Room to Improve
Room to Improve is an Irish architectural renovation TV series broadcast on RTÉ One. It is also broadcast on the UK's Home channel.
Format
Presented by the architect Dermot Bannon, his aim is to improve his clients' living conditions by renovating their homes without spending excessive sums of money. The budgets differ for each client, ranging from €27,000 to €250,000.Bannon's architectural designs frequently include box-shaped extensions with large windows and interior 'courtyard' gardens. He favours open-plan interior layouts and spacious rooms and he generally seeks to maximise the penetration of natural light into the plans, but introduces several new steps into the layout. He has a keen interest in gardens and outdoor space and his designs usually provide access to these outdoor spaces and make the most of any views. He has a love of natural materials and often uses timber in kitchens. He has a dislike of fussy ornamentation and ostentatious "bling" and a strong preference for restraint and simplicity. His strong opinions on decor often brings him into conflict with his clients. Bannon is renowned for acting as house hold items such as "I'm the oven" and "I'm the toilet".
Room To Improve often features candid coverage of disagreements or problems on site and presents a "warts and all" picture of the realities of managing a building project.
Episode list
Series 1
The first series had six episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| 20 June 2007 | Killiney | €20,000 | Complete remodelling of entire downstairs of a two-bedroomed home | |
| 27 June 2007 | Glasnevin | €40,000 | Entire downstairs in need of wheelchair accessibility due to client's multiple sclerosis | |
| 4 July 2007 | Castleknock | €50,000 | Renovation of dark, dismal, north facing, uninsulated, cold extension used as a kitchen, dining and homework area | |
| 11 July 2007 | Enniscorthy | €65,000 | Renovation of an old 1850s cottage in preparation for a new baby | |
| 18 July 2007 | Dalkey | Renovation of a dark, cold and unviewable kitchen | ||
| 25 July 2007 | Ballygarrett | Creating a kitchen, dining room and spare bedroom without losing the cottage's 1930s charm |
Series 2
The second series had eight episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| 4 June 2008 | Donnycarney | €30,000 | Improving a dark, dreary ex-council house | |
| 11 June 2008 | Timahoe | €60,000 | Overcrowded house | |
| 18 June 2008 | Ennis | Family unable to eat at the same table and to watch TV comfortably together | ||
| 25 June 2008 | Clontarf | €80,000 | More rooms required | |
| 2 July 2008 | South Circular Road | €120,000 | Improve a Victorian house including the demolition of three unsightly extensions | |
| 9 July 2009 | Edenderry | €60,000 | Improve previous disastrous planning | |
| 16 July 2009 | Rathfarnham | €150,000 | Client has multiple sclerosis | |
| 23 July 2009 | Ballinteer | €80,000 | Running out of space |
Series 3
The third series had eight episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| 3 June 2009 | Artane, Dublin 5 | €35,000 | Solving the problems remaining following an unsuccessful renovation. Creating a family kitchen/living area. | |
| 10 June 2009 | Enniskerry | €90,000 | Full refit of house and maximising the view of Glencree and the Sugarloaf mountain. | |
| 17 June 2009 | Killiney | €70,000 | Creating a "bungalow downstairs" for Tommy whose mobility has been impaired by MS. | |
| 24 June 2009 | Whitehall, Dublin 9 | €90,000 | Redesigning the rear of the house, which contained "the worst room I've ever seen" | |
| 1 July 2009 | Rathcoole | €100,000 | Create a space that is insulated from the sound of the busy M7 motorway | |
| 8 July 2009 | Knocktopher | €65,000 | Create a new living area beyond the kitchen. | |
| 15 July 2009 | Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 | €90,000 | Extending a very cramped urban cottage | |
| 22 July 2009 | Templetuohy | €100,000 | Improving the quality of the family living spaces |
;Christmas Special
A Room To Improve For Christmas
| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| 23 December 2009 | Ratoath | €70,000 | Transform a bungalow that dominated by the abandoned industrial unit to the rear into an elegant home for one that can also accommodate a whole family of visitors. |
Series 4
The fourth series had eight episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| Foxrock | €200,000 | |||
| Clonakilty | €100,000 | |||
| Laytown | €60,000 | |||
| Dalkey | €180,000 | |||
| Clontarf | €95,000 | |||
| Tullow | €150,000 | |||
| Dundalk | ||||
| Sutton | €170,000 |
Series 5
The fifth series had six episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| Wednesday 14 September | Cork | |||
| Wednesday 21 September | Legan | €80,000 | ||
| Wednesday 28 September | Wicklow | €120,000, then €150,000 | ||
| Wednesday 5 October | Dundrum | €190,000 | ||
| Wednesday 12 October | Dalkey | €250,000 | ||
| Wednesday 19 October | Blackrock | €160,000 |
Series 6
The sixth series had four episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| Sunday 14 October 2012 | Tipperary | €180,000 | ||
| 2012 | Bishopstown | |||
| 2012 | Finglas | |||
| 2012 | Donnybrook |
;Christmas special
Tallaght's National Children's Hospital commissions Bannon to create an outdoor garden and recreation area for children and their families.
Series 7
The seventh series had six episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| Sunday 17 November 2013 | Mullingar | |||
| Sunday 24 November 2013 | Clane | |||
| Sunday 1 December 2013 | Brittas | feat. Senator Katherine Zappone and her wife | ||
| Sunday 8 December 2013 | Killawalla | |||
| Sunday 15 December 2013 | Firhouse | |||
| Sunday 22 November 2013 | Stillorgan | €90,000 |
Series 8
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| 2015 | ||||
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Series 9
There were eight episodes in series 9.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| Sunday, February 7, 2016 | Puckaun, Co Tipperary | €200,000 | Remodeling of the inside of a '60s bungalow situated in the heart of the village to include two separate living spaces for a mother and son – with his family. | |
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Series 10
Series 10 has six episodes.| Date | Details | Location | Budget | Circumstances |
| 2017 | Malahide | €180 | Robbie and Julie from North Darndale in Dublin saved for 20 years to buy their dream house – a 1940s cottage in the North Dublin Suburbs. | |
| 2017 | Rush on Irish Coast | €260 | Farmer and Boatbuilder Enda and his wife Mags retire from Brussels Sprout Farm to move home to picturesque seaside village. | |
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