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Room to Improve (v2)

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,711 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    Not sure if it did end up with underfloor. There was a big vertical radiator on the wall beside the door into the hall, from what I could remember



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,395 ✭✭✭✭Furze99


    Another phrase for that is 'vacuous nonsense'.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭This is it


    And two facing each other in the kitchen/dining area



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,129 ✭✭✭youcancallmeal


    I'd say they could've afforded a lot more than they let on. I reckon the costs and frivolities like planters we're kept to a minimum as they plan to trade up in the near future. Houses in good condition in that estate have sold for over 600k in the last couple of years. They could probably easily get 700k for the house now. 500k initial cost + 130k for the renovation would leave them with a decent deposit for their next house



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 73,597 ✭✭✭✭FrancieBrady


    Yeh, if you want. There’s a button on your remote solves you having to endure it. 💪

    It’s not a how-to



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,395 ✭✭✭✭Furze99


    But according to the man himself, intended to be government infotainment in the case of this series.

    The entertainment level is high, if that's your wont - but the information bit is dire.

    Waste of a budget commissioning this rubbish imho.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,649 ✭✭✭appledrop


    The kitchen cabinets were horrible, really cheap looking and I'm telling you in two or three years will look in bits with paint coming off especially the ones painted red, already looked a bit rough. Dark ones looked a bit better.

    Not very practical if it's a kitchen that's going to get a lot of use.

    Those bi fold window door things were ridiculous in a house with a 2year old and 8mth old. They won't be open because you would just spend all your time in a&e with the two kids falling all the time.

    Normal bi fold doors would have been fabulous.

    Mad money for what that got, I understand most went on upgrading the house, let that be a lesson to anyone buying a house to do it up.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 73,597 ✭✭✭✭FrancieBrady


    Promised to highlight the grants available.

    You can’t detail every situation or criteria, that would soon bore.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,228 ✭✭✭✭event


    Yeah it shows you don't really understand his business 👍



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,205 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    GDY151


    Contractor has a nice walkthrough the house up on Tik Tok, can see the heatpump in the back garden and new fence betweem the neighbouring houses 😁

    https://www.tiktok.com/@larkrock.green.ho/video/7326990695980338465



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,410 ✭✭✭✭gmisk


    He is a nutritionist, he needs to post videos of him making food, giving tips, plans etc his social stuff is very focussed on instagram. I get what he is doing. I just don't think the entire design of most of the key areas of an expensive house refurb should be based on him taking videos, what his wife needed or wanted didnt really seem to come into it to much of a degree, despite her being the main bread winner.

    That is my point.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭Westernview


    That's it exactly. It's about getting people talking about it and ultimately viewer numbers. If they did more modest homes and less drama with budgets they wouldn't get the same viewership. People want to see a bit of wow factor even if they can't afford it themselves.

    Same with people still complaining about glass boxes even after 15 seasons. He ain't gonna change to doing cottage extensions with small windows. The clients generally don't want that anyway.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,130 ✭✭✭GAAcailin




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,228 ✭✭✭✭event


    So being the breadwinner dictates you more of a voice in the house, regardless of what you need for your job?

    Maybe all she needs is a simple desk to WFH whereas he needs a big kitchen and a bigger office as he will be stuck in it for 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,058 ✭✭✭✭PARlance


    The roles are reversed quite often and not much is ever really made of the wife having biggest say in the design.

    I also think she seemed happy with the design in the end.

    Wasn't a fan of him at all but can't see an issue in him pushing for what he wanted.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,410 ✭✭✭✭gmisk


    No, I only really mentioned the breadwinner thing as it was explicitly discussed in the show. The house setup before felt more setup for his job, dedicated office, a peninsula that made the dishwasher unusable. While his wife shared a cold space that was a playroom.

    After the refurb the kitchen was tailored to his needs and his aesthetic (coffee shop) was important, they brought in things from his family home, they went with a far more expensive home office option for him, while he was gasping at other relatively small but necessary costs in the main house (that felt a bit performative tbh).

    A solicitor in my experience will on average work more hours than that. I was with one for 9 years.

    Ah look it is just my take based on a heavily edited show. The refurb worked for them and they are happy that's all that matters really.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,401 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    I do agree with what you are saying. However usually the wife is steering the design for the "greater good" of the whole family. Making it a nice space for everyone.

    However I think in this case we have the person making the most money in a fairly stressful job consigned to a makeshift desk in the playroom, guaranteed with kids at her feet.

    Then you have him, who has given up his job to follow his dreams , getting a fancy office and steering the whole design for his new "career". It's alot of money being spent on something that may fold within a year. Yeah they'll still have a nice kitchen at the end of it regardless. It was very much his vision.

    Guaranteed those kids will be in creche 5 days a week while he's making "content" too.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 73,597 ✭✭✭✭FrancieBrady


    There was a huge emphasis on him and his career in the show (the fairly pointless Donal what's his name insert etc). I wonder will the office spaces be used the way they said. I could see her using one of them in reality.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭Sono


    House turned out lovely in the end, that husband was an awful dose though, I’d say Dermot was glad to see the back of him.

    I don’t think he mentioned enough about his food business….



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,228 ✭✭✭✭event


    I have to reply here. He hasnt given up his job to follow his dreams. And not sure what you mean by a "career" or why its in inverted commas.

    The man is a qualified sports nutritionist. He has worked for Dublin GAA and Leinster Rugby. He has written two cookbooks. He employs 3 other sport nutritionists for his company, Davey nutrition. He hosts seminars for companies. He hosts performance retreats in portugal for 5 days at a time. He works with high performing competitive athletes.

    You seem to be insinuating he takes a few videos and puts them on instagram ffs.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,226 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    I'd agree. At the end of the day, there was far too much focus on that angle. He needed a kitchen with a bit of light - ultimately they were recording on on iphone with no additional production gear in Donal Skeehans gaff. Didn't really make a whole pile of difference about lighting/counter tops/presses etc.

    Twas absolute nonsense.

    I know the guy has a "real" job as well and is by all accounts good at it, so the focus on the social media side really was just for self promotion - which is fine as well in general, just not when you are dealing with the design of what has to be a functional family kitchen ultimately.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,457 ✭✭✭SharkMX


    Was probably more to get the planning permission sorted before the show aired to be fair.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,796 ✭✭✭Deeec


    Thats all well and good but his job/business didnt need to feature so much in the programme. The emphasis on how he needed the kitchen a certain way was selfish on his family. Also he did mention his wife was the main earner so his business may be just a little more bit more than a hobby. Its hard to make good money doing what he is doing. My husband has one of his books and knows him but says alot of what he does doesnt actually generate money!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,058 ✭✭✭✭PARlance


    Not that I want to fight his in any way at all but I say the show took the influencer angle and ran/sprinted with it (which the husband wouldn't have minded at all I'm sure).

    I just think that the wife came across as a strong individual and I don't think she would have stood by and let them run with a kitchen that she didn't like.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 73,597 ✭✭✭✭FrancieBrady


    I think they were always going to go for the slightly unusual aspect of the needs of this couple.

    It had glitz (Donal What's his Name?) and wasn't your run of the mill kitchen requirement.

    Emphasis was always going to be on him, not a solicitor needing a routine desk and computer.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,228 ✭✭✭✭event


    "Little more than a hobby"

    "My husband says he doesnt generate a lot of money"

    This thread continues to deliver



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,796 ✭✭✭Deeec


    Well he does talks for free for sports clubs (that my husband is involved in) in the hope he will get some business out of it and spends his time doing videos which is vanity basically rather than good business. He admitted on TV that the wife is the earner. Im not saying he is bad at what he does but it doesnt pay the bills.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,228 ✭✭✭✭event


    Ok boomer



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,401 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    Well I had never heard of him....not that that means anything.

    He said himself he was walking away from his career and venturing out by himself.

    He said himself the wife earns more.

    That venture seemed to go as far as the kitchen ....I'm surprised they didn't go for a more professional style kitchen rather than "let's put a coffee machine on the counter (which let's face it the majority of us have) and say we're styling the kitchen on a cafe"

    The light issue could easily be solved by daylight lamps when filming.

    I'm not saying he doesn't have the skills to back it up, but it is a gamble.

    I'm not sure if he walked in to the bank looking for a business loan, with that as a business plan how far he'd get.

    From what was shown on tv , for someone who knows nothing about him, it came across a fairly Mickey mouse operation.



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  • Some of the comments against the husband on here are a bit harsh and old fashioned. While he did come across as a bit of a douchebag a quick google shows him up to be fairly qualified and successful in his field of nutrition, a career that requires a lot of study and expertise. A career that I am sure is very rewarding over a miserable desk hockey career.


    its not all about earnings, maybe his career allows him flexibility to play the role of a part time stay at home father allowing his wife focus on her career. A win win for both and a massive win for the young kids.


    It looks like he does 1:1 consultations over zoom so the garden room would be a game changer for this, no distractions and will come across professional without having kids noise in the background. I also didn’t hear that only himself was getting the office key so a great place for her to work and be warm for important calls / times requiring focus when kids are around.


    anyways a solicitor in Ireland earns €100k plus, he could be earning a reasonable €70k so his statement that his wife as the main earner would still be correct and is not the failure some posters are calling him.

    Post edited by [Deleted User] on


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