AIBU?
Grand Designs has lost it's focus. AIBU?
SecretLocker · 11/10/2018 17:33
I've watched this lovely programme since it began all those years ago. It's always been a fascinating programme, heavily focussed on building, design and all related subjects. There would be brief info on the people featured each week, with relevant nods when necessary to their financial situation or project setbacks etc.
This current series seems to have changed the balance, and now seems more interested in the personal lives of the couples and their extended families and friends. Too much airtime is taken away from the actual project and the progression of the build.
This week's episode was the worst by far - it just didn't get going. It kept bouncing between the relationship of the female of the project and her best friend, and the struggle of living with kids in a caravan.
Kevin just appears to be conducting interviews now. There was barely any of the building process shown, and I gave up after the second ad break.
Anyone else agree?
DonDrapersOldFashioned · 18/10/2018 16:59
Oh I love the house of the young widow (sorry, horrible way to put it but it identifies the one I mean). I agree, it was so well handled, she was so courageous and the build so wonderful and personal as a family home for her and her children. They did a revisit too, which was fab. That family stayed with me, onemouseplace
NewYoiker · 18/10/2018 17:24
I like the one where the husband died it's such a lovely episode. And what a legacy. I just really liked it.
Yeah I wouldn't want to be in that relationship... my DH is a twin and I've lost track of how many times they've met up wearing the same clothes or got each other the same card for birthdays. But that's accidental this was something else! They had the same car and dog!
Whatthefoxgoingon · 19/10/2018 11:25
I would not live next to my sister in law even if the house was free.
They did the typical thing to leaving the house unfinished inside due to running out of money and then pretending they really loved the breeze block look 
I laughed when they said they’d build it for £850 per sqm, that was never going to happen 
it ended up being £1500 per sqm which is not cheap for an unplastered, unpainted box, with exposed copper pipes for taps, exposed electrics and an exterior covered in corrugated tin.
Cedar03 · 19/10/2018 11:49
Did you notice that in one of the master bedrooms the bath was in the corner of the room? That's a bit too cosy for my liking!
The inside reminded me of the extension at our local leisure centre which has block exposed corridors and stair wells.
Second week running of clients who are blind to the real costs of their dream so that they don't actually get starting on the building for ages and ages.
Whatthefoxgoingon · 19/10/2018 11:56
Oh i missed that cedar. Never was a fan of scrubbing my lady bits in full view of the household
My husband called it a glorified prison block!
We both quite liked the allergy house a few episodes ago. Although as soon as you opened the huge sliding doors, the mechanical filtration system became utterly redundant 
BagelGoesWalking · 19/10/2018 12:23
This thread has made me want to watch again! Some episodes are very memorable and he is a very good presenter. I also like his style of dressing, very stylish.
Idly had the House that 100k Built on yesterday. The poshest presenter was wearing a horrible (what looked like) hand knitted woollen hat. They tried to persuade the couple in their 70s to have an upside down house. Wife quickly mentioned carrying every shopping bag upstairs (and no access to the garden). They did have an upstairs living room with floral sofas which practically rendered the presenters speechless 😂 and the man ended up with a bad back and walking with a stick as they didn't have the budget for labourers.
Cheeseplantandpickle · 20/10/2018 19:05
Caught up with the most recent episode, the one with the twins. I found the whole thing so annoying. From not working out how much it would cost to the fact the original wife and the new girlfriend looked v similar. Also, another example of children's bedrooms looking dull.
SerendipityFelix · 20/10/2018 20:46
I love GD, am in bed poorly at the moment and when awake have been bingeing on Grand Designs New Zealand (it’s on 4OD). Almost without fail the locations are jaw dropping. I’ve no idea how much anything costs though, and they’re forever importing things from the US or Europe. They’re also very cavalier about building on fault lines!
ResistanceIsNecessary · 20/10/2018 22:50
I see your GD bingo and raise you the ultimate: It's November and the roof still isn't on yet.
I love it - fascinating to watch the different styles and approaches. I remember an early one where the woman ran out of money before she'd got anywhere close to being finished. She was buying hand-painted silk wallpaper for the bedrooms. I hope that she finished it in the end and I'd love to see it.
MiniCooperLover · 21/10/2018 19:09
Re the twins house and one of them being smaller I said to my DH, so what if he has more kids? My DH Scoffed at me and said 'how likely is that' ... and lo and behind in comes the new girlfriend with 2 kids of her own and instantly the house is too small 🤦♀️
NewYoiker · 23/10/2018 16:45
This is so weird.. I actually met a bloke on Friday in Chester who overheard me talking about this grand designs episode (twins) and showed me a photo of the original site.
So there used to be a corrugated iron black barn there. It got knocked down and they essentially put up 2 of them! 😂
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.