Grand Designs – full commitment again…

And the modest 2bed build (I think) on Skye

That was the best one, Ive seen it at least 3 times now. Done on a normal persons budget, nice couple, the house was excellent when finished. Rather too spartan for many, but it works. I’d like to see a follow up of that one to see how they have got on since.

The lack of storage space would kill it for my OH, she’s got so much sh*te that another house is needed to store it

I think there has been a fair few good ones over the years, either experimental, great designs or just plain quirky, I just wish the idea of building big houses out in the sticks being sustainable was squashed, they’re as bad if not worse than massive EVs or biomass boilers etc Trouble is that decent size plots in towns and cities get snapped up developers for ££££s and a few executive style detached houses get plonked on them 😕

I enjoy the program but often end up shouting at the telly, most episodes seem to follow a few themes:

1. House will cost 500k to build, owner only has 300k and hasn’t asked for quotes for things like power and water connection, they just assume it will cost £11,50 and be done by Friday. These minor details are not stopping them forging ahead so the 2nd half of the episode is all sob stories about possibly having to sell before it is finished, putting stuff on credit cards and having to work until the day they die to pay it off. These episodes often include living in a cold, damp caravan on site to save money.

2. Really wants to build a house for their family and this house will be the answer to happiness for the family as the new open plan kitchen/sitting room/something else will enable this. Owner proceeds to spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next 5 years on the build so when it is finished the kids are ready to leave home.

3.  Owner is loaded and builds a massive vanity project where everything is too big and a bit ugly.

With an everlasting theme of Kev knocking anybody of child bearing age up 🙂

Whilst this weeks was dreadful from an environmental and selfishness point of view, I did like the whole ‘house generates more than it uses’ ethos. Sadly that become the one defining ecological feature. 🙁

I really hope that we see the end of visitor centre architecture for two people to live in.

distinct feeling that the folk are being cadgey about their build cost as they are worried that the tax man might be watching the programme. Which might then lead to a few awkward questions over where the finance came from….

The one in Exeter with the standing stones look about it gave me that vibe. My mate lost a fair chunk of money investing in a project the guy was linked to. I got the impression he liked to play with other peoples money .

I also watched a YouTube blog where one of the projects is a £15million house. Apparent everything in it is “up for sale” and is a showroom for the clients business. Yeah right, for me, that translates to everything is bought through my company so I can avoid paying VAT and also claim it all against my corporation taxes 🤷‍♀️

” translates to everything is bought through my company so I can avoid paying VAT and also claim it all against my corporation taxes 🤷‍♀️”

It may be a scam but it isn’t a VAT scam. New builds are  zero rated.

Self Build VAT

Sorry, should have said, this is a refurb they are doing. Apparently everything is for sale, including the furniture etc, its just a massive “show home”, that the owner just happens to live in etc etc

I liked this one from a few years ago. Rural site but 35 mins drive from Glasgow. I knew the owner as a teenager when he lived in the next street to me.

A fantastic site he found beside a loch and views over the Campsie fells.

Overlooking the Loch

Whilst this weeks was dreadful from an environmental and selfishness point of view, I did like the whole ‘house generates more than it uses’ ethos. Sadly that become the one defining ecological feature. 🙁

the fundamental flaw being they hadn’t checked their export limits with the dno so they had to cap generation and export. They could have just put up half as much solar and had the same result.

They could have just put up half as much solar and had the same result.

Except PassivHaus Plus whatever needed was it 3x the energy generated to ‘pass’. Forget that they are a) wasting surplus resources to build ecessively because b) they are ‘throwing away’ energy which cannot be used.

How they are wasting this energy I am not sure.

I did raise an eyebrow at that comment.

I’m not convinced it’s ‘thrown away’ and suspect it more like they just dont get paid for the extra.

There is no such thing as throwing away power. If you are capped you just can’t generate it in the first place. Your system is forced to reduce its output. Passive house plus wasn’t designed as bragging rights for rich people, but a shame that is what happened here.

I think this is where passivhaus is missing a trick. All the energy consumption requirements are per square metre, and it ignores embodied energy in the materials. So you can build something hugely excessive in size per occupant from masses of concrete and it still ticks the box.

But saying that, most people motivated to build a (non grand designs) passivhaus will be trying to make something of an appropriate size using lower impact materials. I always wanted to make a hempcrete house but in reality think the stress would have destroyed me….

Anyone know the lovely village that monster was built near?? Never mind, I found it 🙂

I think this is where passivhaus is missing a trick.

It’s not as Grand Designs trendy, but this is where AECB and working in a way which takes in a bigger picture is needed.

Unfortunately most people seem to get focussed on one key thing, or (as last one did) ignore real issues such as having a frikking mansion being as unsustainable as you can get….

Not that eco, scale aside, some fairly carbon positive building materials in that build. Timber based products have some of the lowest carbon in production and lock carbon into the structure beyond a tree’s normal lifespan where it effectively sequesters carbon. Even more so if worked locally. TRADA/TDUK have some good examples and stats along with a Danish graphic on carbon impact of various building materials.

Passivhaus just seems an A* epc rating for running energy usage

Oh my God what a massive house. Why?

Very close to the assistant but I bet he can’t afford to have an affair.

Even the initial computer render it looked massive. Ruined a lovely site

Yes , i did note he spends more time with the assistant than his wife!

The site must have cost huge amount in that village.

The pre episode 3D  computer generated  walk through must be the longest on the series so far!

I think his wine cellar will not be stocked for some time!

Has the client bought it yet?

It must be some way of building a house via his company somehow?  Experimental project….

Too big but nice design otherwise….. so much money to experiment with!   They must be really loaded!

I was laughing at Kevin’s suggestion that large scale developers would copy this approach. 

Finally finished this episode. Hmmm.

But to return to the point about “wasting” energy, we have some friends who are in the position that they can’t dump any more power back to the grid either. 4 bed decent size detached with the whole back roof solar panelled south facing in the balmy sub tropical paradise that is the Wirral.
Battery in the garage, charges his car, runs a sex pond off it, charges the neighbours’ cars for them etc.

Their road is quite affluent and plenty of their neighbours also have panels now. apparently there’s so much power being sent back to the grid that the road trips out the local grid quite often. So it’s a lot to do with the grid not coping, which is what the programme seemed to end with.

Watched this last night. Was intrigued as to where this is as “north Cotswolds” is quite a broad area. – any pointers? Looked like it could be somewhere near Broadway but there’s honey coloured villages for miles around here so who knows.

@speeder   its near a village called Morton-in-Marsh   I make a game out of trying to work out where the builds are 🙂

I make a game out of trying to work out where the builds are 🙂

The advanced level of the game is to find which local authority it falls under, then track down the planning drawings and building control sign offs, along with reading any planning objections submitted by neighbours

Yes, I did that for the red basement horror in London 🙂

Well that one went well… .I had my doubts a the start.

A lovely old Mill.

But the budget issue was never mentioned again!

They worked damned hard to get there.

It seemed very well finished….. a win on the lottery or something?  Just the garden finishing would have cost a fortune. …..

It seemed very well finished….. a win on the lottery or something? Just the garden finishing would have cost a fortune. …..

It was an old one rebooted to see the finished article, lovely external not so sure about the inside, Kevin overdid it on the retaining original entirely rotten woodwork. My money on the budget is an inheritance?

there was no mention of the bridge in front of the house cracking which I believe was in the original programme, I can’t remember the outcome of that. 

Didn’t they get someone to inspect the culvert who said was cracked and decided to ignore his advice to repair?

Ah that’s right, looks like the y covered it with a nice bit of landscaping!

Anyone watching tonight?
Its been absolutely textbook so far…

I’m cynical but there’s more than a faint whiff of bullshit about tonight’s show

Completely deluded people, massive debt, blah blah blah

Is it on Rightmove yet?

Death in family – check

Pregnancy – check

Absolutely gigantic – check

Over budget – check

Just about a classic grand designs episode.

I just don’t understand how they could afford it, and I guess the answer is they couldn’t.  Was the last update filmed pre or post mortgage rates going through the roof do you think?

Not a new series though, this was a repeat.

No evident means of servicing the debt, but went for the fanciest Italian marble kitchen natch.

A classic- my teenage son shouted down from GCSE revision-‘is the lady pregnant yet’, and within a minute the news was confirmed. Quick work Kevin!

CBA to watch that one again.

I just don’t understand how they could afford it

There was a suggestion here:

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/grand-designs-full-commitment-again/page/9/

House had great views. I liked how the house looked,  less sure I’d find it practical to live in.  I don’t mind the very separate bedroom wing and the courtyard between was a wonderful space but like others I guess the usefulness of the spaces in the original reservoir were limited.   The finances though are just ludicrous.  £600K mortgage,  £80k more borrowing (where? Credit cards?) And more borrowed from friends and family.   That doesn’t add up for normal folk, so they clearly aren’t normal folk,  yet they seemed to try to come across as .. well… not quite sure…. they weren’t ordinary folk but….

Anyway,  ignore the situation and people,  swanky looking house with great views. I’d probably love a long weekend visit but maybe not too live.

Yay! New series!

This week featuring a right weasel who doesn’t ‘do’ detailed drawings; has scant regard for planning laws; bought a property without telling his wife; and is all about showing off, sorry, I mean is all about family.

Plus – windows!

And…. we’re still not done with covid!

Hmmm, another one using their “commercial” teams to build their personal projects . I wonder how much of that cost “disappears” into other jobs 😉

Well it was definitely an improvement on what was there and the views and coast are fantastic.

I think there was more of a story with the initially very understanding neighbour and  his party wall/chimney mess.

But yeh well off nob who doubtlessly his and passed of costs elsewhere. Nice to have a little ‘bolt hole’ eh.

My only claim to fame is car camping overnight there in my old Sierra estate 20 years ago, before it was a thing.  The lighthouse light kept me waking up all night, I’m sure his big windows will help do the same for him.

“Yeah; we’re going to have massive windows, near a lighthouse and a golf course, facing east over the sea but haven’t fitted the electric blinds yet. “

That makes the house unliveable in for me and why aren’t the blinds/curtains/shutters integrated into the design when they will so clearly be needed?

Well it was definitely an improvement on what was there

I thought the original building looked great