Or two competing architects proposing different designs?
They really need a new architect fronting the show.
100% farcicial.
At one stage they cant afford insulation, then they have bloody pergolas with an outside patio by the end and all within budget.
Didnt the QS state that the pumping of the cavity wall was a couple of grand where did the other 186k/187k go. Its absolutely farcical. Room to Improve will soon only have the rich and famous on it for those prices.
I presume they spent extra pumping the cavity but since thats not dramatic that dont show any of that on R2I
Thats DBs point though.
You have 3 options
1) 100% Minimalist design
2) Minimalist framework with colours, etc added through individual pieces
3) Bright vibrant design
What people seem to think they want is bright vibrant design and bright colours and standout pieces of furniture and standout pieces of art.
It doesnt work and looks terrible, you see nothing other than mess.
He would be laughed out of it in the UK.
George Clarke would do a similar extension for 50k in the UK.
All commentary and criticism aside 190k for a small extension that did not include some joinery, the garden and the furniture... I cannot see Bannon on next year as the vast majority of Irish people will simply not be able to afford this. He may have to travel to the UK where prices are within the sphere of reality of being reasonable.
Except she says 'joyces' when she means 'joists'. A bit pedantic, but it put me off her.
Clearly hit the shelf of the press door.
He got a massive screen and projector. Like a cinema a guess. 😂
Completely pointless. Better off having two of them as fixed windows without a centre split. Then put a bi fold on the very end of the extension.
Read up on universal design. A competent designer will have no difficulty achieving this goal.
My comments about the stepped entrance were about the previous two weeks, effectively new builds, and Bannon slapped in steps at both front doors, in breach of Part M.
I've no issue with planning for the future, but you can't live your life according to what MIGHT happen.
theres a saying 'perfection is the enemy of good' - in this case, if people were to wait around chasing the perfect house that covers every single potential outcome, they might never have something that would cover 95% of all possible needs.
Does it not make sense to plan for the future. Most people wont have the money in their old age to do a big job on their house to make it age friendly. What if elderly parents etc come to stay with them.
I dont live in a bungalow but I do have a bedroom and bathroom downstairs should anything happen in the future that makes climbing stairs difficult - but I never intend to move so it made sense to make it futureproof.
A vanity unit is trivial compared to correcting different levels, steps etc.
Most people I know who've gone this route houses ends up looking like normal homes after while.
They've all gotten rid of the white and grey and ended up with colours, picture's, extra bits of furniture and clothes horses.
One common thing I've seen/known about is they ended up with loads of cushions/throws to make the place more cosey and got blinds or curtains especially for the Winter evenings.
What age are they? mid forties? they could have 30 years before mobility becomes an issue?
should we all live in bungalows? what do older people who live in apartments do if the lift is broken?
you cant engineer for every possible outcome, only do best practice and use common sense.
I'll posit another example,
in a downstairs bathroom in new builds, there has to be a clear access space of something like 1200mm x 760mm, to facilitate wheelchair access.
Now lets go to the retrofit scenario, downstairs bathroom, picking out your ware.
lets just say that you'd love to fit a vanity unit in here, but its slightly too big and encroaches on the aforementioned space. Now, as a forty year old person , do you forego 30 years of use with the vanity unit you'd like, over going for something you'll be unhappy with for years?
But they built an extension that internally is a different level to the rest of the house. Silly thing to do as it may not suit them as they age - for the elderly even a few steps can be a problem. Its also not wheelchair accessible should anyone in the house become disabled.
Thats fair enough on new builds, but every other house in that estate would have been built to older regs, and dont have sloped entrances to the access doors, as you'd expect to find on a new build.
Just because you're adding an extension, doesn't mean that you have to retroactively go through the entire house and bring it into line with current regs.
You can ramp up on the outside. Also, inside steps between living and kitchen etc would be used much more- many people would not have been in their gardens via a door betwen living a garden in the past 6 months , whereas people go between kitchen / dining and the living room thousands of times every month. What about when old people want to visit?
So you adjust the levels outside to have a gentle sloped approach instead of steps.
The level change has to happen somewhere though, typically a sunken room leads out to the garden at the same level.
If you raise the sunken room then you have a step down to the garden.
Also, many homes are suspended timber, so you have to have a step up from the outside.
Part M Building Regulations technical guidance is absolutely clear on the need for level entry without steps, and that steps should only be used at entrances ‘in exceptional circumstances’;
“3.2.2 Accessible Entrance The main entrance is the entrance, which a visitor not familiar with the dwelling would normally expect to approach. The entrance should be provided with a level entry i.e. with maximum threshold height of 15 mm with exposed edges chamfered or pencil rounded;”
There’s good reason for this, as steps are a risk factor, and can generally be designed out without losing any functionality.
Why would you NOT want to design for your lifetime when you’re doing a once-in-a-lifetime project like this? Universal Design principles will produce a design that works for everyone and is future proofed.
Its a non issue for the most part, you're stepping in and out your front door daily, and you're probably more likely to trip over something like a slightly off level tile than a clearly visible step. As regards design choices, realistically speaking, if you're in your 40's , why would you design for something you might need in your 70's?
plenty of elderly folk live out their days in 2 storey builds, and ramps, chairlifts etc can always be added down the line if needed. Funnily enough, I reckon someone whos up and down stairs every day for most of their life, is likely getting some passing benefit from it, not everyone ends up crippled with Arthritis or immobile in old age.
They primarily needed a garage and a utility room , to store their junk, neither of which were incorporated in the 190k.
A friend has a sunken seating area in her house. She regrets doing it - the kids have tumbled down the steps a few times, when running they forget the steps are there. Also the different levels are a pain for cleaning - mopping, sweeping etc is awkward and robot hoover cant go down the steps. She also has said the area would work better all on one level - when sitting in sunken area she doesnt like being lower than people in the kitchen.
I love these episodes where they are super tight on budget and 3K is a huge amount to find.
Then low and behold at the end of the show they have a new sofa set, garden has been landscaped, new telly etc etc.
And as for these cowboys who started a job without the funds being in place, very unfair on the builder.
All these people needed was some organization, they spent a huge amount of money to watch telly in a slightly nicer (for now) room.
Would love to know how they get on with the sunken living room, going down a few steps. Surely on such a major design decision he should have warned them about the risk of tripping / lack of future proofing - or does everyone who has one (sunken living area) love them so much? More important than tile colour I think.
Many architects suffer from the ‘style over substance’ fetish. It’s not unusual to see designs that are downright dangerous, like stairs with open risers or no handrails or spiral design, because the architect reckons they look cool.
Bannon seems to be a particularly poor as a project manager, and is frequently ‘surprised’ during the build phase by matters that he really should have clarified up front. I guess the drama of this is played up a bit for the cameras, but they really shouldn’t be surprised by the need for a steel beam or external insulation when they start building.
Spot on. If this show has proven anything to me it is I would never hire DB. He wants to build "his vision" and everyone is left with a "show home" (OK, I know it needs to be aesthetically perfect for the end drone shot / overdubbed swirling music) that he's delighted with. I'm always wondering how families feel a year later when they actually have lived in it. Some of them look so sterile and "office-y". I want my home to be a home, not a photo in a magazine.
A couple of weeks ago , the renovation of the farm house for the army guy and DB insisted on the installation of the 3 columns outside the kitchen extension (can't remember the correct term for them) to frame the view .... I kept thinking "OK, how much are they adding to the overall cost of the build". Call me a philistine but no.
I should add I'm much more a substance over style sort of person so I regularly get angry watching this show and his fcukwit architectural features .... but the Mrs loves it.
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