Room to Improve (v2)

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123075807#Comment_123075807

Yes, whatever about a step down to a seating/lounge area, a step down from kitchen to dining area is bonkers.

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123075555#Comment_123075555

I am thinking I am crazy and I am the only one thats sees it. This is a TV show folks. People saying "Oh Bannon shouldnt get his own way, oh why did they do this, why did they do that, oh dont let him push you around" blah blah. Its a TV show. Its made up.

Like him or not, he is an award winning Architect. If you go on the show, he is going to suggest something mad. It would be a pretty poor show if he just designed a normal house that there are 1000s of everywhere.

There are usually two scenarios that play out in RTI:

1. Dermot suggests something crazy. The home owners dont want it. The builder says its stupid. The QS says it will cost too much. Dermot insists. The house is finished. Everyone agrees Dermot was right. He has a smug look on his face.
2. Dermot suggests something crazy. The home owners dont want it. The builder is in 2 minds. The QS goes either way. The home owner insists they dont want it. In the end, everyone agrees the homeowners were right. Dermot gives and exaggerated laugh and says "Ah sure what do I know"

Thats pretty much the show folks

Apothic_Red

Have to see the best in Irish community between the GAA, 5k & the GFM, amazing generosity

gmisk

I found that an emotional watch this week. Lovely house I hope her and her family are very happy in it over the years.

Sleepy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123076780#Comment_123076780

Assuming they had a mortgage on the original house (and the mandated mortgage protection insurance), I'd say there's a good chance she's mortgage free after this. Lovely to see.

Exiled Rebel

Dermot loves them sunken steps. First thing I thought about was the little kids, the elderly and those in wheelchairs. A lovely home but those steps are inaccessible for anyone coming around in a wheelchair, making it impossible for them to have a meal. Yes there's the front room for socialising in but its more of a snug for Orla and the kids than anything else.

When I designed our bungalow I made sure it had level entry at all three entrances and the layout considered anyone in a wheelchair. I don't know why this aspect was important to me but a few short months into the build my mother suffered a debilitating stroke which has left her wheelchair bound. At least when my mother and father come to visit there's plenty of space for her navigate around the house without being limited by tight spaces or worse still inaccessible spaces.

For Orla and the kids it's a lovely home and will serve them well for many years to come. I hope she's happy with the outcome.

derb12

It seems they sunk the floor to provide enough height to the original roofline for a mezzanine. It looks lovely (though I wouldn’t accept the finish she got, especially the sharp edges with a corner bit sticking out for some reason) but it’s not practical for young kids or older people. Not a good tradeoff IMO.

Lovely job overall though and a very nice bit of TV. It looks like another good cause next week.

the_pen_turner

i dont see the benifits of the mezzanine outweighing the cons of the sunken room. the extra height cost a lot to build and you have the danger facter now with the trip hazzards . i could understand if you had a lovely picture window in the mezzanine that you could sit and look out through reading a book or little office. but its just a a velux window you have to stand up to look out of.

that upstairs section with mezzanine, stairs, window wall ect would have been 15 -20 k minium. that could have been used elsewhere to give more ground floor space ect

Goldengirl

Good program , Dermot' s design was mad in parts though.

Didn't like that sunken patio / covered area at all, facing towards the neighbours with no seaview from it ? Why not a proper patio with some walling / hedge screening to the back facing the sea .

That area is going to end up unused and it still looked cold and windy .Also the fence along it was a barbed wire fence! ..with toddlers ..never mind the dangerous steps in the living dining area and up to that mezzanine . But Dermot was only thinking of Orla in the future apparently, so that's alright.

Luckily Orla knew her own mind .Mostly it doesn't matter but in this program it could have been disastrous of Dermot had it all his own way .

Beautiful house otherwise .

Loved that she kept the old living room as it was closed off and she could see her late husband sitting there .

Finish was lovely. Love the mid century wood furnishings and the colour scheme throughout , very nice. She was right to close off the mezzanine ..I was freaking at the thought of those kids falling out of it , and it was beautiful finished the way it was.

He explained the lower split levels because he could not raise the roof level higher than the original ridge to get the sea view so hence that dugout living room and mezzanine was included . The steps were worth it for that view then , gorgeous .

Everybody wanted to do their best for her and the little ones incl the QS and the builder , and showing the community pulling together for them was very thoughtful

It was a lovely program, fair dues.

Tough on them though so would not begrudge them this one little bit .

Hope she and her children have a happy life there .

kirving

I do understand the secluded patio.

On a nice day there are few nicer places in the world than the Atlantic coast, but let's be honest, 60% of the days are rainy, and 80% of the time you can't step outside without a jacket.

Below is a map of Driving Rain in Ireland (ie: wind driven rain), and Sligo is high up the index. To be able to sit outside and be protected from wind and rain without having to put on a coat almost every time is great IMO. There's plenty more garden area to be able to enjoy the sun.

https://www.met.ie/distribution-of-driving-rain-in-ireland

Looked lovely but would have been nicer with Dermo’s pillars on the front. Looked plain from that view. No idea what people are saying re finishes except the corrugated iron just looked random.

Since when did everyone become a health and safety inspector? Bizarre. I don’t think anyone ever once considered the health and safety of our house and nobody has fallen to their death so far and generations raised here. Don’t think anyone in a wheelchair has ever visited
In my lifetime and anytime an elderly/infirm person visits we just help them up and down steps like the old days. A bit OTT to eliminate any change in levels for a house in which nobody is disabled.

Methinks ‘the health and safety’ is this weeks boards budget outrage. The begrudgery had to assume another form as they couldn’t crucify this poor lady for her budget for obvious reasons.

Why didn’t he just put the patio at the other side of the extension where it would have been totally private?

lawred2

Away from the sea and probably north/north east facing? Presuming.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123082795#Comment_123082795

So you you think safety isnt important. The lady in Sundays episode is raising 2 babies on her own, yep on her own - a one year old and a two year old. I dont know if you have kids yourself but at that age trying to keep them away from danger is a full time job. Also kids run not walk. Trust me they will tumble down them steps. They will run run at speed through the door and tumble down them steps before Orla can shout stop! Also kids that visit the house will also tumble down them.

Do you think Orla really needs that extra stress given that shes on her own! As someone else said there will be an ugly gate structure put up for safety.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123083571#Comment_123083571

And there are multiple other hazards in that room alone that they 'could' hurt themselves on. Bang into the corner of the table, catch their fingers in a door, climb onto the table and fall off, pull something hot off a counter, walk/run into an open door, burn themselves on a radiator, stick something metal into a socket, jump off them steps when a bit older, burn themselves on a candle - multiple things.
Children need watching everywhere and in every house and they very quickly get used to things too.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123083627#Comment_123083627

Trust me them steps will be the bain of her life - for the next few years she will curse Dermot Bannon for putting them in. Some of the dangers you mentioned can be prevented - Socket protectors can be used, dont use candles, dont put hot items within reach etc. She cant pull up the steps though!

I have a step from my sunroom to the patio area - just 1 step. My youngest is now 7 - he still tumbles down this step a few times a year. He knows its there but when hes running he forgets. We also have had accidents with the step when other kids come for playdates. I now make sure this door is locked when kids come to play to avoid accidents. Poor Orla will have to ban kids from her kitchen 😂

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123083627#Comment_123083627

Not just kids though, it's anyone carrying anything from the kitchen area to the dining area. The transition here should be seamless.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123083690#Comment_123083690

My children picked up bumps and bruises all the way through their childhoods. I can still bump my head of a shed door I have been navigating all my life.
Things like this are a trade off, is the point, there's a return she thinks makes that trade off worth it, others don't think it's worth it. It'll be for her to make the assessment.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123082795#Comment_123082795

We'll all be disabled one day. Tho only question is when and to what extent.

Failure to plan is what leaves families dealing with unnecessary and difficult restrictions on activities of daily living.

I think health and safety is overemphasised.

She seems fine with it. If it was a major concern for her I'm sure she would have said so. Why do you presume that you know her concerns better than she does? Leave her to make her own decisions about her life and the raising of her children.

I think Irish people have become obsessed with rules and so willing to be nannied by the state that they start nannying each other.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123084899#Comment_123084899

Very often you don't realise a feature or room of a house doesn't work until you actually live in it for a period of time. We all have things in our house we should have done differently. She's a new mum who lived in a bungalow prior so annoyance of steps with kids wasn't even a thought for her. I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't even moved into the house when the show around was done - the kitchen area didn't look finished to me. Of course she said she loves it but when she moves in properly she will see the issues.

I just think Dermot should have made the house as safe possible for the family in the circumstances.

Look I think she ended up with a nice home - I just think the change in level was not needed.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123084899#Comment_123084899

The whole point of engaging a professional architect is to benefit from their professional expertise. If 'she seems fine with it' is your success criteria, why bother engaging an architect in the first place?

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123084899#Comment_123084899

Yes.
As a parent you make hundreds of these decisons/trade offs. Take on example, you bring a child swimming despite multiple possible things that could go wrong because the benefits outweigh those risks.

kerryjack

Don't see an issue with the steps like every thing you get used to them sure the way some people are reacting we should all be living in padded rooms, must say I think he done well with this bungalow, looks lovely, great community and family and I wish her and her kids all the best in the future living in a lovely part of the country and in there lovely home.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123084899#Comment_123084899

Ah listen health and safety being overemphasized ? I don't think so .

H&S , as well as beautiful design is one of the reasons people employ architects to design their houses ! Otherwise everyone would be living in bungalow bliss just putting up with all the accidents we used to have in homes back in the day ..

Sure why don't we ban wider doorways , hallways downstairs toilets , smoke alarms and safety glass in doors ? Who needs accessible exit windows and doors in emergencies , why bother with expensive doors that close slowly instead of banging shut all the time ,? Such a waste of space, costs so much extra when you will never need them ...until you do .

He did her no favours with the split level kitchen design, the rest is beautiful .

appledrop

As a parent of two young kids myself those steps are absolutely crazy. It's hard enough trying to watch young kids when they are two of you but as a single parent that's madness. The little boy is only 2 and little girl only a baby are so that the worst possible ages. I don't see how she could even put in a stair gate.

He also wanted an open Mezzanine with two young kids. Eh no cop on Dermot. It's not health and safety gone mad, it's fecking common sense.

I'm really disappointed this season that that they never seem to show us any bathrooms, I would really like to see them.

I liked the kitchen but that's only because Dermot had no real say in it😁. His plywood kichens are horrific and I've no words for that green counter top last week.

I'm delighted she loves the house. It was a heartbreaking story, I was crying on and off throughout the whole thing!

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123086263#Comment_123086263

No favours? She was delighted with house. Jesus H the arrogance to tell someone what to think about their own house.

Help_to_

Not sure why someone would have steps in their kitchen by choice. And they're not even small steps.

It's the small details. Like even just hurt your ankle going for a run and then you're having to go up and down those stairs with your dinner and plates. Or looking ahead well into the future if you have a bad back or knee and need to go up and down those steps daily.

I just checked the planning and planning only went in in September. Very quick turnaround?

Only 4 episodes of RTI this year. Is there a shortage of applicants? Wonder why that is.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123086263#Comment_123086263

I guarantee if you gave people the choice between a nice old house with steps inside or the risk assessed insane asylum you want us all to live in, they’d pick the first option.

The rich liberals who come up with all this nonsense live in Georgian houses in south Dublin with open fires, steps everywhere and non safety glass.

joebre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123075576#Comment_123075576

Sign-off. by the Council Plannner was 6th November 2024. The application was "Retain & complete revised extension……." I don't know when the progtam was filmed but it looked like the works were completed prior to the planning application being dealt with ? It's wouldn't be the first time that Dermot has ignored planning regulations ?

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123087350#Comment_123087350

Original planning was granted in 2022. This was for retention of the changes. No big deal.