Room to Improve (v2)

There's only 4 episodes. They could make each one a 2 parter and add the details in throughout.

Also, I'm starting to think Dermot is a grand scheme kinda man. Lots of broad strokes and not much detail. He only gets his vision as the build progresses. I think it's why he gets upset when the clients disagree. He's emotionally tied to it because he hasn't taken the time to step back and be objective.

I imagine Dermots whole schtick is a complete put on and well rehearsed. In fact I'd say he does a few takes of everything he says

Grand designs is what you want

houses that literally destroy lives

hundreds of thousands of pounds overruns

money gone

living in damp caravan in January

husband takes on the work himself

divorce

10 years from start to finish

but they look amazing when they are sold to the next buyer😀

Do they finish every house they started on Room to Improve? Or do they start 6 projects say to get the 4 that make the cut?

Possibly they can't do something like that for contractual reasons.

He was definitely extremely emotional about those tiles cut from the stone from his father's farm all right. That was a great idea and touch by Dermot to get them. I'm sure they were all genuinely cut from stones he brought to Laois but not on the camera like the one he cut. Imagine the controversy if it transpired someone had taken a short cut and put up cheap Chinese stone tiles on the wall instead.

Grand Designs is a different programme all together, the designs there are generally much more adventurous and ambitious. More like the sort of inspiring stuff that made Dermots jaw literally drop open when he went abroad looking at buildings there, for that RTE series a few years ago I cannot remember the name of.

Only a fool and their money would go to the farm and gather all the stone needed and just hope it worked out.

What any sensible person would do is create a sample first and then price it accordingly. That is the process we saw, in some detail too.

??

Do you seriously believe Bannon just rocked up to the stone cutter without a phone call first? Do you have any idea of how these programmes are produced?

Should we show the visually interesting process of slicing a stone to the viewer and create a bit of 'can it be done' and 'emotional connection' drama or show a phone call?

What would the director of a visual and entertainment programme choose to do I wonder?🙄

So nothing to see with this either.

Read this* couple of paragraphs below and time yourself on it. It took me 60-70 seconds, reading at the speed of the narrator on RTI. In a 50 minute programme it wouldn't kill them to devote 90 seconds to this, and would improve the programme no end IMHO. There are thousands of houses like theirs, built in a mini construction boom either side of 1980, many of them ripe for a retro fit.

"John and Mary had a budget of €68,000 to get the house from a draughty D2 to a comfy A2. And while no two houses are exactly alike, this is what suited them;

The house had exterior insulation of 100mm Acme AAA Insulation installed upstairs at the front, the sides and all down the back. The lower part of the front of the building was left as is to maintain the character of the estate. This cost €10,000

Interior insulation on all exterior walls cost €12,000 and consists of Acme BBB 80mm insulation. The ceilings had Acme CCC insulation fitted to a depth of 250mm, costing €8,000. This included a new insulated water tank and cover.

All windows and the front door were replaced by Coyote windows at a cost of €25,000. These are triple glazed, Super-Duper DDD argon gas filled windows with a 30 year guarantee.

The old boiler went out and is replaced by a Coyote Air Source Heat Pump. With a new tank and fittings, this cost €18,000 and ensures year round low cost heating. Other sundries such as plastering and painting cost €5,000, bringing the total cost to €68,000. As €18,000 is available in grants from the SEAI under their 'Naughty but Nice' grant scheme, the total cost for John and Mary was €49,350.

The prognosis is that they will save €2,450 per annum on energy, their bills now being €500 p.a. instead of €3,000 p.a., with a return of approximately 20 years. Dropping the BER from D2 to A2 has also increased the value of their house by approx. €45,000." [ENDS]

*And I just made the figures and the companies up, the pedants can write what they want.

An analysis of a lot of the criticism of this programme would show that most of it is based in dislike of Bannon or jealousy/begrudgery of the home builders or general ranting about anything RTE does.

So I think you are right, no matter what was presented, there would be criticism found.

It's far from a perfect programme but much of the criticism is overblown.

That was funny all right.

Quite common.

We had all our meetings/consultations with the architect but the drawings for planning were signed by a staff member - the draughtsperson.

Absolutely. Did anyone suggest different? Bannon's involvement in the design and build cannot be assessed by who submitted the planning application or who did the drafting was the point.

Been a long-time watcher of this thread, but to me anyway, many comments are born out of pure jealousy, envy and downright begrudgery.