Room to Improve (v2)

Looked to be completely open. Thought it was odd that she didn't want the head of her bed beside the door for security reasons, then declined to put up a fence at the end of the garden…

My brother is considering buying a house or building in rural Ireland this year and is looking at a few similar properties in villages. I suggested to him it could end up costing 680,000 and he may not then even have room in his master bedroom for a wardrobe. The one the older night was just a pop up canvas thing, even though Dermot said the 2 functions of a bedroom was to sleep in and store clothes in. I also said in the countryside he and his visitors could go out the back door to his car,bin, garden, bbq without squeezing past the end of his bed. He is weighing up the pros and cons, he is not on boards.ie. I'd hate to see him making a mistake he'd regret later.

What was the final cost of the house, I thought they said that came in at €300k+ but €250k net to her due to the grants?

I don't blame anyone questioning the show's information re grants as there have been plenty of questionable items before. There was one last year where the couple were living in the house shortly before the work commenced, that was very questionable. But I do believe this weeks house would have qualified for all that was set out in the show. Maybe Co Co's have slightly different criteria (they shouldn't) but I know a couple in the same county doing a similar restoration and they are getting the same grants.

Re your brother or anyone else's situation, unless the property is dirt cheap or inherited, it's probably not the wisest investment imo (even assuming all grants can be got).

If my understanding of it costing 250k net is correct then I think she got a lovely house (even with Dermot's bad layout choices imo) and the money was well spent. If the property wasn't in the family then I still think paying 80-100k would have worked out reasonably well, reasonable but not spectacular value if the total cost was 350k in that case (250k net and assuming 100k purchase price)

whose job is it to render the wall with the adjoining property; the one to the right of her property?

Looks like there is still a bit of work to do on the back of the house

It was thought through at the drawing stage by the original architect and looked like it would work well.

Then Dermot came along and turned it in it's head.

Edit, original proposed plan

He increased the width of the rear extension and moved it out to the boundary and used parapet walls and a flat roof, which was a good idea.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was flipped right way up again.

Would be great to have a poll on it, to see if most people prefer the Mayo architects 2022 design or Dermot Bannon's design! I'd say nearly everyone would go for the original, Mayo architect's design.

Which is surprising as Dermot's designs are usually very good, I think. If the view in Charlestown upstairs was say a sea view or mountain view instead of a church car park and field, then an argument could be made for putting the kitchen living upstairs. But the glass back door in the bedroom did not work, I think.

I wonder if the back door in the bedroom came about because she insisted on the 3rd bedroom, which looked squeezed in?

Had Dermot's original 2-bed plan gone ahead, would there have been a "proper" back door?

Regarding the switching of the living areas upstairs, I suppose it's what the owner grew up with (as her family lived upstairs from the shop), so there might have been a bit of heart-over-head decision-making.

Edit: did she inherit the property, I wonder? Would have cut out the purchase price.

The Mayo architects design for which planning was got in 2022 had three bedrooms upstairs, and she was always very insistent on having 3 bedrooms, so it would appear the brief to Dermot was for 3 bedrooms. He said in London he got that.

Upstairs balcony looks unfinished with no railing, wouldnt be surprised if the plan is to have an outside stairs built up to it which would be nice.

Also with regards pricing I got a quote from a builder who did one of the houses on room to improve not long ago. I was looking for a lot less than what they did for the 'tv' and it was still nearly double what the room to improve project supposedly cost.

" And while it was a really nice touch to have the name on the front… could they not have kept or recreated the original framing and signage. A big missed opportunity there imo"

It looks like she did keep the old sign, just not the canopy-

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4y5JPAf1uSznpM5y6

You are right: the 70,000 grant is not supposed to be paid for new builds, just keeping the front wall of the old property, unless the old property was " structurally unsound and dangerous".

If that is allowed, then someone building a million euro mansion in the countryside would be equally entitled to 95,000 worth of grants if they just kept the front wall of an existing structurally sound and safe building, and knocked the rest. Most county councils will not rightfully give the "refurbishment " grants like that, at taxpayers expense, as new builds are not what the refurbishment grants are intended for.

Seeing the meat hooks and shed where the animals were cut up certainly brought back memories of butchers a long time ago. As someone else said, it was strange how the food and biscuits in the shop was not given to charity or disposed of many years ago. No sign of dampness or leaks in the old building, it was there a long time.

Double post

so I’m watching this at the moment. The bedroom in the front. Will there not be noise to contend with? And what is the point of the court yard?

A Velux is an option with the bedrooms upstairs. As well is the court yard a future proofing in case you need a lift put into the house in 30 years time as she gets older to get upstairs