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Original poster

Location location location/and or other U.K. property programmes...secrets

368 replies

Wishfulmakeupping · 02/08/2018 07:16

Sorry if there’s already a thread been reading the CDWM thread with interest...but would to know any secrets about locationx3
I would love to have a budget big enough to go on it one day but they all seem to have 500k at the age of 21 these days 🤔
Any secrets kirsty and Phil seem lovely I hope they are as nice in RL

OP posts:
GulagMilkMonitor · 26/09/2018 13:39

My friends were on LLL 5-6 years ago. They said Phil was lovely and very funny - he was the main one of the two they dealt with. Kirstie came in on the last day and looked them both up and down and made everyone feel uncomfortable.

Nondescriptname · 26/09/2018 14:00

@Notquiteagandt That's good news anyway.

ihatethecold · 26/09/2018 14:23

That comment was to Morris about George not Phil.

CatboySpeed · 26/09/2018 14:31

Does anyone remember the house (can’t remeber which programme either LLL or ETTC), where some couple with far too much money turned down a house because the driveway went to the house the wrong way. E.g it went round on the left instead of the right. 🙄

StateofIndependance · 26/09/2018 14:50

On GD they build huge houses but the kids are always squeezed into bunk beds in a tiny room. It’s like children are an inconvenience to the purity of architecture rather than trying to build an actual family home. It usually ends with a shot of a toddler racing around the immaculate open plan downstairs on a trike and I’m like yeah right.

CatboySpeed · 26/09/2018 15:02

On GD I always think when they show the completed house how child unfriendly they always are. Open stair cases, balconies, hard floors everywhere.

And you’re right StateofIndependance, the kids bedrooms are always tiny.

Plus when they’re hugely open plan they must cost a fortune to heat.

serbska · 26/09/2018 15:08

StateofIndependance, YES they always have a tiny room they make the children share whilst downstairs there is acres of open plan blankness

LydiaLunch7 · 26/09/2018 15:18

Plus when they’re hugely open plan they must cost a fortune to heat

You've obviously not been paying attention. On Grand Designs the houses are always heated naturally using sun tunnels and by building the house into the hillside. No central heating system needed.

3luckystars · 26/09/2018 15:49

I love the Property Brothers too, but they must be actors. I told this to DH but he kept shaking his head, he didn't speak for ages afterwards. Anytime I mention it, he goes quiet. I think I ruined it on him.

They are actors though! Like its not like they had this brilliant property business and then the film crew asked to film it. There are a whole team of designers with software behind them. I absolutely love them though.

They have a third brother too.

Vulgarlady · 26/09/2018 16:16

I hate that George Clarke shed show with his reedy voiced mate Will and his stupid jaunty angled hats. What a couple of tosses!
Love seeing the sheds people have built though

KickAssAngel · 26/09/2018 17:28

bridgeteilly
I'm not annoyed by people building on land from their family - makes good sense and leaves other houses for the rest of us.

But it's the disingenuous way that this is presented as a possible path to be mortgage free for most people - because, yes, we all have parents with a load of land.

BloomsButtons · 26/09/2018 17:56

It amazes me how many people build their 'dream home' which appears on GD then not too long afterwards it's for sale.

There's one north of Glasgow that's been sold a few times now. Probably because it overhangs a Loch and will be a haven for midges in the summer.

knowledgeofnone · 26/09/2018 19:03

My husband LOVES a place in the sun to the point that I might have to start hiding the remote but half the time they don't even buy something so now we watch 2 min and then pause and decide whether they are just in it for a free holiday or not. I quite liked the documentary about the houses in Liverpool I think it was called "the £1 house"? It was amazing what some of the people had done with little budgets given the state of some of the houses.

KickAssAngel · 26/09/2018 19:09

I'm incredibly cynical about the GD where people sell up within a year. There was one couple who started their own barn conversion company after they did a barn conversion for GD.

I'm sure plenty of them do it because they want to change careers and switch into property development/building, so they do GD, then use the publicity to sell at a premium, then have the money/reputation to start up their company.

Bloobs · 26/09/2018 19:16

I think some people probably sell because they can’t afford their massive debt after going way over budget, and others because they can’t stand the sight of their house after the nightmare of the build.

serbska · 26/09/2018 19:18

I quite liked the documentary about the houses in Liverpool I think it was called "the £1 house"? It was amazing what some of the people had done with little budgets given the state of some of the houses.

Oh yes that was fab.

There was still quite a lot of antisocial behaviour around the street tho wasn’t there? And some people had had to spend sooooooo much more money than they had expected.

LostInShoebiz · 26/09/2018 19:21

As well as the elements suggested by Bloobs which I think are the main issues, I think there’s also this:

  1. I can live with the imperfections in my house and they add character. But when I see the imperfections in the wall I painted they scream at me. Imagine that with your whole house.

  2. You spend all day slaving away for a special dinner and then hardly eat any because you’ve just had enough. I think they give so much to the project that even if they have the money to support it they’ve just had enough.

friendlyflicka · 26/09/2018 19:25

I love LLL. I especially love the tone of voice both Phil and Kirsty use when talking to the estate agents on the phone to give them the offer. Like they are really in the know and part of the estate agent club.

PippaPenny · 26/09/2018 19:30

I quite liked the documentary about the houses in Liverpool I think it was called "the £1 house"? It was amazing what some of the people had done with little budgets given the state of some of the houses.

Me too! Wish more councils would do this to regenerate areas. Some of the ex colliery villages in the northeast would so benefit. It is criminal that so many people don't have permanent homes, yet in some areas houses are empty or in poor repair (and therefore no one will take the risk to buy or live there).

Suomynona · 26/09/2018 19:45

I've always adored LLL. I don't believe that Kirstie and Phil are not great friends, you can't fake their chemistry I don't think. I'm currently totally obsessed with A Place in the Sun (and further fuelling my obsession with episodes of 'A New Life in the Sun' - currently trying to convince my Partner we should buy a campsite in the South of France!). Property Ladder was brilliant. We recently watched all available old ones again as we were doing our first renovation project. I can't believe the arrogance if most of the first time renovators ignoring Sarah's advice and thinking they knew better. I'd have loved Beeney to have been popping into our renovation giving us free advice.

ForalltheSaints · 26/09/2018 19:48

Whatever the relationship between Phil and Kirsty is off-screen is none of our business, though hopefully they are not at each other's throats.

I avoid all property programmes of this ilk, as they encourage property to be considered as a speculative investment, and indirectly push up house prices, making it more difficult for some to get on the property ladder.

TheElementsSong · 26/09/2018 20:51

I like Building the Dream with Charlie Luxton (spelling?) and the £100K House with Piers thingy.

PavlovianLunge · 26/09/2018 20:53

DP and I went on the ETTC. It was a good experience overall, and Nicki Chapman was fabulous; warm and friendly, but professional and whip-smart. One strange thing; on camera, at the end, we thanked the team for all their help, but were told we could only thank Nicki. It seemed odd, because I can’t imagine anyone believes that the presenters of these shows do all the research.

Of the three houses they showed us, the first didn’t meet our needs (but the price taught us something), the mystery house was a real oddity, and was nowhere near our desired area. We would have gone for the second house, but we had an additional factor which we couldn’t make work with the house.

After filming, the team gave us specs for houses they had considered but not shown us. One was amazing, but under offer. We viewed a couple of others, but gradually came to the conclusion that our preferred area was too far from family and friends (6-8 hours by car), so we changed our search area. We did finally move to the country; a village of around 40 people, with more drama and intrigue than we ever had when we lived in London. Hmm Grin

papayya · 26/09/2018 21:07

My nana was on location and said Phil & Kirsty were very friendly and down to earth

5000FingersofDrT · 26/09/2018 21:20

The problem with many of the property programmes for me is that they don't mention budgets at all. It drives me mad when they go on and on about all the wonderful renovations they've done - but never say how much they cost.

The Charlie Luxon homes by the sea one is really bad for that. Some of the houses are incredible but completely unachievable by any 'normal' person. Unless you happen to be a multi-millionaire.

(Just watching Grand Designs and already shouting at the TV, btw)