the brick dying and pointing .Yes that is because he absolutely rode you on the price of a shell with windows and left you with only enough money to fit in a poxy plywood kitchen . You would expect a few problems with an old house with rot , sinking etc. but they had none of that , just an asbestos roof on a shed that should have been picked off from the start, when you look at what was done of coarse he would get it done in 8 weeks , it was only a bolt on job with a few utilities ran into it.

ben.schlomo

LirW wrote: »

Honestly I find the horrible swirly brothel style wallpapers people put in their house with their displaced kitchen islands (what's the craze about them anyway?) than anything I've seen in that one house.

These personal comments are so lame, people really have nothing else to worry about than her hair or her personal style?

Nothing else to worry about? It's a TV show, light entertainment, the people sign up to be on it knowing they will be reviewed (fairly or not) on everything they say and do. As said above they are as much part of the programme as the design, the build and Dermot. I find it more strange that you feel the need to come in and defend them.

LirW

It just baffles me how people spend their time and energy thinking about other's people clothes, hair, tattoos, cars etc. Wouldn't really come to my mind. Whatever floats her boat I guess.

ben.schlomo

LirW wrote: »

It just baffles me how people spend their time and energy thinking about other's people clothes, hair, tattoos, cars etc. Wouldn't really come to my mind. Whatever floats her boat I guess.

I spent my time watching the show, same as you? The energy involved was the same as if she hadn't irritated me, probably less energy than the laugh from watching 'ma' the previous week.

Galwayguy35

harr wrote: »

Was speaking to a builder friend this morning and he is still scratching his head at where that extension cost €180,00 ...
The asbestos should have spotted way earlier and the drama surrounding the brick was just stupid and probably played up for the drama factor.
Didn’t seem like good value for money at all...

My entire house was built for 180 k.

Addle

LirW wrote: »

It just baffles me how people spend their time and energy thinking about other's people clothes, hair, tattoos, cars etc. Wouldn't really come to my mind. Whatever floats her boat I guess.

Hasn't she inspired you to return to a particular look?

Panjandrums

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LirW

Addle wrote: »

Hasn't she inspired you to return to a particular look?

Doesn't have anything to do with it, I wouldn't be bothered saying anything about anyone else's look simply because it has no impact on my life in any way.

tikkahunter

Panjandrums wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Yes i do and i am struggling to see how it can cost 180k for a bolt on job unless the figures are beefed up for tv , the 30k in extras is fantasy .

Nermal

What kid doesn't want a five foot tall portrait of Cruella de Vil in the garden?

Addle

LirW wrote: »

Doesn't have anything to do with it, I wouldn't be bothered saying anything about anyone else's look simply because it has no impact on my life in any way.

Have you defended any of the other series participants against comments, of is it just the one who shares your style?

HeidiHeidi

jvan wrote: »

Also when they had the disagreement about the 20k of extras the announcer said they were 2 months into the project, seems the 7 weeks and 4 days is a bit off the mark.

The 7 weeks and 4 days was nett of stoppages (the site was closed for a period) and Christmas.

Max Headroom

Nermal wrote: »

What kid doesn't want a five foot tall portrait of Cruella de Vil in the garden?

Because its just wrong......

...now Lara Croft......mmmmmmmmmmmmmm:p

iamwhoiam

LirW wrote: »

Doesn't have anything to do with it, I wouldn't be bothered saying anything about anyone else's look simply because it has no impact on my life in any way.

Do you never comment or remark on anyone on TV or a passer by or a neighbour ? Its human nature to remark on others dress or suit or hair or shoes !
I liked her hair by the way !

LirW

No, but I've also defended people that didn't suit into my scheme of things.
Jesus, like I'm in court. I watch the show for the outcome, not particularly for the people, mainly because I worked in the field of renovation for a few years.
Now all of you calm down.

Panjandrums

This post has been deleted.

Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage wrote: »

But quite apart from the extension, there was probably rewiring of the existing house, insulation, new windows, new boiler etc.

I live in drogheda and I recently (in the last 9 months) put an extension onto my house.

I was very budget conscious and built it with that in mind. Cavity block, flat roof, etc to save on cash (though i didn't do anything that'd hamper living quality and researched everything 10 times over before making any decisions).

... Anyway...

I built an extension to the rear (30ft x 10ft) and side (5ft x 24ft). I built it, furnished it and made it livable, to the tune of €46,000.

I destroyed my back garden in the process, so to lay new paving, rebuild a garden wall i knocked, etc. i'll be down about €50,000 overall I'd say.

My extension to the rear was an addition to the kitchen, and to the side was a bathroom (toilet/sink/shower) and utility room (plumbed for a washing machine).


The 50k includes a kitchen, the shower/toilet, new doors hung, sofa, TV, lights, floor, paint, radiators, new fuse box to take the power of the extension, new fusebox to replace the old one, too (so two new fuse boxes), new boiler etc. and also granite paving (that i havent paid for yet, but will still be within the 50k).

The rest of my house didn't really have anything done, though. The arleady-existing kitchen had some re-wiring, but not a complete overhaul. I should also point out that I have yet to do skirting/architrave. I'd budget another grand for that, as it will have to be done, too).

I'm very much 'into' Dermot's styling (my walls are white, kitchen is white with no handles, wide sliding door, etc. and ironically, i'd never seen Room to Improve before i decorated :pac: we have very similar taste!).

Now, I realise if Dermot was working on my job, he'd have bigger windows, a butterfly roof, bare concrete wall, etc. that would push the price up. Then I'm also conscious that labour costs within Dublin are pricier than Drogheda, but if I spent only €50k then I find it curious that a smaller extension (even factoring in 1k for asbestos removal) can come in at over three times the price..?


And none of the other rooms in the house in this episode seem to have gotten a mention. We know the house was not rewired, because all the ceilings would most likely have had to come down to get at existing wiring, and there's no way they'd do that and not film it and make a few scenes out of it.

It seems like a pretty straight forward €180,000 for a simple enough extension. I wonder how much the mural cost.



EDIT: I'd say a good chunk of their budget went on replacing the windows in the house. Windows are megabucks. A better breakdown of costs at the end of each episode would be a great addition to the show.

messy tessy

messy tessy wrote: »

But you don't have to like her!

The personal comments are ridiculous here, why does it bother people what way she does her hair/ if she is a hipster?

As is always mentioned in this thread, the show is as much about the people as the house. Many people would argue that she had 'room to improve'. :P


I didn't mind her too much myself, to be honest. She seemed like she was trying a bit hard, but then when there's a chap in the room pointing a camera at you, you're bound to feel a little out of place.