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Original poster

What is wrong with people who go on Grand Designs?

693 replies

RobynRB · 28/09/2023 09:46

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...

OP posts:
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PhysioLim · 28/09/2023 10:46

Autumnunmasks · 28/09/2023 10:32

Last night's was unbelievable. It was definitely her driving it more and she was far too emotionally attached to the 'dream' . I think Grandad Leo would have been horrified at how much debt they'd gone in to for such an absurdly huge structure.

All I kept thinking the whole way through, was how the hell were they servicing the debt!! Their mortgage repayments must have been horrendous, and what did he do for a living? Surely the sweets thing was temporary 😫🤩

This 100%! How much must those repayments be? How are they going to manage that?

Mochudubh · 28/09/2023 10:51

My GD pet hates are:
Open staircases (no risers), often tight and/or spiral with glass bannisters.
Mezzanine "bedrooms" i.e. A bed on a landing.
Church conversions where they chop lovely old tall windows in half when they add the upper floor. I understand why but it looks odd.
Glass bathrooms, just why? You might have a lovely view of the fields but Farmer Gyles and the local Ramblers Association don't want to see you on the lavvie.
Lack of privacy generally. So much glass, rarely any window coverings unless expensive integrated electric blinds.
Who cleans all that glass when baby Tarquin starts toddling? You'd have to hire a full time cleaner who just goes round and round like painting the Forth Bridge.

Original poster
RobynRB · 28/09/2023 10:52

Trez1510 · 28/09/2023 10:41

GD bingo ... be in by Christmas 🙄

Oh yes, at least they didn't say that. Was a bit odd they never even mentioned the lockdown since they were supposed to start building in March 2020!

OP posts:
tintinandhisdogsnowy · 28/09/2023 10:52

I can't watch GD anymore for all the reasons previously mentioned. I get so irritated. It's not good for my blood pressure.
The final straw was an episode years ago that was the epitome of entitlement, bad taste and ego.
It was a house at the end of a very posh little street. In London I think.
They were going to dig down in to the basement and put a disco floor. They put a bright pink sofa thing in the garden.
The neighbours had to put up with digging and constant lorries down their little street just for a bloody disco room.
Final straw for me.

Acheyknees · 28/09/2023 10:52

My DP loves this programme and rolls his eyes when I point out there's nowhere to store the ironing board/hoover/other crap when they show the vast empty open plan kitchen at the end of the show.

Notlostjustexploring · 28/09/2023 10:57

I love Grand Designs! I love the insane people with more money than sense. I love the insane designs. I absolutely love it.

Bingo also needs

Torrential rain half way through putting the roof on
Kevin halts all work so he can have a go with a shovel/trowel/digger
"Oh shit, the structural I beam doesn't fit..."

What kind of house does Kevin McCloud live in? Is it a grand designs special, or is it a completely generic off the shelf standard house as he's going personally going to be doing anything fancy?

FrenchandSaunders · 28/09/2023 10:58

I couldn't understand the lockdown bit, there seemed to be a gap that was glossed over. Start date late 2019 ... I said to DH, "oooh just before lockdown" ... then they moved to end of Feb 2020, so literally a few weeks before lockdown. Then the next shot was months later with no mention of covid.

alliscalm · 28/09/2023 10:59

Fistralstorm · 28/09/2023 10:39

My fave one is Pru. I often think of her & her family. I genuinely really enjoyed that episode (shows my age!)

Do you mean Pru in the Scottish Borders? A inspiring build and when Kevin did a revisit he stayed with them. I think that says something about her (and her wonderful cooking). They sold up and moved to an island on the west coast.
I worked with Pru many many years ago in Wales; I can confirm she is a lovely, feisty woman with a big heart.

Fistralstorm · 28/09/2023 11:05

@alliscalm Yes! She had two kitchens as she loved cooking. She seemed so genuine on TV. I can't believe I still think of her and family all these years on. They must have been on Grand Design a long time ago!

When I was younger and studying architecture at Bath my classmates and I would often say "what would Pru do?" 😂

AtmosAtmos · 28/09/2023 11:05

agree with everyone. The only one I love is the small one in the woods.

Actually I think the producers might be surprised that if they mixed it up a bit and had some normal builds and budget viewers would stay. Yes will always be the place for the ridiculous bingo worthy ones.

PepeLePugh · 28/09/2023 11:05

Whenever they mention curved glass I feel like banging my head against something solid.

Colinswheels · 28/09/2023 11:06

There is a house that featured in Grand Designs along the road from where my parents live. The couple who built it ended up getting divorced and the house went on the market but it took an eternity for someone to buy it. I suppose because nobody wants to spend that much to buy someone else's dream home.

Also on the programme they made it look like it was in a secluded spot, but in reality it was surrounded by new builds.

Riverlee · 28/09/2023 11:08

Anyfeckinusername · 28/09/2023 10:38

Is that the one that had all the water around it, like a moat/fort? And a girlfriend appeared at the end? He was really posh-posh, good looking and smiley and a bit daft?

Was there a crazy swimming pool lane in the basement? And some issue with glass getting hoiked up...

Jesus I'm horrified at myself and how much detail I've retained../

Show quote history

That’s the one. He was quite good looking (think I had a posh-boy crush on him), and ‘a bit daft’ is a good description.

At the end, he said I’ve got something to show you. We all presumed a lovely fluffy dog was going to appear, but it was his girlfriend.

Its the only episode I can remember in great detail also!

spanishviola · 28/09/2023 11:09

Mochudubh · 28/09/2023 10:51

My GD pet hates are:
Open staircases (no risers), often tight and/or spiral with glass bannisters.
Mezzanine "bedrooms" i.e. A bed on a landing.
Church conversions where they chop lovely old tall windows in half when they add the upper floor. I understand why but it looks odd.
Glass bathrooms, just why? You might have a lovely view of the fields but Farmer Gyles and the local Ramblers Association don't want to see you on the lavvie.
Lack of privacy generally. So much glass, rarely any window coverings unless expensive integrated electric blinds.
Who cleans all that glass when baby Tarquin starts toddling? You'd have to hire a full time cleaner who just goes round and round like painting the Forth Bridge.

Also my pet hates. Wasn’t there one episode where the owners put in a glass staircase with no handrails or something and went on to have children so it all had to be boxed in.

GotMooMilk · 28/09/2023 11:09

I also hate the ones (and theres been a few) where through all their childrens teenage years they've been living together in a tiny mobile home/caravan with shots of their teens trying to study for their GCSEs cramped in with their 10 year old brother watching telly. Fast forward 6 years and the parents have a ridiculous enormous house, kids have all left home and I just think I'd be so pissed off if a huge chunk of my childhood was taken over by my parents house vision at the behest of my comfort/privacy/having friends over etc.

nonumbersinthisname · 28/09/2023 11:11

None of the houses ever look liveable by average people with average lives. They always look stark, cold and impersonal. Can never spot a telly at the end! All the open plan, hard concrete surfaces and no curtains or soft furnishings must mean they’re incredibly noisy. No storage spaces for the ironing board and hoover and all the usual stuff that ends up in the cupboard under the stairs in our house.

we love watching it and shredding it to bits at the reveal. That marble in the kitchen last night was really something…

CassieRole · 28/09/2023 11:11

Last night’s couple were particularly odious, elderly “family friend” takes on role of grandfather (not related) buys land for you girl to have horses, clears site by hand, gives young girl the land for £800.

Couple with fairly low paid jobs (sky dive instructor, ordiologist and part time pick and mix packers) get a mortgage of £680k AND beg/borrow another few hundred grand from friends and family.

Now they have a huge house and a huge mortgage…

JudyGemstone · 28/09/2023 11:11

Autumnunmasks · 28/09/2023 10:32

Last night's was unbelievable. It was definitely her driving it more and she was far too emotionally attached to the 'dream' . I think Grandad Leo would have been horrified at how much debt they'd gone in to for such an absurdly huge structure.

All I kept thinking the whole way through, was how the hell were they servicing the debt!! Their mortgage repayments must have been horrendous, and what did he do for a living? Surely the sweets thing was temporary 😫🤩

Haha, I said the same thing about grandad Leo - ‘what would he say about what you’ve done with the place? I’m pretty sure the answer would be ‘£85K ON BLOODY WINDOWS?!!! ARE YOU MAD?!!!’

She properly snarked at her mum at one point too, about whether to have tiles or not. I’m sure it got annoying but I wouldn’t want to disrespect my mum on the bloody telly!

I’m pretty sure the husband said something at the end like ‘sadly her grandad died which was fortunate’ 🤣

it was a fugly house too, all glass and concrete. Beautiful setting though, love the wye valley.

CassieRole · 28/09/2023 11:12

Also DH and I are convinced she finished the episode with new teeth.

WoollyBat · 28/09/2023 11:12

To the GD bingo list I will add:
In a quiet moment with a coffee, Kevin makes a model of the couple's experimental roof concept out of pink wafers or similar, and it falls down.

Whadda · 28/09/2023 11:13

CassieRole · 28/09/2023 11:12

Also DH and I are convinced she finished the episode with new teeth.

Yes, same here. And lots of fillers.

The boyfriend seemed to also have had something done to his teeth.

WoollyBat · 28/09/2023 11:14

GC? Meant GD!

eastiseastwestiswest · 28/09/2023 11:14

Totally agree about last nights episode. It felt totally bizarre when they said they didn't have the money to do the build they wanted and then you saw the size of the reservoir building that could easily have been an extremely comfortable house for them at a fraction of the cost. Surely they could have added the stupid extension when they had some more money.

CassieRole · 28/09/2023 11:14

Not to mention how do you stop the toddler/future child plummeting off the floor level roof?

FrenchandSaunders · 28/09/2023 11:15

I'm amazed that friends and family lent them money .... I know what I'd say if a friend was doing something like this and asked for a handout!