[Closed] Grand Designs

Yeah, nah

Not sure about that one. Felt like it was all trying a bit too hard

I liked the mix of old (well faux old) and new - made a nice change from the obvious clean lines and featureless installations.

Loved the way the clip was made at the end. It made Kevin look like he was not responsible for the pregnancy 😆

Kevin banging on about her 'Black box' all the time was a bit disconcerting... 😳

I liked them and the fact that the house was to their spec rather than another boxy visitors centre. I think that Kev and his fancy jackets liked them too.

Not my taste though, but I wasn't paying for it.

The staircase looked like something out of Aliens.

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Not a fan of the staircase either.
Looked like the foyer of a self storage company from the 80's.
Stove was facing the wrong way too.
Surprised how well the kitchen looked.
It did show that decent quality / craftsmanship will work well in any setting irrelevant of weather it is contemporary or traditional.

Why do these people submit themselves to trial by Kev? Do they get paid by Channel 4?

If it's like the Channel 5 version the subject just needs to mention that they're on 'Living the Dream' (or whatever) and suppliers fall over themselves to give you stuff.
(Not me, but I knew someone who is self building.)

Why do these people submit themselves to trial by Kev? Do they get paid by Channel 4?

something i always wonder... i expect they get something, but not much.
i think its the exposure they get from it, the architects and the builders and suppliers - they all probably knock a few quid off the bill too??

the subject just needs to mention that they're on 'Living the Dream' (or whatever) and suppliers fall over themselves to give you stuff.

Maybe in the early days of Grand Designs but by all accounts not any more. Too many have been stung as 'the window company screwed it up" that some wont deal with you if you're on tv. Our architect was on the show and he advised against it and said potential for discounts was very limited.

If it's an architect or a designer they've got a product to sell and its a huge amount of advertising. People like last night? It's got to be just vanity.

People like last night? It's got to be just vanity.

I liked the staircase until they painted it yellow an made it look like something of a top of the pops set circa 1983

I was told by someone who knows them that the fee from channel 4 to the couple was £500 for the Malvern house. For some people a record of the process is what they are after I think

As most of the [s]visitor centres[/s] homes are just 'everybody look at me!' chequebook-waving vanity projects anyway, its hardly surprising that people want it to be on telly.

I bet they then go on to bore every single visitor to death by making them watch it repeatedly while giving a running commentary

"And this is the bit where Kevin turned up to watch the windows arriving from Germany. There's a funny story about this actually. I'll just pause it while I tell you...."

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I did enjoy the husbands Black shirt + bright white linen trousers combo at the end. Quite fitting with the type of house they built

Builders didn't seem too impressed with the advice from the neurosurgeon wife to wear a hard hat....

As most of the visitor centres homes are just 'everybody look at me!' chequebook-waving vanity projects anyway, its hardly surprising that people want it to be on telly.

I would guess any house build involves 'chequebook waving', and as people build houses that they want to live in then obviously that could be viewed as a 'vanity project'.

You do sound bitter about it though

Builders didn't seem too impressed with the advice from the neurosurgeon wife to wear a hard hat....

If I'd have being acting as contractor/project manager they'd be wearing their PPE or they'd not have a job. They know the rules, there's no excuse.

Other than that I can't fathom why anyone would pay £1,300,000 for a 3 bedroom house on, basically, a bypass. That road was so busy!

You do sound bitter about it though

I can pick up that baton! 😆

£1.4 million for a three bed house on a busy main road*, small garden and no parking? The price of needing to work in London.

And I assume that the guest bedroom will become a kids bedroom at some point - why not design it that way from the start?

* busy main road - that's the key for me.

Edit: PP got there while I was making my post polite!

You do sound bitter about it though

Bitter? Why on earth would I be bitter about some middle class fluff on channel 4?

Not bitter at all, just bored of the blah, blah, blah.... £250,000 windows imported from Germany.... blah, blah, blah.....

Last weeks was the first I'd watched in ages because it just became so terminally generic years ago. Oh look... another expensive visitor centre.

The first few series had some genuinely interesting builds on, but it descended into a tedious box ticking exercise quite some time ago

£1.3 was the budget - presumably they went significantly over that?

why? because London

Other than that I can't fathom why anyone would pay £1,300,000 for a 3 bedroom house on, basically, a bypass. That road was so busy!

I rather liked it, maybe apart from the JCB staircase.

Having not watched the last few series, do they ever do the builds now where the budget is 75p and it's built by the owner from sparrows nests and tramps blankets any more?

Last weeks was the first I'd watched in ages because it just became so terminally generic years ago. Oh look... another expensive visitor centre.

Since last series in fact because you are commenting earlier in the thread....

why? because London

Just picking that up - do contractors and materials cost significantly more because of London? Obviously the property cost is a major factor (£715 million iirc?) but would the rest of the budget be similar to the rest of the UK?

London.

Yeah. I know. I work in t'Smoke.
It's not ALL that busy though, is it? 🙂

Bitter? Why on earth would I be bitter about some middle class fluff on channel 4?

No idea, could be lots of reasons. Maybe you would love to build your own house but can't afford it, so put other people down that do. Maybe not, I dunno.

I think you're over-analysing

I just think it's dull and tedious.

I just watched George Clarks Shed of the Year, and there's more flair, passion, imagination and creativity exhibited in 30 seconds of that programme than in a whole series of Grand Designs

Was it on Grand Designs many, many moons ago that a couple bought an old water pumping station in Huddersfield or something - they did the whole thing for something like £75k and (as their one treat) had half a Mini converted to be a desk in one tiny corner of one of the huge rooms?

That one is still my favourite house project I have seen on TV - just two normal people doing what they could with a very limited budget.

Edit - [url= http://www.wowhaus.co.uk/2014/01/18/grand-design-for-sale-the-water-works-four-bedroom-property-in-chesterfield-derbyshire/ ]here it is [/url]

Having not watched the last few series, do they ever do the builds now where the budget is 75p and it's built by the owner from sparrows nests and tramps blankets any more?

Yes there was a couple of those last series, they were quite interesting to watch.

but would the rest of the budget be similar to the rest of the UK?

Was it on Grand Designs many, many moons ago that a couple bought an old water pumping station in Huddersfield or something - they did the whole thing for something like £75k and (as their one treat) had half a Mini converted to be a desk in one tiny corner of one of the huge rooms?

That's my favourite one too! That's kind of my point. That was genuinely interesting. Something different. And done on a budget that was an [i]actual[/i] budget.

All the ones now tend to look the same (visitor centre), and the 'process' seems to involve nothing more creative or imaginative than upping the budget by another half a million quid (again!)

£260k of groundworks on that site wouldn't have helped. Handmade kitchen, bespoke staircase, the lighting , handmade tiles, double skin of dense breezeblocks to dampen noise from the road etc will have increased costs. Same house on an easier, quieter site would have been considerably less

Thanks for the reply but that wasn't quite what I was asking. Is there a significant London premium for those things?

Found [url= http://www.planetpropertyblog.co.uk/2013/10/03/grand-designs-waterworks/ ]this article[/url] about it too - apparently they bought it off the water board (who weren't actively trying to sell it, they just found out who owned it and asked them) for £40k and had a £100k budget. It also came with 5 acres of land! I didn't realise but that was on the first series of GD too - I guess back then there was no TV benchmark, just people realising their own dreams.

Found this article about it too - apparently they bought it off the water board (who weren't actively trying to sell it, they just found out who owned it and asked them) for £40k and had a £100k budget. It also came with 5 acres of land! I didn't realise but that was on the first series of GD too - I guess back then there was no TV benchmark, just people realising their own dreams.

The linked article says it's now on sale for £750,000.

I was watching on More 4 the episode where the architect restored a listed ancient monument castle in Yorkshire. I could watch that again and again.

Last nights was remarkable for the sheer cost of building on what looked like (to a non Londoner) a truly appalling location

Thanks for the reply but that wasn't quite what I was asking. Is there a significant London premium for those things?

Yes and no. Labour is more expensive, delivery costs and things like skips on streets can be a lot more. Materials themselves are roughly similar.
The house from GD last night had significant extra costs due to its site so you could knock off a few hundred thousand to build it somewhere else.

I was watching on More 4 the episode where the architect restored a listed ancient monument castle in Yorkshire. I could watch that again and again.

Yes, some of the early projects were very interesting and inspirational.

Then maybe because land is stupidly hard to get hold of, it's gradually got less interesting. Everyone wants a return on investment and therefore have to appeal to a mass audience.

I haven't watched for a while, but there are still some interesting ones occasionally like:

The cave.
The shipping container one.
No7 on [url= https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/kevin-mccloud/82-kevin-mccloud-s-top-grand-designs-tv-houses ]this list[/url] (with the charred larch and wavy boards that kevin kept taking the piss out of).

Basically, I preferred the 'House that 100k Built' as I like to see innovative solutions to the budget problem.

It seems to me (because I'm a cynical old git) that the programme is now no longer driven by interesting projects like in the beginning, but on selling advertising space to German window manufacturers in [url= http://www.granddesigns.magazine.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0ejNBRCYARIsACEBhDO9aoYr6l0dZX2oQCIy-tVonKc_j4vsmvBod5QkiiG5Kn_1uQqbxRYaAps2EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKTF6srcpNYCFUKj7QoduRkMow ]Grand Designs Magazine[/url]

I don't believe that there aren't people doing interesting things on budgets of less than a couple of million quid, it's just that they don't fit into the aspirational middle class target demographic, so they don't get any coverage.

Lets be honest, the production costs of GD are next to nothing. Turn up every few months with a camera drone to see how far behind schedule they are, and how many more hundreds of thousands of pounds they've spunked? They must be making a killing!

Everyone wants a return on investment and therefore have to appeal to a mass audience.

They are the least interesting ones, when people are obviously using the programme as an advert for a sale.

"Martin, an architect, and Charlotte, a self employed interior designer, have spent squillions buying a plot in a desirable part of London, built a box and painted it white. It's now on sale with Kevin's raised eyebrow engraved above the expensive and redundant Japanese whalebone fireplace.'

That waterworks building was absolutely amazing, I didn't remember they did it for that budget, that's pretty amazing

Labour costs more down in London. I suspect materials are the same, or mostly the same, but it costs more to live down here so people are paid more so things cost more

I don't believe that there aren't people doing interesting things on budgets of less than a couple of million quid, it's just that they don't fit into the aspirational middle class target demographic, so they don't get any coverage.

I haven't watched GD for some time for precisely this reason - the chequebook builds have, to my mind, driven all the innovation and interest out of it. Remember that charcoal-maker's cottage in the woods from years ago? That's the stuff I like to see.

The first few series had some genuinely interesting builds on

The early ones included a castle tower in rural Ireland and an old water works. Apart from the occasional use of unusual materials, for years they have all been new boxes with glass walls. Visitors' centres indeed.

On the subject of who pays, my neighbour is on a short list to have the bra-less gardner do a makeover of his garden. He has to pay for it all, and when he said he only wanted to pay about 1.5K they pushed him up to 3K. I'm expecting a stainless steel lawn.

but it costs more to live down here so people are paid more so things cost more

Half the builders who work down here spend weeks up there. Premier Inns must be making a fortune from them. 🙂

My three favorite eplisodes have been Yorkshire Castle, Italian farmhouse/artist retreat where he built a swimming pool into rock in the garden and the Ben Law, woodsman who built the amazing house in the woods

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Was that the guy who chopped down his own trees with a hand axe, and lived in a tent for two years? That was a proper job that one.

The guy who mixed up enough cob to build a small castle, that one was quite good.

I didn't even watch the Doctor I-don't-like-NZ episode just gone, but it sounds blander than unsalted porridge.

Going back a bit, but I'll never forget the [url= http://metro.co.uk/2011/02/01/grand-designs-houseboat-neglected-by-couple-washes-up-on-beach-635385/ ]Medway Eco-Barge[/url].

Going back a bit, but I'll never forget the Medway Eco-Barge.

never forget it on account of it being really really rubbish.

I didn't even watch the Doctor I-don't-like-NZ episode just gone, but it sounds blander than unsalted porridge.

The amusement factor was mainly speculating what it was the husband had [b]done[/b] in NZ.

Going back a bit, but I'll never forget the Medway Eco-Barge.

That was particularly awful. Didn't they fail to finish it?

They never finished it.

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I just think it's dull and tedious.

I just watched George Clarks Shed of the Year, and there's more flair, passion, imagination and creativity exhibited in 30 seconds of that programme than in a whole series of Grand Designs

GD isn't necessarily about the actual builds - it's often about the struggle to build them or sometimes there's a very underplayed story, as in the Dr from last week. It can be very subtle but these are the things that keep me watching, not the actual building.

And I like Kevin M. He's a lot less rude than I would be in his situation. (Last night I might have had more to say when the neuroscientist suggested that if you couldn't see the main road it wouldn't be a problem. I've lived on a main road and it was awful. Dust, pollution, vibration, noise. These would only be marginally improved in an expensive build.)

wow last weeks ex NZ family episode is brutal (just watched it tonight), Kevin is extremely abrasive, and I absolutely feel for the guy - he's a broken man.

Right, come on shed boy, give us something good!

25 mins in I reckon she will be preggers

I'm not even going to take bets on that

On the NZ theme, I caught the first episode of the new season of Grand Designs NZ earlier. Not a German window in sight 🙂

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https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/houses/96995009/grand-designs-nz-season-starts-with-a-shock-sale

The best one for me is Angelo’s place in the rock caves not too far away. Met him a couple of times, nice chap and his Rock House wine is spot on, mountain biker too

Bingo was thinking Kev the stud had the snip for a moment

It's Napoleon Dynamite!
Looking good so far tho..

I was always sceptical of all these folks who fell pregnant whilst embarking on a massive project, I smelt a (love) rat! Does Kevin not have 6 kids of his own? Is he (insert building material euphemism here)....?

Stunning.

Oh yes, that has to be one of my favourite Grand Designs for a long time.
That was a million pounds less than last week's, but I covet it so so so much more

Those people from last week are probably watching this feeling sick as a dog.

Nice people, nice house and the Grand Designs Impregnator strikes again.

Right, come on shed boy, give us something good!

Sounds like I'm going to have to watch that one!

Construction industry professional, brings in a well designed and well organised project. No great surprise there... good advert for his practice too.

Loved the house.

Yep. Properly nice people and house ..... got what they deserved 🙂

I thought he was bonkers to do the stone cladding himself (I think he'd agree) but the result was really nice. Very much liking the stone/wood/grey combo.
Wasn't sure about the concrete floor at first but it looked like it turned out excellent.

All done at a price a lot of people can relate to also.

Was a beautiful house all round but the land was sooo cheap - that'd be 5-10x the price round here (& some developer would snap it up and stick 10 houses on it)

Yeah, lovely. I think the stonework inside really complimented the wood walls and that gorgeous floor. Bit big for my personal tastes but if you have a few nippers then long-term it'd be fine. Liked the little alcoves to avoid the winds.

Quite inspiring TBH.

The house in Lewes on the riverbank covered on coreten steel is up for sale.

1.7 milllion!!!!!

[url= http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60381928.html ]so is the car showroom [/url]/ bt ryan reynolds helicopter ad backdrop 3.75 million

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Klunk - Member

so is the car showroom / bt ryan reynolds helicopter ad backdrop 3.75 million

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I really enjoyed it and thought they did a great job (I loved the bent wood in the bathroom) but I am not keen on the roofing material - I can see why they did that but I would have perhaps introduced an element of another more sophisticated material into it so it looked designed rather than just plonked on top.

Why is that 'mirror on both opposite walls' trick used in gyms? if it's good for gyms why not other rooms?

The Khazi?

Khazi

Love that word

Etymology

Variant of carsey, from euphemistic Cockney corruption of Italian casa (“house”),[1][2] possibly via Polari and Sabir [Term?].[3]

Alternative source: Cockney and/or British Military usage derived from Army experience of dysentery during World War 2 in Libya - Kharzi rhyming with Benghazi.

Great build this week, I'm surprised the "Car Showroom" is for sale.

Why is that 'mirror on both opposite walls' trick used in gyms? if it's good for gyms why not other rooms?

makes it the room look bigger than it actually.

plus gym bunnies love checking themselves out in the mirrors.

The Khazi?

Golf lessons 🙂

Money no object here cheque book build and don’t think she will get preggers through the build

Erm... not sure.... WTAF is he on?!

Looks an intriguing build though, with lots of competing interested parties.