Do you know someone whose house was featured on Grand Designs?

[Cocogreen]

I'd love to know how they found the experience, given the fact that building and renovating is so stressful - plus they have tv crews appearing every few months.
Were they REALLY happy with the finished house?
Or have you had one built near you? I'd like to hear the neighbour's opinions more on some of these projects.
Obviously I'm not asking precisely which house or what area you're in.
I'm in Aus and watch our local version of GD from time to time and know pretty well a lot of the areas where the houses have been built but haven't gone for a peek at them.

@Wbeezer

I know the artist couple who live in the huge barn conversion in Essex full of their collections of art and kitsch, it made Kevin's list of all time favourite builds. It's bonkers but very them.

I absolutely loved that couple and that build! I have relatives who are artists and big collectors and I can do them doing that if they had the money.

A friend of a friend was on it. They had literally no money left at the end for furniture so Channel 4 paid to stage the house, filmed the episode and then took all the furniture away again.

As soon as the credits roll I always picture a truck rolling up to take away all the furniture and artwork.

I've also always wondered wether getting in to enormous debt is worth it. And it literally taking years to be finished. Surely the kids would be happy in a normal house without stressed parents and no money.

Did anyone see the one where the ex-husband designed the house, knocked the original down and then went off with his girlfriend? I'm not sure which one it was, was it the one with the modern design on the river?

@Cocogreen I was at art school with the husband, a lovely man. They did not seem to get stressed at all by the whole process!

@DayDate

My favourite was a lovely modern eco friendly house that they then "dressed" by bringing all the old dated suburban furniture from their old house.

Kevin was not impressed, but as the pointed out it's not very green to throw away perfectly functional furniture.

I remember that too. Kevin reacted as if NOT chucking away all their stuff was an incredibly radical act, that they'd certainly regret.

I live close to the house in the cemetery. The designer / owner is still there as I see him occasionally when I'm walking past. However the underground swimming pool is available to hire for events so I'm guessing money must be tight

No, but an ex colleague was on Escape to the Chateau DIY. I just turned it on one day and there she was.

Way back in Series One. Lovely timber framed house near Lambourn, Berkshire Downs. They had a daughter who was old enough to be part of the filming process. The husband (now ex-husband) is the brother of an old schoolfriend of mine, we were actually nattering about this sort of stuff earlier today while walking our dogs and catching up with about eighteen months worth of gossip! Anyway, it got sold to settle the divorce arrangement but being featured on Grand Designs seems to have definitely helped the price. The daughter who was a child at the time of filming is now a grown up of course, she had a couple of wibbles but is doing pretty well now.

@caringcarer

No, but an ex colleague was on Escape to the Chateau DIY. I just turned it on one day and there she was.

I watched that. Who, and what did you think?

Are the rumours true about it not being coincidental that all those partners get pregnant? Are there really loads of little Kevins in new builds all over the country?

@Droite

Are the rumours true about it not being coincidental that all those partners get pregnant? Are there really loads of little Kevins in new builds all over the country?

It's that voice. Who wouldn't be seduced by that voice?

Yes, there’s one in my village.

She said she loved the house on camera but actually hated it. They ended up divorcing soon after completion.

My favourite one, if anyone has ever been to it, was the one a man built in the middle of a forest. He'd made his money owning a cleaning business & had his children to stay part of the week who weren't allowed to bring belongings as he didn't like clutter.
There was a lovely pool outside with the trees surrounding the house giving privacy. He was so anal about the whole build that every screw had to be lined up perfectly.
The house was amazing but his attitude to 'perfection' was off the scale.

Yes, a guy I know who runs a brewery in Newbury.

Oooh loving this thread

DH works with someone who was turned down for it. The producers took a look at their budget and project plan then said since they'd meet all the deadlines there wasn't enough drama for TV

There is one a few miles away from my house that I pass when I take DC to school, it looks lovely but god knows how much it would have cost!

I loved the one where the bloke took 15 odd years to carefully build this beautiful house from scratch. In the end it looked like something out of LOTR!

If I was his wife, I would have murdered him and buried him in the woodland for taking so long and being such a perfectionist but the whole family seemed really chill and hippyish. The daughters were nearly old enough to move out by the time he finished!

@SwayingInTime

I spent a week in a ski chalet with the violin factory lady. She was exactly the same in real life - very, er, driven!

Was that the woman who was the architect and built the huge bath? Her husband was Dutch or something and had a mega job in London and she built him a library in their house?

She was terrifying

@ILoveAnOwl

A friend of a friend was on it. They had literally no money left at the end for furniture so Channel 4 paid to stage the house, filmed the episode and then took all the furniture away again.

Agree re the furniture.

I’m in the middle of building a house. My architect designed a house for a couple that made it onto the program.

The couple changed the building materials which had a detrimental knock on to the very specific (requested) design. The change of materials was never mentioned on the program but the change of design was and never explained as a consequence of the owners’ decision, rather than the architect’s fuck up.

The couple ran out of money - the main house was finished but no kitchen / bathroom or furniture. The production company dressed it for the end reveal.

Was that the woman who was the architect and built the huge bath? Her husband was Dutch or something and had a mega job in London and she built him a library in their house?

Yep, there was some implication that she trained as an architect/ set up a very specific practice all towards the eventual grand design. That alienated all the neighbours.

I remember her well - and vaguely remember something about practice she set up annoying other residents but can’t remember exactly what it was. She didn’t strike me as someone I’d like to work with or live next to.

@IdLoveToButCantBeArsed

There's been one for sale for years in my local area, they take it off the market for a few weeks then up it pops again. The problem is it's a very individual rather OTT style and not in the best area, so unlikely to sell for the price they want. I think only people who don't know the area well would buy, I imagine they'll lose money if it eventually sells. I won't link as I'd hate to hinder the sale further!

very similar to one near me. They have priced it at what they paid with some surplus rather than anything near what it is worth. The husband was driving it and he was very larger than life and was borrowing left right and centre as a part of big swinging dick vanity project IMO. The wife is now working 2 jobs I assume trying to reduce their very subtantial debt. I think it is heartbreaking.

I do remember one where the couple were engaged and the man came across really badly. Quite bossy and obnoxious actually, wannabe Alpha Male type.

She seemed nice though (I think she was a bit younger). I think she left before it was even finished (not surprised).