Room to Improve (v2)

klose · 14-06-2021 6:51pm

Handy when the owners are a designer and an architect like two of the homes last night, the concrete house is hideous, no idea how it's a thing these days. Calling it "small spaces" is a pretty silly title on last nights showing as both the homes on view were in fact, rather big. The tree house in donegal and the ozzie shack were the pick of the bunch.

Calhoun · 14-06-2021 7:07pm

The concrete house is something that could have been on grand designs, its something that is very Kevin McCloud.

Id say it would have made an interesting episode as it seems like there was drama with the neighbors.

14-06-2021 8:12pm

Jeepers I cannot convey how much I hate the concrete house

Each to there own and all etc etc etc

Muahahaha · 14-06-2021 8:28pm

Yeah wasnt a fan of the concrete houses either. Design wise it was good in such a small site but looking at concrete celings, walls, floors and kitchen counter tops all the time wouldnt be for me.

Has anyone figuered out exactly where it is? Think they said near Hanlons Corner somewhere. They said it was over looked by 26 gardens, I found that hard to believe

Calhoun · 14-06-2021 10:21pm

I think the concrete house was a bit of guilty pleasure from Dermot, it was an architects house through and through.

The wall in the master bedroom was crazy "you can use the toilet and not disturb people in bed", dont think so.

The foot print of it seemed to be quite large, thats why i was a bit confused as it went into an old factory site.

GAAcailin · 16-06-2021 5:05pm

6bCoalLane.jpg

Pretty sure this is it;
I wouldn't fancy my girls walking up those lanes late at night coming home from college or a night out..

Muahahaha · 16-06-2021 6:09pm

ah cheers, thats it alright.

I see what they mean now by being overlooked by loads of other houses.
Its kind of a bizarre site to build on knowing you going to be overlooked by so many other properties. I know they did a lot with privacy screens and all that stuff but you are still looking at the privacy screens and know that they are there because the house is so overlooked. If I was living there Id always get the sense that you are kind of hiding in your own house, which I suppose with all the privacy screens is exactly what you are doing.

Im sure they could have found a better site than that one that wouldnt have been so heavily overlooked. Its almost like the architect owner saw a challenge in that site and he wanted to take it on for his own ego.

Calhoun · 16-06-2021 7:06pm

I do like the sustainability behind it and reusing old footprints for newer housing.

I would say the site was picked as a combination of cost, i dont know Dublin area but i assume that another place would have cost more. Additionally then i wonder if it was also picked as a project something the planners would watch with interest and might not have got it built otherwise.

More than likely im over thinking it but there is a certain grandness with it that you would see planners in grand design approving as a proof of concept, its almost like they are reclaiming the ground.

Muahahaha · 16-06-2021 7:18pm

Yeah they are all fair points and I agree its good that they re-purposed what was an old disused industrial unit and made it into a house. And yeah the council would be interested in such projects because they know well these disused units will never get used as industrial again so the council planners are happy to get rid of an eyesore and let it go to housing instead.

I just think though if that was their objective then they could have found better sites than that one which was over looked by so many other houses. Im thinking back to that episode of Room to Improve where a young couple converted an industrial warehouse in Dun Laoighire into a home. It was in a great location close to the town, wasnt overlooked and they ended up with a roof garden and superb view to the local church spire and out to the Irish sea.

There are actually a good amount of industrial units around Dubln that have lied empty and unused for years. If converting one was of interest then you could find one in better sites that arent as overlooked by 20+ other houses and arent down a narrow alleyway.

seannash · 16-06-2021 8:35pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Yeah they are all fair points and I agree its good that they re-purposed what was an old disused industrial unit and made it into a house. And yeah the council would be interested in such projects because they know well these disused units will never get used as industrial again so the council planners are happy to get rid of an eyesore and let it go to housing instead.

I just think though if that was their objective then they could have found better sites than that one which was over looked by so many other houses. Im thinking back to that episode of Room to Improve where a young couple converted an industrial warehouse in Dun Laoighire into a home. It was in a great location close to the town, wasnt overlooked and they ended up with a roof garden and superb view to the local church spire and out to the Irish sea.

There are actually a good amount of industrial units around Dubln that have lied empty and unused for years. If converting one was of interest then you could find one in better sites that arent as overlooked by 20+ other houses and arent down a narrow alleyway.

Could all be down to price for the site and the fact its surrounded by houses may have made it easier to get planning for a house on the site.
I just found their choice of orange as the main colour everywhere inside the house horrendous. Just didn't do anything for the house and clashed with the concrete.

GAAcailin · 17-06-2021 9:44am

HI,
this is the original property ad, can't find the details on the Property Price Register;
Looks like the warehouse was for sale along with another property fronting onto Everton Avenue. Didn't think the couple bought the site back in 2014...

https://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/6a-6b-everton-avenue-north-circular-road-dublin-7/2954294

Addle · 17-06-2021 12:02pm

It’s a vast improvement on what was there anyways!
If I was a neighbour, I’d rather see a single house built rather than the site left so run down.

sprucemoose · 17-06-2021 12:21pm

Calhoun wrote: »

its something that is very Kevin McCloud.

he isnt an architect just fyi

Calhoun · 17-06-2021 12:25pm

sprucemoose wrote: »

he isnt an architect just fyi

I know he is not but he has that type of taste.

Radio5 · 04-10-2021 2:26pm

I wonder if Dermot has been filming any new shows for the series?

the_pen_turner · 04-10-2021 2:31pm

as much as we complained about it . i miss the show

FFVII · 04-10-2021 6:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117974770#Comment_117974770

Never a bad word said

freshpopcorn · 13-02-2022 4:55pm

Returns next Sunday 20th at 21:30.

Architect Dermot Bannon returns to help people to improve their homes, beginning by giving Marc and Lisa Daly advice on their property in Kilmacud, Co Dublin.