Grand Designs

This series has majored on smug wealthy gits throwing silly money around to build monstrosities… That folly last week with the lego welded to it and now this pointles tile infested thingy… OK so last night’s bloke wasn’t quite up to the ‘total smug git standard’ and the mummy was verging on yummy which redeemed the prog (a bit).

But, a £300k budget for something as daft as that which then overan by 50%!!! Not sure what the original build schedule was but wouldn’t be surprised if that overan too (and not all cos someone ‘leant’ on the roof).

I wanna see someone struggle to pay for a decent build and put their heart and soul into it. We’ve seen them in the past, it’s just throw more wonga at tastless tat now.

Harumph!!

But it is titled Grand Designs, so by definition it will be well-off people spending lots of money. Apart from the couple from Rotherham years back who bought an old water pumping station for £40k and could only afford to paint over the crumbling whitewashed plaster.

I suppose they could do a spin-off called ‘Average Extensions’ or Splash n Dash Makeover’

I agree its good to see some different design – I think the standard of our ‘barrat homes’ (aka average new home) from a design point of view is woeful.

We ‘love’ our brick, white upvc and fake victoriana – I want to see creative, modern design.

Last night, while it was not ‘my bag’ and could / was an architect showing what he could do (just because he could) at least had some good design and was original.

For me, GD is ‘unusual’, but if it moves the design world on and the publics expectations (like why should a new house cost so much to heat?), then its a good thing.

mastiles_fanylion – I think this one is an example of the sort of stuff many of us prefer to watch – money was an issue for them but they created something rather special:

Puglia

Yep Mudshark that’s the one. And the pumping station, not to mention the nutter in the woods…

I’m all for modern challenging design but most recent stuff has been formulaic and built at vast (i.e. any) cost.

I like the stuff that is a bit off beat.

I’ve loved most designs, mainly because the people behind them are doing it with passion, and want something different. Come on, how much is spent on the average Premier wendyballers tasteless monstrosity? My favourites so far have been the Pumping Station, (loooved that), the Apprentice Store outside Bath, and last nights. The Folly at Newport as well, if only for that staggering view, but I loved much that went into that house, especially little details like the restored windows. Criticising these builds because they cost a lot of money is pointless. OF COURSE they cost a lot of money, anything with a lot of time and materials is going to. Might as well do the same about a custom made bike frame, when you can pick up a perfectly good frame for £150. It does the same job, but it wouldn’t be custom or special to the owner, would it?

The baby thing is all part of the nesting instinct. These lucky few get to do the nesting bit full on!

They say that pregnancy can make you do some funny things – strange rituals and odd eating habits etc. Probably not the best time to be embarking on a hellishly expensive construction project!

Quite amusing really.

The worst for me, was the solicitors who ripped out the interior of a great looking Victorian Terrace to make one big open plan hole to live in!

Loo without a door stuck between the living room and kitchen, from what I remember, class!

Did like the fish tank wall though, which I think was from the same property?

Criticising these builds because they cost a lot of money is pointless.

That’s not the point; some think that those that have to watch the pennies result in a more interesting development than those that get the experts in to build up their dream. I’ve just remembered the one in France where an older couple did most of the work to restore a tower that had all but fallen down. Watching them work out how to do things was far more interesting than a load of pro builders getting on with their jobs. The end result may be interesting but the journey’s important in terms of the show.

Didnt the No water mill, from a couple of weeks back have the smallest kitchen ever seen, if i remember correctly? Smaller than my first houses, which could have fitted into one room there. That man was a little eccentric to say the least.

I thought the arch looked pretty good inside, but couldn’t help thinking that if it was mine I’d spend the rest of my life wondering if the inside of the arch would have looked better with the tiles laid at an angle. I think those brick railway / canal arches where the bricks are laid at an angle give fantastic spiralling/sweeping lines to their arches…

I watched the re run of the old couple building the Hauf House?!? Ok it’s probably tame by GD standards, but there was something about the couple and their build.
Liked the bit about it seeing them good for another twenty years, then looking at each other ‘ok ten then’
They also filled the place with the belongings/their life, no instant interiors there.
It was proper heart warming.

^^^^^
Yeah I loved that one too – wasn’t he an artist/sculpter or something? Domolished what most would consider a pretty decent house to make it?