To be driven crackers by the people on Grand Designs?

[CruCru]

On the episode today, the couple have sort of fallen out with all their neighbours. The project is over budget (by more than £200k) and over deadline. The guy has sold his business to finance the project and no longer has work to support the family. And they all seem to live in the one studio flat.

Argh! I couldn't bear it.

George Clark or Kev?

I'd so 'do' George, he is lovely!

Ha ha, I wish! No, and personally I wouldn't want a disco/sauna in my basement but GD really didn't do it justice.

Did you party there mrss? What fun !

No, sadly, I didn't party, just gawped. The house has open days quite regularly as the owner is an architect and they use it as an advert for his practice.

Apparently if you book the violin factory Jamie Oliver will make your tea.

I enjoy Grand Designs because it is a bit of escapism, watching people do something that I know I am unlikely to have the opportunity to do.

But equally, it can be depressing for the same reason especially when someone with no taste or understanding of design history rips out a beautiful feature so they can stick their glossy non-descript bit of bling in its place. That is annoying.

It's our guilty pleasure. We are always are amazed at how these people manage to raise the extra money to complete the projects though. I couldn't raise £100 never mind £100k
We do get stabby at Kevins' negativity though...particularly as he usually changes his mind anyway!
I would love to be able to do a 'Grand Design' but can't afford to decorate never mind buy a house at all! It's a different world! and anyway who wants people to think you are a pretentious knob on mn

Somebody on mn has been on grand designs - can't remember the poster's name though [helpful]

I do love it, but am always so disappointed when they move all their old furniture into their industrial 'spaces' as it never works.

I also get annoyed with the lack of walls and decent sized bedrooms.

Aw grand designs it is definitely no 'property ladder' is it though. Sarah says you don't need that Belfast sink and stand alone Victorian bath. Property developer says < stamp foot> but Daddy I want one ala Violet from Wilie Wonkas chocolate factory. Sarah says but you won't recoup your investment. Property developer stamps foot harder but I want them. Then they make a profit anyway in a rising market. God I wonder why they took that classic show off our TV sets. Who says recessions are all bad.

Does anyone remember the architect who designed and built the house for her and her banker husband? She was scary.

Big GD fan but not of this series so far. Too many very rich and very entitled people this time. Could not believe that they thought taking a metre from all the surrounding neighbours gardens was acceptable. Cannot believed they managed to persuade them to allow them to do so.

I prefer the 'ordinary bloke' ones.

The one that stays in my mind was the ex-military sounding (and looking) chap who hinted at having some sort of connection to the arms trade.

He wanted his roof to look like an aircraft wing. He made it out of laminated plywood and it was water-damaged in the rain.

The house was absolutely massive and the chap ran out of money mid-build. Kev actually did 2 programmes on this build. The chap wouldn't say how much the project had/would cost.
As far as I know it was never finished.

2 GD properties for sale round here right now - both of which were to be 'forever homes' - yeah

I just watched the violin factory one and quite liked the couple. Those bricks would age to look like the other ones - I do think the orchestra people were trying to mess them around.

I haven't seen it in years but I remembered finding the violin factory couple rather frightening in a way I couldn't quite explain.

That was the one - the architect and the violin factory.

I took an intense dislike to her - she came across as someone who was used to (and fond of) getting her own way, so I was rather pleased when she was forced to redo the bricks. Why should the orchestra have to wait until they aged? She should have used the right bricks from the outset.

On Beeny's new programme she showed a bloke how to age the bricks to match his extension. Only cost £120. Maybe violin woman should have went on Property Ladder instead .

I stopped watchibg GD for a while it was too samey, but I really want to see the disco floor one now.

I would loved to have see Beeny take on scary violin lady! Beeny would have won, no doubt about it.

It's all got so boring.

Grand Designs = independently wealthy bores 'creating' ugly homes.

The Beeny's New Show = people getting extensions.

Yawn.

I like the one with the bloke and his wife who was from Japan, iirc - they both got stuck in and ended up with a lovely wood and straw bale sustainable house.

Isn't it interesting that the most popular GD houses aren't the ones that cost zillions and end up looking like overly glazed civic amenities, but rather the ones which cost less and reflect the owner's love for a simpler, sustainable way of life?

I think the appeal is as much the good-natured, ethically-driven people as the homes they create.

I used to love grand designs.

it seemed classier less showy than property ladder which added licked magnolia paint,cheap kitchen, bathroom and turf and added thousand add to their money grabbing greed.

My faves were goy who got left inherited some land and build wooden flatpack house if land was cheaper many do it.

or grpup of people who built their own social housing,

must mostly dominated by rich and wealthy

always womder how theyb get overspend from bank or wealthy freinds.

least with george , restoration man always some story behind it like buildng as wifes dream before she dies and george in tears,

With kevin hes like george hes qualified presented but far too nice and changes mind awful lot.

my fave sarah beeney programme was property snakes and ladders where they couldent sell or make a profit and none of them listened to advice,

but as private renter easy to be bitter,

but admire some of grand design builds.

not always smug owners behind them.

in a way designing and building perfect home is fantasy out reach of many,

Loved the couple last week who did up the old cinema. They were such a breath of fresh air compared to the smug 'artist' types usually on there, and they seemed to have a good laugh at Kevin's expense

The one that sticks out in my mind was the barge that was a complete disaster. An older guy and his Asian wife I think. I wonder what happened to them!!

The boat was vandalised and abandoned.

I love GD...I particularly like the ones abroad, where people think it will be easy to build in a country where they cant speak one word of the language! Luckily Kevin is fluent in about 57 languages and always manages to talk the mayor/architect/builder around!