The Great House Revival

Princess Calla

Just gonna steer slightly off topic for a sec. Cos I'm too lazy to search for the thread , not sure there is one tbh.

It's the same posters that post in all of these "real estate" threads anyway 😊

Home Rescue is returning next week at 9:35 on RTE 2. ....I like this one as it's usually realistic budget and achievable for normal people who don't have a spare 100K to pull out of their arses at the final hurdle.

GAAcailin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121976681#Comment_121976681

miss Roisin presenting it though- don’t like the new one on Home Rescue as much

bluezulu49

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121968574#Comment_121968574

I hope any prospective clients look in detail at the planning file for this house before they engage this firm.

hole in my lovelywall

Amazed at the value the Cork couple achieved in the first episode. Just shows what can be done.
I loved their choice of decor too.

I’m surprised at how political the second episode is. Thought it was more like a campaign than an ad for their company!

touts

This poor couple paid 450k for the house (to their family who basically screwed them in my opinion). The house is literally crumbling inside and out. The whole place is rotten. The plaster work is gone. The concrete facade on the exterior of house has nothing holding it to the walls as the lime mortar is gone.They have €150k tops to finish it. Hugh says €600k minimum.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990437#Comment_121990437

Totally agree, family must be really toxic. Who let's property go to auction when a family member is willing to buy it! (Unless you thought it wouldn't reach a price the family were looking for)

However, how has the house , that was ran as a business, fallen into such disrepair.

A total money pit!

StrawbsM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990437#Comment_121990437

I’m wondering if the 150k budget they have is their share of the 450k that would be split between the family.

harr

The definition of a Money pit and he purchased it from family.. how did he think he was going to manage anything significant with 150,000 .. he will have to cut major corners .. surely it’s actually dangerous for an unqualified person to be undertaking a job like this ..

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

the house is as another poster said a money pit. €150,000 budget isn’t going to do a lot . Lot of expensive structural issues…at the end it’s finished but it’s not finished and doesn’t look finished , maybe it never will

Princess Calla

Really didn't enjoy this episode.

Not sure if it was editing or what but I was getting stressed watching him bumble along. Stripping doors back when there was massive structural stuff to be tackled, holes in ceilings holes in floors but yeah let's take the door off its hinges 😂 😂

He needed to channel his inner Dick Strawbridge 😂

I'd also say their relationship was under extreme stress!

I'm convinced you could see her breath when she was talking in the final interview and all the guests had their coats on.

The rooms finished were lovely but how much of that was staged?

I wish them luck but Jesus a stressful watch.

suvigirl

I love that this was/is a Labour of love. They can move in and do bits as they go. It's a great house. I'm delighted to see something like this and not the usual, get contractors to finish everything first for hundreds of thousands.

I've lived in a couple of houses like this, far from perfect, but the character is worth it and I loved living in them.

Ffair play, I hope they have long happy lives in it.

dubrov

Was there a bit of fake staging at the end? The rooms were so cold you could see their breath in all the interviews. No way anyone is living in it

hamburgham

That’s nowhere near finished. The wife has visibly aged. I don’t think there’s any heating and we didn’t see any bathrooms. I think they just got those walls painted and the kitchen in and then staged the rooms. God help them.

dubrov

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990642#Comment_121990642

Even the painting was consistently bad in all the rooms. It looked like a single coat had been thrown on hastily

MisterAnarchy

Enjoyable episode.

That was a huge job for one man to take on.

Could have done without the fluff pieces, looking at the castle in Connemara, other house and deliberation on wallpaper or paint.

A house like that could do with a double episode, it was obvious that it would be unfinished, a house like that would take 5 years to restore for one man.

I admire his work ethic, determination and drive, it will be a fine house when finished.

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990646#Comment_121990646

Yes the painting didnt look great, not practical painting a house like that in January with no heating.

dubrov

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990664#Comment_121990664

So why do it except for show?

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121990671#Comment_121990671

I imagine the producers of the show wanted to have something to air, to be honest they should have probably waited till next season to return.

Deeec

I think this couple allowed their hearts to rule their heads. It's was a beautiful house and could be fabulous again, but they don't have the budget to do the house justice.

Sadly I can't see it being a success as a b and b either which was their intention at the start. No wow or comfort factor at all.

I admire his determination but he didn't do a great job due to budget and time constraints. Deep down I think the wife regretted ever starting it - her face said alot without words.

harr

Is it not a done thing in Ireland to get an engineers report completed before investing huge money in a house ?

Both on last weeks show ( no foundation) and this week huge structural issues were discovered.. i purchased a modest 3 bed semi many years ago and got an engineer’s report .. when purchasing our new build we looked at one other and engineer found serious problems saving us huge financial loss.. it just seems odd when buying especially an older house not to get it looked over ..

FrancieBrady

Anyone able to summarise the history of him and the house? Missed the begining.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991405#Comment_121991405

It was his childhood home. His mum ran a b&b from it.

She has since died and the "wider family" put it up for auction. They bought it at auction.

How it went from a functioning business to a complete wreck was never explained. I suspect there's family drama there!

I suppose when you are buying a family home you feel like you "know" the property and what and where needs work. Him being an engineer may have thought he had a good handle on it, so didn't need an engineer's report (in his mind)

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991468#Comment_121991468

How it went from a functioning business to a complete wreck was never explained. I suspect there's family drama there!

From experience, a lot of houses and businesses operate from buildings like that.
As long as there is heat and occupation they can function away, with potentially serious problems treated superficially and superficial problems masked with paint and wallpaper.

Leave them vacant/unheated for a winter cycle or two and the deterioration can be rapid and stark.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991485#Comment_121991485

Yeah I suspect band aids were applied to gaping wounds.

Sunny Dayz

Once again the opening episode just set the bar too high for possibly the rest of the series. I don't understand how the man in this episode had to buy his childhood family home at auction (correct me if I'm wrong). He seemed to me to have spent a year arsing about the house doing bits and pieces. I know nothing about house restorations and I can imagine things come up as you get into it but he didn't seem to have a plan in place for what to do. Maybe it was just the editing but it was like a door here, a window there, pull down more rotten woodwork, dither over the bay window for months. He spent time and effort restoring the oratory which was a great find BTW but should have been at the bottom of his to-do list. In the end it was very clear that there was a rush to pull together some semblance of a house, the paintwork was atrocious! There was no heating on in the house.

Neither Hugh nor the homeowners were honest in the discussions at the end of the show which was disappointing. It was all, everything is grand, it will work out, etc. As another poster said here - they have rose tinted glasses on because it was his childhood home.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991666#Comment_121991666

I'd say there was a family dispute, which is why it went to auction instead of getting 2 or 3 valuations and averaging the market value and selling at that price to your family member. Unless you thought the market price was too high and you were willing to take your chances at auction for a lower price.

He took a year off work, so down a year's salary for him to basically potter about in a giant man cave. While the wife was run ragged keeping the show on the road.

On each update visit there was no task or room complete. No sense of direction, absolutely bonkers!

Did they even have a skip as it looked like he dumped everything into the courtyard.

phormium

A quick bit of googling shows me mother died in 2009 having been sick for 4 yrs, father died in 2013, obviously house unlived in since then. 5 kids in family so maybe will maybe not but either way probably 5 way split. Be hard to agree on a price and especially if some thought going to auction was best bet, there is always the possibility a developer would snap it up on one acre for multiple properties so could see why beneficiaries wanted to get best for all or most of them!

It seems to have gone on sale at 275k reserve but obviously went higher at auction because probably some developer was interested, who knows! Either way he let his heart rule his head, they do not have the funds to do what is needed to a house like that and you'd be a long time getting it to the level of comfort needed for B&B with today's standards that guests expect.

Was in something of a similar situation many years ago with family business being sold, I would have liked to keep it but best price was needed so went up for general sale. In hindsight I am of course better off without it as it was sentiment rather than sense!

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121991468#Comment_121991468

A complete wreck, thats a bit harsh, it didnt look too bad to me .

The roof wasnt too bad, and most of the damage was from water ingress, well from what I could see.

A hole in a roof in this hell hole of a climate can cause huge damage in a short spell.

He spent time and effort restoring the oratory which was a great find
BTW but should have been at the bottom of his to-do list. In the end it
was very clear that there was a rush to pull together some semblance of a
house, the paintwork was atrocious! There was no heating on in the
house.

Agreed, the main priority should have been to get the roof repaired so no more damage was done and get 4-5 rooms livable so the family can move in.

A sitting room, kitchen, 2-3 bedroos and a bathroom.

They could then sell the other house they have.

They sadly bit off more than they could chew, a big job like that was always money demanding but I'm not sure projects like that are economically viable in todays climate where building costs have increased so much.

thereiver

It was obvious the house was empty for years before they bought it roof in bad condition dry rot in the walls and floors they finished a few rooms I presume the plan is to do a few rooms every year it's a massive house he's doing most of the work only employing professionals to do specific jobs maybe the mother did not make a will before she passed away it'll be cold with old single pane windows only allowed

thereiver

Hes skilled enough to do most of the work himself you can save a lot by buying doors windows materials on done deal maybe they could go back in 3 years time I think hugh said it'll cost 600k plus to finish the house if he was to employ carpenters painters etc