My Bungalow Bliss

True, but one of these architects featured on Hugh's other show and his fine build came in just under his €200k budget.

Chartered Quantity Surveyors should be engaged for all Construction Projects. They are skilled in accurately calculating the total build cost of a proposed building before commencement. (Especially where Builders include ridiculous PC Sums in their estimates).

Architects are not trained in the skill of Quantity Surveying.

Many years ago Dermot Bannon was giving Architects a poor image when most of the Room to Improve projects were running’s€100,000 over budget, and the program were obliged to engage a Quantity Surveyor.

Every Client has a right to know the Estimated Cost of the proposed project before commencement, and this Estimated Cost should be very similar to the Final Account.

This is so simple and very achievable with proper Contract Documents (Complete Drawings, Specification of Works and a Bill of Quantities)

Most Clients constructing their Home, cannot produce an extra €5k on completion.

This is achievable for every building project with a QS + one of the following:- Registered/ Chartered Building Surveyor; or Chartered Building Engineer; or Chartered Civil Engineer; or Architect specialising in the type of proposed building AND a very competent Building Contractor.

It'd be great to actually have one of these shows where they push back on the architects to make them actually draft something within budget, would make this and RTI a bit more in touch with the majority of viewers

Watched the third programme. The finished product looked good. The owners were happy. Hugh Wallace was really painful to watch, smug and snarky at the same time, big bombastic self opinionated p**k. The show was very padded out with nonsense about Architects etc.

They are so condescending about the original bungalows. They were built for affordable costs. No-one from the current time can understand what they meant, it allowed many people actually get married and have their own home, which wasn't an option for everyone in the 60's here. Mortgages were 20 year fixed rates, and bloody hard to get, there was no three and a half times your salary crap.

Virtually all families were single income, the basis for many that were in steady jobs was the take home pay, one third for the mortgage, one third to run the house, and one third for socialising. At the end of the sixties, or the very beginning of the seventies a small bungalow could be built for 2,000.00 pounds with a mortgage of around 2 pounds per week. But to get a mortgage for that princely sum was bloody difficult.

To get the build completed within budget a lot of the labour might be provided by the owner. Bungalows were such a step forward in their day, allowing people get out of multi generational living, which was often not an appealing prospect. After the fifties and sixties in Ireland Bungalows springing up around the country was a real spring forward and the first sign of prosperity in a country that was only emerging from economically devastating times.

To have Hugh Wallace with his big smug head look down his nose at them without ever really crediting them for the step forward that they were is quite annoying. He makes it sound like the muck savages on the west coast built these because there was no architects outside of Dublin.

A family member bought a 70's bungalow about 10 years ago and is coming to the end of a substantial renovation. The existing house is now 5 bedrooms/playroom/extra bathroom, all exterior walls have had insulation fitted, extra attic insulation also fitted. A new living block has been built beside the existing house which has been insulated to the max. (new part will have A BER rating) Total renovation budget including triple glazed windows, kitchen and bathroom fittings is about 150K. Doesn't include electrics as they are a Sparks and doing that themselves, house is in north Clare. They are manging the project and getting tradesmen themselves and no "mates rates" for labour etc. They employed a local architect, not sure if the architect had won awards or not but the place is looking fabulous.

I'm not sure what people were expecting here, first off these are normal people or at least they were in the first 2 episodes I have watched. Most people end up underestimating the cost of a renovation, so clearly what they wanted to spend wasn't the maximum they could spend and when they realised what they wanted would actually cost they borrowed more or accessed funds some other way.

What I would question, especially looking at the second episode , is if they had just spend the ending total budget on a house in the first place would they have gotten something better than what they ended up with. I think they probably would have.

As for the reports of 150k renovations producing 5 bedroom houses , that's not for 'normal' people either, most normally people can't do their own electrics or project manage direct labour. And I'm sure the quality of materials and finishes reflects the budget , which is fine, but you can't really compare one refurb to another without having all the details.

I was an architect, qualified from Bolton Street in 1976. I do have an issue with the commentary on the toddler in the first episode, particularly comments about his name. He is my grandson and that’s the reason I’m unhappy, commentary like that is uncalled for and those type of comments should be removed.

You’ve just proved the point ‘will this involve some payment or other’

I thought poor Hugh was going to end up in the fetal position on the ground screaming "ITS NOT HOW PEOPLE LIVE THESE DAYS!!" when he nearly got lost in the corridor and ALL those doors of house 1 😄

You could see the kids coming back from surfing.....it's a handy way of washing all the salt off your wetsuit and board......I don't think it's there for your daily shower 😅

I can really see that bungalow being listed on Airbnb next summer!

MBE220d. This could also include Dwellinghouses designed by experienced - Registered/Chartered Building Surveyors, Chartered Building Engineers, Chartered Civil Engineers and Chartered Architectural Technologists.