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...

Dear Lord well that was er interesting

Over 1k for a cat flap!!😳

Neither of them seemed very happy or excited about the prospect of it being finished ....but I suppose once you get so far you've passed the point of no return whether you still feel enthusiastic about it or not

Another unfinished monstrosity, that's sucked years of their lives and all their savings. She must really love him a lot, to indulge that vanity project!

FFS. What is remotely environmentally friendly about building a gigantic house out of concrete and polystyrene. It was far far too big. And ridiculously ugly with the stone cladding. That one has properly infuriated me.

800 square metres for 2 people and presumably a cat (and the numerous wee beasties it will bring in through its special door). Utterly ridiculous. You could fit six family 3-bed homes in that floor space.

I'm beginning to hate the programme. Over indulgence of rich idiots

This is why l watch it!

All such idiots. Cramming their family into a caravan for 3 years whilst they wank off over some knobbish desire of architectural purity. That increase in price by 20k a week. It’s pure comedy!

You make a good point!!

When this isn't finished in 3 years time, at least she'll be able to handle her own divorce!

Very mixed feelings about this one.
I respect the fact that new technology (the solar roof tiles from Estonia), has to be road-tested by some brave/deluded soul first; in order to benefit the rest of us peasants in our miniature/normal sized dwellings in the future.
We all know that something needs to emerge soon to address the clean energy shortfall.
Unfortunately even that was not without controversy. I apologise if I have slightly misremembered, but their home could provide enough electricity to power another 4+ ,3 bedroom homes. However because of the energy cap, on the amount you are allowed to sell back to the nation grid, and how the grid works, it will only achieve about half that.
The House looked as if it would be more attractive than others recently shown.
Once again though, it would still be huge at half the size.

I think I am a window Luddite, the idea of being hermetically sealed in, never enjoying a fresh mid summer breeze wafting inside, fills me with horror.

I know yeah... with their first time buyers with £600k budgets, working as a pancake designer and freelance tea pot maker.

They all have a large glass wall 'to bring the outside in' and a floating staircase that nearly provoked a stroke in one or both partners.

DH says that he read that Grand Designs isn't being renewed for another series so basically if they don't broadcast the unfinished ones now they won't be shown, hence why there are so many more than usual this series.

Don't know if that is true though 🤷

He has done a programme about his house.

I did snigger at the Yoga Mezzanine though.
And "a dressing room for her and a wine cellar for him", do they not both get dressed and drink wine?

Grand Designs was amazing until this year, so many episodes with unfinished homes this season, even so, I would hate if it was discontinued.

This weeks one will look amazing when it is completed, I hope , at some point, we get to see the final result of all the unfinished ones.

I thought it would take a week just to run the hoover round 800 square metres. There’s no way you’d be able to live in that space without some kind of housekeeper/cleaning service.

when we used to go for days out as a child and pass lovely houses in the countryside, DM would always say - yes it is lovely but they’ve a long way to go for a pint of milk. Large houses would always get - just think of all that dusting. So I’ve been brought up to aspire to a modest house in suburbia!

I think I remember this one, she bought loads of big ott furniture but the rooms were all quite small. And she and K had a bit of a barney over something like reconstructed limestone, which she seemed to think was the equivalent of finest Italian marble and K said was more like cement!

Had a quick look is she wearing a real fur coat at the beginning 😲

She must be raging Sarah Beeny stole her design and pulled it off!

@Fifiesta, I’m the same re windows. A passivhaus would be wasted on me as I’ve always got at least one window open.

My (very laid back) cat would absolutely shit himself in that terrifying airlock catflap.

@OvaHere, was that one with the hand painted wallpaper and horribly out of proportion roof? It got built. I think the family sold it shortly after though. Like so many of these builds, they go far over budget that they can’t actually afford to live in them in the end.

@OvaHere , although it isn’t on Rightmove as having ever sold, so maybe they rented it out. It’s on a very sought after leafy road.

I'm with you about the windows! I'd hate not being able to open them.
When we moved into our house the living/dining room had 1 large non opening window and 2 sets of French doors. I was pregnant the following winter and desperate for fresh air when I felt nauseous, the only option was opening the doors...which was a bit chilly!!

And we also commented while watching that our (scaredy) cat would never use the extortionately priced, weird cat flap. It took over a year for her to get the hang of a regular catflap! 🤣

This weeks episode is driving me mad! He is obsessed with producing a house that generates 4 times the amount of power it requires but the house is at least 6 times too large for a couple. So any green credentials are pointless.

It was just too big this week. I understand that they were just so frustrated with the planning process that they couldn't be bothered to resubmit but even if it was half the size it would have been massive.

I wonder if the reason for so many unfinished houses is that they needed to start filming these in 2020 and therefore they have loads that they started to film and just never went ahead or stopped in an even more unfinished state due to cost of materials.