Room to Improve.

Sleepy

I think there's room for the cheaper projects and would certainly enjoy seeing more of them ("The House That £100k Built" on BBC was brilliant for this) and Room to Improve certainly used to do some smaller renovations. Even Grand Designs has focused on some amazing low-cost builds.

If I were working for CoCo I'd be making sure to select a range of different budgets and project sizes for each season. It's great to watch someone blow a million on a really cool house occasionally (though, personally, this weeks house wouldn't be one I'd spend a million on) but I tend to find the more grounded episodes more interesting if only because it's not totally unrealistic to think that I might someday be able to apply what I learn from them to my own home.

riddles

As a person who has been gripped by purchasing fever on more than one occasion - the comedown from buyers remorse is no fun.

prunudo

While not overly bothered by the higher budgets on the projects in recent series I wonder will it have a knock on effect in the real world. People may not upgrade or retrofit their heating/insulation systems if they perceive that you need to spend €100k's to get any sort of improvement in energy efficiency.

Addle

As someone who has and is trying to get work done on an old house, the prices quoted don’t surprise me.

The finishes are always immaculate.

klose

Yeah I'd also like to see a more everyday person type budget for an episode or two! The 300-400k renovations are great but out of touch for a lot of people.

That being said I wonder would dermot even entertain a smaller budget for the show, actually off hand does anyone know the smallest budget he's worked with?

eggerb

klose wrote: »

That being said I wonder would deemot even entertain a smaller budget for the show, actually off hand does anyone know the smallest budget he's worked with?

The Room to Improve wiki includes a budget column. The budget under episode 1, series 1 has a figure of €20,000. The linked archive grab seems to be authentic with the original blurb for the show stating "for a budget of €20,000 (our smallest budget in the series) need the entire downstairs of the 2 bedroomed home in Killiney completely re-modelled."

Unfortunately, the programme has lost run of it's self. So too has it's MRIA host.

freshpopcorn

From what I remember in the earlier seasons of Room to Inprove the budgets used be small but they often didn't touch the exciting house and just messed around with the kitchen/living room and put on a bit of an extension.
Now it appears to be the whole house that get gets done and regulations are stricter I'd say.

meeeeh

The show started in the recession. Good luck getting anything done fo 20k. I'm not saying everything needs a 200k budget but at the same time I don't think people realise how expensive self builds are. They might be a cheaper option for those who don't need to purchase land but that's about it.

B_ecke_r

didn't your man say his budget was 250k - 280k "and not a cent more can I go"

the next scene practically the budget was over 350k

Galwayguy35

At least last nights programme was mostly about the build, while the couple in last weeks show were lovely people it was more like an episode of This is your Life and hardly any time devoted to the actual house build.

klose

B_ecke_r wrote: »

didn't your man say his budget was 250k - 280k "and not a cent more can I go"

the next scene practically the budget was over 350k

Fairly certain it came in at 385k in the end and your man said he is as delighted as it was barely over budget?

I assume most go in saying their budget is less than what they actually have but going 100k over seems a bit mad?

harr

I for one would like to see a normal renovation on a normal house ... granted it probably wouldn’t make ideal dramatic tv , but say 100,000 into a 3 bed semi .. let’s see how good Dermot is with a budget he has to stick to. I think a lot of people would want to see exactly what you might get for reasonable money. Explore the options of direct labour and the likes .. majority of viewers will never ever have the money available to spend as most clients do On room to improve

jos28

B_ecke_r wrote: »

didn't your man say his budget was 250k - 280k "and not a cent more can I go"

the next scene practically the budget was over 350k

Fair play to the couple for getting what they wanted. Obviously priorities change after surviving a major health scare and best of luck to them.
The budget over run was what annoyed me the most - €280K and not a penny more said the man who spent weeks going over every minute expenditure with the builders. All of a sudden an extra €100k comes out of nowhere with no explanation

MidMan25

The projects this year haven't hit the mark for me, nothing i'd want to live in. I much preferred the house they visited last night to the one they built. They spent mental money for what they got but I guess that's Dublin for you. I just don't get the Irish obsession with building houses thats are much bigger than required.

freshpopcorn

jos28 wrote: »

Fair play to the couple for getting what they wanted. Obviously priorities change after surviving a major health scare and best of luck to them.
The budget over run was what annoyed me the most - €280K and not a penny more said the man who spent weeks going over every minute expenditure with the builders. All of a sudden an extra €100k comes out of nowhere with no explanation

I got the impression there add on's from the client.
I'm almost certain they said after a long tenderer period they agreed on a larger extension which would have being additional cost and he also raised the driver wave, garden.

turbbo

MidMan25 wrote: »

The projects this year haven't hit the mark for me, nothing i'd want to live in. I much preferred the house they visited last night to the one they built. They spent mental money for what they got but I guess that's Dublin for you. I just don't get the Irish obsession with building houses thats are much bigger than required.

Jeeze you should see the mericans. :rolleyes:
We live in shoeboxes by comparison.

turbbo

I hope people learn from watching shows like it - they're paying way too much for a rubbish house - before they get any work done on it. Unless you like living in a dump then fair enough spending 500k on a house that was built in the 50's and hasn't had anything spent on it since.

MidMan25

turbbo wrote: »

MidMan25 wrote: »

The projects this year haven't hit the mark for me, nothing i'd want to live in. I much preferred the house they visited last night to the one they built. They spent mental money for what they got but I guess that's Dublin for you. I just don't get the Irish obsession with building houses thats are much bigger than required.

Jeeze you should see the mericans. :rolleyes:
We live in shoeboxes by comparison.

Since when did anything that lot do act as a reasonable yardstick? :P

Quazzie

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Where were the builders from, they didn't sound like Dubs.

From Clonmore (near Edenderry) in Offaly

loyatemu

nice big site, should have levelled the house and started from scratch (my opinion in about 50% of these episodes)

"Dermot, if you were building a new house, would you cover it in dirty brown pebbledash?"

also, WTF was he doing with the back garden, filling it full of gravel to bring it up to the level of the steps?

turbbo

loyatemu wrote: »

should have levelled the house and started from scratch (my opinion in about 50% of these episodes)

I have to agree - not sure what the savings(if any in the end) are but it certainly adds lots of restrictions on what can actually be done.

harr

loyatemu wrote: »

nice big site, should have levelled the house and started from scratch (my opinion in about 50% of these episodes)

"Dermot, if you were building a new house, would you cover it in dirty brown pebbledash?"

also, WTF was he doing with the back garden, filling it full of gravel to bring it up to the level of the steps?

Agree with this...but I think a lot of people have an emotional attachment to the house or the property has been in the family a while. So knocking it down would be out of the question. I never really understood the fascination Irish people have with property and land, I included my own parents in this living in a big 4 bedroom house when they could move down to a two bedroom and enjoy the few bob they would make on sale of house instead of struggling to heat and maintain a big house.

gmisk

The pebble dash was horrible imo...as was the kitchen and that wall in office...rest of it lovely..but serious cash spent

Jesus Christ your man was a pain though ..stop saying cool every two minutes.

Lisha

Dermot liked one of my tweets of twitter last night.... weak

MidMan25

harr wrote: »

Agree with this...but I think a lot of people have an emotional attachment to the house or the property has been in the family a while. So knocking it down would be out of the question. I never really understood the fascination Irish people have with property and land, I included my own parents in this living in a big 4 bedroom house when they could move down to a two bedroom and enjoy the few bob they would make on sale of house instead of struggling to heat and maintain a big house.

Thank you! I mean you can afford it, great, doesn't mean it makes sense to spend the money on it. Think of all the other things you could do with that money

If you are very wealthy then I can understand it, you have the money to own a house like that and do those other things so why not.

seannash

Didn't like the house this episode,regardless of the money spent.
Im currently doing a whole house renovation and double height extension on a listed building and its coming in at 100k for the build cost. Fittings and furnishings will be another 40. I have to admit this is going to be quite high spec looking when its finished.

Where the mad money is coming from is them not questioning any of the of the costs. I can bet the quote for the windows is astronomical. Same for the kitchen. No one would take the first quote and run with it. I got an insane quote from munster joinery for my timber sash windows. In the end i went with a local company who did them for half the price.

Everything is super expensive in Ireland but nobody on these shows is buying fitting or furnishings from online stores for cheaper. For example i wanted a matt black shower unit. 1600euros locally but i bought it online for 174 euros.Same for wall mounted taps, matte black. 200 here, 60 online.
This is why people cant believe the budgets on the show but if you dont question the quotes you wont be able to knock the price down.

Also your man struck me as someone who works at a cool company so wants a cool house but he himself has no style or any idea of how to get a cool house so ot totally relying on Bannon to bring the cool factor.
Missed it by a long shot this time

Rfrip

Bedrooms and courtyard were gorge. Couldn’t understand the pebble dash in the kitchen. I mean if you hate it on the outside of your house why the hell would you want to see it when your having your cornflakes in the morning

Dtp1979

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

cycle to Google from there.

Good one

seannash

seannash wrote: »

Didn't like the house this episode,regardless of the money spent.
Im currently doing a whole house renovation and double height extension on a listed building and its coming in at 100k for the build cost. Fittings and furnishings will be another 40. I have to admit this is going to be quite high spec looking when its finished.

Where the mad money is coming from is them not questioning any of the of the costs. I can bet the quote for the windows is astronomical. Same for the kitchen. No one would take the first quote and run with it. I got an insane quote from munster joinery for my timber sash windows. In the end i went with a local company who did them for half the price.

Everything is super expensive in Ireland but nobody on these shows is buying fitting or furnishings from online stores for cheaper. For example i wanted a matt black shower unit. 1600euros locally but i bought it online for 174 euros.Same for wall mounted taps, matte black. 200 here, 60 online.
This is why people cant believe the budgets on the show but if you dont question the quotes you wont be able to knock the price down.

Also your man struck me as someone who works at a cool company so wants a cool house but he himself has no style or any idea of how to get a cool house so ot totally relying on Bannon to bring the cool factor.
Missed it by a long shot this time

Whole house refurb for 100k is incredible value. Did you extend or just renovate the existing house? What size was house? As someone who has just gutted and extended a four bedroom house and got good value for money and came in bang on budget I can see how expenses can mount, but some of the projects on RTI this year have spiralled to silly money.

Addle

I watched it again.
Still think it’s a fab job.
Only thing that I don’t like is the office.

That wall in the courtyard garden would have cost how much alone?
Don’t brick layers charge per block?
It’s not long adding up.