Who uses 2 scaffold boards and 2 props to support 40 tonnes of crumbling wall? Done on purpose I suspect.

hah, i thought similar, but then reasoned that the wall was probably gonna come down whatever they did..

I’m watching on my own as my H&S hat annoys the Mrs! Nice to see the yummy mummy with hard hat and the kids bare-headed!
It probably cost too much for the owner to properly shore and brace the structure, I’m suprised English Heritage didn’t specify this in the consent.

Those poor architects and their troublesome castles.

….

Yummy Mummy? I must have watched a different episode.

That’s my favourite one. Apart from that pink wall in one of the rooms, I think it’s really nice. And quite ballsy to take it on I thought.

£120 a night to stay there!
http://www.peelcastle.co.uk/index_flash.html

I still think it is the most beautiful build ever shown on Grand Designs and wonderful to see that the owner is so humbled by his efforts that it still makes him emotional now thinking about what he achieved. He was a bit of a wet, but I have huge respect for what he has done there. If I didn’t already live in Yorkshire, I would certainly book a stay there myself.

Was it an old one last night then? Sure I’ve seen that before.

Yes it was a repeat – when they first showed it they did it over two episodes as it was such a huge project. This time they added an extra bit to the end when Kevin went to stay at the B&B (and probably impregnate the wife).

It is a great example of perseverance over logic. Thank goodness some people have the drive and ambition to risk a lot to complete these things.
They almost never make financial sense but from an aesthetic perspective hugely worthwhile.

I am sure that one must make financial sense – he spent £750k on it. On Relocation Relocation, that flash ‘city’ family bought a house in the centre of Harrogate then paid a project manager to organise some builders into knocking down a couple of walls and filling it with flash tat. And that cost them £600k+ Still trying to figure what road it was on…

Very good one that, I’m going to stay in the attic appartment in a few months 😀

@mastiles_fanylion – don’t get me started on that ‘city’ family – weren’t they the wettest, most feeble people ever? the wife of that couple couple had me shouting at the TV.

He was feeble – he seemed utterly terrified of her. They didn’t make decisions together – she made them and he somehow agreed. You could even see it in the way he held her when walking down the street – she would be walking along, not evidence of caring for him, him holding on to her like he was scared she would disappear if he let go for a moment. At least the ‘wet’ in Grand Designs had vision and a wonderfully supportive wife who wanted him to achieve somethign remarkable.

And she couldn’t even face doing a little bit of decorating. Pathetic b!tch ‘I am too busy looking after the children’. No you aren’t, you lazy bint – you are too busy spending your poor husband’s money in Betty’s.

Another fine advert for my profession. The guy seemed to have started work without any real understanding of the implications of the building’s scheduled ancient monument status then spent the rest of the time wingeing as English Heritage bent over backwards to help him out of his c0ck up (It would have been far easier for them to refuse consent & prosecute for damage to the structure).

Prosecute for damage? Come on – it would have fallen down soon without his love and care.

Prosecute for damage? Come on – it would have fallen down soon without his love and care.

Buildings are scheduled for their archaeological importance. Its the owners responsibility to carry out basic maintenance (within an agreed framework) to ensure its long term stability. EH are sympathetic to schemes like the one shown but agreement is discretionary and depends heavily on binding undertakings to go about the work in the correct manner (preserving the existing fabric, carrying out the necessary archaeological investigations and recording, and ensuring that any alterations do not unnecessarily impinge on the historic fabric).
Grand Designs likes to play up conflict but as a professional the guy should have known the implications of what he was getting into by buying the building (For that matter, even if he didn’t know, his conveyancing solicitor should have flagged up the risks he was taking).

Kevin taught my GF’s workmate ‘all she needed to know’ in the bedroom when they were at Uni together apparently

Mmmm….

I thought Kevin Mcloud was a gayer. Oh well.

That spoilt brat of a wife in Location Location was unbelievable. Never mind, I’m sure what ever her husband does will have been hit hard by the recession and they’ll all be living in the london studio now. Either that or he’s run off with his secretary and she’s sought solace in the arms of the ‘project manager’ of her wallpapering.

Grand Designs likes to play up conflict

Precicely – and I am sure the architect had his eyes fully open and knew what he was doing.

“mastiles_fanylion – Member
I still think it is the most beautiful build ever shown on Grand Designs and wonderful to see that the owner is so humbled by his efforts that it still makes him emotional now thinking about what he achieved. He was a bit of a wet, but I have huge respect for what he has done there. If I didn’t already live in Yorkshire, I would certainly book a stay there myself.

“

+1

Is Kevin going to keep going back to that one until there she does have a bun in the oven…..?

My favourite Grand Designs project, that one. Can’t believe that English Heritage put so many barriers in the way of people who want to do up old properties – provided it looks “proper” from the outside, I don’t care about the inside. Otherwise we will be left with a great collection of important piles of stone and rubble around the country…

My favourite Grand Designs project, that one. Can’t believe that English Heritage put so many barriers in the way of people who want to do up old properties – provided it looks “proper” from the outside, I don’t care about the inside. Otherwise we will be left with a great collection of important piles of stone and rubble around the country.

The legislation EH are mandated to enforce pre-dates EH. The law requires the scheduled structure to be preserved unaltered (Agree stabilization works excepted). The fact that EH are prepared to countenance alterations to ensure the long term future of the structure just shows they are advising that the legislation is enforced reasonably. Them asking that it is done properly without compromising the archaeological integrity of the structure isn’t putting barriers in the way.

The couple knew it was a scheduled structure, complaining about it is like someone buying a Roles Royce and complaining that it costs more to fuel and maintain than a Ford Fiesta.

“mastiles_fanylion – Member
I still think it is the most beautiful build ever shown on Grand Designs and wonderful to see that the owner is so humbled by his efforts that it still makes him emotional now thinking about what he achieved. He was a bit of a wet, but I have huge respect for what he has done there. If I didn’t already live in Yorkshire, I would certainly book a stay there myself.

“

+1

+2
I thought the end result was superb.
Even better than that wood and straw shack that bloke built in the woods from ages ago.

@ mastiles it is on east parade

@ mastiles it is on east parade

Is it? Even now you say it I still can’t visualise where! And I used to work on East Parade!

I can bet that the spine wall wasn’t notified to the RIDDOR centre for the stats. Some of the builders think that no-one watches what goes on in the press. There was a pic in the Metro last year of a chap pressure washing outside 10 Downing Street. One foot on a set of steps the other on the railing, the HSE were round that afternoon interviewing the site manager! We took the p*ss something rotten 😀

It was a spectacular result. The result must be the result of great drive and passion, which somehow didn’t come across on screen.

I’d just commented on the lovely cardigan he was wearing in the first wrap-up chat, when they cut to the December 2008 chat and he was wearing a slightly different cardigan 🙂

He’s gonna make a great n’ cuddly little old grandad someday 🙂

Yup my fave ever Grand Designs and worth every penny they spent – assuming your happy living in such an isolated position.

I watched Relocation Relocation as was in Harrogate where I’ve spent sometime working recently. As far as I could see they ended up with a lovely place there. No way I’d have lived in that ex-LA flat in London though! I don’t know why they were so excited about that flat they bought as there must be loads of studios around zone 1/2 that would have suited for £200k. They weren’t that well off though really – making them out to be high flyers seemed to be to give it a theme; I mean chatting to him whilst being measure for a suit was far too contrived for me!

Yeah I tend to agree – not exactly high-flying with a total budget of £800k. Some ‘high-flyers get (got?) that in quarterly bonuses…