My Bungalow Bliss

ednwireland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430199#Comment_118430199

huff haus on grand designs many years ago always loved the way it was just bolted together.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2go24n

you could buy one a year ago for 2.8 mill

https://www.theresident.co.uk/homes-interiors/huf-haus-for-sale-in-dulwich-village/

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118424174#Comment_118424174

The last house wasn't completed in time for filming.

bytheglass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430802#Comment_118430802

Ah pity

i see Katherine zappones gaff is on the market. I might dig out the old dermot Bannon episode to see how it’s stood up to the test of time.

https://www.thejournal.ie/the-shanty-5645405-Jan2022/

gooner99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430802#Comment_118430802

Will it not air this month. That was the original plan?

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118435628#Comment_118435628

It was put up for sale last July priced at 750k, it didnt sell so now its reduced to 695k. If you put a pin on it in Google maps you'll see that it is 22 kilometers from the Dail by either possible route, she claimed it was more than 25 kilometers and thus claimed an extra 70,000 in travel expenses that she wasnt entitled to.

monseiur

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430563#Comment_118430563

It seems that the lady of the manor always wanted an open fire in the sitting room and a solid fuel burner in kitchen as they have an endless supply of firewood on her family's farm, but the hubby would not hear of it. He wanted an ultra modern house and he was one of those geeks who was constantly on his laptop monitoring electricity usage by all appliance etc. It seems despite all his efforts their electricity bill was astronomical.

After the power cut incident he was told where to stick his laptop and she took over and availed of the opportunity to get what she always wanted. She ordered a top of the range gas cooker and made sure it was fitted in time for xmas. Now an extension is on the cards to house a solid fuel cooker and a shed for timber is being built, started last week. Her brothers cut a pile of timber over the xmas holidays which she hopes will be suitable for burning by next autumn.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118448522#Comment_118448522

Well as we all know to our cost, the lady is always right. Presumably though she doesn't have to get her hands too dirty in the processing of all this firewood. I agree though regarding the foolishness of relying totally on an electricity supply, particularly in a rural area. There will be probably be a sensible compromise eventually for most rural houses with an everyday reliance on electricity but with a multi fuel solid fuel stove for sitting room/ kitchen and a bottled gas hob. That would get you through most situations and weather.

Muahahaha

Going by the tv listings it doesnt look like the final episode is being shown this week, there is nothing there for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in the time slot. And they only go up to next Monday on RTEs site so I cant tell if it will be shown next week

Effects

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118448522#Comment_118448522

Sounds like they are both knobends.

gooner99

It was posted by someone on the last page that the 4th episode wasn't finished in time to air. So not sure if we'll see it anytime soon. Planning was granted October last year.

SodiumCooled

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118448793#Comment_118448793

A small bit of forward thinking and planning is all that's needed, install a change over switch and have a generator as an easy back-up. Ripping out kitchens or putting in solid fuel stoves in a modern house is totally unnecessary and will just cost you in the long run.

It will not run the heat-pump but it will run the rest of the house (once you don't run everything together) and a few cheap electric heaters will tide you over during a power cut. You also wont lose the contents of your freezer, have lights and tv etc.

Nothing wrong with a gas cooker either or a combi-hob which are available now with both gas and induction but i'd still be advising on having a backup generator. You can also have a boi-ethanol fire without the need for a chimney or dirty solid fuel alternatives.

Stone Deaf 4evr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118599456#Comment_118599456

Yeah, tbh the whole story sounds like nonsense. most homes will have very little back up in the event of an extended power cut. At best for cooking you might get lucky and have a few gas rings, but even then, you're lighting it with a match because the built in ignitors need power to spark. Also, a brand new A rated home should retain heat well enough that it would really take a couple of days in freezing weather to make it uninhabitable.

your oil boiler and pump needs power to run, ditto if you've got a treatment unit for your septic system. A generator would have been a relatively easy and cheap stopgap for everything bar the heat pump.

Pussyhands

Is there no final episode for this?

gooner99

So no sign of the final episode yet.

Room to improves first episode aired last night. New family house, came in about 10k under budget, even though it was built in the pandemic. Fantastic value in comparison.

gooner99

Ad for episode 2 room to improve shows the house with the roof off and fully gutted, so pretty much the same scale as Bungalow bliss. Be interesting to see the budget and final cost in comparison.

Muahahaha

Was there ever an announcement about the final episode that it was delayed due to the building of it being delayed? iirc one of the houses they showed was completed in October 2021 and the episode was broadcast in November 2021 so it was very tight between them finishing the house and the episode airing

Sam Russell

No sign of the fourth episode, and it is mid March. What ever happened to it?

sully123

I think this is the last episode airing now

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119016764#Comment_119016764

It's not. This episode aired before Christmas. It's a repeat.

Sam Russell

RTE are repeating the My Bungalow Bliss series, and it is on RTE Player currently - but no fourth episode. It must have been canned - or expect a court case in the near future - either the owner or architect was unhappy, or very unhappy.

It will be interesting to hear the full story - if it ever comes out.

A very bad series that was not what it said on the tin.

The first one was extensively extended previously on multiple occasions, and they demolished all the extra space. The cost was way over budget.

The second one was damaged and cost an extra €70 grand to fix it up because of the apparent mistake by the architects. The cost was way over budget, and would have paid for a much better house.

The third episode was not a bungalow bliss bungalow but an old vernacular cottage, and was a holiday home anyway. The cost was way over budget.

The fourth one has yet to appear, and probably will not.

Pussyhands

Yes it sounded like a decent program showing people with their doer uppers but turned out to be grand designs on roids that made bannon seem cheap. "oh I found an extra 200k to do x and y"

yabadabado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119430058#Comment_119430058

The second episode with the mistake by architects or whoever.

What would be the usual course of action?

Surely the people at fault would be covering the costs and not the couple.

It was quickly brushed over during the episode.

What could have been an excellent show was very poor and nothing like it was advertised as.

Sam Russell

I would think there would be disclaimers of one sort or the other to cover the production company and the architects. It only became apparent that there was a massive mistake when it was too late.

I would have thought that the couple were the last to find out - probably from the social media response to the programme. A simple - 'Our budget was €x K and you have exceeded it so the excess is on you, architects!'

The third show skated over final cost but it is likely the stated over budget was way higher than the €100 k disclosed on the programme. The finish and structure in such a remote location would have been much more - maybe €200 k over budget.

Having finished it, who will argue the costs on broadcast TV? They would all look more stupid than they already do. The fact episode four is missing - still - says it all.

I thought the programme should have taken four unmolested designs taken from the book, say plan #87, #145, #220, #301, from each decade, and spent, say €100k, and look what can be achieved - a B2 home, with nice aspects, lower energy costs, and modern everything.

No fancy structures that cost the earth, or finishes that are outrageously expensive, and nothing dirt cheap either. All in the spirit of the original Bungalow Bliss philosophy - a simple, adequate, low cost home.

yabadabado

I'm sure the production company would have themselves covered but in a normal renovation job who would be covering the costs?

I fully agree with those last two paragraphs and that's what I was thinking the show would be.

A missed opportunity.

Deeec

The show was very poor. The problem seemed to be that the architects were using it as a chance to showcase their skills which badly backfired for both the house owners and the architects. They didnt seem to have any regard for the couples budgets at all and just ploughed ahead with what they as architects wanted.

The end result was financially overstretched couples with houses that are not that special. Im not even sure if they were to sell the houses that they would get back the money they invested in the initial purchase and spent on the renovation.

I agree the show should have been about modernising bungalows for a reasonable sum and not spending a fortune on some architectural design or fad because an architect would like to win an award.

Trondheim

It would be interesting to see what can be achieved with a decent retrofit, without extensions or major reconfigurations. Maybe skip the architect and just get a good civil engineer + interior designer. How much does it cost to bring a 2000 sq ft bungalow (or dormer bungalow) from a C3/D1 to B1, add new kitchen units and/or bathroom suite and give the place bit of a spruce up?

Sunny Dayz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433613#Comment_119433613

I agree also. It would be interesting and relevant to certain demographics of people. ie those like my parents who built their house in the early 80s. Or those like my younger siblings in their late 20's/early 30s trying to get on the property ladder but don't really watch primetime tv anymore. So the show goes for the fancy architects and drama in each episode.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119443992#Comment_119443992

It is just like the glossy women's magazine show off the latest expensive fashions because they sell the magazine with expensive adverts aimed at the gullible that will make those adverts pay.

No-one is interested in watching a cheapo upgrade - or at least the programme proposers believe so. Programmes are made to reflect this.

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433484#Comment_119433484

The usual course of action for the couple who spent an extra 70k underpinning the foundations would be to find a solicitor who specialises in construction law and then make a claim against the architects professional indemnity insurance. Thats what their insurance is there for, to pay out if they mess up. We dont know if what was shown on tv was the full story but if it was then the architects insurance should pay for it.

That was the episode that infuriated me the most. The episode was juxtaposed between the architects with their grandiose visions and the couple who had a toddler and were pregnant with another on the way and were totally stressed out at a budget that was spinning way out of control, it was 650k total cost in the end iirc. Towards the end of the episode the husband was working insane hours all to pay for the architects delusions of grandeur. And yet still they ended up with a 5 meter high pillar supporting the roof in the middle of their living room. The cost to them was top dollar yet despite that they ended up with some really poor architecture.

Atlantic Dawn

There was 1 episode didn't go out with the original bunch due to Covid restrictions delaying it, this episode is being shown on RTE1 this Thursday at 10:15pm.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119931871#Comment_119931871

That's coming up on my planner for Wednesday 9:30

Ardal o Hanlon tomb raider is on Thursday

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119933066#Comment_119933066

Yes there seems to be something up with RTE scheduling this week, originally a documentary about the DART was supposed to be on at 9.30 tonight and it has been replaced with the Quinn Country documentary running over 3 nights. On my TV and Combo box it has that change with My Bungalow Bliss going out on Thursday so hopefully it's this week.

Princess Calla

It's set to record anyway..... we'll see what happens

The Cush

The Saorview app has it down for Thursday RTE 1, 22:15

Repeated Sunday afternoon.

Princess Calla

I love how the architect's can say with a straight face that a 100k budget is a challenge....and poof just like that budget increased!

Princess Calla

So starting budget 100k finished budget 250k.... seriously why do they even mention budget....average person cannot increase their budget by over 100%.

I thought the finished product was lovely.... probably the nicest of the 4 though only have a vague memory of the other 3.

Do I think she got value for money...nope!

Episode itself was very boring. The architect's came across as right shysters.

She has a lovely modern house, I hope she's has many more happy years in it.

Architects have not come across in this series well at all. When I come to get my country place done up in the next few years it has certainly cautioned me…..I will have very little trust in them

jaffa20

The house wasn't too bad to start with. She could have done a lot to improve it with 100k. I almost would have preferred to see the result of that. Not 250k!! Crazy budget.😲

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119947667#Comment_119947667

I wouldn't touch anything Hugh has played a part in with a barge pole.

Those architects were very much trying to get their "brand" out there and do portfolio pieces rather than client wishes....or at least managing clients expectations and coming in on budget.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119948750#Comment_119948750

I know hindsight is wonderful.

But there was no real rush to get that build started. It was a perfectly serviceable family home that belonged to her own family. If I was in her position at start of lockdowns I wouldn't have embarked on the build but shelved the ideas for the immediate future until the uncertainty was gone.

I wonder how much extra it cost her having a closed site.

Unfortunately the increase in cost of materials seems to be here to stay.

MIKEKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119949304#Comment_119949304

Can't understand this trend to open plan. One person sitting in a huge room for a long winter night .What would be wrong with a medium sized room without all this expense ? Crazy amount to spend especially as she had to get a mortgage.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119949422#Comment_119949422

Oh I agree I don't like open plan myself. From a noise, smells, warmth and privacy point of view I don't see any advantages. However as openplans go that one did seem more snug... maybe due to the curves of the utility walls.

While there's no arguing that labour and materials have increased I still think 100k would/should have gotten her a nice upgrade and refreshed the house.

I know she spent a bit of money on upgrading heating/insulation but I'm still struggling to see where 250k went when the house was already decent and sound.

finisklin

I thought the design worked well and changed the focus of the house away from the busy road. The angles that were added changed the internal orientation and the architects made it appear quite simple. Credit to them for coming up with that idea and it did surprise the client.

Covid through everything up in the area and only added more cost. At least she got finished before possibly more costs creeped in with inflation in recent months. Once costs go up, it is hard for them to come down.

Sam Russell

The result was good.

However, her budget of €100K would have been enough to bring the original house up to BER A rating. Particularly if you add in the €27k SEAI grant they got - so a budget of €127k.

So what did the architects do?

Well, they reduced the original house to a shell, removed the roof, and most of the internal walls, and the small extension. So then the removed the kitchen - just in case they was any chance of saving anything, plus got large expensive windows and doors, plus a steel canopy to cover part of the new patio.

So in true bungalow bliss style - they doubled the cost plus some more [from €100 k to €227k after grant], destroyed the original structure, and created an expensive home for a single occupant.

A great result, but expensive. One could assume the original was quite a good condition worth about €250k to €350k, but is the finished house worth €500k to €600k? Architects cost a lot extra than buying a design from a book like Bungalow Bliss.

Of the four, this was the only one I would consider living in myself - but only if I got the original house for free and only had to pay for the upgrade.

ednwireland

https://twitter.com/ElectricIreland/status/1598708538758627328?t=J5qjksHNqhpS_vQiJt022g&s=19

heatpump led retrofit, yep that's it.

Muahahaha

Havent seen the final episode yet, will watch later tonight. But from the comments here it is more of the same with the budget absolutely totally smashed. Like how can any architect justify going from a 100k budget and finishing up on 227k. Its been the theme of this series, Id say architects out there who do work to their clients budget are annoyed that the profession is getting broadcast in this way becasue it gives them all a bad name.

Was also thinking that there must be tons of people out there who built their bungalow from plans in the book back in the 70s and 80s for under IR£5,000 and they tuned into this program out of interest and ended up spitting out their tea watching these renovations costing 200,000+.

Sam Russell

It would have been better to just insulate the old house, add a few picture windows, and a new kitchen and ensuite a bit of open plan for the €100 k.

At least this one was a genuine bungalow bliss design from the book, and largely untouched.

Hyperbollix

Typically Irish property porn. This show would be a lot more interesting if the realistic budgets mentioned at the beginning were actually stuck to or even came close to. I'd rather see what someone could do with a standard bungalow and 100k than blowing a quarter of a mill turning into the stereotypical Scandi open plan "wow" home.

ednwireland

Very true. As far as I'm concerned 100k is big budget for a house renovation

Sam Russell

She had to get a bigger mortgage, plus save a lot more just to complete a fairly OK bungalow.

They removed the old roof tiles and replaced it with slates. It appears they removed the whole roof but I'm not sure as they did not dwell on it, but the rafters were exposed to the sky at one point, and new slates were used.

Underfloor heating which may have been a new floor substrate. They did not dwell on that either.

I am surprised they did not upgrade the record player turntable for the launch party as well.