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Maybe he’s a mercenary and the “extreme fishing” trips around the globe are a cover! The dining room did look like a board/war room!
Even at 2% that’s £60k p.a. of taxed income…
How much do decent sized houses in Fulham rent out for? 5-6k a month isn’t out of the ordinary (having just checked, £10-11k isn’t impossible...) then top up with whatever extreme things he gets up to.
It was a nice enough house but I kept thinking that there is no way I'd give myself that much stress to finance and make the mortgage payments on such a big house for him and his son (then just him, then him and his Mrs).
I appreciate he could find a million or 2 significantly easier than I could but still, I'd rather not be up to by ears in debt if I can help it.
How much do decent sized houses in Fulham rent out for? 5-6k a month isn’t out of the ordinary (having just checked, £10-11k isn’t impossible…) then top up with whatever extreme things he gets up to.
I got the impression he was very local (just across the road?). Wife lived out that way when we met - it's more Hammersmith than Fulham...
True, but that rental income is taxable and buy-to-let mortgage rates likely to be a bit higher and any mortgage will have been subject to a 'stress test' - you would need to show you can cover the interest payments at significantly higher rates than at present.
Penny’s dropped where he gets his income- he’s a hitman. Perfect place to dispose of the bodies hence the need for the side gate to slip out under cover of darkness!
of taxed income…
As if the upper classes pay tax, whatever next!
there is no way I’d give myself that much stress to finance and make the mortgage payments on such a big house for him and his son (then just him, then him and his Mrs).
That's assuming that he was telling the truth about where he was getting the money from. He didn't really seem to have much of a clue about how much it would all cost (cf what he thought it should cost vs what the contractors were saying it would cost, at the start.) and didn't care about adding extra costs through the build. It is possible that he had all the funds available but was a little too polite, too tactful to announce that money was no problem for him or his family, so tried to make himself more relatable by saying he'd got mortgages here and there and everywhere.
I thought it interesting that the whole place was in extreme good taste, except for his floor which was horrible.
And..
To be fair though his swimming technique was shocking
for someone who loves swimming, he was rubbish at it. His technique was like mine, and I swim about once a year. 😀
It is possible that he had all the funds available but was a little too polite, too tactful to announce that money was no problem for him or his family, so tried to make himself more relatable by saying he’d got mortgages here and there and everywhere.
Or the producers told him to say it, just to create a bit of jeopardy. 'Incredibly rich man builds nice house with very few problems' isn't always great telly.
New episode tonight
Bingo cards at the ready with the usual GD Tropes.
Or the producers told him to say it, just to create a bit of jeopardy. ‘Incredibly rich man builds nice house with very few problems’ isn’t always great telly.
True - I may have been overthinking it!
Traquair house is something quite extraordinary and apparently Catherine and immediate family are super down to earth with considerably more taste than the young cousin Justin.
Yeah doesn't Catherine Maxwell Stuart have quite a good reputation locally? I'm a bit out of touch but certainly the Traquair Fair back in the 80s & 90s was a joyous thing - whole weekend of live music, theatre tents, good food and drinking!
I did find overall it was rather nice, but I wouldn't be up for that much faff/stress!
His fishing business does also own a fly fishing accessory company. So maybe that's the regular income.
Ok I'm already routing for them but very concerned. I sense a 'dust test' coming
Oh eh. That escalated quickly.
a mysterious fire would have probably saved them lots of time and cash
+1 for the accidental fire
Happens all the time in the countryside..
A guy I played hockey with was a private forensic investigator, I asked him how they knew when it was arson. He thought for a second or two and then sagely said "it's usually the smell of petrol"...
it’s usually the [s]smell of petrol[/s] planning application ”…
Given the state of those oak pillars, if they'd just pushed on them in a gale they'd have solved the problem
Bloody building regs. It's political correctness gone mad!
I lived down the road from two enormous pubs, both listed buildings, that were bought by property developers and are now blocks of new build flats after being demolished after ‘mysterious’ fires.
Planning laws are mental. It’s a 30 year old barn, not Westminster Abbey FFS
This is actually restoring my faith in Grand Designs after watching Little Lord Fauntleroy go a million pounds over budget last week
This one is given me the terrors! I really hope this is going to work out for them on every level
Is 'local supplier going out of business and taking your huge deposit down with it' on the Grand designs bingo card?
If she dies there’s gonna be tears from my wife!
Good for them. So much more deserving than "chuck another million at it."
I hope they don't get a dirty great lorry park out the back. That'd suck
Phew!
Not a chance building control would sign off those stairs😁
Liked that, wish them both a long and happy life there!
Awesome! Bless em
Loved the way they worked round problems rather than just chucked money at it, although with a bit of forward planning he could have avoided the issues of height and roof angle.
Beautiful looking place, love the wood facade. Top job
That was an awesome episode. Love it.
First baby of this series next week!
Well, that was absolutely bloody brilliant!
Loved that. It doesn’t look like a visitor centre, it didn’t cost 5 million quid, we didn’t have to hear about the delay in the windows being delivered from Germany, nobody had to go and shake the lower boughs of the money tree for an extra half a million and the people were actually really likeable.
On the downside; nobody got pregnant and nobody had to live in a caravan for 3 years
Jesus! Me and the Mrs were holding our breath until the credits rolled!
Great episode that, they deserve every happiness together in their beautiful new house.
Unfortunately zero score on the GD bingo card, but I won't begrudge them that.
That was wonderful.
Well that was just what I needed given what’s going around us all. I wish them well, where did I leave me hanky.
Super.
That was great. Proper grit and determination after so much cash going into the ground. I actually really liked them oiled wood outside, and the space indoors.
Clearly unfinished though, there is a few quid needed to fishing finish bedrooms, laundry (not even a washing machine yet) and handrails...
Genuinely hoping we weren't going to hear really bad news as that episode went on but a happy ending.... brilliant, very pleased for them. Great episode
Great episode and what an achievement for the two of them. What GD should be!
Clearly unfinished though, there is a few quid needed to fishing finish bedrooms, laundry (not even a washing machine yet) and handrails…
No they re sorted. No need for guest bedrooms and they can nip to the parents house for their washing. Just dump stuff in the spare rooms. He got his pool table in so priorities
Good episode. Like is said above we did fear the worst on a few occasions.
Putting as all to shame… what a bloke… and what a lovely home.
Thought the exterior was excellent, was quite an achievement considering the basic shape of the building and recycled pine boards.
Inside needed a splash of colour to help finish it off.
Considering the budget it turned out exceptionally well, great effort from both of them.