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Good to see!
When viewed from that side the location doesn't look too bad.
wow.
from the pictures on instagram looks like he made the cuttings with a concrete chainsaw (didnt even know there was a thing) said it was done in 3 days! thats thr length of time its taken me to maje a sub base for our patio.....!!! (admittedly Im solo, but still seriously impressive)
and it didnt colapse
I too thought it was a project based on a “because it’s there” mentality overriding the location (awful) or aesthetics of the build, but fair play to him, those pictures suggest his sheer bloody mindness might result in something to admire.
Instagram shows quite a lot more progress. Looks like they have all the concrete floors in the main part of the tower done now. Plus cutting out the hole through for stairs from main tower to water tank. Plus the water tank cutouts. Also some progress made on the ground floor extension (not sure why they could possibly need more space). Maybe they’ll actually pull it off.
It would have been great in the right location, but right next to a sub-station and a modern estate? If I was inclined, I’d have gone with a timber and steel internals and insulate the walls because the cost of heating will be massive.
They probably dug the floor out because they couldn’t be certain it would take the weight of all the new concrete added above it.
Given that the building was designed to take the weight of thousands of litres of water i would doubt that you can out enough in it to overload the structure.
Instagram also shows an incredible lack of Health & Safety precautions...................
Really enjoyed the 25 year revisit. Amazing to see the growth of the trees and the maturing of the house. Felt refreshing that it all hadn't been ripped out and painted white.
We've gone from major disaster, we're 6k over budget on a modest family house, to people putting themselves in 500k of debt for aircraft hangers...
Really enjoyed the 25 year revisit.
Yeah, it was a really nice one. We laughed at how awful the original decor looked from a modern POV and were eagerly awaiting the shades of grey modern version (so we could make fun!) but were pleased to see that it looked the same, only lived in, AND looked really good. They were a nice couple, seemingly. Also, how fantastic to be able to fly with your falcon!
Yep, show's changed a lot since back then. Not sure anyone would want Kevin suggesting gold leaf squares for their kitchen wall these days!
"Sure son, you've no experience but I'll trust your hexagonal wooden barely held together concrete moulds."
Edit: Perfectly formed octagonal columns.
This has been on before. What on earth was wrong with doing it the normal way with cardboard formwork tubes? Cheap, quick, reliable and the time / wood could have been used elsewhere.
Yeah seen this before. It was all like deja vu until I saw the train track and I knew it was a repeat. The fact it looked like present day Kev just confused me
Was it a revisit or just a repeat? I recall it from the original airing and was confused at the end when it (still) wasn't finished.
Nice though
New series of GD starts tonight ...
We've been watching the one at Shoreham progress over the last couple of years. Hope it's not a spoiler to say as usual some of that progression was glacial. 😊
This seems a recipe for going over budget nicely.
The initial chat over costs didn’t disappoint:
”what’s your budget?”
”£385k but we’ll be uncomfortable at £450k”
What could possibly go wrong?
Extract massive boat from mud and purchase crane, could be a classic
Zumwalt-upon-Adur
It looks bloody awful inside and especially outside, doesn’t have a huge living space although, twice a day, it has lovely views. But, twice a day, it’s also low tide, it looks like a junkyard and will bloody smell.
I seems to have nowhere to to keep my boats and bikes, no car parking space and a long walk with heavy shopping. Good for looking at wadding birds. It's also an advert.
Not a great advert though. Yeah, we’ll design and style your house but it’ll be 100% over both budget and timescale.
He did have ridiculously blue eyes though - he put Paul Newman to shame.
He did have ridiculously blue eyes though
first thing my wife said too 😀
I thought being over budget was standard for architects?
I seems to have nowhere to to keep my boats and bikes, no car parking space and a long walk with heavy shopping. Good for looking at wadding birds. It's also an advert.
Adverts are supposed to promote. This does the opposite. The location is awful. Those mudflats must smell awful. No idea why they bothered or didn’t just use houseboat techniques is a mystery to me. No wonder it’s not mortgageable
He did have ridiculously blue eyes though
Presumably they used the same lens filter that had the river looking like something out of CSI Miami
Didn't mind the inside. The gas strut window was cool. From some angles I liked the outside, from others not at all. Will see it in person a some point, being relatively local.
It did give me the inspiration as to where I could put a 20ft surf-ski that would be too long to go in the garage - Mrs DB was less impressed though
I seems to have nowhere to to keep my boats and bikes, no car parking space and a long walk with heavy shopping. Good for looking at wadding birds. It's also an advert.
I noticed he was keeping his welder in the lounge.
I noticed he was keeping his welder in the lounge.
TBF, he had pretty neat welding skills for an architect – I believe aluminium is harder to weld than steel too?
I was impressed with his welding and her joinery, but not much else. I could almost smell the esturine mud just watching it and the intereior looked like B&Q. The front door was pretty cheap and nasty and the idea of having a workshop in your kitchen-diner was unusual to say the least. In Europe they make houseboats based on a foamed concrete base, could have been fun to see them try to make one of those 🙂
They seemed to be pleased with it though, so good luck to them
Some of those houseboats aren't connected to mains sewage. 👀
It is an awesome place in Summer though, a proper little community.
In Europe they make houseboats based on a foamed concrete base, could have been fun to see them try to make one of those
Didn't they cover that (or do you mean something else)? They showed the weight difference between foamed concrete and foamed fibreglass and explained about the lifting/manoeuvring with the crane over the path.
Just finished watching it.
I liked it.
Pity there wasn't any explanation of utilities.
I guess it'll just be a holiday home for them regardless of what was said about it being their home.
If you can afford to burn through £500000 I reckon they'll have plenty of cash and house options elsewhere.
Anyone seen a listing for it on any holiday rental sites? 🤔
I also liked it. Very impressive engineering, design and practical skills from both of them. Also liked the sculling boat hanging from the ceiling.
I liked it as well, but, as pointed out, there are the usual problems with the house, or maybe the episode. Where's the storage? (They rode bikes, from the way the dressed, so where were those). What happens when something big lodges under the house? Is it possible for the house to settle in a lopsided fashion? For the first time ever, I got interested in how they were planning to take poo off the boat and get utilities on. And, did they say 4 bedrooms, with 3 bathrooms right opposite, or did I mishear that? If I heard correctly, then why would they think it necessary to have a row of toilets when that space could be used more wisely?
and purchase crane, could be a classic
Good choice, would have saved a fortune over hiring one for that long a duration.
Noticed it was still there at the end of the programme. I wonder if they were planning on doing more, or just not got round to selling it yet.
I liked what they did with the base, but I think I would have had it all made up somewhere suitable and got it floated round into position. Then a mobile crane in to erect the steel frame. Proper firm would have had that up in a couple of days.
Overall i liked it, nice and quirky . I'd stay there if it was on Air BnB
I got interested in how they were planning to take poo off the boat
Very brief view of the soil pipe emerging on the starboard side with a decent fall-presumably so that at low tide it iwill drain and with a flexible joint to the shore. I don’t think it was anywhere near finished as I would have expected that to have been boxed in/ insulated?
In Europe they make houseboats based on a foamed concrete base, could have been fun to see them try to make one of those
Didn't they cover that (or do you mean something else)? They showed the weight difference between foamed concrete and foamed fibreglass and explained about the lifting/manoeuvring with the crane over the path.
I think they showed a polystyrene block coated in a sand/cement mortar that was quite heavy, that's why they went with polystyrene coated with fibre glass. Foamed concrete is similar to thermalite blocks.
^^^ Ahh okay, I understand now.
My limited knowledge of fibre glass suggests they may have problems ahead. I’ve been told by a few people that wetting out the fibres is essential and not easy for some one with limited prior experience. Did you see the huge delamination bubbles in his stand up paddle board?
But l liked the show. At least it wasn’t another rectangular block. I visited those boats at low tide and i didn’t smell anything. A colleague use to liver in one. I’ll ask her if it smelt
****ing polystyrene. Wrapped in fibre glass. Lovely.
They had a previous house on Shoreham beach that they designed and built, that would have sold for 2 million so I guess the money came from that. We've been watching it go on over the last couple of years and there were obviously periods when they they couldn't get on with stuff. My partner knows them through friendship and says they are really nice people and I like the way he said we'll only know in 10 years if it's been a success.
I know someone who's lived there for over 30 years, he's got 2 boats now, the first is an old MTB but below decks is too rotten and wet to use now but the top is a rehearsal space and his recording studio. He lives now on the boat next door. It's a great place and unusual in that you actually own the freehold of the foreshore hence why the knackered old landing craft was still worth so much