Grand Designs (Sad I Know!)

Ok i admit it, I love this series, the thought of the jaw dropping audio and stunning visuals are just to much to resist!!!!

Anyone heard if it'll be out on DVD as i don't have a video .........


Ta Very Much

 

Im also a Grand Designs Saddo !!

I read on the Channel 4 Website (Grand Designs section) that there were palns afoot to release a DVD of the programme along with a possible series of house builds abroad.

Im waiting for someone to appear on the show who builds a fantastic home cinema with all the bells and wistles

 

There was a house with quite a cool cinema recently in the series...

I love this programme. It's about the only property programme that makes good viewing. The presenter is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but doesn't pull his punches.

I particularly liked the nutter who built a house with an upside-down roof, and then was surprised that it leaked. Two whole programmes on him, and he's still not finished!

And did you catch the chap who built an 'eco' house in the woods, from natural materials? Really inspirational, that one.

 

I think the Eco house was most peoples favorite but i just couldnt live without my gadgets im affraid.

Ive seen a few episodes where the houses have hi spec home networking etc but must have missed the home cinema one, just my luck.

 

Thank god i'm not alone, quite enjoyed the upside down roof one but have'nt seen the follow up. Thought the one in the woods was great also.

 

I don't think there has been one that looks into home cinema in any depth , although it did get a mention in a couple of shows.The one where bar designers / builders converted an old paper (i think) mill , he had a recessed 50inch plasma ,possibly martin logan l+r with flatpanel rears .And the one where they also had a £35000 oven that didn't work ("could have bought a £350 oven and employed a butler" great line that) but didn't get too much of a look at his cinema I don't think

was a great looking house tho , no wonder its not finished with all that cabling

 

I work for a firm of Architects and everybody in the practice enjoys the show.

This is an excellent programe which is highly entertaining and informative without the viewers having to have any in depth building knowlege. The presenter Kevin McCloud is very clued up and always manages to ask the right questions.

The guy who is building the house with the gull wing roof is a complete nutter but determined (a key element in any building project) and it makes for great entertainment. I hope there's a third programme because I love to see the completed development.

 

Looks like there must be a lot of saddos on this forum then including me. one of the best series on TV by a country mile. Reality TV? this is about as real as it gets IMO.

I am constantly amazed by people's ambitions, ingenuity and stamina. i've missed the last of programmes but my faves have been the ex waterboard building that was simply stunning and completed on a budget that was a shoestring compared to most, yet the finished result was brilliant. When I saw them at first i though 'nah, no chance - it'll be a year overdue and double the cost'. How wrong was I

But the upside roof house, 2 years on and still going strong. a classic.

I'm sure the guy could have saved himself a fortune and been on time if he'd employed a proper project manager. God only knows how he'd made enough money in his own business to build this place - guess it wasn't in project management

CL

 

top program. dont think ive missed one show. i would like a update on the one in london from this series, where he had a home cinema and a £35,000 oven. as it said at end of program that still no planning permission for wall they built.

 

Still going ........

Cloud 8

Cheers
Kevin.

 

I liked the German flat pack house episode. They don't half know how to get a job done!

 

i agree it is a great series

the only thing I don't like is that in 2/3rds of the programmes they never finish the house by the end of the show.

It would be nice to see the finished article

 

yep, that German 'huff' house was my favourite.

 

My memory is attrocious so I don't remember all the details, but another one I liked was where the two guys built a "big white cube" down by the seafront. I would have to question a fair bit of their stuff inside the house (collectors of all sorts of weird art) but overall I really liked that house.

I have to agree about the German Huff house, that was amazing. All the British contractors screwed up in one way or another while the Germans pretty much did their part to perfection.

Regarding last night's episode, personally I think the house needed to be a bit bigger, but oh... what a terrific location and view!

If I were to criticise the show, I'd also comment that often we don't get the chance to see the finished article as it's just not complete in time, and they often wrap up far too quickly; you have 30-40 minutes of lengthy build and then a 5 minute sum up when they seem to have missed out the last chunk of work and jump right into the current state for the final viewing and comments.

 

There will be a third too, a revisit.

 

I was reading through a web chat the main man did a while ago, they do try to allow enough time to complete a programme but you obviously cant allow for certain things going wrong, im sure there was also a mention about the peolpe who wanted to go on the programme putting in silly build times in an attempt to get them to film the build.

As far as the guy with 'the roof' goes, I think he went through approx. 25 companies before he came accross a companiy who gave him a price he liked. If he'd have gone ahead with another company months earlier he wouldnt have had the problems with the weather, I think they call that false economy ??

Id like to know how much he saved shopping around compared with the costs of all his self imposed delays.

 

I was also hugely impressed with the mum who supervised the build of her house herself.

She was up all hours doing the paperwork, running her home and kids.

She planned with meticulous detail exactly what she wanted and then went out and found it herself. She was a perfectionist and had a will of iron to back it up.

In the end she had the place she wanted and it looked great.

I was so impressed with her, that if I were building a place and needed a true soldier to run it, I'd hire her!

 

Best programme on the TV by a country mile. Never missed one in the last 2 years, The Huff house episode made me realise how far behind in work ethic we are in the UK to the Germans (these builders were heart warming IMHO), last nights episode confirms this with nob & whistles on the sad state of affairs we have in this country.

A wondefrul programme that mixes excellent technical & architechural info with human pathos & sentiment. A must see program for those about to embark on house-building or renovation.

 

This was my fave as well and I agree with most of the statements. I suspect however that it was done on that budget because the father of one of them performed work totalling to about £10000000000000000000000000000 or thereabouts for nothing. I liked the desk made out of the mini as well .

 

When the huff house was built, the german team really put the british to shame. All the brits were late yet the germans were early- you've got to hand it to the work ethic of the germans

 

They also had no kids, which makes a big difference.

They had no other life for a year except the house. But what a house.

CL

 

I'm a great sucker for green oak houses. My favourite episode was the oak house built near Lambourn.

I was a bit worried about the headroom to the top levels of last nights build. It is a shame the construction was not completed. A building always takes on a different sense of space when the finishes are in place. Loved the stainless steel legs to one of the cruck frames.

I was also good to see Kevin McCloud give the architectural profession some support.

The grass roots construction industry in the domestic field is very reticent to take on new technolgy and ideas. It great to see a programme that shows to the general public, that houses can be build with materials other than bricks and mortar.

 

I have to say in agreement, that the Germans were highly impressive workers. I was hugely impressed by their efforts and superb standards.

Incredible. They really lead the way at times like that.

 

the 1st program of the wing shaped roof is on home and leisure now

so will be starting on home and leisure +1 at 11.30pm for those who missed it

 

Excellent viewing, what I don't understand is how these people (most of whom are clearly potty) get the cash to build these things. Most seem to start by trying to spend no more than £300k & after all the overspends, double it.
I'm sure many of them want commiting eg £35k on a duff oven, yet planning still unresolved. If they'd have planted climbers when the issue was first raised you wouldn,t be able to see the wall now! So many seem to have sold their common sense, say they're runing low on funds, so go out & spend, spend, spend!! - but that's one of the reasons it's so watchable

 

well it is called grand designs

there was one where they ran out of money 2/3 of the way through. It looked like they were going to have to sell it.

 

what did everyone think of this weeks house?

thought the tower looked prison like.. and only 1 bedroom... still nice plasma behind picture

 

i thought the interior was really nice but the overall build didn't impress. That green was horrible and I really didn't see the point of the tower

 

I thought the tower room was a pretty cool idea. Nice office, but can you imagine it done differently, with just a huge bed?..

It won't be the same in a few years time, though, when all the fields and trees have gone and tall buildings are all around it.

Oh, and I didn't like that shade of green either!

 

The house to me said 'Japanese POW camp'. It even had a guard tower.

Nice inside, but you might want to think twice about inviting elderly relatives who served in the far east, for fear of flashbacks.