Room to Improve.

threetrees · 20-03-2018 10:37AM

Reati wrote: »

For the build on the show or something else?

For the build on the show. Bannon Architects applying for retention for them.

Bit strange I'd have thought, but am wondering if they ultimately intend building another house in the front garden to sell on or rent out.

seamus · 20-03-2018 11:13AM

That was definitely a marmite builder

Lots of people I talked to said they'd bloody murder him with his rushing and pushing. "I need to know about these bricks by the end of today" - he seems to forget that he's the contractor, not the client.

But I can see how lots of people would love his decisiveness and would be delighted to just get the thing built and finished quickly rather than be asked for an input into everything and delay by 3 and 4 days while investigations are done.

Shrewd negotiator as well I'd say - he managed to get the window place to make the windows in a week, I'd say he dropped the old "on the telly" thing with them to get that done.

Can't say the build itself was particularly inspiring, but the builder was a curious character alright.

Sleepy · 20-03-2018 11:54AM

Wasn't impressed with what they got for the money they spent at all, would love to see a full breakdown of that budget. The mural was hideous, would have been far better spending the money to re-render it and simply paint it white (it was a mish-mash of rendered parts and bare brick) - would have bounced more light into the garden/kitchen that way too.

I'd use the builder as I'm the sort who would have spent hours hammering out the design with the architect and everything specified to the nth degree in the tender before embarking on any major work. They seemed to get burned by not having decisions made on fairly simple things as which doors were to be blocked up, walls knocked and bricks to be used etc. I'd presume he was the cheapest quote they got for their tender based on his "less time on site means less money spent" comment.

raspberrypi67 · 20-03-2018 11:59AM

Yeah, wasent impressed with that builder and value for money, my god, what did all the money go into...the builders pocket id say...
The Mural on the the wall was hideous ...

loyatemu · 20-03-2018 12:06PM

I liked the builder - he wasn't taking any of Dermot's sh|t!

Like everyone else on here, I thought the mural was hideous - like something you'd see in the smoking area of an overly-trendy pub.

Effects · 20-03-2018 12:08PM

Deleted User wrote: »

We know the house was not rewired, because all the ceilings would most likely have had to come down to get at existing wiring

Nah, you don't have to pull ceilings down to rewire.

Effects · 20-03-2018 12:13PM

Addle wrote: »

At least that one has 4 bedrooms.

It's not all about the number of bedrooms.

the_pen_turner · 20-03-2018 12:15PM

raspberrypi67 wrote: »

Yeah, wasent impressed with that builder and value for money, my god, what did all the money go into...the builders pocket id say...
The Mural on the the wall was hideous ...

Neither of us know where the 100000 went on the old house but it was on the breakdown at the start that demon had worked out.

Builder probably priced with no profit based on 10 weeks. So if he got it finished cheaper then the difference is profit.

tretorn · 20-03-2018 12:18PM

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

For the price they paid for a bog standard semi in a bog standard suburb of Dublin + renovations they could probably have bought a beautiful house with decent gardens and all work done nearby.

This one maybe.....

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/260-howth-road-killester-dublin-5-d05-dd74/4216441

But Topaz across the road is probably too edgy!

730,00 euros for this house is completely insane, it is a very plain house with no back garden and room for only one car in the front.

The house was stripped of all furniture to make the rooms look bigger but you could it was small.

The house in Room to Improve was over priced too but its an attractive looking house and it was on a big site to the front. You could lock the gates and put outdoor equipment in the front garden for the child, there was no room front or back in the other house for children.

Its down to location as always, you could get the equivalent of the house costing over 700,000 in Arklow for less than 300,000 euros, less again in Gorey and Gorey is a nice town.

We are definitely heading for another bust if prices of 700,000 are being got for small detached house without gardens on a very busy road in Killester.

Penn · 20-03-2018 12:20PM

Addle wrote: »

Probably wouldn't get planning to extend to the front in a housing estate.

It actually counts as a side extension as it didn't extend past the front of the existing house.

What I find insane is that RTE and Dermot Bannon proceeded without planning permission where planning permission was required. I know it's something that many people do, but at the same time to do it blatantly on television, likely just so it could be included in this series of RTI (especially given the very quick build time), is pretty ballsy.

lawred2 · 20-03-2018 12:24PM

I don't know but 180k seemed a very big cost to me. It wasn't the biggest extension in the world by any stretch.

lawred2 · 20-03-2018 12:25PM

loyatemu wrote: »

I liked the builder - he wasn't taking any of Dermot's sh|t!

Like everyone else on here, I thought the mural was hideous - like something you'd see in the smoking area of an overly-trendy pub.

It was courageous or something..

It'll be painted over soon enough..

Addle · 20-03-2018 12:25PM

Effects wrote: »

It's not all about the number of bedrooms.

The clients in this episode said they'd like a 4th bedroom.

LirW · 20-03-2018 12:26PM

On the paper you could see that the extension was 60sqm costing 115k. That's 1916 Euros per sqm. That's not particularly small. That wasn't exempt from planning permission.

Sleepy · 20-03-2018 12:46PM

I'd heard before that CoCo Television usually insist that planning permission is sorted, or the works exempt from planning, before they'll proceed with a project?

Effects · 20-03-2018 01:08PM

I'd imagine Dermot would insist on conforming with planning regs too, wouldn't he?

threetrees · 20-03-2018 01:25PM

It's strange as there is planning permission in for retention of the side extension, 42 sq m. You'd think Dermot would have kept it under the 40 sq m for the purposes of avoiding PP.

It sounds like someone messed up somewhere!

Penn · 20-03-2018 01:28PM

threetrees wrote: »

It's strange as there is planning permission in for retention of the side extension, 42 sq m. You'd think Dermot would have kept it under the 40 sq m for the purposes of avoiding PP.

It sounds like someone messed up somewhere!

Wouldn't have avoided planning permission anyway with a side extension. Only exempt if it's a rear extension.

Addle · 20-03-2018 01:32PM

Are there many more episodes in this series?

Addle · 20-03-2018 01:35PM

2 episodes left.
https://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/940673-room-to-improve/

freshpopcorn · 20-03-2018 05:18PM

Sleepy wrote: »

I'd heard before that CoCo Television usually insist that planning permission is sorted, or the works exempt from planning, before they'll proceed with a project?

Yes, I think I heard something similar. You'd also find it hard to do things cash in hand and fiddle things.

tretorn · 20-03-2018 07:59PM

I drove by the house today, its really nice, its actually on Furry Park Road and its a big corner site with neighbours on one side only.

There wouldnt be room to build another house in the garden. The back garden was sold off I would say, there is a newish house right behind this house, as I said I would feel very hemmed in as the back garden is tiny. There really wasnt room to build another house so now you have two houses jammed up against each other.

The bricks on the extension looked great, a perfect match.

Greybottle · 20-03-2018 08:14PM

Vronsky wrote: »

You can bet your backside that the reason for the balloon in price is that the builder had priced sfa profit in the job and had planned to make money on the extras. This always happens when you go for the lowest price construction tender and simply invites heartbreak and stress.

I would have love to have seen what the breakdown of the extras were.

How did the builder know that there were going to be extras? The job was tendered out, for all he knew it was costed down to the last nut and bolt.

There is a certain profit margin built into the original tender price of €155,000. For all we know they agreed on €170,000 for the build. That was never discussed. When you start to chop and change stuff then costs go up. Any project manager will tell you that.

Until I would get proof otherwise, then I think it's a bit slanderous or people here to have a go at the builder.

There were add-ons that we saw, such as the asbestos, doors, bricks and I'm not sure that they had the graffiti costed originally. There were possibly loads of other ones. It's hard to know when the programme is so heavily edited down.

riemann · 20-03-2018 08:17PM

Greybottle wrote: »

How did the builder know that there were going to be extras?

There's always extras.

AndrewJRenko · 20-03-2018 09:27PM

threetrees wrote: »

It may have been a planning issue, but they are applying for retention now anyway!

Here's the planning application details for the nosey folks like me.

I'm fairly gobsmacked that they went ahead without planning permission.

Addle · 20-03-2018 09:51PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I'm fairly gobsmacked that they went ahead without planning permission.

They must be stuck for content.

harr · 20-03-2018 09:58PM

So what happens if someone objects to this build, or if it’s refused ?
No wonder they were so picky on having the bricks the same colour.

appledrop · 20-03-2018 09:59PM

This is unbelievable. Even worse is they have showed the episode already when planning could now be refused.

raspberrypi67 · 21-03-2018 10:41AM

When you see Dermot you know there will be extras...lol..at least 20%

riemann wrote: »

There's always extras.

Penn · 21-03-2018 11:37AM

harr wrote: »

So what happens if someone objects to this build, or if it’s refused ?
No wonder they were so picky on having the bricks the same colour.

To be honest, it's unlikely to be refused. Hence why, as you point out, they had to work so hard to get the bricks and pointing to match the existing, as that could have been a significant reason for refusal. But the design and size of the extension seems appropriate and so long as most of the other rules of planning and exempted development were adhered to (such as retaining enough rear amenity space, surface water disposal design etc), it's just unlikely to be refused.

But it's still pretty unbelievable that they went ahead with it given that it's on TV and Dermot's professional reputation is linked with it.

Room to Improve.

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