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My Bungalow Bliss

  • 01-12-2021 11:27pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭


    The new program started tonight I think they are trying to be the Irish version of Grand Designs.

    Bought an old house for 150k and spend 350k doing it up instead of flatting it and starting from scratch,

    As for the galvanised roof, enough said, wait until they get a good blast of hailstones or heavy rain and hear the noise from that.

    The couple that builds it seems like a nice down to earth family.



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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 242 ✭✭The Nu man in town


    Yeah very hard to see where it sits as a TV show. It could just as easily have been in Dermot Bannons series. It was effectively a new build, and they could have done a better job without being constrained by the existing shape.

    I missed the start of it but it seems they were living in the house beforehand, so rather than pay €150K then a clear site might have been maybe €50K to buy and the build cost less as there was no demolition or retrofit.

    In defence of the galvanised roof, I spend a bit of time under them, and there is something nice about rain beating down, IMO.



  • Registered Users Posts: 831 ✭✭✭False Prophet


    Only saw the last 20ish mins of it but half a million and not even a proper roof, tiger is back!

    I also wouldnt be a big fan of the fact that it didn't seem to give much privacy from people coming in the drive.

    But nice couple and nice wood island etc as well as good views.



  • Registered Users Posts: 80,798 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn


    Corrugated roof was atrocious, why didn't they go with coloured slate instead, it's a house, not a jaysus art exhibition for cars driving by to gawk at. More expense with the slate but a much more future proof job. I can never understand people fitting nice fancy modern high end kitchens and then putting poverty spec €9.99 white switches for the main cooking appliances. I'd love to know the energy rating before and after.

    I'd like to see the Bungalow book make a comeback, why bother making a seperate design for each individual house around the country? An A++ rated bungalow built in Bally Back Of My Hole is the same as one built in a city, no adaptions needed. I don't like all the options when doing a one off, opening a book and choosing page 7 is the way to go.



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,540 ✭✭✭Treppen


    Half a million was insane. Couldn't get over the main road outside either.

    If I had 350k to spare I'd be flogging that house and land ASAP and upping sticks.

    3 bedrooms were tiny (considering there was about 20 rooms to start with).

    Ya the finish was nice and we can argue over the colour. But 350k !!! Considering it started out with 210k you can tell they were rrrrrrriiiddden by the architects and builders.

    Just do an update on the bungalow book.



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,707 ✭✭✭✭Hello 2D Person Below


    I only caught bits and pieces as I was working away on the computer but I liked it.

    Value for money? probably not, but nicely finished.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,804 ✭✭✭recipio


    Too much money for what they got. The green roof was a product of the architect's imagination. Black with white walls would have been a better solution.



  • Registered Users Posts: 548 ✭✭✭joebre


    Did he say it was 3,000 sq. ft ? Couldn't imagine it was that size to start with ? They kept describing it as a bungalow ! It had at least one gable window and 2 Velux windows to the rear. Did they just have a mezzanine or did they develop more of the attic space ?



  • Registered Users Posts: 5,679 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    I love the way couples can just pull another 100K out of their holes.

    A budget of 200k for a refurb in my opinion is generous and then you have the architects saying how tight it is....spare me.....then it increases to 330K ffs.

    Thought the house was lovely but open plan is a massive bug bear of mine. Fine when kids are small but once they reach teenage years they have no where to bring their friends in unless they go to their bedrooms.

    Realistically they'll probably have another child so that's all 3 bedrooms used.

    If it were me I'd have gone 4 beds, I also would have had a seperate reception room somewhere guests can go, or family can go if you have guests then maybe a study/playroom.

    Though I do think they had a snug, which brings me to second bug bear of all these programmes .....why is so much time allocated to what architects/builders are up to and absolute seconds allocated to the finished rooms.....master bedroom we got a look at a pillow, ensuite a look at a mirror didn't see the wardrobes, I appreciate it is someone's home but they did volunteer for the show.



  • Registered Users Posts: 31,752 ✭✭✭✭gmisk


    I loved the inside of the house, lovely scandi style to it, lots of wood and the no skirting etc is slick. Liked the polished concrete floor as well. They didn't focus much on the island he made oddly. But the other furniture was terrific. As were the windows.


    But I don't get the roof at all....it looked horrible...the colour hmm....the noise! I would think could be hard to maintain, possibly hard to insure? And only three bedrooms at the end of the day.

    The money spent felt like an awful lot, especially given how much they reduced the size of the place, maybe the pandemic didn't help in they, I suppose not a concern unless they need to sell up.



  • Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭MBE220d


    It cost them 500k in total, what is it worth today if you were to sell it? would you even get 250/300k for it?



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  • Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭MBE220d


    I wonder would the same architect have put that galvanised roof on their own house, I doubt it very much.

    All these architects seem to do is go out of their way to spend other peoples money in the hope that they do something that gets them noticed.



  • Registered Users Posts: 16,512 ✭✭✭✭yabadabado


    The bungalow book or a similar modern book of plans would be a good idea.

    Some of the ideas in these type of shows ,seem to be purely the architect pushing for some thing that might get them noticed.



  • Registered Users Posts: 5,679 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    Yeah it's weird, they said they couldn't afford Dublin prices but 500K would get you a 3 bedroom house in Dublin. Granted you won't get the land.



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,981 ✭✭✭funkey_monkey


    I thought the other architects got to present ideas too?

    When they went as far as they did they should have razed it to the ground and stated again.



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    I like the premise of it - the dreary bungalow boom of the Irish landscape in the '70s being revisited. Many here no doubt grew up in one (I did) but those cavernous, clinical warehouses beloved of architects/interior designers today... I'm sick of them. They're so cold. And unnecessarily big.



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,540 ✭✭✭Treppen


    Depends on the land I suppose.

    350k for an extension seems a bit nutty to me.



  • Registered Users Posts: 5,679 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    Well they were able to buy the original house for 150 with the land obviously 😊 100% increase on market value would still only bring it to 300k I'm not aware of any area increasing by 100% in last 10 years especially not Connemara.

    It's a nice high spec house and it is their "forever home" but I'd imagine if it was brought to market now it would sell at a loss.

    500k for a 3 bed bungalow in Connemara seems ridiculous.



  • Registered Users Posts: 15,452 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    Had a look at the planning, big attic space (4.1 x 6.6) over sleeping area, with gable window and rooflight, future bedroom no. 4? Also separate loft and storage space. They didn't show us that on the programme.

    http://gccapps.galwaycoco.ie/ViewPlanningDocuments/ViewPDF.aspx?ref=2270788

    My Bungalow Bliss (rte.ie)



  • Registered Users Posts: 80,798 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn


    Exactly, I feel the book raised a huge percentage of the population back in the day who couldn't afford a 'mainstream home'. I don't recall a single case of Mica or any poor design issue that the designers had to be sued about or the owners put out of their home about.



  • Registered Users Posts: 26,897 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    I watched a little of this and found it utterly bizzare as to why, having gutted the entire shell they left supporting walls and roof structure in place ( albeit roof tiles removed and replaced with steel cladding).

    Then they spend over €350k (didn't see final bill) renovating, it made no logical sense. Surely having gone as far as they did, would it not have been wiser and possibly cheaper to demolish completely and start from scratch.

    Read some reviews also and not terribly good.

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




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  • Registered Users Posts: 46 Scag Mattress


    Watched this last night,

    I cant believe a furniture maker had no interested in making anything for his own house.

    Hard to see any value for money and no TV!



  • Registered Users Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭✭ednwireland


    I'm still trying to figure where they spent 350k. although I suppose its 3000 sq ft.

    yeh weird he didnt make furniture.



  • Registered Users Posts: 26,897 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    That wouldn't have been tolerated on Grand Designs 😊 some amazing stories, Builds and even more amazing furniture made by participants.

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Registered Users Posts: 46 Scag Mattress


    The wife basically laughed when they suggested he make the Island.

    He'd have plenty of spare time on his hands as a lecturer too and clearly has access to a fully loaded workshop.



  • Registered Users Posts: 33,385 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Our house increased 100 percent on our purchase and we only picked it up 4 years ago. That said we bought savvy, we bought a location I saw the potential. And it's got the valuation from multiple separate agents one over the phone without a viewing.... All within 10 grand of each other.


    As for the house on the shower. I like it, I don't like the shade of green though maybe darker I think. But the notion you'd pick up a detached house with that level of land and size and space in Dublin for 500k or anything remotely close to that money is hilarious. Dublin isn't the centre of the universe. This couple got a lot for their money overall.

    Admittedly the build costs are massive. But the industry is that cost now. No one can escape the costs. They had no control over that tbh.



  • Registered Users Posts: 26,897 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    I didn't see the entire episode but the bits I saw I got the sense the Hubby very indecisive and perhaps somewhat unmotivated, I'm being generous, (perhaps I'm being unfair) 🤔

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Registered Users Posts: 66,323 ✭✭✭✭FrancieBrady


    I always reckon the numbers (costs) are makey up on these programmes as are the routine dramas about budgets/fights with builders etc. It's a TV programme after all.

    Liked what they did myself and the roof was what at least one of the clients was looking for in the brief - a statement.

    Properly insulated there would be minimal rain noise on a handful of days when you get torrential rain. There a good deal of myth about steel roofs out there tbh. I speak from some experience on that, properly done they are as good a way of doing it as any.



  • Registered Users Posts: 26,897 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    Haven't heard that phrase in a while Francie (Makey Uppy) 😉😊

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Registered Users Posts: 446 ✭✭ec_pc


    Having done something similar ourselves last year and finished just before Covid kicked in,I can tell you 350K does not go far in such a renovation. At the outset we were told 220K was a very healthy budget, but all quotes came in at over 400K and we were not building a mansion. There are reasons behind keeping certain parts of the original fabric of the building, planning in our case was one of them - it just made the process easier and quicker and we were told there is no cost advantage to flattening the old structure and restarting.

    When you consider the bit ticket items in such a house - heating and electrical probably at least 20-25k each, insulation at least 15k, blockwork, plastering, roofing, flooring etc, It all adds up, And then you have the finish - kitchens, bathrooms etc. We spent the extra money to get the finish we wanted as it's a house for live, so the investment is for the next 50 years (I hope!)



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  • Registered Users Posts: 721 ✭✭✭French Toast


    Scandalous amount of money to spend. Surely would have more to show for their money if they had knocked it and started over.

    350k would build a beautiful house (or would have done 6 months ago before prices sky rocketed).



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