Forum menu
I really didn't like the glass cupboard on the kitchen walls, they looked like an after thought..... the wall looks bare let's put something on it. Also thought glass was the most impractical material for them.
Apart from that I thought it was a beautiful place but struggle to believe it was only 8 grand over budget.
I really liked the house and pond. Though did raise an eyebrow at the kids running around!
Planning documents are here and a quite interesting read if you're into that kind of thing...
Interestingly, I see that the conservation officer thought it might be a reptile habitat, but before a survey could be done the site was raised! Accidentally on purpose...
Interesting one tonight. Enjoyed it. but £300k my arse 🤔
He's our architect and an all round good lad
He’s our architect and an all round good lad
So has he spilled the beans about what it really cost, whether they've got an electricity supply yet or what a diva Kevin is while they're filming?
They looked properly knackered at times, but as usual it seemed far bigger than it actually needed to be.
Last week's kitchen and living area would have been great with a bedroom wing. No need for 3stories. Would have been under budget without the tennis court.
No but then I'm not his therapist.
It's not finished yet but not far off. I believe him on cost though.
Pulled some good sized trout out from under that bridge when I were a lad too.
Wonder if it's flooded yet.
It does look particularly susceptible to the yearly once "every hundred years" weather we now have.
I liked it but just couldn't understand the logic (from English Heritage or whatever they were) telling them the old building was unsafe and had to be demolished...and then rebuilt. The guy said himself it was never designed to last! So they built some fake ruins that have no historical value!
Fair play for all their hard work and imagination but in the end its yet another larch panelled larger than necessary monstrosity with added fake ancient outer & exactly how many days are you gonna use a roof terrace in that location?
whether they’ve got an electricity supply yet
I thought they were going to come up with a clever system to make use of the raging torrent outside their back door. Was a bit disappointed to see it had turned into a trickle later in the episode.
If one of us did it and had the land and the funds we would no doubt have a Pump Track that would attract negative comments on the Tennisbatworld.com chat forum.
This.
My OH has a Tack Room and a few years ago I put in a bike wash area - looks a bit like ones you see at any Bike Park, needed a mini-digger to put in a 20m trench to get the water there. Already have a dedicated workshop.
Well, I really liked it. Seemed to put most of the effort in themselves and they made the best of the surprise demolishment mandate.
Personally, I would worry about the flood risk.
I was envious of the location, but didn't like the build at all. The roof garden area with the high gables looked very odd and the 'fake' rebuild of bits of wall with lead flashing looked awful. I'd rather have a reclaimed stone building, or a modern timber one.
Was a real shame about the trees too, but I know it will soon green up and grow back with natural regen or supplemental planting.
I think last night's would have looked better if the timber panelling on the new structure had sat inside, rather than flush with, the top of the ruined walls. And the lead flashing didn't really work, although I can see why they did it the way they did for convenience.
Also totally agree it didn't need to be the size of a factory.
Nice couple though.
I thought as an architect he/they would have had a bit more idea that services would cost a lot and take forever to get installed. also the discussions with heritage people must have been interesting
yes of course we will sell you that pile of stones down by the river £110 K ? brilliant... dont tell them it will have to be demolished! and that all the massive diseased beech trees need dropping, having said that its a stunning spot till 1 month of rain lands upstream overnight. Kev losing his special 'touch' again this week.
I really liked it, the pond was great and a very clever idea. I am an old git and a killjoy because my first thoughts were
How do you heat something 3 stories high
Surely it will be noisy and echo every sound
With young kids is a pool/pond with no barrier or cover wise, I spent a good few years in Aus and there are always reports of kids drowning in a freak accident. Mostly kids who can swim and whos parents didn't think they would get themselves into trouble.
Lastly, who spends money on a bloody tennis court, especially before you know you can afford to finish the house!
Besides all that, I really liked the house 🙂
I really liked it its a shame they had to knock it down but I thought the finished product looked really good. The effort they put in was superb and they both looked knackered half way through.
Not a location I would choose, how dark would it be? The flood risk is what would put me off the most.
Am I right in thinking that was on Newland Beck, just outside Ulverston? About 300m from the A590 so not quite the remote rural idyll the cameras suggested....
Nice couple and they certainly put some graft into it. As said before, still another larch clad OSB box. Not sure how well it will survive the dank Cumbrian climate. I wondered how they would weatherproof the awkward joint between old and new - the flashing looked clumsy but not many other options I guess. If they went inboard then water, leaves and mush is just going to fill between the "old" and new. Tidiest would have been to overhang the stone to give it a lid. And then a proper overhanging roof to add another layer of protection.
If they went inboard then water, leaves and mush is just going to fill between the “old” and new. Tidiest would have been to overhang the stone to give it a lid. And then a proper overhanging roof to add another layer of protection.
Well, yeah - but even less to do with the original 'ruin' then.
Could have made it half the size and kept a properly ruined half for ambience...?
I liked it, and thought they seemed a nice couple, but agree with the comments on size and flood risk. I half-loved the visual effect of different colored girders but the other part of me thoguht it looked a bit 'Ikea'
spent a good few years in Aus and there are always reports of kids drowning in a freak accident.
Amen to that, neice in Aus wouldn't be with us if her friends mum hadn't known to carry on with cpr despite no signs of life & ambulance driver hadn't thought to take her to better equipped hospital rather than nearest. Certainly wouldn't want a pond or such like so easily accessible from the main living part of the house.
or what a diva Kevin is while they’re filming?
A friend of mine who works in housing has met Kevin a few times. He isn't especially complimentary.
I'd be really concerned about how prone the Cumbrian house would be to damp, with no real sunshine on the house for big parts of the day. Our current house is exactly the same size and shape as our previous house, which was constantly mouldy - it's a terraced house that faces west. Our current one is still a terraced house but faces south (or rather the bigger windows face south) and it makes a huge difference for the temperature of the house, and in keeping it dry.
Am I right in thinking that was on Newland Beck, just outside Ulverston?
Yes, you can see it on Google Maps.
A friend of mine who works in housing has met Kevin a few times. He isn’t especially complimentary.
Oh, do tell. I always think - as far as TV presenters go at least - he seems like a sound bloke.
I would love to know how they financed it. They clearly put a huge amount of time and effort in which presumably reduced their opportunity to earn during the build
i have absolutely no idea how they got planning for that on flood risk grounds. Goes against all flood risk policy. Only viable mitigation is to have a bridge from the first floor to high ground but that didn't seem to be the case.
Yeah...... didn't really get this one.
My opinion on first seeing the original ruin was: "that's way too far gone". I think the decision (made for them) that the original was unsafe and needed to be demolished, was the best thing to happen to them - it allowed them to actually get-on and build the house.
My second thought was: where is the high water mark in that steep sided valley?
I thought the stonework looked good - but the interface between old/new was pretty clumsy. That join was always going to be there, so I'm not sure why he didn't design the new cedar cladding to be flush with the outside of the brick - would have been much neater, and hidden any kind of capping/flashing on the stonework.
There was something missing in this episode - Didn't feel like there wasn't much about what was going on with the actual build. Maybe because it wasn't finished when he went back - feels like that it was missing 25% of the content. Perhaps they would usually have had any additional visit to site to film when the kitchen/bathrooms were going in?
It wasn't finished, so the £300k spend was irrelevant.
I think Daddy may have had something to do with the funding given his speech at the end.
I didn't get the amount of concrete for foundations? We built 40sq/m extension and need 9m3, roughly a lorry & half. Looked like originally only used one lorry for whole lot?? and I remember at the end saying it was 300m2? Doesnt make sense?
I think Daddy may have had something to do with the funding given his speech at the end.
They said at the very start he had a hundred k in it. I suspect that may have gone up over the course of the three years...
I liked it, It'd be good to see it once its finished and the cladding/stonework has 'weathered in'
Yes, you can see it on Google Maps.
I can see an area of woodland which looks like it has been devastated by a drone strike - is that it?
SIPS in a piss wet valley?
If I was making my grand designs forever home I'd want more permanence them SIPS aka a bit of plywood and a fancy name.
I remember at the end saying it was 300m2? Doesnt make sense?
The main "slab" was beam and block. The concrete was only for the strip foundations and later the capping beam
I quite like that one, certainly different and I thought really nice inside.
A couple of thoughts:
- I'm not sure I believe the costing, and I'm not sure Kev did either with the 'almost impossible low costs' comment...
- that's basically a dank, ex quarry with two different streams/rivers running through (did you notice the stream behind, that wasn't even contained?). I think they're going to be battling damp, mould, floods and lack of light permanently. And I'm not sure the wood cladding or timber frame is that we'll suited...I say that as someone who lives at bottom of a North facing ex railway embankment...
dank, ex quarry
When they were talking to the stonemason and he said she was looking for stones with moss to be on display...did they not twig that the moss will soon be growing on the house if its so sheltered.
Had a chat with a friend who worked on production of that episode. Wasnt too complimentary about her, very pushy & quite a few non truths. Also apparently they film many different faces of Kevin so they can decide later which ones to use 🙂
^ makes sense. Each episode needs a coherent narrative and the one to use won't necessarily be apparent until the end.
^ There is a reason my old company who supplied sustainable building materials would not get involved in Grand Designs. They choose the nutters who are bent on a nutty project to make good TV.
Ordinary folk on an ordinary build does not a Grand Design series make.
Also apparently they film many different faces of Kevin so they can decide later which ones to use
Look pensive, Kev.
Look nervous, Kev.
Look impish, Kev.
Look sexy, Kev.
I wonder how many faces they need?
Interesting to see the location as mentioned above. When watching I did see a neighbouring house in a couple of shots so the initial image of it being deep in some secluded woods was soon lost.
I thought he came across really well but wasn't so enamored with her for some reason - comments above seem to back this up. I assume having to knock the thing down was an ideal scenario for them really as it meant they weren't so restricted in their layout. The overall effect of the final build was excellent although if it was me personally I would've preferred a complete stone building with new build attached rather than the faux ruin.
The site location did seem a bit damp and dark so it would be interesting to see how much sunlight the house actually gets and if that causes them any problems. Not too much filming of the build, perhaps due to COVID and the extremely slow pace!
He seemed a bit wide eyed she seemed a bit...unstraightforward.
Seemed weird to plan a house with a roof garden that at time of planning would get no direct sunlight due to trees, which subsequently all were felled.
I'm not sure that English heritage are playing with a full deck and the wee stone bridge has surely taken a right beating.
Nice house but the programme is highlighting how far architects can be from the reality of building.
I half-loved the visual effect of different coloured girders but the other part of me thoguht it looked a bit ‘Ikea’
My thought was how did that pass building regs for fire retardancy?