What is wrong with people who go on Grand Designs?

[RobynRB]

Seriously, time and time again it's the same thing. Why do people feel they need to build a house the size of a cinema complex and then moan when they run out money. Most of these things could be 10-20% smaller and you wouldn't even notice. Don't these people understand that materials like wood and concrete cost money so buy less of them and the house will be cheaper.

Speaking of which, last night was a classic case... we haven't got any money, but we bought this copper bath for our bedroom and this (frankly disgusting but I'm guessing ridiculously expensive) gold and black marble for our kitchen.

It struck me the reservoir building was big enough to build a reasonable house in, maybe with a smaller extension to the side. It certainly looked twice the size of my three bedroomed house on it's own.

And of course five minutes after they started they announced they were having a child. What brilliant timing...

Was that the ammonite shaped one in East Devon?

Just watched the latest episode and agree with all the previous comments - DH and I were watching and just couldn't work out how they funded it?

They did both look fairly green in the last interview with Kevin talking about costs but how it was all worth it - I was thinking about the timing and how what was potentially pretty painful for them when they first financed the build, could now be unsustainable now rates have risen.

But they didn't seem to cut back on anything? So they paid a floor and maybe some decorating? But found the best part of half a mill down the back of the sofa?

Just caught up with the latest episode.

Where did the pylon go? Dito the horse.
Where do you put your shoes, coat, pushchair?
Would you really want to be lying in bed while your OH curled one out on the other side of the head board?
Why did I not realise that selling pick and mix online was all I needed to do to get a massive mortgage?
All of my grandparents are dead yet none of them let me live in their house for free and then left me said house.
And I can’t imagine my mum letting me live in her house rent free if I spoke to her like that.

I too can’t figure out how they are servicing a £650K mortgage, at something like £3500 a month. I guess the people who loaned them the £500K will just have to wait for their cash back. I also choked at her tearful proclamation that her grandad would be happy with it. The original building he had plans for was reduce to a few almost incidental stone walls. And the kitchen, oh gawd that kitchen…..

Unfortunately the producers are stuck with only having a choice of those willing to go on the show. And for whatever reason those currently self-selecting like concrete Bond villain lairs with a touch of posh car showroom. One of the worst IMHO was the one built near Exeter by the property developer - not only did it strike me something is wrong with our world where an albeit successful businessman in a small provincial city can afford to spend £2.5 million on a his folly. Any notion there was a connection between his being a developer and getting planning for his art gallery bunker taking up a nice hillside would be pure conjecture. It was yet another build where it was Kevin’s suggestion that meant the smug git ended up with somewhere for the bins to go but still he forgot to put in a door so his kids could go outside into the garden, I say garden, landscaped area more fitted it. And at the end it was all smiles as he brayed that he hadn’t had to sacrifice any of his exotic car collection to finance the build. Just awful in every respect - Google Hux Shard and be in awe.

Though I didn’t like all the houses featured I much preferred the last series of Grand Designs: The Streets, especially the one in Glasgow. The premise is a number of self-builders - without a million or two to spend - each buy a plot of land on a bigger development to build their dream. I especially like the contrast in the Glasgow episodes where one woman built a small house likened to a bothy which had all she needed and no more and who was left with space around her home. Her NDN built his take on an old style council house but on steroids, so as big as the plot would allow - it looked bleak and it was so obvious he’d built it because he could not because he need all that space.

I haven't watched the programme for ages but my favourite was the older couple who built an artist's retreat in Puglia.
They were such lovely people and they did lots of the work themselves. Beautiful property.

Nothing wrong in being ambitious. It's nice to have rooms for activities, hobbies, and bedrooms for guests. Having more than one living room is also a bonus. A bit of budgeting and projection comes in handy, naturally. I don't watch GD though.

I think part of the issue is once they reach a certain stage of the build, there's almost a point of no return. The building needs to have windows, be secure, watertight etc....and so no option to stop spending.
However in this instance, they were already short of money at the planning stage....so could potentially have pared down the design, size or style before any work started.
or just do the minimum to get the house habitable
When we moved from a flat to a house we had some rooms that had no furniture in for a few years until we could afford it!

They could have changed to an L-shaped design as the link corridor is essentially wasted space anyway, and saved a lot of excavation cost, or made the lower floor longer rather than chopping the side out of it. There were loads of cheaper options for the build.

The thing I couldn't get over from the latest episode is why they put in the most impractical, non child friendly garden of all time?? They could easily have just laid some turf in the middle so at least baby Leo had somewhere to play but instead they put a load of concrete, a metal water feature (that I'd be terrified of him falling into) and some impractical plants. Totally bizarre. And yeah that ridiculous entrance hallway that had literally no practical use whatsoever.

I loved the courtyard garden and there was plenty of greenery surrounding but the drop from front door level to the garden wasn't fenced off at all.

Nothing seemed to ring true about the reservoir house.
I hadn't thought about the water feature, but what new parents would put that in their garden?

Maybe a fence is planned for down the line.

I wondered if they're letting it out as a luxury Airbnb or hiring it out for photo shoots/location filming - it's the only way they'll be able to pay back that whopping mortgage. The husband looked pig sick at getting himself up to the eyeballs in debt to service his wife's childhood dream, and yes, how could you ever sell it after wanging on about how much it would have meant to grandad/not grandad Leo??

The same thing struck me when i saw the water feature in the garden @eastiseastwestiswest.
That hazard lovely water feature has no place in a garden where small children, their siblings, friends and relatives will be playing. 😮

It didn't look like a family home, and there was nothing that was child friendly about it.

I wonder if you are talking about the one near me. The land for the new holiday park is where I happen to own a small piece of land and had my planning application to build a modest eco family house refused, and a few weeks later they got this approved. It's rightly pissed off all the locals. The park isn't even near their house, so it doesn't affect them at all. It's not at all in keeping with the area and I cannot fathom why the Council approved it.

I'm lazy and gave up part way through the reservoir Grandad-not-Grandad episode. My patience was running low by the time they were surprised that their design would cost a lot.

There's a separate Instagram account focussed just on the house with professional photos and a couple of high-end brands tagged in the posts. Looks like they're gearing up for some sort of influencer gig

Can you share the account?

😁😄

Hmmm doesn't surprise me.
The female looked different from when the show started to its end.
An "Insta" look had developed.

I don't know why they bothered to build that. It's hideous.

I remember that one. He trotted out a new girlfriend at the end as a surprise - almost like a new pet he was proud of.

@eastiseastwestiswest I think it’s wye valley grand designs, all one word

I still want to know where the pylon went, and the horse.