Room to Improve.

seannash · 29-09-2019 11:14PM

Also wanted to say there was a programme on BBC that featured a northern irish architect.
The premise of the show was two architects would design and using virtual reality they would walk the clients through the design. Home owners would pick and build their favourite.
The northern Irish fella had some fantastic ideas and the budgets were a lot more normal.
Anyone else watch it

meeeeh · 29-09-2019 11:15PM

the_pen_turner wrote: »

i dont mean add stuff just for the sake of it. a pool would be a total waste but an office or larger beadrooms wouldnt be or an ensuite etc

And it could be just another room you don't use, or a room bigger than you need. It seems to me they got the house they wanted and they spent the money on things they wanted.

HeidiHeidi · 29-09-2019 11:15PM

gmisk wrote: »

That wasn't the big stone bath at the end they bought the other one

The other one looked like a pestle and mortar...

Am I the only person on the whole internet who loved that stone bath?

If only I had the house to put it in........

gmisk · 29-09-2019 11:16PM

seannash wrote: »

Also wanted to say there was a programme on BBC that featured a northern irish architect.
The premise of the show was two architects would design and using virtual reality they would walk the clients through the design. Home owners would pick and build their favourite.
The northern Irish fella had some fantastic ideas and the budgets were a lot more normal.
Anyone else watch it

It was on BBC 2 I saw a couple of them it was excellent! I think Angela scanlan presented it maybe?

eggerb · 29-09-2019 11:17PM

el Fenomeno wrote: »

If they have the money and they like it, I don't see why not. QS is out of line with her reaction IMO.

Probably scripted, tbh. The script writer is third from the top in the credits. The majority of the clients comments are absolutely scripted. Ever wonder why each client says stuff like "beyond my wildest dreams". Unless, of course they have changed role from client to plaintiff.

seannash · 29-09-2019 11:18PM

One last thing. When will Dermot get sliding doors on the show that have thinner frames? They spend a fortune on big sliding doors with massive ugly frames when there is cost affective slimmer options out there for years now

seannash · 29-09-2019 11:20PM

gmisk wrote: »

It was on BBC 2 I saw a couple of them it was excellent! I think Angela scanlan presented it maybe?

Ah yeah thats it.
I think for people who are hung up about budgets it was a great watch (i include myself) it really did show what you could get with a little imagination.
Would love to see that fella tackle some of these projects.

seannash · 29-09-2019 11:25PM

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Am I the only person on the whole internet who loved that stone bath?

I think you are. That bath would possibly look spectacular in a secluded minimalist house surrounded by trees and with nothing else in the room.
Not in their house. It would take a very particular setting for it to look good imo

storker · 29-09-2019 11:29PM

Lisha wrote: »

It’s a fantastic sign of them as a couple that he has such a high pressure job and they are still so easy and happy with each other. Guys at that level are under shocking pressure, working stupid hours and travel away, and often their home life can crumble so I like him even more now.

I was friends with him when we were in our teens. He is indeed a nice guy and has hardly changed apart from a bit less hair. Storkeuse knows Frances, and she's dead sound too.

AndrewJRenko · 29-09-2019 11:48PM

Awful staircase - those open risers are lethal for people tripping up the stairs and no handrail on the wall to steady themselves. Does Dermot know that people get old?

meeeeh · 29-09-2019 11:52PM

seannash wrote: »

Buying a new sofa (or recovering it) is hardly someone with that budget would be worried about.
As for fabric being dirty eventually, i wont argue but for the time they are xlean they look a lot better. Those sorts of leather sofas never look nice, you see them in every Irish home dtill

That's personal preference l just don't agree there is anything pretentious about it. As for buying a new sofa, I don't think replacing something just because you can it's the way to go. Isn't it better to buy something that you will like for a long time, mind it and keep it?

HeidiHeidi · 29-09-2019 11:54PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Awful staircase - those open risers are lethal for people tripping up the stairs and no handrail on the wall to steady themselves. Does Dermot know that people get old?

Maybe fit a stairlift while they're at it, just to properly future proof it? :rolleyes:

They're in their early fifties, at a guess!

jaffa20 · 29-09-2019 11:55PM

Lots of $$$ on such a small site where the garden now makes up about less than 10% of the site. The garden was nice at the start but now just looks like a strip of lawn. This was very clear when comparing to neighbors during the aerial shot.

meeeeh · 29-09-2019 11:55PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Awful staircase - those open risers are lethal for people tripping up the stairs and no handrail on the wall to steady themselves. Does Dermot know that people get old?

There is handrail. I noticed it because I thought I would prefer it in white and not stainless they went for. Anyway when they get old they can move in downstairs bedroom.

AndrewJRenko · 29-09-2019 11:57PM

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Maybe fit a stairlift while they're at it, just to properly future proof it? :rolleyes:

They're in their early fifties, at a guess!

You think a staircase that isn't designed to trip you up is optional?

AndrewJRenko · 30-09-2019 12:02AM

siblers wrote: »

Absolutely miles ahead of the house from last week considering the similarities in budget.

Those timber frames are horrible though.

Miles away from it too - the location would account for the different outcomes on similar budget

meeeeh · 30-09-2019 12:02AM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

You think a staircase that isn't designed to trip you up is optional?

Actually when we were buying our staircase open staircase was deemed safe for the space we had. It means the step can be wider and stairs not as steep which helps in older age. If they had closed staircase it would have to be longer or steeper/narrower. Open staircase is not just a design feature.

freshpopcorn · 30-09-2019 12:02AM

To be fair I think this couple would want a lift or something and not a stair lift!

seannash · 30-09-2019 12:06AM

meeeeh wrote: »

That's personal preference l just don't agree there is anything pretentious about it. As for buying a new sofa, I don't think replacing something just because you can it's the way to go. Isn't it better to buy something that you will like for a long time, mind it and keep it?

Well surely that what were here to discuss. Whether we liked the end result or not.
In terms of isnt it better to buy something you love, well you kinda said it yourself. Irish people love those massive large leather sofas. I find them horrible looking and in my opinion a lot of irish people buy them because they think leather equals quality. And dont get me started on leather beds which are also bought for the same reasons.
I agree buy what you like, i simply cant see how people like those large leather sofas.
But I'm begining to see certain posters dont ever say they dislike anything about the houses on RTI so I feel my points are probably falling on deaf ears.

Hulk Hands · 30-09-2019 12:12AM

IrishHomer wrote: »

Such a waste of money.

The family are mature in another few years the kids will have flown the nest.

More money than brains

Not really getting that it's mad money or a waste. They don't have a mortgage and are obviously on good money. 375k isnt crazy in those circumstances.

It's not as if the value disappears in any case. I'd say they've added 300k to the value of the house easy, if in future they ever did need or want to sell.

Some of the extras were probably extravagant spending alright

Muahahaha · 30-09-2019 12:12AM

gmisk wrote: »

That wasn't the big stone bath at the end they bought the other one

The other one looked like a pestle and mortar...

The pestle and mortar bath was in Tilestyle showrooms in Ballymount about two weeks ago when I was in there so no-one has shelled €15k on it yet, thats presuming it is a one off which you'd expect for a €15k bath

smelly sock wrote: »

Genuine question , is it a narcissistic thing with some of these couples. They could easily afford a decent Architect.

Was wondering the same myself though this couple didnt come across as narcissistic compared to a few others. I can understand someone with a tight budget giving up their privacy and going on national tv so they can save the €20 or €30k fees from Dermot. But with these large budgets they could easily afford to hire him privately.

meeeeh · 30-09-2019 12:20AM

seannash wrote: »

Well surely that what were here to discuss. Whether we liked the end result or not.
In terms of isnt it better to buy something you love, well you kinda said it yourself. Irish people love those massive large leather sofas. I find them horrible looking and in my opinion a lot of irish people buy them because they think leather equals quality. And dont get me started on leather beds which are also bought for the same reasons.
I agree buy what you like, i simply cant see how people like those large leather sofas.
But I'm begining to see certain posters dont ever say they dislike anything about the houses on RTI so I feel my points are probably falling on deaf ears.

You need large sofa in a large room. They also have a gaggle of kids and while they won't always be around they did have two sofas next to each other and a corner unit just to accommodate everyone before.

I think everyone is perfectly entitled to criticize whatever they want. For me there are houses I'd love to live in, those that I like but are not for me and the ones I don't like. This one is in the second category for me. But I'm not going to tear into every detail, I know people have different preferences than me. And excluding bath the house isn't hugely ostentatious. Plus I love it when people actually put in the art they love, not some prints which are bought because they colour match cushions and candles in the sitting room.

Btw we have globo chair in the garden and it is one of the most comfortable seats to sit in. It makes perfect sense as a meditation chair (I think it's in her yoga studio).

Sheep breeder · 30-09-2019 12:23AM

The builders are from cork and no wonder the builder was in a rush and no local worked on site, only one sister lives on the road and runs a tile business, the house is in no way of keeping with any thing in the area and one wonders how planning was got in Wicklow for such a house looking in over the neighbours.

seannash · 30-09-2019 12:27AM

Sheep breeder wrote: »

such a house looking in over the neighbours.

I think the neighbours are all family

meeeeh · 30-09-2019 12:32AM

Muahahaha wrote: »

Was wondering the same myself though this couple didnt come across as narcissistic compared to a few others. I can understand someone with a tight budget giving up their privacy and going on national tv so they can save the €20 or €30k fees from Dermot. But with these large budgets they could easily afford to hire him privately.

I think some people want to be on TV (that Cork horror last year) and some just want architect whose designs they like. It's just as plausible they approached his studio to design them a house and were asked to be on tv because their build was potentially interesting.

Sheep breeder · 30-09-2019 12:37AM

seannash wrote: »

I think the neighbours are all family

Read the full post, only two of the family live on the road beside daddy’s house.

seannash · 30-09-2019 12:38AM

meeeeh wrote: »

You need large sofa in a large room.

I never said you dont. Room proportions shoukd be fairly obvious to most people at this stage. I said i hate large leather sofas in a room (any size)

I still think the house was beautiful from the outside and the layout was good (apart from the yoga area) but the owners had terrible style which was reflected in the items they were drawn to.
Besides the kitchen, it wasn't anything like the image she showed Dermot

Vicarious Function · 30-09-2019 12:51AM

The husband's job took him away a lot and he enjoyed the comfort and luxury, even quirkiness, of 5-star hotels, when away. This is what he wished to recreate in his own house. He obviously had skill negotiating deals, as shown when he assumed that if they bought the two sculptures they could probably get two for the price of one.

ted1 · 30-09-2019 07:30AM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Awful staircase - those open risers are lethal for people tripping up the stairs and no handrail on the wall to steady themselves. Does Dermot know that people get old?

Very few people have handrails on the wall, they are also awful.

Sleepy · 30-09-2019 09:59AM

Have to say I loved it. Dermot was in his element here: a couple with a massive budget who let him focus on good architecture: the space he created for them was every bit the wow factor they wanted. TBH, with a few tweaks (polished copper instead of gold on the island) and some tweaks to the furnishings I'd happily live in it.

The couple were in a fortunate position and the budget didn't seem too wild for their means tbh.

Room to Improve.

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