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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 MemberA 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!
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 ****ing 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.
The finish of the zinc on the roof looked a lot better than the previous weeks. Odd to think the kitchen last week was almost half the cost of this house (excluding land).
I thought that about the zinc too. Looked way better. A more appropriate use of that material and used and fitted in a way that enhanced it. I didn't mind the bus either. It suited them and the site and was a good solution to sewer problem.
I hope they do a revisited episode so that we can see what they did with the bus.
Also, if Kevin's "magic" has worked they will have 5 kids by then and will need the top deck as a dormitory.
I hope they do a revisited episode so that we can see what they did with the bus.
That's more of a George Clark thing
Loved it, I wish I had that level of craftmanship!
One thing I didn't quite get was they showed the sewer on one side (the drive where the bus is parked) but wasn't clear why they couldn't build out towards the other houses, where they put the sunken garden. Another sewer? Didn't show on their infographic.
think it was for their soakaway
Yep, the soakaway. Did seem a bit mean.
"You can't build your house here because of our massive sewer... also you'll need somewhere to get rid of your water."
"Erm, what about that massive sewer?"
"No!"
ButtonMoon
Free MemberA 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.
I haven't seen this weeks yet but just to comment on these quips from the previous weeks! the previous weeks guy WASN'T an architect he was an 'Architectural Designer' not the same thing at all! hence the clumsy design, statement led, ill considered and unrefined response to the client, guy was clearly on an ego trip! ON a project like that and of that scale you would expect a cost consultant plus multiple other consultants to be involved as well to help the client manage the budget properly this clearly wasn't the case.
If you have had drawings with TBC then you obviously haven't paid the architect to actually specify those things, or it was on a limited service as you didn't want to pay the fees so pay a professional you get a professional service. Buy cheap buy twice!
There are plenty of really high quality projects designed by UK Architects so its sad to see a budget of that scale squandered by an unlikeable client with no taste and a poor designer. His wife had no say and no opinion. Vacuous people!
This weeks looked to be much better! but will reserve judgement!
Just seen that last week's has its own website. He's obviously pretty happy with it: https://www.huxshard.uk/
Previous week's was hideous from the outside, lovely but ill-thought-out on th'inside. This week's was much better. 🙂
Watched the record producer Croyde tower disaster afterwards - little sympathy for him but what a hideous mess to end up in.
Just looked the design team up, main guys not an Architect but he employs one! So i might have to take back what i said! :_) still most of their stuff looks awful! Must be good at running a business and marketing! Also like most things there's good and bad in all professions! and also very subjective .... shame shame!
Watched the record producer Croyde tower disaster afterwards – little sympathy for him but what a hideous mess to end up in.
They are going to do a "revisited" on that one. Apparently its almost finished and will be going on the market for £10 million! Although I also read he won't see any of that as due to the financing its pretty much all owned by investors
I was just looking some of these up and happened upon this one.
Each to their own but it's a no from me. The games room is strangely depressing and the £8k bespoke sofa looks cheap.
They are going to do a “revisited” on that one. Apparently its almost finished and will be going on the market for £10 million!
"This time next year, Rodders..." 🙂
Although I also read he won’t see any of that as due to the financing its pretty much all owned by investors
Ah - maybe not, then.
The concrete block drive interests me, a bit different to your average block paving. Anyone got any opinions on how it would look in front of your average bungalow?
Would it need any special treatment or sealer, or just the occasional jetwash?
I loved this weeks. The site was awful but the building stunning
this weeks building was lovely, and great to see it reasonably sized and not a visitors centre/monolith. Im getting tired of seeing these big ass houses, they did that on George Clark, Ugly Houses show
SPOILER ALERT RE BIGGEST GRAND DESIGNS DISASTER
the lighthouse tower disaster one is astonishing. Just a f))))in disaster. All his neighbours turned on him cos it was such an eyesore. Didn't he build a second home on the plot, for over a million, purely as a means to raise equity to plunge into his main house? Meanwhile his kids grow up and move out and its still not finished.
Was anyone else wondering why they didn't reverse the bus in from the oppposite direction, it looked like a near straight run back.
Was anyone else wondering why they didn’t reverse the bus in from the oppposite direction, it looked like a near straight run back.
I thought that way looked simpler. I reckon they hadn't thought it through. The bus arrived and it didn't look like he was expecting it. As it was already facing that way and holding up traffic they just went for it.
That hux shard one. If I'd spent an eyewatering amount of money on zinc cladding I'd not be happy with how rippled it looks.
This week's I really liked the low profile ev panels and he said £6k is that right?
If they had reversed the bus in, the doors would have adjacent to the wall so it would have been more difficult to get bigger stuff in and out. It would have needed a walkway to get down there too so the bus would be more in the drive and closer to the house.
Also intrigued by the block paved/ concrete block drive. Why? Would it actually save much against a product intended for paving?
Got to be careful bagging out Architectural designers... We don't have reciprocal status with various countries for the professional bodies so plenty of proper architects have to call themselves designers or jump through loads of daft hoops / relive undergraduate horror.
I did kinda like the hux shard visually but absolutely nothing of the clients personality other than ego which feels like a failure.
I suspect the scheduling of those two episodes together was carefully considered to make a bit of a point.
That's a lovely building. Even more lovely garden.
I suspect the scheduling of those two episodes together was carefully considered to make a bit of a point.
Yes, this has been a feature of the later seasons - it was most startling when they juxtaposed the two cancer survivors converting that old barn, with the posh **** the week before going millions over budget on a "oligarch-spec" gilded cellar in a graveyard.
I agree with all of the above re: hux shard. Thought it was terrible - both the building, and the way the build went. There was absolutely no passion/driving force/personality behind it at all. The architectural designer was obviously most to blame for the failed vision - but the it was the client that hired him and approved everything (I suspect with very little input given). I thought the building looked terrible too: as mentioned above, I couldn't live with the wobbly zinc. I think the building failed as both a piece of art, and as a home - despite taking ages and costing a huge amount. I think it was pretty well summed up with the kitchen: given the amount it cost, just not good enough, it looked like it was from Howdens. A lost opportunity to deliver something really exceptional.
I really enjoyed the triangular house: really liked the couple, and admired them including details of their IVF in the episode. Bloke was clearly sponsored by dewalt. Thought the house looked much better than the Hux house in the previous episode (which I think was the point) despite being done for a fraction of the cost, and broadly going for the same style.
The star for me was the garden/firepit/bbq area.
last nights was beautiful. definitely prefer the more modest episodes.
id have been happy with just the Bothy bit!!
I liked last night’s too and agree with the comments about the “smaller scale” builds being better than the £3m Bond Villain lairs. Maybe the series finale will have a monorail.
Not sure that I’d want their neighbours though. As long as they stuck to the permissions and respected the grade status of the house and garden then Giles and Patsy from next door can get stretched.
Also...
I've stood on the Tintagel Bridge and it is a stunning piece of kit.
I'm a bit torn about the last one (walled garden). It seems they didn't care that much about the history. The bothy ended up as a kids bedroom and a spare bedroom. They could've built what they wanted on an empty site and someone more sympathetic could've built a nice little 2 bed cottage in the bothy. The listed building people gave them a lot of leeway so they must be happy with it though. The final building was quite nice and the original arts and crafts design is already a pastiche and not that historically significant. So all in I'm on the fence, or on the wall. A nice build overall and a rotting building has been saved.
Loved the old bit - I'm guessing it wasn't finished as they only seemed to show one room - and the light corridor and the interior of the new bit (the kitchen! OMG). But the whole thing felt a bit meh for me. At least they cared about it unlike Mr and Mrs Pointy museum bin store.
Bit disappointed by the gardener's bothy tbh. They seemed to make very little use of the existing building, especially once the wee lad decided he wanted his bedroom in the new build - I'm assuming something had go (or be relocated into the old building) to free up space, though it wasn't really covered. So, day to day, the old building is a porch, the wee girl's bedroom and a spare room...? I felt the extension was a bit out of scale compared to the old building. I would preferred to have seen it clad in something that would weather a bit to blend with the existing a bit better. Relieved to see that they had managed to sort the garden by the end of the episode though
Those "unusable" old roof slates were being stacked very carefully in the truck...... Fair enough they had to be removed to sort the structure, but just felt like they wanted new for the bothy and the roofer had someone to buy the old ones.
I quite liked it but I thought the external finish on the new box could have been better. I just don't think the black worked in that surrounding. Nice to see an old building being retained though and the programme is always more interesting when they need to work with old and new.
Uncle Kev didn't work his charms on the lady in this episode which was quite surprising, she was lovely.
Would have been nicer with a naturally slivering timber cladding, anthracite window frames and a sedum roof.
Nice couple, shame about the press it has generated in the local rags.
Funnily I said that to mrs100th "those slates are being carefully stacked for something unusable". Felt they could have sectioned the garden and gifted part of it back to the biddies. That'd be a win win.
Didn't have much sympathy for his working from home. Bet he still made a mint. Definitely a job that can be done at home.
Nice couple, shame about the press it has generated in the local rags.
I managed to click on a local press piece looking for pictures of the bothy. Indeed it isn't pleasant.
I also thought I recognised her - and have now worked out I've met her through work a couple of times.
Any links Matt - it would be interesting to read what the NIMBYs have to say.
Didn't like this week's - the new section jarred too much with the surrounding's, the Bothy was nice but would just end up as a glorified shed. It's a shame they/someone didn't renovate and convert just the Bothy and leave the gardens alone.
I also don't think timber/SIPS and a black flat roof are a good long term option for UK weather.
I felt the new build side would have been much improved with a 'living' flat roof of wild flowers and grass. The house would look much more part of the garden this way.
Just seen the first episode of this series. What a complete and utter bellend********- everything I could hate in a person created as a house. Horrible house, horrible design, horrible person.
Still, at least he’s managed to spread the word about how terribly rich he is.
I've just watched episode 2. Much better than 1 and 3. More of an emotional connection between them and the building.
Episode 1 as said was just about showing off. Episode 3 did restore the initial building but the black box was jarring.
Just seen the first episode of this series. What a complete and utter bellend********- everything I could hate in a person created as a house. Horrible house, horrible design, horrible person.
Still, at least he’s managed to spread the word about how terribly rich he is.
Went past his hotel / restaurant development in Exeter High Street the other day. Didn’t look like there was much going on.
Had a look at him on companies house.......just the 41 directorships.
Friend of mine invested £10k in one of the businesses he was involved in, with promises of good returns after 3 years. Ended with sweet fa, with 4 companies linked to that now dormant .
Seems to me he’s one of these that get rich off of others