his problem was he built an “architectural designer’s” wet dream

I think being a stupidly rich client like that makes him the architects wet dream

wish they had touched on the heating/cooling aspect of the build, just a 20 second insight on how that worked.
imagine not being able to open a window though?

I’m guessing that there’s some kind of air circulation technology so the opening of windows is less of an issue (there’s no lack of control systems!). The option to open the door is always there, although how many doors were there ? They only showed the front door but there must have been others to get to both sides of the house.

they showed the door by the bins too!

No emotional investment on the build. Vast areas of unshaded glass could lead to severe overheating and “draws cool air from under the house” just sounds like the intake for an MVHR. (I wonder if there was actually aircon?)
No curtains or blinds obvious either (including at bathroom window)
Seemed to have little connection to the garden/grounds.

I missed the start so didn’t get a feel for how big it actually was – massively long but single storey and maybe not that deep?

I missed the start so didn’t get a feel for how big it actually was – massively long but single storey and maybe not that deep?

70 metres long and 7 metres maximum height I think

I agree with the builder chap – I wouldn’t live there, but amazing to have such bonkers places around.

70 metres long and 7 metres maximum height I think

…by 15m wide someone reckoned, which by my maths means about 1000sq m of floorspace(!!).

George Clarke’s not-so-grand designs is very good, but I’ve missed the real Grand Designs, with McCloud’s snide asides to camera. This was an absolute top-drawer classic:
– opening with shots of the garage – I counted 2 Lexus LFAs (c£400k each), an F40, a Porsche Carrera GT, plus a couple of Astons.
– his architectural designer basically sketched out a Guggenheim museum
-…and it immediately needed extensive and presumably expensive engineering involvement to make it actually stay upright.
– The initial garage took 12 weeks just to frame
– …and the prefabbed beams and joints just didn’t fit. Who made them?!!
– the triple-glazed glass didn’t fit in various places, so he ditched his fitters.
– And ended up with a nice looking museum. A couple of camera shots showed small details that would bug me, like the vertical glazing leaving an angled overhang against the zinc wall stuff.

Other than the environmental impact, I think that’s pretty good.

The environmental impact is pretty hard to look past. They had a brand new house in pretty much exactly the same place and it didn’t even make anything of the location. Total vanity project to do it there.

A multi million pound house, where they have incorporated a gym with no shower facilities. Sweat it out in the gym, then walk 70metres through the kitchen etc to get a shower…

I thought it was a bit sad really. He clearly didn’t give a toss about the design (which admittedly was cool for an art gallery) and just saw it as a social and financial statement.

I’m not a fan of these bottomless money pits, like the drumlanrig heir in the last series who kept chucking millions at his graveyard house in london

I much prefer the modest budget builds with at least one eye on the bean counter, the big clay build or the guy who took over 10 years to singlehandedly do his self build, including the amazing spiderwebbed ceiling

It’s not a grand designs unless the patriarch painstakingly builds the kids rooms only for them to grow up and flee the nest in the meantime

A multi million pound house, where they have incorporated a gym with no shower facilities. Sweat it out in the gym, then walk 70metres through the kitchen etc to get a shower…

I’d forgotten that. Not only did they show no interest in building a house that would meet their own needs, nor did their designer. The other highlighted WTF was bin storage. Keving pointed it out and it sounded like they’d then thought about it but it seemed that involved putting them in a narrow external corridor without enough space to get past them (and where they’d be seen looking out through the door).

Couldn’t warm to him. The edit made him look like he had nice stuff because he could have it, not because he wanted it.

I understand the first house and even the third, but there was a second one that he hadn’t even finished. Will there be a fourth in 5 years time, surrounded by his other follys?

Couldn’t warm to him.

Also the bit referring to him as “self made, not a trustifarian” was a bit off seeing as he joined daddy’s companies.

A classic example of how detached from reality architects are! The plans must have been plastered with standard architect caveats “glass tbc”, “insulation tbc”, “beam spec tbc”.
A Grand Design, with no idea how it can be constructed.. .. Crazy!

A multi million pound house, where they have incorporated a gym with no shower facilities. Sweat it out in the gym, then walk 70metres through the kitchen etc to get a shower…

Considering the equipment taking pride of place in the gym was a pool table I’m guessing getting sweaty isn’t high on the agenda.! 😂

ButtonMoon
Free Member

A classic example of how detached from reality architects are! The plans must have been plastered with standard architect caveats “glass tbc”, “insulation tbc”, “beam spec tbc”.
A Grand Design, with no idea how it can be constructed.. .. Crazy!

Standard architect in my experience. Do the broad strokes and claim credit for the design while someone/everyone else sorts the details & makes it work. It’s architecture as art.

Bosh, and within weeks of meeting Kevin, she was pregnant 🤔😆

🤣 I said to my wife Kevin will have her sorted by the end. And there you go!🤣

Fantastic building though.
And handmade too.
Ive done a few triangular structures and know what a bitch they can be

Well that was a nice one.

I think his skill and joinery made it the success. I really like some touches – the doors, the kitchen, the stairs.

Outdoors they still have a really busy and noisy location…

Impressed by the craftsmanship on tonight’s – l doubt your average house builder could have pulled that one off. Concrete block paving was impressive and still would like to know how they got the bus there?

Complete opposite to last week he cared and she cared. Last week she seemed pissed off by him being a dick.

I think they made a but too much of the busy aspect. I go that way pretty regularly and its not really that bad…… The trains in a fairly deep cutting and its away from any stations plus its a 30mph section of the A27 through town.

Not seen the previous week yet.

I think the busy aspect gave them an angle in to how you can overcome those challenges with building technology.

For me though I thought that £110k on that plot was lunacy, especially given the sewer restriction, but maybe thats land prices down south.

Ha yeah thats the south. I thought 110k seemed pretty good value.

For me though I thought that £110k on that plot was lunacy, especially given the sewer restriction, but maybe thats land prices down south.

It was £160k

I thought he produced a fantastic house, incredible craftsmanship. I don’t see the appeal with the location though…was that really the best plot they could find for the money? Where was it…anybody able to point to it on google maps?

Also, I wish they had shown how they managed to get the bus in. Maybe the transport company didn’t want that shown!

Where was it…anybody able to point to it on google maps?

Looks like https://plus.codes/9C2XXF7W+95

https://goo.gl/maps/5VAv37okiowujMB68

Can view it on street view.
I really liked this episode and while I wouldn’t want to live in that location, I think it was made out to be worse than it is. Fantastic craftsmanship and real passion unlike the annoying rich boy last week.

Been trying for a child for 2 years …
Kevs there an hour and boom .

Been trying for a child for 2 years …
Kevs there an hour and boom .

Makes you think…..

Just watched this one and recognised it immediately as I drove past it several times earlier this year. It’s a real eye catcher with the pointed roof spearing into the ground. (It’s a busy road but only 30 mph and plenty of people managed without posh noise insulated buildings)

Perhaps they missed the sewer in the rush to buy but I think the design works…I mean if he hadn’t made it triangular he would have lost that nice big drive.

It’s really refreshing to see Grand Designs doing something other than documenting another egomaniac throwing apparently limitless money around to build yet another visitor centre.

Real people working to real world budgets? Not casually mentioning that they went 2 million over budget as if if it was not having enough change for the car park? Whatever next?

I think they made a but too much of the busy aspect. I go that way pretty regularly and its not really that bad…… The trains in a fairly deep cutting and its away from any stations plus its a 30mph section of the A27 through town.

Not seen the previous week yet.

A29, and it’s a couple of hundred yards from Pulborough station, and the house is basically at track level. 8 trains an hour, so not insanely busy, but enough to put people off living so close. its just down the road from me, so enjoyed watching it. I warmed to the guy, she annoyed me. The bus ruins it. Thought as much IRL!

Perhaps they missed the sewer

I think they said that’s what happened, right at the beginning, that they only found out after buying, so they had to make do.

We liked this one – good couple, awesome hands on skills, and nice house/plot/mobile workshop when they’d finished. Happy for them.

Last week’s was **** gastly. Egotistical **** and has cock extension of a ‘look at me’ car collection and house. I shared his wife’s embarrassment of his out of control ego.

Enjoyed this one and liked the couple.

My favourite detail was the intersection of the point on the roof and block paving.