Grand Designs - New Series

[Mr Daytona]

Used to really like this programme, but it now seems to be inhabited with A) houses worth north of £2 million or. B) someone attempting to make a statement on the environment and spending an extra £250,000 to save themselves £17.98 a year on their utility bills.

Now Sarah Beeney..........

[Sheepshanks]

PorkInsider said:

In reality what they're going to do is get in the way, fail to make any meaningful decisions and then just sort-of-wing-it-a-bit.

Yet somehow the vast majority of them appear to get away with it.

I sometimes wish I was more bold, but I just can't believe the risks some of these people take with their family's well-being and security.

[Mr Daytona]

As above - do you think that if the people concerned are a few thousand pounds short for their build, that the Production Company might "top up" the build fund so that the episode ends on a high note ? After all, wouldn't make particularly enjoyable TV if after an hour we are left with a bankrupted, homeless couple and a large concrete hole in the ground. Lol.

[DukeDickson]

Mr Daytona said:

Used to really like this programme, but it now seems to be inhabited with A) houses worth north of £2 million or. B) someone attempting to make a statement on the environment and spending an extra £250,000 to save themselves £17.98 a year on their utility bills.

Now Sarah Beeney..........

When GD-lite is in the meandering towards a bar territory, serious escapism. Along with a good slice FTPTV.

[Mr Daytona]

And that means ????????

[DukeDickson]

Mr Daytona said:

And that means ????????

fk the poor TV....


Easy to build TV friendly house with a generous budget, but a touch harder with a real world budget.

[toohuge]

Mr Daytona said:

As above - do you think that if the people concerned are a few thousand pounds short for their build, that the Production Company might "top up" the build fund so that the episode ends on a high note ? After all, wouldn't make particularly enjoyable TV if after an hour we are left with a bankrupted, homeless couple and a large concrete hole in the ground. Lol.

I read somewhere a while ago that GD production team do not give any financial incentive for participants of this show. In fact, the cost to build goes up with a television crew as work schedules have to stop / be re done for the camera etc. plus more people to get in the way. In all honesty, it is an odd show as it is largely made up of people that want their homes to be showcased on national television, as opposed to the production company searching for interesting projects for content - we live in hope

I used to enjoy GD but having helped numerous clients with numerous builds, the show seems to concentrate on fairly trivial matters when there are far more interesting parts to the build that could be highlighted.

Chris

[anonymous-user]

That's my understanding also Toohuge.

I thought about applying to GD for my self-build, mainly as a means to getting a video diary of sorts. As soon as I realised the amount of input/control from the program makers I lost interest.

Having seen the TV ad for the new series, I can see two potentially interesting builds - here's hoping!

[BoRED S2upid]

Mr Daytona said:

As above - do you think that if the people concerned are a few thousand pounds short for their build, that the Production Company might "top up" the build fund so that the episode ends on a high note ? After all, wouldn't make particularly enjoyable TV if after an hour we are left with a bankrupted, homeless couple and a large concrete hole in the ground. Lol.

No way. Many have not finished within the show several have almost gone bankrupt and instead of taking 2 years have taken 5. Guy in the lakes building a massive hotel for his oriental wife and kids springs to mind.

[anonymous-user]

Cloud 8 had two episodes and was still not finished.

[Mr Daytona]

I remember that episode with the chap with the Oriental wife - it did seem a tad fortunate that a perfect stranger should mysteriously lend him a £100,000 to finish the build.....Never mind, suppose I'll just have to fund my new man cave inside a live volcano from my own pitiful finances.

[Sheepshanks]

Mr Daytona said:

As above - do you think that if the people concerned are a few thousand pounds short for their build, that the Production Company might "top up" the build fund so that the episode ends on a high note ? After all, wouldn't make particularly enjoyable TV if after an hour we are left with a bankrupted, homeless couple and a large concrete hole in the ground. Lol.

I've read somewhere that they've hired furniture to dress houses for the "complete" shots, when they aren't really finished, but the public loves people to fail so the production company would probably be thrilled if more went wrong.

And they're not usually a few £K short, massive (hundreds of £K) over-shoots are routine.

[Beati Dogu]

The Oriental wife bit doesn't really narrow it down. Half of them seem to have a mail order wife.

I quite like GD, but they do seem to love the whole "eco-bks" at bit to much. I find myself thinking that it'd be a lot more eco-friendly if you didn't build your flat roofed, sterile, minimalist, glass box at all.

[Sheepshanks]

toohuge said:

I used to enjoy GD but having helped numerous clients with numerous builds, the show seems to concentrate on fairly trivial matters when there are far more interesting parts to the build that could be highlighted.

I know it's light entertainment, but just a little bit more insight into materials and techniques would be interesting, and people can look up further details on the web if they want to.

[anonymous-user]

Beati Dogu said:

The Oriental wife bit doesn't really narrow it down.

Lake District with the barrelled roof and rock wall down the centre.

[bazza white]

garyhun said:

Lake District with the barrelled roof and rock wall down the centre.

I remember it was the old women who lent them the money. The build was huge. The bloke was a bit of a plonker from memory.




There is a another build show starting this week. Can't remember which channel though. On tuesday iirc.

[anonymous-user]

Sheepshanks said:

toohuge said:

I used to enjoy GD but having helped numerous clients with numerous builds, the show seems to concentrate on fairly trivial matters when there are far more interesting parts to the build that could be highlighted.

I know it's light entertainment, but just a little bit more insight into materials and techniques would be interesting, and people can look up further details on the web if they want to.

Ok, in very general terms.....
Anything steel/aluminium comes from Germany on a mahoosive Mercedes Actros.
Anything glass come from Italy, is handmade, and cost many thousands of pounds.
Anything wood comes from Scandinavia somewhere and is a million times more "Eco" than anything south of Stockholm.

[anonymous-user]

bazza white said:

I remember it was the old women who lent them the money. The build was huge. The bloke was a bit of a plonker from memory.

The wife came on PH after they were slagged off in the original GD thread! 'Twas a little heated

[Laurel Green]

Heads up!

[ajprice]

A glass box on a crumbly cliff. What could go wrong!?!