When 30 per cent makes all the difference
Room to Improve is back in its Sunday evening slot on RTE, spring is nearly upon us and people are ramping up their plans to build a new home. I get asked a lot at this time of year to look over plans that people have drawn up for their new dwelling,
The box plan is normally based on a set of plans from a house down the road, which in turn is based on – well you know the story. They show me photographs of their picturesque site and I ask: “Why did you settle for the standard, off the peg, box house type instead of a unique, architect-designed home?” They invariably reply that it was an issue of cost. I can’t put up much of an argument to that because yes, it is more expensive than a set of standard plans. My next question is: “Don’t you think the home you’re going to spend the rest of your lives in is worth it?” Their customary response is to ask, “What’s the difference, what does an architect do that’s so different?”
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