Room to Improve (v2)

HBC08

Could Bannon (the 2nd most trusted man in Ireland) go the same way as the most trusted man in Ireland?

They share similar characteristics and the same agent.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121628892#Comment_121628892

You say "A property can be deemed derelict if it deemed to be unsafe." Fine, but when Dermot went to visit the couple in the vacant home which they bought the previous year in seemingly good condition for 303k, ...the "vacant" home that had the family photos and kids toys etc - there was no mention or even suggestion even after Dermot's inspection that it was "unsafe". Poorly insulated yes, but we saw briquettes beside the fireplace so if that was lit, or the radiator turned on, it would have been warmer.

Cold or poorly insulated by modern standards does not mean unsafe.

For the Derelict definition to satisfy the grants, that needs to be certified by an "Independent" expert - why was that glossed over, and all the other professionals and suppliers mentioned in the list on the R to I website but no engineer who signed off condemning the roof structure? As half if not most people in the country live in houses in the same condition as the one in Cashel which sold for 303k in mis 2022, and looked fine in the photos, both inside and outside, it is all very suspicious to have it declared derelict / unsafe less than a year later, do you not agree?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629229#Comment_121629229

In the interests of transparency and for the benefit of others doing or considering doing "Refurbishment work on Vacant and Derelict houses", he should issue a lengthy statement or explanation, at the very least.

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121628225#Comment_121628225

After Kate and Brian moved their furniture in, they quickly realised the house was cold, damp and uninhabitable, especially with two young children. “The site is fantastic but it’s freezing, the wind is howling, it’s damp and it doesn’t comply with any building regulations,” says Dermot.

You'd think it was a beehive hut on Skellig Michael such is the hyperbole by Bannon.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629147#Comment_121629147

If it transpires that rules were broken of course it will and should.

Nobody knows if they were.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629728#Comment_121629728

I think some people do. ;)

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629793#Comment_121629793

Some people ‘think’ they do.

mickdw

I've about 10 clients enquiring about vacant home grant. I've done some reports confirming derelict but these were houses that have no heating, have ceilings falling down, broken windows etc. No issue there.

The grant is clearly for the refurbishment part of the dwelling only. The spend breakdown is clearly outlined in the grant documents. All OK there

BUT

From what I've seen, certificate of Exemption or Compliance with Planning will be required.

You cannot Certify half the property as being compliant so imo when planning is required for an extension, it would need to be Certified compliant before the grant is paid even if the grant is only funding the refurbishment.

As an example of how awkward the process is proving to be, nobody I've dealt with sofar has stuck with the application despite the houses being the very definition of the type the grant is intended for.

The major issues are no funding until end, poor response times and patchy info from council and tight time scale.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629832#Comment_121629832

Ask the neighbours was it vacant ;) Or derelict for that matter.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629906#Comment_121629906

I thought those steps down in to the new extension area were dangerous as well, an accident waiting to happen. And no access for wheelchairs between kitchen/dining/living area and toilet or bedroom. And with what appeared to be an aging close relative of the owners on the show at the end, it reminds us we will all be getting on some day.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629846#Comment_121629846

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41310619.html

Some further updates here, aka some covering.

Interestingly they say the lack of PP didn't affect the grants as the refurbishment was separate to the extension!

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121630076#Comment_121630076

Ask the neighbours was it vacant ;) Or derelict for that matter.

Why would I do that? I not assessing them for the grant.

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121627126#Comment_121627126

This case would make one question DB professionalism and how good an architect he is. Why? The original plans -all the ground floor developments only - were inclusive of an extension at a max of 40 sq yds which is allowed without having to apply for planning permission for it. But I think that you still have to inform the Local Authority in a prescribed way about it. Then during the development a thought struck someone that the attic could be developed into a bedroom plus bathroom. This drove the development now over the max of 40 sq yds and permission has now to be sought. So knowing DB and his apparent ‘eye for spotting things’ it never crossed his mind the development of the attic as a playroom/ bedroom. He was presented with quite a small house at the outset - three bedrooms- and a young family that one would assume had plans of ‘enlarging it’. It was stated at the outset that the roof/ ceiling were so bad that they had to be replaced so even at that point it still did not cross his mind about the development of the attic

that was a major oversight to me

Gusser09

Bannon needs to confirm what grants were applied for and under what criteria. The house just wasnt derelict or vacant. Its that simple. Seai grants could have brought it up to standard in terms of insulation.

I feel sorry for the couple involved. They've suffered a lot.

At the same time this is a show broadcast on national tv. From what we understand substantial grants have been paid.

There are certainly questions to be answered by RTI.

From the Journal:

I find this hilarious, as will most who have had dealing or tried to get information from a Government Department.

Link: https://www.thejournal.ie/room-to-improve-planning-permission-6274778-Jan2024/?utm_source=shortlink

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121628892#Comment_121628892

Who deemed it to be unsafe???????

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121632907#Comment_121632907

The roof was 'condemned' was the word used. I presume, until we actually know better, by a professional or competent person who was onsite and not looking at a photo.

thomas 123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629846#Comment_121629846

I have read the same on building groups online.

If they got the grant as shown in the episode:

This would indicate to met that due to room to improve being used to highlight the grants available that they got a great helping hand with getting approval for the grant from the council possibly under the direction of the department.

Obviously if it was creative editing then I would not think like the above^

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121632566#Comment_121632566

The Irish Independent report ( headline news) that "Dermot Bannon received a private briefing from Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien’s department about a government grant which was repeatedly referenced on RTÉ’s Room to Improve last weekend." It also said "Mr. Bannons producer contacted Mr. O'Briens adviser" etc

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/dermot-bannon-received-private-briefing-with-department-of-housing-about-government-grant/a2091472117.html

I wish he would have contacted the relevant government department to ask about handrails on the main stairs ( there were none) and also at the side of the 3 steps down to the living area. Whatever about the aesthetics of that awful plywood on the stairs, it is very dangerous and I think against building regulations, as that raw edge of the plywood would probably not be the right height or material for a handrail? A handrail is required on all stairs, it is in the regulations.

Regarding the 3 steps which did not seem to have a handrail ( from the angle the camera was anyway ), it is in the UK building regs as I know someone over there with a 3 step drop in his house who had to get it fitted. Right enough, I looked online and 3 steps or more ( inc the landing step) and you have to have a handrail. Not sure about the building regs here. Anyway I would have thought it would be good practice.

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629715#Comment_121629715

“——- and it does’nt comply with any building regulations”. What exactly does that mean when he was talking about a house that was built about the the 1960’s. The houses then were very well built and of very solid construction with the best of materials used. It was built at a time when builders took great pride in their work . Contractor and labour used were normally all local and he would normally be building one or two houses at a time - not like now when they could have several houses on the go if not building a whole estate. I assume that the house complied with all regs at the time it was build so what ‘any building regs’ before the current work started was it not complying with?

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121632943#Comment_121632943

Bannon seems to have a blind spot around stairs. Over the years, we've seen open risers, glass side walls, and not a handrail in sight.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121632982#Comment_121632982

I do not know how he gets away with it. It is clearly on page 9 of the Building regs Ireland 2014 :

"Stairs should have a handrail on at least one side if it is 1000 mm wide or less. It should have a handrail on both sides if it is wider. The top surface of the handrail should be between 900 mm and 1000 mm measured....etc etc etc "

Is it right he should get away with it? It is a farce at this stage. God help the poor young couple who paid about 700k to end up with a house like that in Cashel.

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121631905#Comment_121631905

From my understanding the house would have been registered with the Tipperary County Council for The Local Property Tax as it was lived in , I assume, up to shortly before it went to market. Judging by the photos which accompanied the advertising of the house for sale, the pre work photos shown in the programme, the engineers report the couple got re derelict/ condemned roof/ etc or otherwise and the price paid for it I DOUBT VERY MUCH THAT THE HOUSE WAS EXEMPT FROM PAYING THE LOCAL PROPERTY TAX.

Therefor the conclusion is , based on the above that if the owner was paying the local LPT all along then there is ABSOLUTLY no argument as to whether the house was derive t or not

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121633007#Comment_121633007

Enforcement of buiilding regs is pretty much non-existent anyway. I suppose somebody could make a formal complaint to the local authority, just for craic of seeing how they respond. It might shine a bit of a light on the issue.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121633144#Comment_121633144

The regs around 'guarding' on a stairs would seem to me to have been complied with. I would need to watch the programme again to be certain, but I have been involved in jobs were similar are fully compliant and nothing about what I seen screamed not compliant.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121633144#Comment_121633144

I do not think anyone could be arsed putting their head above the parapet and going to the trouble of bothering the local authority. However, he is highly paid to do a house renovation programme at prime time on TV, amd would it be too much to expect that he complies with building regs, full planning permission, grant conditions etc if his projects are going to receive 99k of grants too?

He is setting a bad example to others around the country if nothing else, those stairs and the steps down to the living area (from the entrance and toilet) are deadly dangerous.

It makes you wonder of the spec of the rest of the house when BER etc was not mentioned eg as the couple were on a very tight budget, were the windows double or treble glazed? There was no solar pv in either property this year, what about heating system?

Sleepy

The supplier list mentions heat pumps.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121633208#Comment_121633208

It makes you wonder of the spec of the rest of the house when BER etc was not mentioned eg as the couple were on a very tight budget, were the windows double or treble glazed? There was no solar pv in either property this year, what about heating system?

When you realise it was an entertainment programme and not a 'how to' you'll be happier.

ec18

he should probably watch grand designs they have more of that info

lawred2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629715#Comment_121629715

I was thinking the same. The Cashel microclimate.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121633244#Comment_121633244

Nobody ever said it was a "how to" programme, the point was "he is highly paid to do a house renovation programme at prime time on TV, and would it be too much to expect that he complies with building regs, full planning permission, grant conditions etc if his projects are going to receive 99k of grants too?

Would you live in a house without a handrail on the stairs, or at those steps down to the living area? That is what building regulationss are for. If that relatively elderly relative on the show slipped (no access to the toilet for example without encountering those steps) and had a bad accident would it be a joke or just "entertainment" to you then too?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121633144#Comment_121633144

There used to be a lad online called SerialComplainer, he had website and all.

Would you know him Andrew?