Anyone watch last Wednesday’s Grand Designs?

[TheGander]

The one where they knocked down a 1920s castle and started building a “ 21st century castle” on the site? Even though they already lived in a beautiful timber clad house in a beauty spot? Sold their house, London flat, raided mothers pension fund, borrowed, and kept going with the build, sinking million after million into it? It’s now for sale £7 million. Jaw dropping stuff.

Just watched this. It's a classic case of an entrepreneur who thinks differently and is comfortable with risk, but makes an error of judgement in this project. The world needs people like Piers, but it's unfortunate that this screw up is a public one! I also think living with him would be an unpredictable nightmare. He's taken a risk too far with this vanity project unfortunately.

Ooh thank you very much for the reminder. Watching it now!

We couldn’t believe that with all the money in the bank, they’d gone for a very bog standard, already-on-its-way-out, navy kitchen!

And yes, it was a most peculiar coupling!

Felt sorry for his mum - hope she gets paid back. The hideous monstrosity though! It was the worst episode of GD ever and I must have seen most of them since it started. Completely unlikeable couple, mad plan, horrible building. And they had such a lovely home. Why they could not have renovated the existing building I don't know.

I watched it, and share the opinions of many posters.
I totally agree their original home was lovely, but they stated that when the original Castle building was up for sale, they would have lost all their services to that property?

Did I dream that bit? I was pretty tired when I watched the programme, and so far (not yet finished all the thread) no one has mentioned it.
That was explained as the reason they bought the land and castle.

I was not impressed with the architect - even he seemed to imply it was too large.
I do know he was filling a brief, but he was visibly enjoying the opportunity to leave his mark, (with that fugly OTT building), on a the crest of the landscape, without a backwards glance…

@Fifiesta yes, I remember saying to DH at that point that it must be hyperbole. Conveyancer/solicitor wouldn’t just miss something like that on the original purchase so there must have been more (or less) to it than what was said.

I agree about the architect. Total vanity project for a guy approaching retirement.

Watching it now. The original 1920’s house was beautiful. What a pair of idiots.

Just proves the old adage that money really doesn't buy taste. It's a modern monstrosity with zero soul and character and interior design courtesy of Instagram - could be on any new build McMansion housing estate across the UK.

I give it 6 months and it'll be an Omaze house.

I missed the bit where they lost £500k on the test house. Was that mentioned in the program?

The project reminded me of the Now That’s What I Call… chap. I think his DC had grown up and his DW had left him and the house still wasn’t finished?

The listing Sotheby’s has doesn’t show a lot of the interior does it?

I really don’t know either why they didn’t sort out the legalities of home they were living in before they completed?

Just the fact that a developer had bought the old castle house, built some houses and put it bank in the market untouched would have been enough to put me off. They were obviously unloaded ot because it wasn’t going to be profitable to rebuild ot renovate.

Their arrogance is just staggering.

It was quite remarkable. I’m all for taking risks but the suns just didn’t seem to work out right from the beginning.

I keep thinking about this episode. What a pair of idiots, they started out having a beautiful house, money in the bank and could have a had a wonderful life. Instead they are now millions in debt having spent years building this folly. It’s just greed and arrogance.

The original house was falling down and beyond repair. It also wasn’t a particularly great example of 20s architecture, more like a 20s folly which looks great from a distance, not so much close up. I can see why the previous developer had permission to knock it down.

The whole project was insanity frankly. I also wondered if the sales details had AI generated innards. Do agents have to say if the photos are “illustrations” rather than reality? I’d be mighty annoyed to go to see a property represented as complete to find it half finished.

but they stated that when the original Castle building was up for sale, they would have lost all their services to that property?

That was the point at which I assumed we were looking at a big time disaster. I could not believe they had bought a house with no covenants/rights over services access. Either they had the world's least competent conveyancer or they ignored advice or they did their own conveyancing and missed that part.

The amount of guesswork they were putting into costs was also staggering for a project of that size. It made me wonder how he had succeeded with other businesses when he seems so ignorant on things like materials costs, supply chain costs etc which apply to any business.

I thought the very same on all counts.

The Cornwall lighthouse (which I thought was on the Devon surfer coast?) was at least stunningly beautiful once done.

Was destined to be a multi million money pit from day one when they hadn’t budgeted properly for the inevitably humongous ground works but at least it was a beautiful (if ostentatious) building at the end.

More money than sense came to mind...
I didn't even like the house, the entrance was horrible walking through that tunnel and then all those stairs up to the top. No thanks 😂. I don't see it as a family home, more likely a air BnB for the super rich/influencers to host their parties in.
I actually preferred the barn they lived in before, that was beautiful.

The sales pictures are definitely AI generated, yes.

You missed the part in the show where he explains that they don't own the house, the private financiers do and they expect it sold at the end unless he can raise the money to buy it back from them. He's essentially building a house for someone else much like the infamous Croyde lighthouse episode that had many parallels.

I also wondered about those fancy blocks they used. Are they going to turn into the mundick block of the 2020’s I.e, classed as non standard construction and unmortgageable.

Interesting - I can’t see anything acknowledging that on the details and I’d be mighty annoyed if I took the time to go and see a “dream home” to find it was still half building site. I wasn’t sure if it was just professionally staged.

I’ve seen AI used on agent details previously but its always been clearly labelled as “illustrative example of completed styling” on eg new homes/flats being advertised for sale off plan or before completion.

Piers and Emma need to talk to that Guy Phoenix chap.

It looks like a castle my son would build in Minecraft.

That Croyde lighthouse one... the ma nlost everything, didn't he? Money, his marriage, it basically ruined his life.