Room to Improve: We all root for Sean and Cal in 'uphill battle'
Dermot Bannon and Claire Irwin with homeowners Cal Moran and Sean Hegarty; top right, the kitchen in Sean and Cal's home after; below right, Missy and Trixie, the couple's dogs. Pictures: Pictures: RTÉ
Within the first three minutes of appearing on RTÉ One’s , Sean Hegarty and Cal Moran tell us as many times how lucky their home makes them feel.
If we had tuned into a horror movie and not a home renovation show, we’d be tensing up already.
Spoiler alert: This is Room to Improve— and as the episode progresses, the entire cast, from Dermot to quantity surveyor Claire Irwin to the homeowners themselves, is worried.
The couple’s source of grief, as Dermot says, is “a house that has not behaved” — in fact, adds the architect: “The house has completely let them down.”
Sean and Cal have been together for eight years and moved into their property on Dublin’s North Strand five years ago.
The couple love the locality, says primary school teacher Sean: “We’re really lucky to live here.”
And they adore their house — the moment they set foot in the 100-year-old property, close to the city centre and within a stone’s throw of Croke Park, they knew they wanted it. “We were very lucky with the way the bidding went,” says structural engineer Cal. “We feel blessed.”
The large garden was a key part of the decision to buy as they have two dogs, Missy and Trixie.
And as Dermot strolls down the street to meet Cal and Sean he describes them as “the luckiest couple on North Strand”.
So far, so ominous.
Then comes a scene reminiscent of / . All three step into the garden where the homeowners show their architect what is quite literally an icon of traditional Ireland. “It’s a long time since I’ve been in a house with a grotto,” says Dermot.
The couple who agree the feature is "of its time", say they plan to update the garden.
It's like a throwback to 1980s TV footage of Ballinspittle as the trio train their eyes on the religious sculpture.
We may be 200 miles from the Co Cork village and 40 years might have elapsed since the phenomenon at the shrine near Kinsale, but it’s still all about kinetic energy and statues. “With a view to changing things around and updating the garden the grotto will have to move,” says Sean.
Dermot isn’t so sure: “I’m not to going to be part of that decision. Who was here first, you guys or the grotto?”
You can just imagine a couple of bars from the theme tune accompanying their trot back into the house — because this build transpires to be one of the most challenging the series has ever seen.
And the X filers of Ireland are perhaps more traditional than you might think also: They should never have spoken "of shifting the grotto” and "what about the grotto" are comments immediately floated on the social media site.
As things darken further during the project, another X user posts, wryly: “Has anyone tried praying to the Virgin Mary at the grotto in the garden?”
Dermot agrees with Cal’s statement at the outset that the house has “good bones”.
But apart from that, its ceilings are low and tilting and the floors are "bouncy" — not great for a disco, as Dermot says. Both Sean and Cal, a dancer who’s toured the world with shows like Riverdance, agree.
They bought the property for €380,000 and their budget for the two-storey over-basement house is €190,00 with grants on top of that.
Dermot proposes to demolish the back of the building and introduce a double-height extension. He wants to turn the three-bed property into a two-bedroom residence and include a living-dining area for socialising.
The plan is over their budget, so they make up the shortfall with a combination of savings and a mortgage top-up. In late summer the project goes to site with builder Evan Dunne for €225,000 which includes a €21,000 grant.
But old buildings often hide surprises. Early on the builder discovers there is water beneath the house and inside the foundations. Nor is there a land drain with the original build. “It’s an expensive fix,” says Dermot. “We’re literally building on water.”
The couple endure sleepless nights. “There are changing budgets, changing costs and that’s been stressing us out,” says Sean.
Dermot agrees there’s “little joy” in the project at times.
We leave Cal and Sean at the end of January 2025. The project is a few weeks behind schedule but the living area and kitchen are completed and the rest of the build is nearly complete. “This project has been an uphill battle,” says the architect.
“The fact that this is almost finished, that this is within spitting distance, is amazing. The house will follow suit in a couple of weeks.”
Connecting the interior with the garden was also key for Dermot: “For me, this project was all about the double-height pod at the back of the house.”
Because of its volume, the interior means this property with its small footprint “punches above its weight", says Dermot.
“Everybody looks at the area of the room — nobody looks at the volume and that makes all the difference.”
Of the homeowners, the architect adds: “They worked their way through the stress. Instead of burying their heads in the sand … they were part of the solution.”
Claire too is impressed with Cal and Sean's attitude, particularly to the rising costs.
The initial budget when the project went to site was €204,000.
But the project ran €35,000 over budget, adds the quantity surveyor: “It was so brave to add the extra €10,000 for the extension."
“That was made up of €10,000 from the tanking to the ground, €10,000 for structural works where we had to rebuild walls, €10,000 for the enlarged extension, and €4,500 for additional joinery for the mezzanine area and the bedroom.
“You kind of spent it on the right things. It’s got brand-new bones.”
Sean and Cal are happy with their new space, even though it is yet to be finished. “It’s not just that we have a house — it’s that we have the most incredible house and home,” says Sean.
“It feels like a hotel.”
Their upbeat attitude is why we viewers are on their side. “Financially, the stress, I suppose you forget it all. It was so worth it,” says Sean. “It really feels like the most incredible space.
That word again, but this time not so terrifying: “We’re really, really lucky.”
Maybe we viewers will also be fortunate enough in the future to enjoy a follow-up episode that revisits these homeowners when the other parts of the project are completed.
We'll also be keen to know of any updates on apparitions at the end of the garden.
Let's hope Dermot and Claire will make a reappearance there anyway.
Watch this space.
- 'Room to Improve' is on RTÉ Player
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