Grand Designs – full commitment again…

TBH I don’t think they are that high up in the spending way beyond their means league of grand designers

Yeah, you are right, but I don’t think we are all thinking in the same terms. They seem to be two fairly normal people, without the moneyed background that you often see on GD, and when questioned about how they paid for a massively increased budget, they started to look a bit embarrassed. Which isn’t an unusual response, tbf.

The mortgage borrowing seems about right, and they had a fortuitous windfall, but then managed to find a couple of hundred thou down the back of the sofa. I think most of us are a little puzzled about who we’d approach if needing that much money, and how it would be repaid on top of a significant mortgage, but that’s not to say it’s all that unlikely. Yet, it was another oddity in an odd episode – the house was odd, the back-story was odd, the borrowing was odd, even the toilet was odd.

Chatting to a colleague about it at lunch, and he knows one of the architects who works for Loyn and Co, so I’ve just looked at their website. Curiously, when GD showed the Gower house, I initially thought it was Stormy Castle, near Llangennith, before realising that it was a few miles away. Stormy Castle is actually one of Loyn’s designs, as is Margam Parks’ visitor centre. Makes you think… 😀

(If you’ve surfed at Llangennith, you’ve driven past Stormy Castle. )

I didn’t like the extension to the original building at all – and it sounds like that bit cost a fortune to dig out / concrete in etc.

I think I’d have kept the original building and had a kitchen / diner at the top (losing the mezzanine view over the edge – make it one proper floor) and put bedrooms in downstairs. Dig out a bit at the side to allow windows to the side of the bedrooms and add on a small extension somewhere for a decent family living room. No way did that house need to be so big and so fancy based on what they had to spend on it.

Architects just seem to go nuts trying to create something for their portfolio to look nice – as they know it’s not their money they’re spending.

I think I’d have kept the original building and had a kitchen / diner at the top (losing the mezzanine view over the edge – make it one proper floor) and put bedrooms in downstairs. Dig out a bit at the side to allow windows to the side of the bedrooms and add on a small extension somewhere for a decent family living room. No way did that house need to be so big and so fancy based on what they had to spend on it.

Absolutely this – I assume planning restrictions wouldn’t allow the roof to change so they would have to keep that, but there was enough space to do something with it, other than it basically being a big walkway to a picture window (with great views tbf) when that will undoubtedly be one of the least-used rooms in the building.

Good that they both managed to get their teeth done before the last program!!

“The contractors have come in way over our budget”

“Shall we cut back our plans and just concentrate on the reservoir building, perhaps treating the extension as phase 2?”

“No, let’s continue on with the extension that we don’t need”.

If they had a budget of £700,000, why did the architect design a building that cost almost double that in the first place?

Chatting to a colleague about it at lunch, and he knows one of the architects who works for Loyn and Co, so I’ve just looked at their website. Curiously, when GD showed the Gower house, I initially thought it was Stormy Castle, near Llangennith, before realising that it was a few miles away. Stormy Castle is actually one of Loyn’s designs, as is Margam Parks’ visitor centre. Makes you think… 😀

(If you’ve surfed at Llangennith, you’ve driven past Stormy Castle. )

You’ve confused me now…the one they showed on GD (that we’ve both cycled past) is called Stormy Castle (as shown on OS maps).

But is there another Stormy Castle? (The one up on the left off the Llangennith lane rings a bell)

If they had a budget of £700,000, why did the architect design a building that cost almost double that in the first place?

It was a four year project. A lot has happened in that time!

It was a four year project. A lot has happened in that time!

They got 3 quotes on day 1…. ranged from 1.2 to 1.4 I believe, so the comment is completely valid.  If they had a max budget of 700k, why did their architect design them a 1.4m house?

Their “budget” was a bit of a joke anyway – it didn’t include VAT…… or kitchen….. or bathrooms.

I think the thing I found most infuriating was all the hand-wringing about money (including resorting to borrowing from friends/family) – but at the same time insisting on a completely unnecessarily level of finish:  How much did that copper tub in the bedroom cost?  And the water feature in the courtyard?  Top-end marble worktops (including waterfall ends to the island)?  Massively over-specced oak boards that looked about 3″ thick?

I was sure that they were doing it to sell it….. thats the only remotely sensible reason you would be insisting on such a deluxe finish that you couldn’t afford.

and yes….. OnlyFans was suggested as an explaination of how they were/are able to service a mortgage of that size on what we assume their income to be (pick-n-mix aside)

But is there another Stormy Castle? (The one up on the left off the Llangennith lane rings a bell)

I’ve just checked my OS map and you are absolutely right – it’s the same place. (Of course it is, I’m being a dumbass!)  But what’s the one near Hillend called? I can’t be bothered to go down there today! 😁 (I was thinking of walking from Cwm Ivy tomorrow, maybe I’ll head down that way.)

They got 3 quotes on day 1…. ranged from 1.2 to 1.4 I believe, so the comment is completely valid.  If they had a max budget of 700k, why did their architect design them a 1.4m house?

Then at the end she had the audacity to claim if they knew it would cost this much they wouldn’t have done it. She should be a politician

I do wonder why it takes so long to train as an architect. There never seem to design something the client can afford so clearly they don’t do costings. They have structural engineers to ensure what they design is physical cabae of being built and stand up. So clearly that’s not part of the syllabus. So what is

But that makes it even odder.

If the quotes in 2019 were 1.2m ish, how on earth was it delivered for that price given the rises in 2020/21/22?

I have only seen a couple of these sorts of programs where things came in on budget.

One was a build years ago on Grand Designs where the people building the dwelling earned their living as shop fitters and had a tight grip on everything and one where the guy built a house in the woods out of trees and straw bails.

Reasons  can think of why the budget is busted are:

The achitect hasn’t a clue, unexpected extra expenses as you don’t always know what problems you find until you start. The owners upspec everything. Inflation, delays, weather.

Many architects are frustrated artists I’m my experience.

Sadly, artistic talent and practicality often don’t go hand in hand. I’ve just spent a fortnight working with an artist and just had to resign myself to the fact our brains are wired very differently, and be thankful I was on a flat day rate…

The mind boggles at the debt they took on, and where on earth an extra couple of hundred grand was rustled up from.

What a great opportunity to take free land, along with a great inheritance, to build something decent and be left with a small mortgage to pay off.  Vanity is a queer thing.

and where on earth an extra couple of hundred grand was rustled up from.

my guess is it’s a gift in lieu of an inheritance.

Or a well off friend who will now own a part share of the property.

Their “budget” was a bit of a joke anyway – it didn’t include VAT…

You can claim that back on self build can you not?

Or a well off friend who will now own a part share of the property.

Their “budget” was a bit of a joke anyway – it didn’t include VAT…

You can claim that back on self build can you not

I think they were hoping to claim it was a new build, and therefore VAT free, but cos they didn’t knock the old one fully down, it didn’t qualify as new build

We just watched this last night and loved it – I can’t believe I have to live without Grand Designs for 10 months of the year. It was a classic though: pregnant, initial designs way over budget but let’s do it anyway, budget delays… and ultimately a gorgeous house. You question why the new extension needed to be quite so enormous, and how they could afford their teeth whitening if they were so skint, but fair play to them getting it finished in the end

I think they were hoping to claim it was a new build, and therefore VAT free, but cos they didn’t knock the old one fully down, it didn’t qualify as new build

perhaps why the extension was do massively over sized

f they had a budget of £700,000, why did the architect design a building that cost almost double that in the first place?

I thought exactly the same.  Kevin clearly loves the architect given how many times they got a mention by name.  However, selling the customer a vision of what they can’t afford is a breach of their duties in my mind.

It’s one thing to design a house that might stretch the budget but they are clearly experienced enough to know they were designing a house that would be in the territory of doubling it.

Unless, of course, the couple presented themselves in a very different financial position when they met the architects … which I could equally believe.

My post was negative, I forgot to say that I thought the finished article was really nice.  Looks like a right nice place to live.

I didn’t like it much.  Total waste of space of the main building – the mezzanine served little purpose, the downstairs was just a big open space with a fairly small, gaudy kitchen.  The dining room was a corridor and I don’t like the idea of half of the house being disjointed from the other half.  Bedrooms were pretty small and the bath really didn’t fit at the end of the bed.

For me, it ended up a pretty small house for £1.5 million and being left in debts up to your eyeballs.

But then I don’t have to live there so what do my thoughts matter?

My house was architect drawn and he was just fine, but he worked pretty closely with the site manager.  Trades are a complete nuisance tho’, and can’t stick to time schedules or promised budgets, and happy to blame everybody but themselves.

I’ve heard it said, and believe it to be true. that you need to build yourself three houses to finally get the one you really want.

I mentioned it to the missus and she went into full Columbo mode . I swear I’m going to set her and her mate in a Private Investigator company soon.

Apparently their latest business venture is in candles . Perhaps they are “special” candles like what Gywnneth makes 😂

Rosa and Craig that is, not my missus and mate 😳

Having thought about it…. all of the stuff that makes absolutely no sense, suddenly makes sense if they are just building it to sell it.

They are building the “most” house with the highest-end finishes they can possibly afford to build – not necessarily afford to live in afterwards.

They’ve created an insta account also, pops up on my feed (they’re listening!)

I don’t like the idea of half of the house being disjointed from the other half

It’s funny how people are so different. I love the idea of disjointed houses with sleeping, living and utility as separate areas.

So….25% over budget…and no comments?!

I like the location, but don’t understand the heating system

That one was excellent. Loved it and a very down to earth guy with no pretension. I’m sure he will have a far easier time servicing the £175 k of debt he has compared to lasts weeks dreamers

Yep, enjoyed that one…nice build, good budgeting, lovely location, no real drama

Can’t say i liked the building at all…and i don’t know why they kept calling it a tree house. There’s some trees in the garden…but by that measure, i live in a tree house.

I liked it. Sensible for the family, good thinking about the plumbing and a nice building. I’d like to know if it’d would have been on budget if not for trussenomics.

I liked it but it felt like a bit of waste of space under the ‘tree house’ bit.  Could have been more indoor space or more of a garden feature.

Lounge out to the lake particularly nice.

Really liked the house and its setting.
We only caught the last 20 minutes – was there a particular back story or was he just a single dad?

I did wonder about the garage and drive. That seemed to remove from the tranquility of the house. The high shot looked like a lot of the grassed area between bungalow and house was occupied was also surprised that the bungalow went for £200k did they split the garden for two building plots? It’s certainly be in my thoughts if I was as frugal as him

I thought exactly the same.  Kevin clearly loves the architect given how many times they got a mention by name.  However, selling the customer a vision of what they can’t afford is a breach of their duties in my mind.

My experience is that they have no idea how much stuff really costs to build, or certainly didn’t keep pace with cost rises in trades & then materials.

We had quite at 150% and 210% of budget from builders, and another architect suggesting it could be done for 50%….

Best catch up with this series, always a good watch.

We liked last nights and the pond/lake really made it.

By those standards we also live in a tree house as we have trees near the house and I didn’t understand the need for the raised section, other than added architect element, with its significant extra cost and no apparent plan for under it.

What I did like was that for once there was a massive garage/workshop space for all your tools, toys, turbo set up, and presumably a ride on mower for all that grass.

I notice there was no interview or name dropping of the architect this week. Is that because it was a good design that fitted the brief.  Never ones Kevin likes 

There was a name drop of the architect, Karen someone maybe.

I liked it. The tree house element is purely conceptual. The raised element was to give them the views / feeling of being in the tree canopy from the kids bedrooms.

I thought he did a really good job, £375,000 for that house is very impressive. Was pleased for the chap and his family.

Interesting that last week’s build was 25% over budget, and they got grief on here…this week, 25% over budget…”didn’t he do well” 😂