Dream house remains just a dream

A dream house has turned into a nightmare for everybody involved in a competition run at the Ideal Homes Exhibition last October.

The 2,200 sq ft timber frame house was won by Ms Toni O'Brien who lives sometimes in Galway and sometimes in Dublin.

She told listeners to RTÉ's Liveline programme that she thought she had won a fully fitted luxury home. However, elation turned to disappoimtment when she discovered that the dream home was in reality a lorry load of planks.

SDL Exhibitions, one of the competition organisers, said the advertisement for the prize clearly stated that the prize consisted of the supply and erection of the house. The terms and conditions stated, in bold print and capital letters, that the prize was not all-inclusive. "It's just a pity that she entered in the competition when she didn't want the house," said Mr Sean Lemass, managing director of SDL.

The house, valued at £35,000, was offered by IJM Timberframe Engineering in Monaghan who said it would erect it anywhere in Ireland. Its office had closed when The Irish Times contacted it yesterday evening.

Ms O'Brien said yesterday she had neither a site nor planning permission. She was a single mother on a FÁS scheme and could not afford to instal the fixtures and fittings.

"They should have just left this competition open to people who had £150,000 to spare," she said.

Ms O'Brien asked IJM if she could swap the house for £35,000 but under rules there was no alternative to the prize offered. Instead, an IJM customer offered to buy the house for £20,000 but Ms O'Brien rejected this.

Following Liveline, she received a number of offers from people wishing to buy the house.

"Hopefully, I'll get an offer near to the value of the house and I'll sell it on," she said.

Meanwhile, Mr Lemass said he did not know if the prize would be repeated at the next Ideal Homes Exhibition.

"It's not worth it if there is so much bad publicity. It's such a pity because it's a beautiful house. I would have loved it myself."