Room to Improve (v2)

So they werent on budget from what I am gathering. Dermot presented them with a bill for everything at the start, I know they agreed to not do upstairs during the process, they were NEVER going to get the lot done for their budget. The paid 350k ish for downstairs. What was the mix up in Dermots figures does anyone know? Cos 350k for 60-70% of the projected work, is chronic.

Your use of the word scumbag in this discussion reveals what you’re too afraid to say.

Grants should be for the disadvantaged not to inflate property prices, drive the class divide further and especially not for people with an asset which would probably fetch a million if sold in the morning.

airtrack vs pool table?

I think the whole house is upgraded with underfloor heating and a large extension with storage units . the fuel bills will be lower .

I don’t think the upstairs renovation will ever be done.
Maybe a new bathroom at some stage, that’ll be it.

?? I remember back in the major economic downturn around 2008 people looked back and said, yes, we did party. I remember one person saying during the crash that nobody during the celtic tiger, or at least very few, wanted to stop the party or question foolish spending during the celtic tiger years. What some of us thought necessary during the celtic tiger was really unwise spending looking back at it now.

Being devils advocate, some people are questioning if it is wise now the taxpayer here paying large grants towards fancy extensions and renovations? 95k last week, 35k this week. Is it the best use of taxpayers money? Fine if people want to build an extension on to a house now costing almost a million, but as it now has a dedicated pool table room as well as 2 living room areas, why should it get a grant when so many young couples cannot get on the housing ladder at all, and end up living with their parents (no grant) or emigrating because of the housing crises (no grant)? Would not the house last night have been fine without the €35,000 grant if there was no pool room but yet keeping the other two fine living room areas we saw last night? The fine renovated house last light, with Dermot Bannon extension but without the pool room would still be better than the houses 99% of us grew up in / probably 95% of us live in?

If the Apple money runs dry and Trump brings the worldwide profits from the MNCs back to America, will we be looking back and saying, yes, giving €35000 worth of a grant to a house than now has a pool room as well as 2 living areas was perhaps money not best spent? I do not blame the couple last night, well done to them but I am looking at the system, the situation of many young couples and wondering if something is wrong?

Yeah something is wrong, it's called begrudgery and it's alive and well.

This couple are in the worst possible position, they were earning too much to get a council house, but not enough to pay fully for what was needed to get themselves a comfortable home where they can stay.

They got no support when they were living in an overcrowded apartment, they didnt expect anything, they just got on with it.

The fact house had mould , damp, and was freezing should be an indicator that this is what the grants are to cover?

Dedicated pool room is a bit of an exaggeration, would you not think?

Inferring that they are living a celtic lifestyle is an insult to this couple in my opinion. On that topic, not everyone went mad spending during the celtic tiger, anyone who was lucky enough to keep their job and their head will be almost home and dry now.

The one thing that really hit me with this show was the daily grind, as someone who has done it 35 years, it's Groundhog day again and again and again, working for the man. The lady wanted a place to sit and relax for 2 hours after a week of stress- she well deserves it.

that's what struck me…….. the incredible stress of their life and the stage they're at! She mentioned they will be working till their 70 to repay everything. Its not a cake walk and that is the society and times we are now living in, both people have to work, the rushing home through traffic jams, picking kids up, extra curricular stuff kids do, homework, dinners, lunches, bed at 9.30pm , up again at 6.30 to get the day started. She said her husband is gone every morning by 7am. Its a tough slog and pretty relentless to be working and have a family in Dublin especially.

On another note I understood the budget of €350k was for the entire project and the reason they didn't do the upstairs yet was because they had a deadline to move back into their house. They were renting somewhere else close by and I can imagine what that was costing on top of all their building costs!! The upstairs can be done now that they are back.

Its probably better if Room to Improve made these things clearer. It might be an entertainment show but lot of people rely on it for information because they are trying to do the same but are not on national TV.

If you ever saw what people who are eligible for the “free upgrade” get you’d have a very different opinion. They don’t get asked they get told. Their house gets torn up and they get a couple of free light bulbs. No such thing as underfloor heating rarely external wraps too expensive instead internal insulating with cold gaps. Then you have the accessibility upgrade grant and beg for a bathroom and the council says we’re out of money this year. I’ve seen too many pensioners left to rot, no nice Lisa to explain options but money thrown at those who have loads of money who want two living spaces and pool rooms. No wonder Kanturk lady and I are upset we see it daily, the inequality.

I am fully aware of how the grant system works and availed of it myself. I have seen council and private housing getting external insulation provided by the council. So no I won't change my mind. You also don't know where the grant money comes from because it isn't the same fund as used for elderly care improvements.

You are upset because you don't understand and have jumped to the wrong conclusion to just increase your dislike for government.

I do understand where the money comes from I’m providing an example of how those without money and those with money are treated for grants.

And of course I won’t change your mind.

And being upset isn’t the insult you think it is, I care about people and for them, that’s no insult.

Gotta say, I agree with pretty much everything you posted. The lad is 13 and he still has a small goal which a toddler would use in the living room? The dad needs to get a grip. There is a massive shed in the garden that they could store all the stuff in.

I think she was joking or telling a fib saying she would be working until she was 70 to have it paid off. She has a public sector job, she will be retiring with a tax free lump sum and a pension long before that.

She is not the only one juggling career and family life: most couples nowadays seem to do that, not just in Dublin but also in other cities around the world. If you want the nice holidays and the extra activities for the kids and the second car people do that nowadays. And I would bet most couples in capital cities in the world do not have a semi-d with a decent size back garden, 2 living rooms and a dedicated pool room etc. Most people on the continent live in apartments for example.

Correct. They are spending over 700k on their forever home: they can afford to have decent insulation anyway : it is more important than having a dedicated, stand alone pool table room as well as 2 different living room areas. The vast amount of taxpayers working hard and juggling everything and who are paying towards their €35,000 grant do not have a dedicated pool table room built in their home. I do not begrudge anyone anything if they pay for it themselves. If I see someone with a new BMW I think well done to them if they can afford it / earned it, but I would not think they should get a grant of 35,000 towards it from the taxpayer.