Room to Improve.

Galwayguy35

They were a nice couple but not representative of the average person building/buying a house.

They had a 180 k figure on the table and 'a little' left over for finishes yet managed to have an extra 120 k to get what they needed done in the end.

BTW I'm not criticizing them, it's their money but most people wouldn't be able to do that.

It would be interesting to know that they bought the house for, unless I missed it I didn't hear it mentioned in the programme.

Quazzie

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

They were a nice couple but not representative of the average person building/buying a house.

They had a 180 k figure on the table and 'a little' left over for finishes yet managed to have an extra 120 k to get what they needed done in the end.

BTW I'm not criticizing them, it's their money but most people wouldn't be able to do that.

It would be interesting to know that they bought the house for, unless I missed it I didn't hear it mentioned in the programme.

I think about 800k+ because Dermot mentioned it was a 1.1M house.

Addle

A lot of people in Dublin seem to be able do it.
Look at the amount of houses renovated everywhere.

Galwayguy35

I had a look on Daft for house prices in Stillorgan.

Serious money!

Mountainsandh

I watched it last night with a few fast forwards.
I thought the outcome was a bit underwhelming.
Didn't like the bathroom pod at all, even the inside with the marbley beauty board and black taps, they're really not my thing and made it look cheap imo. The skylight is great but I wouldn't like that rectangular window just as you step in the shower, even with the frosted glass.
I thought the cinema inspiration trip was great, but then I didn't see much of it in the house itself after.
The open plan room was fairly bland, I know if it was me I would probably go along with a bland version for the program and then later on add my own touches once the cameras are gone, so maybe that's what will happen. The layout of the room was ok. I do feel there's always a bit of "wasted" space with open plans.

With people who go along with every proposition the architect/stylists make on these shows I often feel that if you revisited the house 2 years down the line you would probably find some of the features changed to their real needs or wishes.

feedthegoat

Mountainsandh wrote: »

I watched it last night with a few fast forwards.
I thought the outcome was a bit underwhelming.
Didn't like the bathroom pod at all, even the inside with the marbley beauty board and black taps, they're really not my thing and made it look cheap imo. The skylight is great but I wouldn't like that rectangular window just as you step in the shower, even with the frosted glass.
I thought the cinema inspiration trip was great, but then I didn't see much of it in the house itself after.
The open plan room was fairly bland, I know if it was me I would probably go along with a bland version for the program and then later on add my own touches once the cameras are gone, so maybe that's what will happen. The layout of the room was ok. I do feel there's always a bit of "wasted" space with open plans.

With people who go along with every proposition the architect/stylists make on these shows I often feel that if you revisited the house 2 years down the line you would probably find some of the features changed to their real needs or wishes.

What a good idea in your last paragraph, Room to Improved Revisited - go back three years later and see how things have panned out!

Mountainsandh

feedthegoat wrote: »

What a good idea in your last paragraph, Room to Improved Revisited - go back three years later and see how things have panned out!

It would be interesting from a style, function, and wear and tear point of view too.
Not sure if maybe they have done it with RTI ?

I know that as the black pvc type window/door frames became more popular for example, some people we know got them fitted, and found that black absorbed the heat more and the frames warped more than your ordinary white frames. They had to change back to white. It's not necessarily something you'd be aware of when renovating a place, and I bet even architects get caught with such problems at times.

And I think a lot of people, possibly as the latest couple featured, let themselves be convinced into choices at a moment in time that they regret later.

James 007

Mountainsandh wrote: »

.....
And I think a lot of people, possibly as the latest couple featured, let themselves be convinced into choices at a moment in time that they regret later.

That's why I am all for the person who is very opinionated like the girl last week and the girl in clontarf, at the end of the day you are left to stare at everything in the end. DB is gone.

Mountainsandh

James 007 wrote: »

That's why I am all for the person who is very opinionated like the girl last week and the girl in clontarf, at the end of the day you are left to stare at everything in the end. DB is gone.

Same here.
Plus I think from a viewer's point of view there is a lot more to learn (and wonder at) when the owners have some more specific needs or wants that have to be accommodated, rather than malleable and wealthy owners.

I'd agree with the suggestions above that more realistic, challenging budgets would make for a more interesting and relevant program.

Addle

feedthegoat wrote: »

What a good idea in your last paragraph, Room to Improved Revisited - go back three years later and see how things have panned out!

They have done this and Dermot has expressed surprise at how little goes unchanged.
https://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/room-to-improve-839/10710944/

Radio5

iamwhoiam wrote: »

I would love a series for us ordinary divils . Tight budgets with no leeways , small semi d's with small gardens and how you get around increasing floor space . Apartments with a small budget and show how to gain space by using the whole room and raising furniture etc
A series for the majority who don't have 300k on tap for a total renovation
Apart from Ikea it is not easy to find appropriate furniture for small spaces and in my opinion with the huge increase in apartment living there is a gap in the market .

Some of the early series were a bit like that. I seem to remember small semi-d's featuring more than they do now. Apartments are fine but since the structure/main layout cannot be changed, it's more about furniture etc. rather than build/rebuild and design.

I didn't notice any space left to the side of the house so presumably their bins are airlifted to the kerb every week or maybe they haven't got bins in Stillorgan?

enricoh

Fine job, but 300k. Wow the boom is well and truly back. Just completed a direct labour extension on our own place recently so know material prices and tradesman rates.
I told the missus last night I'm packing in the day job and going building!

Bonzo Delaney

enricoh wrote: »

Fine job, but 300k. Wow the boom is well and truly back. Just completed a direct labour extension on our own place recently so know material prices and tradesman rates.
I told the missus last night I'm packing in the day job and going building!

I agree the price does seem a bit spicy but it was a full refurb including re wiring and re plumbing plus also bringing the house up to a decent BER level
Also the roof was restructured and re tiled at the back to accommodate the room over the balcony .
And take in to account with the new extension talking up the whole width of the house leaving just a wheel barrow run from front to back every bit of material had to be handballed through all labour and time consuming.
More than likely cost every penny with very little profit I know it's a dirty word profit, but building is a business too.

AndrewJRenko

Radio5 wrote: »

I didn't notice any space left to the side of the house so presumably their bins are airlifted to the kerb every week or maybe they haven't got bins in Stillorgan?

I've seen a few people who keep the bins out front, sometimes in little compound built for that purpose. I'm not sure how well that would work in taking stuff out of the kitchen.

recipio

You would get a Chateau in France for that price.........makes you question what is going on in this country.

ShamoBuc

recipio wrote: »

You would get a Chateau in France for that price.........makes you question what is going on in this country.

Decided to check what you can get for a million in France...

1 bed apartment, 50 s.m., near Eiffel Tower, Paris for 997k

A 1,200 s.m., 20 room, 7 bedroom Chateaux, an hour outside Bordeaux on 3 hectares 980k


It really is all about Location.

threetrees

I checked the planning permission online and it looks like a side passageway has been left to allow access to the back garden, so that'll cover bins, mucky work and gardening access. I didn't notice what was left in the show last night.

There was indeed a passage along side of house visible in some of the site footage.

Kuva

Heard on radio their we need 50,000 tradesmen trained up in the next few years, same rubbish from back in 2008.

prunudo

Kuva wrote: »

Heard on radio their we need 50,000 tradesmen trained up in the next few years, same rubbish from back in 2008.

Dont know if the figures are exaggerated or not but there is definitely a shortage of trades. A lot of people left the building industry and took up new professions during the recession. Also very few young people have any interest in doing trades these days, its all about clean easy jobs like working for facebook or google.

Franz Von Peppercorn

jvan wrote: »

Dont know if the figures are exaggerated or not but there is definitely a shortage of trades. A lot of people left the building industry and took up new professions during the recession. Also very few young people have any interest in doing trades these days, its all about clean easy jobs like working for facebook or google.

Hmm. I don’t think that most kids who were university bound ever think of being a tradesman.

tretorn

They would have been better off to spend less on the house and put any spare money into property which their children could then use as a deposit to buy a house of their own.

They were future proofing the house so their children could stay with them well into adulthood but this is not healthy for young people.

They need to get out from under their parents and make their ownway in the world and if you make things too comfortable there is no incenntive to go anywhere.

prunudo

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Hmm. I don’t think that most kids who were university bound ever think of being a tradesman.

They're all being pushed that direction, why go working in physically tough jobs in crappy weather when you can work for companies with fuzzball table's and coffee machines on tap.

meeeeh

tretorn wrote: »

They would have been better off to spend less on the house and put any spare money into property which their children could then use as a deposit to buy a house of their own.

They were future proofing the house so their children could stay with them well into adulthood but this is not healthy for young people.

They need to get out from under their parents and make their ownway in the world and if you make things too comfortable there is no incenntive to go anywhere.

Kids getting out from their parents with a gifted property that can use as deposit. That screams of independence.

Franz Von Peppercorn

jvan wrote: »

They're all being pushed that direction, why go working in physically tough jobs in crappy weather when you can work for companies with fuzzball table's and coffee machines on tap.

There are middle class kids who never would think of a trade. Always were. Maybe more working class, or the children of tradesmen going to university these days of course.

Hooks Golf Handicap

Anyone else feel that the front door issue was just an invented problem to add some agro between Dermot and the clients.

Like last week and your one not liking open plan.
Made it look like WW3 yet the double door solution was always there in reserve.

I think the directors/producers have a formula which requires at least one flash point per episode and they invent one if it doesn't happen naturally.

prunudo

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

There are middle class kids who never would think of a trade. Always were. Maybe more working class, or the children of tradesmen going to university these days of course.

Strange, I never associate taking a trade as a class thing. Maybe this type of view is why kids are stepping away from them. I know of tradesmen who are earning more than people with university degrees.

_Dara_

James 007 wrote: »

That's why I am all for the person who is very opinionated like the girl last week and the girl in clontarf, at the end of the day you are left to stare at everything in the end. DB is gone.

Yup and you’re ploughing huge amounts of money into it so you damn well should be opinionated.

James 007

threetrees wrote: »

I checked the planning permission online and it looks like a side passageway has been left to allow access to the back garden, so that'll cover bins, mucky work and gardening access. I didn't notice what was left in the show last night.

, Could you link the planning permission as I tried to check it on line and couldn't find it. Leaving a side entrance for the bins to come through was ridiculous. My Uncle incorporated his side entrance so it became part of the house, and its by far better. His back door has a doggy door if the dog wants to go outside. Usually a lot of rainwater, moss would build up in this area, so better to make it one continuous hallway.

prunudo

Hooks Golf Handicap wrote: »

Anyone else feel that the front door issue was just an invented problem to add some agro between Dermot and the clients.

Like last week and your one not liking open plan.
Made it look like WW3 yet the double door solution was always there in reserve.

I think the directors/producers have a formula which requires at least one flash point per episode and they invent one if it doesn't happen naturally.

Thought the same myself, they probably have 10 times as much footage but home in on any issues that cause agro to make it look more entertaining.
All tv shows do this, gives them something to come back after the adbreak for.