A cold, mould-ridden Irish home was given a stunning new lease of life on RTÉ’s Room to Improve on Sunday night as Louis and Norita O’Donoghue took on a bold renovation of their Raheny house in episode two of the new series.
The couple, who have lived in the home for eight years with their three young children, faced a dilemma familiar to many families: stay put in a house they love, or move on in search of warmth, space and comfort.
Instead, they opted to future-proof their property with a complete retrofit and a major redesign led by architect Dermot Bannon.
Norita, a proud Kerry native and keen gardener, was determined that any new layout would make the most of the family’s sunny, south-facing garden. Dermot’s solution was to open up the rear of the house with a pavilion-style extension.
With a budget of €275,000, the plan was ambitious from the start. Dermot’s initial costings put the core energy upgrade of the home at just over €200,000, with a further €45,000 for the garden room, and more spending on external works would already nudge the project close to its financial ceiling.
As demolition got underway, the team faced an unexpected setback when a major drain was discovered running beneath the old decking. That discovery threatened the height of the new extension and raised fears that some of Dermot’s design ideas might have to be shelved.
Despite the pressure, the project found its way back on course when a solution was found to relocate the sewer line, allowing the design to proceed largely as planned.
The final result was a bright, modern family home that finally matched the lifestyle Louis and Norita wanted.
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