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00:01Projects work best when architects and clients see eye to eye,
00:05but sometimes they just don't.
00:07I have a feeling that this project is completely going to grow legs.
00:11I guess it's a nice design idea to have.
00:14Don't need that, don't want that.
00:16I am telling you here and now that is not something that I would do.
00:20I feel like from the outside it'll look boring.
00:23It's just nonsense, like whatever they want me to achieve, I don't want to do it.
00:28The key to it all is compromise.
00:30But if you tell me what you want, I can design something around it.
00:34Okay.
00:34Moving forward, if we can kind of move into more of a team pattern, I think it will help.
00:39Easier said than done, but always worth it in the end.
00:43Tick, tick, tick and I take back my boring comment.
00:46I really like that.
00:47You like it?
00:47Yes.
00:49That's what I'm reaching for.
01:05HR manager Sarah and electrician Liam are a young couple with a plan.
01:10A plan they've been working on since, well, since they were kids.
01:15We've been together for nearly 12 years.
01:17We met at school and transition year.
01:19And we've been together ever since.
01:21So really childhood sweethearts.
01:23We're getting married in a few months as well.
01:26So very exciting.
01:27We're getting married in Tuscany in Italy.
01:29So it's a destination wedding.
01:31The dream and the pasta is a good bonus as well.
01:34Pasta, Prosecco and sunshine.
01:38At Kelsen County Mead, the newlyweds to be Liam and Sarah have spent 315 grand in what will soon be
01:45their forever home.
01:46Funded by the sale of their first house, which the hardworking couple bought in their twenties.
01:52It's a design straight from the pages of Bungalow Bliss.
01:57Liam and I, we wouldn't always have the same taste.
01:59And this is the first house that we actually visually looked at where we were both like on the same
02:05page.
02:06The thing was the location.
02:08And I think it had so much space to expand.
02:10Like we didn't realize that we had the extra bit of land as well on the side, which was a
02:13great bonus, you know,
02:14for down the road with kids and stuff, they can have a little area for themselves as well.
02:18And we lived in Kelsenow for three years and it's just a real nice community.
02:22It's close knit, but it's busy in a good way.
02:25You know, I think again, best of both worlds here.
02:27Yeah, ready to put our heart and soul into making it a home.
02:31Put our stamp on this house.
02:32Yes.
02:38I think we need that, you know, spark of creativity and good ideas from the likes of Dermot.
02:44Yeah.
02:45I can safely speak for myself and I think it's the same for you Liam.
02:48We are not creative at all.
02:50Hi Dermot.
02:52Nice to meet you.
02:53Dermot, lovely to meet you.
02:55Great, how are you?
02:56Come out here and we'll have a look at this house.
02:58Yeah.
02:59There's not much has changed from when it was originally built.
03:01No, absolutely not.
03:02It's in dire need of a makeover, that's for sure.
03:05You've got the cladding on the front of the house, that kind of concrete effect stone, a circular window, probably
03:11to nothing.
03:12Is it into an attic space?
03:13Absolutely nothing.
03:14Let me see.
03:15Right, if I want to know my bungalow bliss houses.
03:18So you've got a sitting room to the front of the house regardless.
03:20Yes.
03:20Is that what's there?
03:21That's correct.
03:22Behind that you have a dining room?
03:23Yes.
03:24To the side of that you've got a kitchen.
03:26Correct.
03:26So they're all straight.
03:27Kneel on the head.
03:28Absolutely.
03:29So we don't need to look at that.
03:30Textbook.
03:31Yeah.
03:34Oh my god, the temperature drop in here is amazing.
03:39We're a start to the summer.
03:41I actually love this window.
03:43Check that.
03:48This is pretty cool, isn't it?
03:50Dermot, we've never opened these blinds before.
03:53Look at the scale of that.
03:55It's great, isn't it?
03:57Yeah, it is.
03:57That's the first thing that most people who were renovating a 1970s house would get rid of.
04:01And I think it's the coolest thing in the room.
04:06OK, ooh, an arch.
04:08See, what a lot of people did is they tried to soften the 1970s house.
04:12The bungalow was the bungalow.
04:14All the drawings looked the same.
04:15They got plonked onto the site.
04:16And with that, you were just looking.
04:18As far as bungalows go, this isn't a bad orientation.
04:21So we're in here to the kitchen.
04:23OK, ooh.
04:24It's a bit warmer, a little bit.
04:27The kitchen is just a non-negotiable.
04:29So I do want the kitchen to be the heart of the house.
04:32With a big island.
04:33And would love a pantry as well.
04:35Do you know what I'd love to see?
04:36Can you get up to the attic?
04:37I'd love to see those circular windows in reality.
04:40Yeah, perfect. We'll get up there.
04:42Deal.
04:50A bit warmer up here too.
04:52Oh my God, this is quite cool, isn't it?
04:55There's a lot of space up here.
04:57But, like, do you know, there's something nice about up here, isn't there?
05:00There is, yeah.
05:01Yeah.
05:02Right, let's go and see what you want from this project.
05:05For me, I would love four bedrooms.
05:10Currently the home is three bedrooms.
05:12Would love a fourth bedroom with an ensuite and a walk-in wardrobe.
05:15Planning for the future, would like to have that fourth bedroom and just have that...
05:20Do you need it?
05:21I would say the fourth bedroom is absolutely an important necessity for the design layout.
05:28Right, do you work from home?
05:29I work from home every day.
05:31So I work in human resources, so I'm a HR business partner for a tech company.
05:37So essentially I hire, fire and perspire.
05:40If I'm a nice kitchen, I'll probably work from the kitchen.
05:44I suppose for me, in meeting Sarah and Liam is the disconnect between the house itself,
05:52what they actually have bought, and what they want.
05:55The wishlist for me is a very, very modern house.
05:59A-rated, four bedrooms, open plan, and I'm just looking at what we already have.
06:06And I just think that that disconnects between their wishlist and the house.
06:09I'm kind of trying to embrace the 1970s-ness of this house and the fact that it is an old
06:15bungalow.
06:16And I think for them it's just a pile of blocks.
06:20So what's the budget?
06:21So all in, no contingencies, the budget is £270,000.
06:27Okay.
06:27They've got a sizeable budget, but I don't know if that budget will get to take an E rating up
06:32to an A rating,
06:33and then all of the extra spaces that they want.
06:38Liam and Sarah are planning to cover the cost of this project with the sale of their current home,
06:43which was their first home. Part investment, part learning experience.
06:49We bought this house three years ago, and we've lived here for the last three years.
06:53Great starter home, but ready to move on. We've been here three years.
06:56It's been a great home for us. There's so much positives with it, but there's also a lot we can
07:00take and learn from it.
07:03Yes.
07:03We've got a lot of snacks or bedroom to have as well, like little things like that.
07:08We're sold. So we're moving out at the end of next month.
07:12We're moving back to my parents' house, which is ten minutes out the road.
07:16My mom, my dad, and my two sisters, and Liam will be coming along as my husband.
07:21So that'll be interesting.
07:23Yeah, yeah.
07:24I tried every which way to suss Dermot out, but he gave absolutely nothing away.
07:30So I'm excited to see what he comes up with for sure.
07:33Yeah, he's got a good poker face.
07:35Yes, yes.
07:37And so two weeks later, with the stakes fairly high, it's time for Dermot to show his hand.
07:45Okay, guys, these are kind of some concepts.
07:48So first of all, how you navigate through the house.
07:50And what I've tried to do is to get rid of as many redundant corridor spaces and things like that.
07:55So we come straight into the hall.
07:56And I've taken a little bit off this room to get up to a mezzanine and to use that window
08:01upstairs, okay?
08:03Naturally, you'd put the kitchen at the back of the house.
08:04And I just thought, well, if we're going to keep this window as is,
08:07it would be great to run a kitchen counter along the whole top.
08:11And so to put that at the front of the house.
08:13But it means then that throughout the day, you're always looking from the front to the house to the back,
08:17which will again, it's all about perception of space.
08:19To bring it up to an A rating, the house will be totally retrofitted and part of that will involve
08:25wrapping it with external insulation.
08:27This will allow me to simplify the look of the bungalow, making it more subtle and highlight the best of
08:33the original design elements,
08:35namely the circular window and that long horizontal window to the front.
08:39The route through the house will now be an axis right down the middle with no dead ends.
08:44And the same from the front door to the back with views straight through to the garden.
08:49Beyond the hall, I want to flip the layout by moving all the living spaces to the sunny south facing
08:54rear.
08:55The main living and dining room will be located here in a newly vaulted space.
09:00The kitchen will move to the front of the house with a sweeping counter taking advantage of that 1960s horizontal
09:06slot window.
09:07Down the corridor, the two double bedrooms to the front will remain in their current configuration and a new double
09:14bedroom or home office will be created on the other side.
09:17At the end of the corridor, there will be a family bathroom and utility.
09:22Outside, the pre-existing sheds will remain in situ.
09:26Although it's beyond Liam and Sarah's budget right now, I've designed a new extension containing a principal ensuite bedroom with
09:32a walk-in wardrobe and glass doors out to the garden.
09:35Upstairs, a newly created storage mezzanine will finally make use of that view out the circular window.
09:41You're looking right over the other end. I'm following your eyes.
09:44The bedrooms, isn't it?
09:46The bedrooms, so I'll describe the fourth bedroom now, but it comes with a warning, a health warning.
09:51This is above the budget.
09:53So to take the house as it is, just the shell, right?
09:56In order to get the fabric of this building up to an A rating, the cost of that is 93
10:03,000.
10:04So it's 120,000 minus an SEAI grant of 27,000, OK?
10:09Jesus, OK.
10:10The new walls, bathrooms, kitchens, sanitary ware, all of that are coming to 103,000.
10:15OK.
10:16Now, the cost of the mezzanine is about 33,000.
10:19OK.
10:20OK, so we don't have to do that.
10:21That could be pulled out, OK?
10:23All the external works and paving and landscaping, all that, we've got a figure in of 12,000 there.
10:27That comes in at 243,000.
10:30OK.
10:31OK?
10:32Now, if we want to do the fourth bedroom, that block on its own comes in at around 70,000.
10:38Wow.
10:39Wow.
10:39That's a lot more than I thought.
10:41Yeah.
10:42OK.
10:43I had looked at putting it over here.
10:45The connections, the cost was like, that was coming up over 100,000.
10:48Wow.
10:49Yeah.
10:49So let's leave a side passage there.
10:51So you're coming in around the back.
10:52Let's leave it as storage.
10:54Lots of people will spend a fortune and then want to build a shed.
10:57You've already got one.
10:58I've designed this in a way that this can be completely standalone and can be added on.
11:03The building and the scheme will work without it.
11:06This is not something we want to revisit in four or five years.
11:09We want to do it now and have it done and do it once and do it right.
11:13The fourth bedroom is a really nice to have, but they don't need it yet.
11:17You know, they're just getting married.
11:19They don't have three or four kids.
11:21I just don't know why they pushed themselves and put themselves way over budget for it.
11:27It's going to be a building site once and that's it.
11:30Yeah, exactly.
11:31Yeah.
11:31No, I'm not doing this again, for sure.
11:34As with every project with a budget, there's always going to be a compromise.
11:40I'm starting to think Sarah doesn't like the word compromise.
11:45In the end, Sarah and Liam increased their budget to cover that fourth bedroom extension
11:49and midway through July, the build goes to site.
11:54Facing a 20-week schedule, builder Ray O'Reilly and his crew get started on demolition
11:59and marking out what will soon be the new footprint of the house.
12:03Today, we're going to mark out the foundations for the extension
12:07and we're going to excavate and pour them by the end of the day.
12:10And if we get that done today, it's a good day's work.
12:14For what we've priced off the tender drawings, it is doable, provided there's no changes or anything in the meantime.
12:22Change, however, continues to loom large on this project.
12:25So much so that QS Clare has been struggling to keep up.
12:29I'm absolutely shocked the way the budget is jumping on this project the way it is.
12:34We presented a cost plan that was €243,000 plus an option of €70,000 extra to build on the
12:41bedroom extension to the rear.
12:43That brought the total spend up to €313,000 if they decided to go with it.
12:48They did.
12:49But then subsequent to deciding to go with the house renovation and the bedroom extension,
12:55there was a list of extras that came to be added on.
12:59Electric gates, pillars, the tarmac, the kerbs.
13:03And there's a lot of design decisions up in the air right now.
13:07They suggested an extra bathroom.
13:09So that would mean the extension potentially might have to get bigger in size.
13:14What is the actual budget? I don't know.
13:20Where's the concrete going?
13:22Is that for the foundations?
13:23No changes then, no?
13:25Huh?
13:26I was arriving down to site here today to see where we could squeeze in the extra bathroom into the
13:31extension
13:31and maybe putting another metre or two onto the extension.
13:34This is the first down site and there's a concrete truck here.
13:37So that's not good.
13:39Oh, jeez, Dermot. They've poured the foundations.
13:42So we've no room for change.
13:44Oh, my God. Oh, my goodness.
13:48If somebody wants to make changes, it's now too late.
13:50We don't have space.
13:51We lose a bedroom if we add classroom into the existing house.
13:54We're going to have to get another concrete pour in.
13:56I have a feeling that this project is completely going to grow legs.
14:13There's been a lot of work happening at Liam and Sarah's house in Kells.
14:16Normally, this would be a good thing.
14:19Dermot.
14:20Ray, how are you?
14:21Not too bad at all.
14:22Hi, Ray.
14:22How are you doing?
14:24We have a problem.
14:25Yeah.
14:26Long and short of it, the clients were on to Clare yesterday about adding an extra bathroom in somewhere.
14:32Right?
14:32Yes.
14:33So if you're pouring concrete, which I wasn't expecting.
14:35Ray, in fairness to him, he is under the impression that the drawings are agreed and finalised.
14:41But going by my conversation with Sarah and Liam yesterday, they're anything but finalised.
14:51Oh, they haven't poured already.
14:53Oh, my God, Liam.
14:55So this is our honeymoon after our wedding.
14:57Five weeks on, the building site is the honeymoon in Kells.
15:02You know, it's such a fabulous feeling coming here and actually seeing some progress and some demolition work.
15:08So much done already, it's brilliant.
15:11Hi, Dermot.
15:12How are you?
15:13Congratulations.
15:14Well, I suppose cut off budget, it was originally less than 300.
15:19So we don't have any kind of hard and fast figure as to what our final budget is.
15:26But I think we're not able to stretch much further than that.
15:29No.
15:29Can you fill me in on what you're thinking?
15:31I guess all the design decisions have been between you and Clare now, haven't they?
15:34Yes.
15:35What we were thinking is that you come in the front door and you had said this is your living
15:40space and this is your sleeping quarters.
15:42Yes.
15:42You have to go through the whole sleeping quarters to go to the bathroom.
15:45You do.
15:46So our suggestions were one of two things was either take a chunk out of this room.
15:50Yeah.
15:50Just literally just has to be a sink and a toilet.
15:52That's it.
15:53Or even here and then have a door that way.
15:55So you've got three bedrooms, right?
15:57You take anything out of those and they become really small.
16:00Yeah.
16:01I guess from a design perspective, it mightn't be the most optimal thing to do.
16:05But definitely from a functional perspective, this being our forever home, I think it makes the most sense.
16:09I don't think you can convince me.
16:11I need to make it happen.
16:13Another smaller WC.
16:16Yeah.
16:17At the expense of a bedroom.
16:19I don't think it's something we will regret in the long term.
16:21I think if anything, we'd probably regret not doing it.
16:24So, yes.
16:25Just to flag, there's obviously an additional cost associated with that.
16:29Yeah.
16:29Can't wait to hear about that.
16:31I've never felt so much like I was in a boardroom today.
16:35But that's just the way it's going to be, Dermot.
16:36You just take as much time as you need to get over it, but do.
16:42Thankfully, the next item on the agenda is Liam and Sarah's fourth and principal bedroom,
16:47with its prime garden vista and elegant French doors.
16:51What's not to like?
16:53I believe French doors and a patio here.
16:55Yeah.
16:56Don't need that.
16:57Don't want that.
16:59Lovely idea and all.
17:00I would rather, personally, a solid wall.
17:03Ah, clear.
17:04Listen.
17:05I'd rather a solid wall, a corner window, and I'd rather hang a telly there.
17:09Oh, my God.
17:10I have to acknowledge I appreciate the design.
17:12It's just not functional.
17:13You're very good.
17:15This is kind of going from bad to worse.
17:18Like, we have an opportunity here to do something really, really nice.
17:21It was kind of one of the nicest bedrooms I've ever designed.
17:24And we're going to kill it by putting a massive big TV on where that lovely axis was being created,
17:31right down the longest part of the garden, with a garden, patio, window, bed.
17:37Okay, so we're in the bedroom.
17:39Mm-hmm.
17:39This is lovely.
17:40He's adamant about keeping that window there, and if he's able to do that while still having
17:44the telly in a decent location or usable, I'm happy.
17:47So it's the telly?
17:49I would use a telly more frequently, yeah.
17:51Than a view.
17:52Than a view.
17:53But as Liam said, if we could find a workaround for still obtaining that view, it just doesn't
17:58necessarily need to be from where you're lying at night time.
18:01Okay, right.
18:02You leave that with me now.
18:03Yeah.
18:03You're wrong.
18:05I'm not taking out that window.
18:07100%.
18:11We're a little bit naive coming into this initially thinking what our money could get us.
18:16I thought our budget would get us a complete finished house inside and out, which is not
18:21the case nowadays.
18:22So there is no hidden pot.
18:24We're working with the budget that we have, and we just have to make it work.
18:29Yeah.
18:29We've been together quite a long time, and we used to rent in Dublin and work in Dublin,
18:35and then at the beginning of COVID, we actually moved home.
18:39So I would say we accidentally started to save.
18:43You know, we've worked full time for the last 10 years.
18:46I'm really enjoying my job, but I do work hard.
18:49Yeah, and like I'm an electrician, so I think both of us are fortunate as well that
18:53we, during COVID, we could still work.
18:56Yeah.
18:56We consider ourselves lucky, but we have earned it, I would say, at the same time.
19:00Very fortunate that we don't have to rent somewhere because we'd have no money to be
19:05building if we had to.
19:06Yeah.
19:08Two weeks later, the footprint of the new bedroom extension is laid out, but the walls
19:12have yet to go up, all of which gives Ray the builder pause for thought.
19:18When you look at the house, you'd say to yourself, why not take it down completely?
19:22Yeah, sometimes you'd say that you think to yourself, it's better to take this to the
19:25ground and build it up as quick as doing it, you know.
19:28Sarah and Liam are a pleasure to work with.
19:31Yeah.
19:32So, look at the call in here, and yeah, we go through the stuff and just make sure that
19:36we're doing stuff that they're liking and whatever, but fuck it.
19:40All good there.
19:41Doing things to Liam and Sarah's liking has been more of a challenge for Dermot.
19:45Lately, he's come up against a brick wall.
19:49I've done up 3Ds of this TV unit.
19:51I've got my kind of sales pitch prepared.
19:54But I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I've just told.
19:58But did we not talk about this last week?
20:00And I told you what I didn't want.
20:03She's making me nervous.
20:05So this is your bedroom.
20:07So, right, so they have formed the window.
20:10I still can't fathom why you wouldn't want a lovely picture window at the end of your bed.
20:15But I do get it, I'm listening.
20:16Okay, so we do want the telly.
20:18Yes.
20:19A telly at the end of the bed is more useful than a view.
20:21Yes.
20:22Yes, okay.
20:23Right, so, I've been racking my brains.
20:25Okay.
20:26So what I was thinking, can you imagine a big shutter?
20:29Like a big barn door.
20:31You'd like a barn door, like on wheels up here.
20:35And then you'll pull the whole thing over, and you've got a window there,
20:38and then a TV built into this unit for the evening time.
20:42You get the best of both worlds.
20:44So window during the day, TV at night.
20:49I don't like it.
20:51How much telly do you watch?
20:53It's not that.
20:53It's more so you go to bed, you'll obviously have a slit over.
20:56You're not going to first thing in the morning come over and slide it back.
20:59No.
20:59You're going to forget about it, you'll walk into your kitchen.
21:01And then it's kind of in nomad land.
21:03And then, yeah, from the kitchen area, what are you actually looking at?
21:06This huge big window, what are you actually looking at?
21:09The back of a telly.
21:11The roller television in the bedroom is just a no-go.
21:16I see where he's coming from, but just I think in day-to-day life, you'd end up regretting it,
21:21I think.
21:21For me, it was an immediate no.
21:23It just, no.
21:26Rarely has the door to compromise been so firmly shut.
21:30Keen to find out why his clients can't see things his way, Dermot's come to Sarah's parents' house on the
21:36far side of town.
21:37Hello.
21:38Hello.
21:39Get back in here.
21:40Get back in here.
21:40How are you, Dermot?
21:41How are you?
21:42Dermot, how are you?
21:43Hi, Dermot.
21:44How are you?
21:44From the dogs.
21:45How are you?
21:46Pleased to meet you.
21:46How are you?
21:47Sarah tells me she can't visualise things.
21:49She is trying to find images that will kind of replicate how she wants the place to feel.
21:54But just describe it to me.
21:55Our first home, though, no.
21:56Like, everything was researched in depth.
21:59Everything matched.
21:59Like, the kettle, the toaster, and the clock got to match.
22:02Like, I wouldn't just walk into a shop...
22:03The kettle, the toaster, and the clock.
22:05Yeah.
22:05I wouldn't just walk into a shop and go, oh, that's a really...
22:09The clock is just a bit random, no?
22:10Yeah, well...
22:11It's near the kettle, that's what I mean.
22:12Yeah.
22:13Okay, okay.
22:14But I wouldn't just walk into a shop and say, oh, that's really nice, I'll buy that for the wall.
22:17No, no, no, no.
22:18I...
22:19Because my brain doesn't work like that, I can't see something and just match it.
22:23I nearly have to go online and buy a set.
22:25And so are you afraid of it?
22:26Are you afraid to get it wrong?
22:27Yeah.
22:28Yeah.
22:28I just stick to what I know and it's kind of playing it safe.
22:32Wow.
22:32Sarah, if she sees something that works, why deviate from that?
22:37So, it's like with the TV on the wall, she can't see that there's another solution, so why deviate from
22:42it?
22:42It's not like, shut up, I've made my decision.
22:44It's kind of, I'm comfortable with my decision, Dermot, you don't know how long it's taken me to get to
22:48this decision, so please, just, can you...
22:50But, I'm not doing my job if I don't question. I'm not doing my job if I don't push.
22:56We're having a debate over the TV on the wall in the bedroom, right?
23:01And I was just, I was kind of saying, the lifespan of a house, and you guys will know, changes,
23:07like your needs change.
23:08There is times when you just actually want somewhere to retreat to, and sometimes the bedroom, ten minutes to yourself.
23:12Yes.
23:13And it's not that you're running from anything, but it's just that sometimes it is nice to have spaces that
23:18feel different.
23:19Look, all I'm trying to do is, is leave them with options. With the window in it, if we can
23:24get some way of getting a TV across onto it, okay, maybe not the shutter that I designed, but if
23:28this is another way, what it does is, it leaves them the flexibility that that room can be whatever you
23:34want it to be.
23:34Especially in the building, I'd have the opportunity to do it.
23:37Yeah.
23:37Put in the window in it.
23:38Would you get rid of the window?
23:39I'd put the window in.
23:41No.
23:41I'd put in the door.
23:41I think the window's very important.
23:43We'll definitely lean into it.
23:43I think we're both leaning towards the window at the minute.
23:46But that's better than what you were leaning to last week, isn't it?
23:48I really feel like Dermot, I suppose, uncovered something that I hadn't realised today. It's not about recreating an image,
23:55it's about recreating a feeling. And that's something I'd never thought about before, and I think he's actually dead on
24:01the money with that one.
24:02Yeah, yeah.
24:03What if you could create not just a feeling, but an architect's planned drawing scaled up to full size? Just
24:10this way, please.
24:12The plan for today is to take whatever's going on in Dermot's head and put it into real life size
24:18dimensions. So we're bringing him here today to get him to walk us through exactly what his vision is.
24:25Okay guys, your house laid out in front of you. Can we switch the plans on? Here we go, so
24:32you can see.
24:33I think Dermot struggles to understand. I think he thinks it's a bit like, how can you not see that
24:39though? I've drawn it on a page, but I truly can't. I need to walk through the space.
24:44So we go through the front door. Right. Into your actual hall. Oh, it's actually a lot more spacious than
24:53I realised.
24:54Yeah, it's wider than I thought, especially with the stairs.
24:56We've walked through the hall.
24:56I know, but the actual studding in the hall.
24:59So you can't actually put a skin onto that and imagine it?
25:02No. I need something solid. So it's actually a lot. I would have thought it was this wide, then plus
25:07add the stairs to it inside the space.
25:09But it's great. The house is actually built. All that's missing from the room is the stairs. You seriously can't
25:16visualise that.
25:17So in here, we're into the living room. Yeah, more spacious than I realised.
25:22Is it? Yes. Great size. You've stood on it. Yeah.
25:25It's really hard for me to kind of comprehend when somebody can't. When you can see something, can you not
25:29see it? No, sometimes people just can't.
25:32And then this is the kitchen. OK, so we have the pantry is pantry from this level and then shelves
25:40above that.
25:41This is the question then. It's not what was in your head, the walk-in pantry. No.
25:46So if we wanted a walk-in pantry, we would have to kind of totally redesign it. Yeah.
25:50What are you gaining? Nothing. Nothing. And you're losing more storage.
25:54You're getting a walk-in pantry and it would look great for your Instagram. But it will. But you're not
26:00actually getting anything, are you?
26:02No. I was initially a little bit disappointed when it wasn't, you know, part of the plan.
26:08But I think just walking through that kitchen space today, I think that by adding a pantry at this point,
26:12I wouldn't even know what to put into it.
26:13So, dining table here. Sitting area over there. A bit bigger than I expected.
26:20Is it? Yeah. Pleasantly, surprisingly. Yeah.
26:22I thought I knew it all in my head right, but seeing the open plan space in real time, in
26:28real life, I realised it's a lot bigger than I thought. It was great.
26:31I would be probably tempted with the existing size couch and maybe like another chair here.
26:38I'd go for one big, big comfy couch because your television is going to be over there and then get
26:43a kind of cool armchair.
26:45It defines the space. Yeah. Because...
26:47Do you not feel like that boxes it in a bit? Well, I just, okay, I'll tell you what, just
26:51look at this as something different.
26:52Move this back. Just out of the way for a second. Okay.
26:55Now, let's go out to the hall. Okay.
27:02How does that feel as a living room? A little bit empty.
27:07But just pull that back in and see how different that feels.
27:11Yeah. It looks more like a living space. It defines it, doesn't it?
27:16Yeah. Otherwise, that space feels like it's part of the hall and the hall feels like it's part of the
27:21living room.
27:21By just putting something in at 90 degrees, it completely defines that.
27:26What we did here today is what I do on paper.
27:31It's funny then to watch the exact same process happening in real life.
27:35We all went in a circle, moved everything around and came back, okay, so we all feel that this is
27:41the best option.
27:42Exact same solution. It's just one was doing it physically and the other was just doing it with a pen.
27:46This is the workhorse. This is the storage, the getting ready, a whole wall of shoes, all of this clothes.
27:53And I take a good chunk of this, put a massive big mirror there.
27:56I really like that. Yeah? Yes.
27:58Now, try out the bed, see what it's like with the window. Go on, two of you hop in.
28:02I'm leaving just absolutely delighted with everything and I fully, fully trust in Dermot's plans now.
28:10And I can finally see what he sees and I'm very, very excited to see it become a reality.
28:20Back on site, Ray and his crew are constructing the roof of the new extension with no clear instructions on
28:26what to do next.
28:28It's no good making this progress and now we're sitting waiting on decisions to come to us, you know.
28:34At this moment in time, windows are probably a major one because for us now to close in the building
28:40and coming into the time of year that we're coming to, it's becoming the big issue.
28:46We started this project, we knew it needed windows.
28:50It's in Dermot Court. I think the client is waiting as well as I am waiting, you know.
28:57I've it all picked, it's all done.
28:59I wanted to do something really subtle on the windows. What do you, what do you guys think of that?
29:03A kind of a very, kind of very light grey?
29:06I think in order to answer the question of whether or not we like that is,
29:11you had also said that there's probably going to be different coloured rendered under the windows.
29:17Yes.
29:17Depending on what that colour is.
29:19I think we just go with a very subtle white everywhere and what we might do is change it up
29:23in texture.
29:25I'd like some colour.
29:26Same.
29:27I was so excited. I was there. I just said, look, I'm not even showing you two or three options.
29:32I have it done.
29:33I have it done. It's all done here. And this is the colour. And I feel like from the outside
29:39it'll look boring.
29:40Yeah, I agree.
29:41The colour for the window frame is boring. It may be a bit harsh, but I think you have to
29:46be with Dermot to get the point across.
29:48It's a nice colour frame, but I think on its own it's just not enough.
29:51I think if that had that and then you had a pop of colour, not even a pop, but some
29:55sort of other colour than white under the windows, I think it could be lovely.
29:59We've got a house with a big circular window, stone cladding. I'm trying to simplify the whole thing because I
30:05think it looks just overcooked.
30:07Look at it there. Look at it in the sunlight.
30:09Yeah. Again, I don't dislike it. I just think you can't just put them in and then white render with
30:15different texture like Jesus.
30:17It looks like every other house.
30:18I think I expected with windows and doors and render that we'd just go nearly crazy and it hasn't played
30:26out that way so far.
30:27I think you have an opportunity to do something more unique and I think that's...
30:31But for why?
30:32Because it'll just look nicer.
30:34It's really subtle. It's very simple. To them, that's not standing out.
30:39I like it. I just think on its own it's not enough.
30:42Okay, so will we order the windows with this and then we can decide what we're doing with the front
30:48of the house then after that?
30:49They've kind of said, okay, look, park that. We've chosen the window colour. But you'll do something fancy with the
30:57rest of the house. I won't.
30:59Well, looking at that, what would you do with that?
31:03Well, I would still keep it really subtle. I'm not doing something just for the sake of it.
31:08If it's all really subtle, I actually... Why though? You don't really do subtle, so why?
31:14I know I do.
31:15We don't want it to be bland.
31:17But it won't be bland. It'll be subtle. It's just nonsense. Like to start firing colours and renders and all
31:23that just to make it look...
31:25I don't even know what the word is. Is it like fancy? I don't know what I'm supposed to be...
31:29But whatever they want me to achieve, I don't want to do it.
31:44Three months into the build at Kelsen County Mead, construction is on schedule.
31:48But with this project, the devil's in the detail.
31:52Dermot's clients insist they don't want the place to look boring.
31:56And so, to stress test that brief, Dermot has something exciting to show them.
32:00The reason I'm bringing you here is I feel a bit intrigued with your reaction to the windows.
32:06Remember we picked a colour and what did you call it?
32:08Boring.
32:09Yeah. I thought you would struggle to find the words, but you didn't again.
32:12So I want to see how adventurous you could be.
32:16It's how, when design can kind of push you to an extreme, how cool it can be.
32:22Okay.
32:24Wow.
32:28I was not expecting this. That's something else.
32:33This terraced house in Dolphin's Barn, remodelled by Taka Architects in 2022,
32:39was extended at the rear to create a unified kitchen-dining space.
32:43The open plan layout is enclosed by a brightly painted octagonal metal screen,
32:49at high level, that unifies the room.
32:52With a niche at every corner, connecting to the garden and the rest of the house.
32:57I don't even know how you'd think to do this. That's mad.
33:00I've never seen anything like this, like with the perimeter almost.
33:04Yeah.
33:05We all have a preconceived idea.
33:06Even though we might be hiring an architect or getting a designer in,
33:11we still know roughly what we're expecting.
33:15I brought them here as an experience.
33:16And often you'll bring clients to see a house,
33:19in order to give them that little bit of momentum, ideas.
33:23This was about, kind of, look what design can be.
33:26This isn't your dream. This is somebody else's dream.
33:29But you can see, when they allowed themselves to dream,
33:31and when they got somebody in to do it for them, how it can actually turn out.
33:35I don't know how they trusted the process now,
33:37because if I heard, oh, we're going to put a cage in your kitchen,
33:41you'd struggle to get me to agree to that.
33:43But it really works.
33:44Like, I suppose that's what you have to do, is trust the process.
33:46Yeah.
33:47It's a house for the owners.
33:49It's not really for anyone else.
33:51It's what they want and what they love.
33:52And I see where he's coming from, because it's about us.
33:54If we have a gut reaction, it's something to trust it.
33:57Yeah.
33:57So, a quick question, right?
33:59One of the things I particularly love about the house,
34:01is the wall of shelving, right?
34:04What do you think, Liam?
34:05I think it tells a story.
34:07You can have bookshelves, periods.
34:08I was exactly what I was going to say.
34:10You see their little bit of art.
34:11They love chess.
34:12There's a chess board there.
34:14I immediately have a lovely mental picture.
34:16I would feel under pressure to look interesting.
34:20To put stuff on the shelf.
34:23That's just my transparent, honest answer.
34:26I would feel under pressure to look interesting, you know?
34:29It's an awful way to feel that you couldn't put open shelving in your house
34:33because of how you might be judged over your things.
34:36It's like homes have become Instagram.
34:39Don't show them that book.
34:40Don't show them that vase.
34:41You know, whereas if you get a vase from your granny and it's really special,
34:45it could be the ugliest thing.
34:46It doesn't matter.
34:46It has meaning for you.
34:48That's what should be on the shelves.
34:50I definitely leave here feeling more braver about certain decisions that we'll make.
34:55And it's not about creating a space for anyone else.
34:57It's essentially what works for you and what you love.
35:01And to just really own that.
35:03And not everyone's going to have the same taste.
35:08Actually, it's a bench on the inside and a bench on the outside.
35:14Very cool.
35:15Isn't it?
35:16Very, very cool.
35:17Look at that.
35:17Look at that transition from inside out.
35:19As a result of seeing something like this today, it's made me more comfortable with not following the status quo
35:26and kind of thinking a little bit more outside the box and being brave and bolder with certain decisions that
35:31Derma recommends.
35:32A bit of design that we do need to consider is the garden.
35:35But since we're here, right, and we're looking at something, a little object into the garden that will create enclosure.
35:41I like the sound of that.
35:43I actually love that.
35:45I think that's really cool.
35:47I feel more adventurous after this today.
35:51But I actually really do love that.
35:52We could just do it in electric blue then, couldn't we?
35:53No.
35:54Definitely today, that was the first time ever where he opened the page and we both just went absolutely yes.
36:00So, let's hope the rest of the decisions go that way.
36:03Go that easy.
36:04Yeah.
36:04I really like that.
36:05You like it?
36:06Yes.
36:07With Sarah, it's always yes, I'll consider that or that's something that I think I might like.
36:13She was straight out I love it and that's what I'm reaching for.
36:18Two weeks later, as windows are installed throughout the house, it's time to confirm whether Dermot really has regained his
36:25client's trust.
36:26Oh, wow.
36:28They look well.
36:28They look really good.
36:30Oh, my God.
36:32Oh, I love it.
36:34Oh, my God.
36:35I love it.
36:37Oh, my God.
36:38The kitchen windows from here.
36:39Wow.
36:41Now I see what Dermot's talking about.
36:43Considering I initially thought his choice was a little bit boring, I was afraid to be a little bit underwhelmed.
36:49But when we seen it, it just immediately exceeded my expectations and I absolutely love it.
36:56Yeah.
36:56I'm so thrilled.
36:58Ooh, it's green.
36:59It is green.
37:00It's very green.
37:01Do you like it?
37:02I effing love it.
37:05I love it.
37:06I just love the front door.
37:08Thrilled with it.
37:09It'd be nice to have keys to get in now instead of just walking through a hole.
37:12Yes.
37:16Wow.
37:17Now you didn't want this.
37:19Bed located here.
37:20This at the center.
37:21I can't tell you how wrong it would have been to put a telly in front of that window.
37:24There's no, yeah, it was never going to work.
37:26Three, two, one.
37:29Yeah.
37:29No, you're 100% right.
37:31If we didn't work with Dermot, there'd be no window there at all.
37:34There'd be a big TV on the wall, which would have been a huge mistake.
37:37Yeah.
37:37I'm really thrilled that we trusted him on that recommendation.
37:40Happy with the colour?
37:42Adore the colour.
37:43And the colour outside?
37:44Really fantastic.
37:44Tick, tick, tick.
37:45Tick, tick, tick.
37:46And I take back my worrying comment.
37:48Well, look of excitement on both their faces and it's, yeah, makes it worth it.
37:54It's now mid-October, and while the house may be plastered and weather tight, the garden
37:59certainly isn't.
38:01After four months of side traffic, it's a mess.
38:03And the unfinished business is a serious concern for QS Clare.
38:09Hi Clare, how are you?
38:10Still a good bit to be done, but we've made a lot of progress in the last few weeks.
38:15And that's why I wanted to meet you both today, because there is still a good bit to do.
38:20And there's a lot of stuff to really spend money on yet.
38:24So we started out with a client spend after your grants are paid to you of 300,000, where
38:29we had hoped to be.
38:30Yes.
38:30Now, at the minute we are 57,500 under budget, but we have all of the outside works to weigh
38:40into the equation.
38:42The outside is just such an animal.
38:44It's just going to take such an enormous amount of money.
38:46It's a big site, so it just eats and requires so much more money than your average house.
38:53There's a media wall.
38:54A media wall.
38:55There's cabinets going kind of in one of the hallways.
38:59Things like our internal doors and everything, does that have to come out of that?
39:01Yes, the internal doors have to come out of this also.
39:04There's a lot on that list.
39:06So we're just going to have to see how we pan out.
39:09It might be a case that we have to cut our cloth to soot outside.
39:12Yes.
39:13I thought we were doing well, and she kind of, not put the fear up us, but you know,
39:17made sure we realised that there's still a lot to be bought.
39:20There's still a lot of unknowns, and to not be too, you know, splurging with the money.
39:25I'm nervous about the volume of work to be done outside.
39:28But it is not time to lose the run of themselves.
39:32You know, there's a lot of shopping left to do, and it's not a time to be starting to go
39:36silly on this.
39:38Hold that thought.
39:40Hey, guys.
39:41Well, Dermot.
39:41How are you, Dermot?
39:42Welcome to my outdoor office.
39:44A little bit dodgy in the car park.
39:45It is a bit dodgy in the car park.
39:46No, no, it's a car boot sale.
39:47Today, Dermot, Liam, Sarah, and local kitchen supplier, Thomas Rowe,
39:51have gathered on neutral ground to discuss, among other things, colour.
39:57So, something that has, is kind of modern, is crisp, is clean,
40:01using a material that will kind of go into every room.
40:04Mm-hmm.
40:06Go on.
40:07In that colour?
40:08No.
40:09What's wrong with colour?
40:10I don't like the colour.
40:11But do you like how it's going?
40:15Yeah, I'd have to see exactly what you mean.
40:17You need to see it all put together.
40:19You need to see it all put together.
40:19Yes, I forgot about that bit.
40:21Yeah.
40:21So we've got a green.
40:23Can you hold that?
40:24A blue.
40:27I love this.
40:28You love this?
40:29What do you love about this?
40:30I love the dark green.
40:33The green you like?
40:34Yeah.
40:35What about this, then, is 1960s?
40:38Is it the wood green effect?
40:39No, it's just the colour.
40:40It's just...
40:40Look, I suppose, really, what it was,
40:42is that the 1960s and 1970s were really modern,
40:45and Formica was a brand-new material,
40:47and people started using it,
40:48and it was just...
40:49Fitted kitchens became a thing, didn't they?
40:51They did, yeah.
40:51Not that you were around in the 1960s fitting kitchens, but...
40:54No, definitely not.
40:55So I love green anyway.
40:57I know.
40:57And I didn't know that about myself until we started this project.
41:01It's a self-discovery.
41:02It is a bit of self-discovery.
41:03I'm a green person.
41:04I discovered that about myself.
41:06Is it not too much having a green front door and then a green kitchen?
41:11No.
41:12No.
41:12No, it's just that...
41:14Green at the front door, you're welcomed by green.
41:17The fitted furniture will be green.
41:19That's okay.
41:20But, like, you can do a kind of a nice, solid colour.
41:23Yeah.
41:23I wouldn't worry about that.
41:24No, that's your thing.
41:25But you like this?
41:27Yes.
41:28Well, we just go with that, then.
41:29Well, what do you think, Liam?
41:30We hit on this green one.
41:32And she said, I love that.
41:33I said, whoa, whoa, that's it.
41:34I'm going no further.
41:35I just know now with Sarah.
41:38If she loves it, that's it.
41:40It's done.
41:41Yeah.
41:41I'm struggling with this now.
41:42I'm going to go with you on this.
41:43This is where I'm not strong.
41:44I'm not good with colours.
41:46Information.
41:46I'm going to just go with you.
41:47Okay.
41:49What do you mean?
41:51Well, you've decided there, so I'm going to just go with it.
41:53I'm going to trust this, that it's going to work.
41:56You?
41:57No, don't do that with me.
41:59Yeah, this is where I'm having to put a lot of trust in Dermot.
42:01And in Sayre, because Sayre had that gut reaction.
42:04So I'm trusting Sayre and Dermot on this one.
42:05And I'm only trusting Dermot on it, so.
42:11Finally, the elusive and long overdue circle of trust in full effect.
42:2350 years ago, an off-the-shelf design manual redefined the look of rural housing.
42:29But that was then.
42:31Right now, bungalow bliss looks more like this.
42:38Hi there.
42:39Hi Liam.
42:39How are you doing?
42:40Not too bad.
42:40Nice to see you again.
42:41Nice to see you again.
42:41This house was the typical bungalow of the 1960s and 1970s.
42:46It had good and it had bad.
42:48I was trying to celebrate what was good about the 1960s and 1970s and hopefully we've done that.
42:54I think that the house looks really subtle, really simple.
42:57And what stands out now is that lovely horizontal window, the circular window and your pop of green.
43:03Yeah.
43:03No, it's absolutely stunning.
43:05Will we go inside?
43:06We will go inside.
43:07It's cold.
43:08It's freezing.
43:09What I've done here is I've tried to set up the bones.
43:12The house is no longer kind of floating in the middle of the field.
43:16It's connected with the terrace, the courtyard.
43:18We've got a little shape, a seat.
43:21It'll give them the backbone and the structure to develop the garden over the next couple of years.
43:26So it's kind of a frame for life.
43:28Oh wow.
43:33It's fantastic, isn't it?
43:35Absolutely.
43:37From the vaulted, open-plan living and dining space at the south-facing rear to the kitchen,
43:44now relocated to the front, adding a view from front to back through the original horizontal windows.
43:51This is a house where nearly every space has been enhanced and redefined.
43:56A bungalow only more so.
43:58The space itself feels really big because of this volume.
44:03Yes.
44:04By taking out a bit of the roof structure here, we were able to open up the volume of the
44:10back of the house.
44:10So there's no extra space here, but it feels much bigger because we've got the extra height.
44:15So height is really key to making a place feel bigger.
44:19My biggest discovery in this process is how much I love green.
44:22I love green and I didn't realise how much.
44:25It kind of came out of nowhere that that was new.
44:27The kitchen has exceeded my expectations.
44:29I absolutely love it.
44:30It was the first time your face lit up.
44:33If we weren't working with Dermot, I would not have been brave enough at all to have made that decision.
44:38It is my dream kitchen without me realising it.
44:41I've never seen it before, but I can now tell you that that is my dream kitchen.
44:45I wanted to keep that window.
44:47I really wanted to use that window and the height of it was perfect to put a kitchen counter in
44:52front of it.
44:52And that allowed me then to introduce this dual aspect.
44:55So you've got the sunny back of the house, where you relax, and then you've got the busy part of
45:00the house, which is the kitchen.
45:01So flipping the two purposes, I think works.
45:05What we have here now is something really special.
45:08It ticks all the boxes with being functional, but also being nice to look at and nice to live in.
45:14I think we really got lucky.
45:16So you can see the difference between being in the front of the house and being in the back, isn't
45:23it?
45:23Even though this room is all open, this feels a little bit more private, doesn't it?
45:27It does.
45:28Moving the accommodation to the back to get the sunshine in and a view out to the garden, and then
45:32raising up that ceiling to get the void above it.
45:34I think all of those little things have made a massive difference in here.
45:38I love this window.
45:41That was always there, but it was just a much smaller window.
45:43Yeah.
45:44I mean, I didn't really see the effects of it before, but seeing it now, again.
45:48It's lovely light into the hallway.
45:50Oh, it's so beautiful.
45:51It's great to have that light come in now, I have to say.
45:53It's really good for that.
45:53This is the new wing.
45:54This is the new wing.
45:55The wing.
45:56The wing.
45:57The master bedroom.
45:58The master bedroom.
45:59It's not a bedroom, it's a suite.
46:00Yes.
46:01It's big.
46:02It's huge.
46:03You've loads of space.
46:04You've got the massive walk-in wardrobe.
46:06Like, to have this wall of storage.
46:09Like, the room is lovely.
46:10It is.
46:10It became about one thing, didn't it?
46:12It did.
46:12Did you put it in?
46:13We did.
46:14Yeah.
46:14Can you see it from the bed?
46:16We can.
46:16Right.
46:17So hop up there.
46:17Go on.
46:18I'm glad we came to the compromise of the projector instead of a TV screen.
46:23So did you design this?
46:24Did you put the projector in?
46:26Yeah, yeah.
46:26So this is your baby.
46:28I think we came up with a really good compromise.
46:30We have a really cool blind that drops down and the projector comes on.
46:34So you've got a view during the day and then at nighttime when you want to watch a movie in
46:38bed,
46:38you've got the projector and a massive big, it's huge.
46:41It's the widest screen in the house.
46:43Hats off to you, Liam.
46:44Yeah, we're all happy.
46:45We did trust him, I'd say.
46:47For 90%.
46:48I would say 85%, but yeah.
46:51So the hall, this was your big wish.
46:53Yes.
46:54Too much of a wall.
46:55So we took a tiny bit out of the bedroom.
46:56Oh.
46:57There it is.
46:57Hidden door.
46:58Secret door.
47:00And let the bathroom in.
47:01And we have our bathroom.
47:02Very nice.
47:03I'm genuinely so grateful for this experience and for this process.
47:08It's a once in a lifetime.
47:10It really is a once in a lifetime.
47:11It was something we were only ever going to do once.
47:13So to do it in this way and do it with Dermot and have, you know, Ray as our builder.
47:17And it really, I'm so grateful.
47:20It's so beautiful.
47:21And again, exceeded our expectations.
47:23So I can't see myself ever moving from here.
47:26I love it.
47:26This is great.
47:27So you can see down.
47:28Yes.
47:29And this brings light.
47:30So you've got...
47:32Attic storage.
47:33Attic storage in there.
47:34And then we're in here into the storage room.
47:37So this is great storage.
47:38It's a gorgeous room.
47:39Yeah.
47:40It's lovely being able to look out the circular window.
47:43Yeah.
47:44Obviously, on the inside, it's completely different.
47:46But from the outside, you can still see the old bungalow from 1969, like the round windows
47:51and the little porch and the garage.
47:53Like it's nice that it's not completely changed, you know.
47:58We had anticipated an SEA energy upgrade grant of 28,000 euro and a vacant homes grant of
48:0450,000 euro.
48:05So that would bring the client's spend back down to 300,000 after they received all of their
48:11grants.
48:11We ended up bang on budget on this.
48:14I didn't think we would get here, to be honest.
48:17They ended up not spending as much money outside, but bringing that money inside.
48:23So inside's completely finished.
48:25Outside is still a bit of a work in progress.
48:27They can do their planting later on down the lane, as they can afford to do so.
48:32But right now, the house is 100% complete.
48:36It's just a complete transformation.
48:37And we're sitting with an A1 read at home, which is spectacular.
48:42It's phenomenal.
48:43Are you going to trust me with this?
48:44I'm going to trust you with this one.
48:45Really?
48:45Yes.
48:46Are you going to trust me with this one?
48:47Yes.
48:47Woo!
48:49Enjoyable.
48:50And I suppose we proved to ourselves, never mind anyone else, that we can do something
48:54like this in such a short period of time.
48:56I thought I'm very easy going.
48:58We had not a bad war between us.
48:59It was great.
49:00You guys worked so hard.
49:02And I think on behalf of everybody who worked in Athletic, it was lovely watching the two
49:06of you make this place your own.
49:07So I hope you all have a long and happy life here.
49:12Cheers.
49:12Well done.
49:14Sarah and Liam worked really hard to buy their dream home.
49:17And that home turned out to be a bungalow that was cold, old and damp.
49:22They struggled with the vision for it, but they persevered and they grafted to make it
49:26their own.
49:27And I couldn't be more proud of the forever home that they've built.
49:30Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard.
49:40Life used to be so hard.
49:44Now everything is easy because of you.
50:03If you're interested in applying for the next series of Room to Improve, go to cococontent.ie
50:10forward slash room to improve for more information and apply now.
50:18In the bedroom in an app.
50:22I would like to share something with you.
50:25I would like to share them everything with you.
50:25When I saw a glimpse of which they are already on campus and able to automate clusters,
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