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I think this is close to the height of my whole 2-storey house, and we don’t have low ceilings. How do people keep ceilings clear of cobwebs when they are this high? How do they heat their houses? Though, I’ll bet my kids could still get food up there!
or change the lightbulbs in their bespoke blown-glass chandelier....
Oh that house "cost almost nothing to heat" according to Kevin.... Struggling to believe a 500sq m space will heat itself through winter just by solar gain. I thought passivehaus partly relied on smaller volumes where the heat from occupants, cooking, fridge etc could warm the space?
Another monster steel frame, OSB and foam million pound ego trip.
A smaller version from straw bales with a glulam not steel frame would have been more appropriate for architectural and eco merit.
How do people keep ceilings clear of cobwebs when they are this high?
Same way companies/offices with double plus height reception areas do, specialist High Level cleaning company, normally with a scissor lift.
My parents had an extension built where the lamp units could only be changed using a scaffolding tower and cast shadows at the desks. The extension was a study on the side of the house. It was at basement level on a house on the side of a hill and the stairs from the first floor were so badly designed they took up a third of the space.
Architect was a friends daughter. Utterly useless
As someone else has already said, getting round permission based on something as subjective as Section 79/Architectural merit is a slap in the face for everyone else. If you can afford the most expensive architect and the most expensive build then you can beat the system
Yep that sucks and tbh makes me think of Swinhay House 🙂
I know this isn't adding anything to the debate but im so sick of cavernous, inappropriately large houses. Its actually making me angry when I see it unveiled on GD! Still watch it though.
My schadenfreude will have to be satisfied by rewatching the disastrous faux lighthouse build
As someone else has already said, getting round permission based on something as subjective as Section 79/Architectural merit is a slap in the face for everyone else. If you can afford the most expensive architect and the most expensive build then you can beat the system
This, good connections in the council, the right planning consultant who knows how to influence the key people. It’s all about who you know and what you are prepared to pay
My schadenfreude will have to be satisfied by rewatching the disastrous faux lighthouse build
I think there might be catch-up episode of this one coming up at the end of this series, there was an interview with the dude in radio times a couple of weeks ago.
@fingerbang knowing that massive house owners get the same % off their gas & electric bills as us meer mortals no doubt won't help.
Yes I know that some are highly energy efficient but I work in some really high end stuff & the size of their boilers to heat the pool, gym, cinema, dog wash room, heated garage, jet lag room (yes it is a thing) is way beyond normal domestic stuff.
(And that was hilarious when Kevin realised that the sheep are pets, not products…)
Isn't there some sort of rule where if you want to buy a farm then you actually have to prove you are going to farm it ?
After watching Clarksons Farm, sheep farming isn't something you do to make a living....
Isn’t there some sort of rule where if you want to buy a farm then you actually have to prove you are going to farm it ?
To be eligible for subsidies and access to preferential rates/insurance/vat relief etc you need to maintain a minimal level of stock and show husbandship of the land, a mate has a 1500 acre hillside farm in Galloway on very poor but typical topography (now sold) and I helped him out for the previous 15odd years, a helluva amount of work with his 200 head of cattle and 600 sheep, the paperwork has to perfect and handed in on time otherwise it’s a world of pain.
knowing that massive house owners get the same % off their gas & electric bills as us meer mortals no doubt won’t help.
Not the same percentage, the same flat discount isn’t it? So assuming they’re using a load more they’ll actually get a smaller percentage - which still probably won’t make you feel any better 😬
Blunt northerner, having no truck with softy southerner!
She was rude AF in my opinion. Kevin asked how she was during the reveal, to which she replied with no other greeting 'Id be better with another cup of tea inside me', as if it's his job, as a guest, to be constantly pouring tea down her gullet.
And nice to see the daughter being glad to be home with her family and no longer in That London –
Er, yeah. More like 'Dad's built a million pound house, I might give that a go for a while till I get fed up with granny'.
Cladding was gopping. Funny watching the wife try to justify the second 'formal' dining area, which they clearly didn't know what to do with.
Kevin asked how she was during the reveal, to which she replied with no other greeting ‘Id be better with another cup of tea inside me’, as if it’s his job, as a guest, to be constantly pouring tea down her gullet.
I got the feeling she had been collected the night before, asked to smile and wave for the camera, and was being delivered home later. I genuinely think she was not comfortable with being on camera...
Struggling to get the point of erecting a commercial/municipal building in the middle of the country and living in it. Could have built something half the size in oak, stone and glass, employing local craftsmen that would have been stunning, but no, they built a call centre instead.
Not my thing - ugly on the outside and little to commend on the inside - half of the view from the main bedroom was of the roof of the wing. I wonder if the cladding might have been a requirement of the planners to try and replace the barns which were taken down.
I'm not sure if it's a call centre or the local offices for some government quango.
The special architectural merit thing is clearly a pisstake. With all the chat about the spectacular roof being in perfect feng shui with the surrounding landscape, I kept waiting for the perfect drone angle where it all made sense. That never happened.
Still, at least they have a nice 9M high section of roof to hang the bauble collection from.
Just looking at this week's design, seems like he's created a w_nk pit/office/man cave that's inaccessible to his wife. Ingenious
Crack
Bang
John can't wait to christen his w_nk tower
Why is it so bloody big?
Half a million over budget 😱
Seems to fulfill their needs and they can afford it , so good for them.
Jeez, I wanted this to turn out well.
Glad they didn't go overboard on a million bedrooms that would never be used. Nice of Kevin to acknowledge some GD clichés part way through. Not sure why the decorative concrete beams on the roof facing had to be solid concrete though? They still looked a bit wonky even after being fixed.
Garden soil just needed ripping.
Did they say what part of the UK? I'm guessing SE England by the accents.
Seems to fulfill their needs and they can afford it , so good for them.
Yeah, this.
Dunstable I think they said - Bedfordshire
I noticed they never overcame the corner misalignment on the conc beams.
I saw last week when they showed snippets of a weld breaking, I though it was going to be the brackets for the concrete . Looked very pigeon shitty , like it was an afterthought and they had been stick welded afterwards.
The architect should have been shot for those 1.7t (apiece) fascia's.
I quite liked the outcome even though John was too busy trying to promote his son. And £500k over budget.... holy crap!
Pleasing to see how his wife had progressed during the two years.
Always a bit of a dull episode when money is no object. Of course it was going to turn out brilliantly - every time there was an issue they could just throw another 50K at it!
Yeah, really pleased that they got what they wanted and that they could absorb the price. They needed it to allow them both to live together again. The wife had shown a fair bit of progress as well which was nice to see.
Not my taste though, i would personally have liked to take their previous house though, that was gorgeous!
Interesting episode - I quite liked the finished building though the Isle of Wight house really showed how that style of thing could be done. I didn't notice did the architect show their face at all? As has been said the 1.7T facias were ludicrous but some blame should have fallen to the structural engineer as there was a lot that went wrong there.
The old house was indeed lovely and must have sold for a decent amount. I imagine £3-4m? in that area?
Did they say what part of the UK?
Kensworth, just outside Dunstable. Nice village on the Downs near Whipsnade.
That’s the place. I think they said he was a businessman, so just an equestrian property - of which there are quite a few around there. On google maps it looks like the new place is east south east of the old house. Values around there are somewhat influenced by the Luton Airport flight paths. Nice design and outcome, one no doubt aided by deep pockets.
Sold in 2021 for around 3.5M according to [url= https://themovemarket.com/tools/historicpropertysaledata/lu62pq ]online sources[/url] - land plus inflated build came to around 2.6M so he was nowhere near in trouble.
Looking forward to the next one, it’s just up the road from me on the Dulwich Estate and a remodel of an already very nice Austin Vernon & partners townhouse. was going to pop out for a look in a bit but might wait until after watching the program.
I’m also wondering if there is going to be any back and forth with the Estate as while they encourage good architecture they do have their rules regarding reworking existing property.
just startting to catch up with these now and watched 2nd episode.
Episode 2 (modular build) has been, by quite some distance, the best of this series. Its up there with my top 5 of all time. Nice couple. Sensible budget, realistic build, interesting process, it obviously meant so much to them. There were aspects of the house I didn’t like but the world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things.
agreed. it was lovely to see a genuine couple who have been through hardship for many years, building something (relatively) cheap that meant so much to them.
mrs ex-p welled up too when they did. lovely couple and a top episode.
Glad to see her walking and speaking again. best outcome of any GD I've seen tbh.
the Isle of Wight house
That was utterly lovely. Proper lottery win territory.
I thought their version was pretty good though, and a wonderful end. Bit of a sales promo for his son though.
Is it just me or does this series all miss out a fair chunk of the build? Seems to go from Windows in to done in one fell swoop.
Flipping wowser
Why can’t people be honest with themselves and admit to architects that they watch telly. Oh, and yes I like large screens too.
The number of houses where it is clearly an afterthought plonked in an awkward corner is amazing.
Another (old) couple rattling around in a huge house.
I think it's been said previously, but very few of these GD builds have any curtains, or anything to afford privacy. Aside from the privacy/better sleep without morning daylight coming in, I'd have thought having large expanses of glass would be made slightly more economical by some curtains.
But it affects the aesthetic.
I for one don't want every man and his dog looking in every time I step out of a pant.
Practicality is trumped by the aesthetic, at least for media scrutiny.
It's a bit like bikes.
I have a picture of my bike when new, singlespeed.
Clean shiny Ti, with lovely new tyres. Looks great.
Then I started using it, and it looks ugly. Mudguards, bottle cage, handlebar accoutrements, dirt, bags.
That's what these daft glass houses remind me of.
Also, these 'perfectionists ' every other week really wind me up. That turkey on the last episode seemed quite ready to demolish a huge concrete wall because a little corner of honeycomb would be impossible to live with. 🙄
Wasteful knobber.
I thought it was a lovely house mind you.
@creakingdoor the wedge of cheese flint House nr Waddesdon that won house of the year a few years back has curtains - obstructing the view from the bridleway that goes past the back of the house, the curtains are all faded from sunlight through the expanse of glass and look really terrible.
The best thing about this weeks episode was how well she recovered over the years they followed the project
Relatively drama free this week. Nice owner, architects, builders and though it didn’t look great from the street, I really liked the interior. Not being on a visitors centre scale was refreshing too, something to be said for being creative with limited space.
Relatively drama free this week.
Except for the scrotes who broke in and mashed the windows. Though TBF it looked like they'd used the same cheese spec alloy that some bike manufacturers use. I'd expect a few K of the overspend came from a beefed up security system after that - looked like there were cameras everywhere.
They also seemed to gloss over the impact on her old house - at the start it looked like there was at least 1 window in the end elevation and what looked like a gas flue sticking out of the wall, so assume they had to do some work on that place too.
Thought the result was great, got a bit confused at the start of the program as i thought she was extending an already sizable Austin Vernon designed 4 bed home.
Apart from the bling kitchen it looked like the money went in the right places and it is worth more than what she put into it.
here is the house she sold which from memory was up for 1.2 million.
If you are looking for it on google maps it’s rock hill just off Sydenham hill but satellite view is not up to date but it’s just visible from street view.
https://www.themodernhouse.com/past-sales/rock-hill/
Dulwich Estates were as usual a stickler for details and the brick slips had to match (they won’t let us have modern aluminium windows though 🙁
i liked it but hope she doesn't plan on getting re-married because it was very pokey even for one.
nowhere to put stuff - no cupboards anywhere, no wardrobes in the bedrooms... makes me squirm.
Except for the scrotes who broke in and mashed the windows. Though TBF it looked like they’d used the same cheese spec alloy that some bike manufacturers use. I’d expect a few K of the overspend came from a beefed up security system after that – looked like there were cameras everywher
I think you'll find that kev and his team staged that to spice up the broadcast a bit. They couldn't pull the marital strife or unexpected pregnancy lever
nowhere to put stuff – no cupboards anywhere, no wardrobes in the bedrooms… makes me squirm.
My wife and I looked at a new build years ago, and I asked the woman showing us around where we were supposed to store stuff. She suggested that my bikes and surfboard could go in the tiny shed in the tiny garden. I think these days the shed would be big enough that there'd be no garden left, and we'd be limited to 3 pairs of underwear each. 😀
I get a little angsty about where people keep stuff in these programs. I 'm obviously not the only person in the world who has hobbies and interests and pastimes, and so often these houses suggest that the owners do nothing at all. Maybe that's why they can afford millions for a visitor centre. 😀
My wife and I looked at a new build years ago, and I asked the woman showing us around where we were supposed to store stuff. She suggested that my bikes and surfboard could go in the tiny shed in the tiny garden. I think these days the shed would be big enough that there’d be no garden left, and we’d be limited to 3 pairs of underwear each. 😀
I get a little angsty about where people keep stuff in these programs. I ‘m obviously not the only person in the world who has hobbies and interests and pastimes, and so often these houses suggest that the owners do nothing at all. Maybe that’s why they can afford millions for a visitor centre.
It's the same with the house refurb shows, the before shows piles of crap everywhere with stuff stacked on top of stuff. The experts then come in and the house is redesigned with walls moved but very little storage added. The finished product then shows it clutter free and it looks 3 times bigger. I get the feeling 2 skips and a fresh coat of paint would solve 90% of those problems while saving a fortune.
nowhere to put stuff – no cupboards anywhere, no wardrobes in the bedrooms… makes me squirm.
On the pre build animated plan bit there was a walk in wardrobe between her bedroom and the en suite, another small room that looked like storage just outside the bedroom and effectively a built in shed accessed from the driveway (we rewound to check what the other door from the drive was)
What @thepurist said. I found a photo of it earlier on Twitter but can’t find it now.
I ‘m obviously not the only person in the world who has hobbies and interests and pastimes, and so often these houses suggest that the owners do nothing at all.
Tbf her hobby seemed to be cooking / entertaining and the kitchen had cupboards 🙂
Tbf her hobby seemed to be cooking / entertaining and the kitchen had cupboards 🙂
I know. Not everyone needs bikes, and telescopes and guitars and surfboards and paddleboards and kayaks and R/C cars and books, lots of, and drumsets and skateboards.. 😀 (I don't own all of these. Lack of space.)
It's also true that they won't show the 'boring' parts of the house on GD.
I thought it was great inside. Lovely bits of light everywhere, including the fab skylight in the bathroom. Really great 'views' from the rooms including the outside terrace, which all faced away from the neighbours so no annoying them with the entertaining.
Outside bricks were gopping, but not the home owner's choice. Good to see the architect coming up with solutions (e.g. clay blocks, scouring t'internet for cheaper windows) instead of just spending other people's money. If I had the money & plot I'd employ that team no worries.
The original soil survey was a waste of time - did they just poke a stick in it?
Not sure if I'd be wanting a three storey house if I was facing uncertain health issues, but a certainly a good way to get what she wanted & free up some cash (if old house did go for £1.2m she's quids in 👍)
Tbf her hobby seemed to be cooking / entertaining
And by having 2 kitchens she got exactly what she wanted. One of the best builds I've seen.
She really likes trees eh, sounded like a novelty to be able to see some.
She really likes trees eh, sounded like a novelty to be able to see some.
the house is situated in one of the most wooded parts of london, it’s partly why i moved here as while i love nature i’m not ready for the tedium of the countryside.
If we ever manage to exchange/complete move down the road (also on the Dulwich estate/same architect as her old house) i’ll have a 6th floor treetops view of the woodland back towards her house from a bit lower down the hill, should make it easier to watch the peregrines sitting on the transmitter tower taking out the pigeons.
will defiantly go have a look if it’s ever part of 'open house’.
next epsisode looks like a n ego slow burn car-crash angst fest.
i bet the building will secondary to the human drama....
Yeah next week is the infamous record producer home wrecking moneypit faux lighthouse build. Where he built a million pound house on the adjoining land just to raise funds to pour into his main build
Essential viewing
Next weeks house is currently on right move for ten million
I really liked the design on the inside, if not her taste in decoration, but hey I dont live there. As others have said she clearly doesn’t have much stuff beyond some clothes. The kitchens were a bit underwhelming for someone who is a chef. I bet they cost a fortune but I struggled to see where the money went on them beyond all the reinforcing so they could ‘float’ when full of stuff
Once again even when she asked the architect to design and build they couldn’t do it for her budget. I do sometimes wonder why it takes 7 years to do the training.
The budget though was in the context of materials going up on an almost daily basis, and assuming that the soil survey was correct, I think re-doing the piling was £20k alone.
A little appetiser before next week's main course: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a36343040/grand-designs-lighthouse-for-sale-croyde-north-devon/
I do sometimes wonder why it takes 7 years to do the training.
1 year to do fancy drawings
1 year to do CAD
1 year to do building regs n stuff
3 years to learn how to write obscure bolleaux to either sell the scheme, blame the engineer, blame the builder or blame the client for changing their mind
1 year to buy black polo necks, thick rimmed specs and a Saab
Once again even when she asked the architect to design and build they couldn’t do it for her budget. I do sometimes wonder why it takes 7 years to do the training.
We've had some insane inflation in construction, a lot of it coming from COVID causing supply chain issues. Plus a smattering of Brexit headaches. Coming in 12% over really isn't bad in those circumstances, especially with foundation issues which always cost a fortune
Think this was one of my favourite ever grand designs. It just looked like somewhere that would be lovely to live in.
Managing a build budget like that to within 12% was good going and all credit to the architect for such a good design given the limitations of the site. My own self-build was 12% over budget in 12 months during COVID and we were pretty well insulated from any material price increases, it was mainly just ‘stuff’, not an extra £10k in groundworks or an extra £30k+ on a kitchen - we did managed to spend £2k on cupboards for putting all our stuff in though.
Fair play to the guy for finishing the Devon lighthouse. Gutted for him that he has to sell it without ever living it.
10 mil for the lot? When’s the euromillions?
Finishing the main build maybe? No kitchen, bathrooms or lighting anywhere judging by the coiled cables hanging out of every room and not able to live in it as he has to sell both as they are. Bloody idiot from the start lol!
The finished product did look pretty nice but I think they'll be lucky to sell for £10m in the market now.
.....and who wants to buy two houses at once? 🤔
My concern is that the pilings turn out to be not as future proof as they think and when that soft sandstone disappears it'll start moving.
Frankly the whole thing was a stupid idea in the first place.
Was it worth losing your wife and kids over?..... Never.
Oh..... And not only do you get to put your own kitchen in but the bathrooms haven't been done either!
and who wants to buy two houses at once?
Someone who wants to buy the main house & have the eye as a guest house. Someone for whom 10mil is pocket change.
Was it worth losing your wife and kids over?….. Never.
At the end the (grown up) kids implied that all was not well between husband and wife even without the project, and felt that all of them were better apart than they were together so maybe the house was just a catalyst for that.
I'm not sure I'd choose to live there though - looked more like a statement building on a business park than a home. My guess is that the site will end up as two high end holiday homes - surprised they hadn't already gone down that route to get some income while they try to sell it because my guess is it's not going to be a quick sale.
Possibly the grandest of grand designs. His folly, that was evident throughout and she been persuaded that his dream was her dream.
Good evidence for the life goes on post divorce thread.
Someone who wants to buy the main house & have the eye as a guest house. Someone for whom 10mil is pocket change.
If you can afford that then there's many, many better places to spend your money. In addition, people with that sort of money do not pay the asking price - I doubt it will get close to £10m.
The question then is whether he comes out of this with anything?
The biggest Grand Designs of them all and it leaves me utterly cold.
It's the perfect example of money and ambition corrupting people, thier family and friends, the environment they installed the folly in and more.
But then I've always preferred the "Ben, woodsman who built a cottage by his own hands and enough for his needs" approach.
I think I'm more a Modest Designs guy.
1 year to buy black polo necks, thick rimmed specs and a Saab
You've met my brother then?
(Except the Saab was short lived and replaced with a Citroen DS....)
I wonder how long it will be until your 3 acres becomes 2 acres, becomes 1 acre…….