Making your house a home

Homeowners are increasingly taking a long-term view of home improvement, opting for practical refurbishments, rather than the needless extravagance characteristic of the Celtic Tiger years

Remember not so very long ago, when lazy Sunday mornings were spent poring over page after page of extravagantly priced houses fitted out with every luxury gadget and appliance imaginable?

Back then, whether you were a first-time buyer, trading up or an investor looking to make a quick buck on a resale, the chances were that you had set your sights on a dream home with as many bells and whistles as possible.