"Grand Designs"

[Tony Hall]

Did anyone see the Channel 4 programme "Grand Designs" last night. Young couple converted an old Water Board building into a brilliant, modernist, minmalist home. Seemed to do most of the work themselves too without any tears or fights. Loved the "Mini" desk too. Bet the heating bills are high though. Good TV. Liked the programme the night before where a bloke and his new wife go off to Spain with his old wife & her new bloke in the oldest junk available from the scrapyard and suprisingly break down...to$$ers.

[nicholasblair]

Amazing project. Would have fitted it out slightly differently though - it was a bit too modern for my taste!

[pigme]

Brilliant show, I thought they would fail at the first hurdle but they really impressed me and just got on with it.

I Like that show anyway, but that has to be one of the best. Saying that the guy who presents it is a bit posh for my rough self and I feel threatened by his obvious intellect and upbringing.


I was dragged up me.

>> Edited by pigme on Thursday 20th February 16:13

[raceboy]

Absolutely loved it and all for £150k

[incorrigible]

One of my fave programmes too

Know what you mean about the presenter, but by all accounts he does actually know his stuff

Shame you can't get a place like that for £150k in Sussex

[raceboy]

And it was worth £350k-£400k when they had done, nice profit, but what would you move to, that place was just so cool
Only change I'd have made would have been a nice big car storage area at one end

[gnomesmith]

If our old mate Chassis had the guts and determination of that couple there would be a whole fleet of Ferrari Puntos on the road by now.

Agreed about the Spanish adventure, sufficient to say that we all have different life styles and aspirations..thank goodness!

[incorrigible]

Forgot to say

I would definately store my car and bike in that living room

[Aprisa]

Don't suppose anyone here knows about any other similar buildings going cheap around the Midlands?
No? oh well worth a try.......

God knows how they kept smiling thru that lot, all credit to them
Nick

[dave_s13]

Yep good prog that.

It'd be really interesting to see a follow up on the Spanish B&B fukwits; I want to know if they actually made a success of it or are back here living in state funded accomodation.

[domster]

My olds have been talking to the production company about featuring their home-to-be on it, as Dad wants to do something special (he is an architect, and they get a bit creative now and again!).

Apparently, you don't get paid anything, but some suppliers will do you a really good deal if they are going to be featured on TV.

Errr, the brick manufacturer springs to mind. How much did it cost to do 800 hand made bricks

There is a good website if you google Grand Designs. Got into it once, but have forgotten URL

Fair play to the couple yesterday. I bet that ceiling took a little while to do

[Agent006]

missed it. Grrrr. Caught the hopeless one last week, couple building a two bedroom house that's far too small as it is and then having another kid.

[alan_driver]

Great program. It had just the kind of drive you would want to drive into in somthing like a jag. The house looked great, but the garden could look much better. Made a nice profit of £200k in a year.
How did they afford the house? online record shop was it? Any one want to buy a CD??

[ncs]

Didnt see it last night as I was at the Surrey meet, but wifey recorded it for me so I will watch it tonight.
I supply a lot of materials to various Tv companies for these progs, (Im a timber merchant)..had to give up on Changing Rooms when they wanted it all for nothing..didnt go down too well when I pointed out to the producer that he was the one who lived in a mansion in Knightsbridge so could therefore afford to pay for the kit!!

I supplied the timber for the Homefront show for LL Bowens house that was also screened last night.

Without doubt Grand Designs is the best of the bunch, the presenter, Kevin McCloud, comes across as a nice guy...& he drives a Cerbera!!

Nick

[rich 36]

I was wondering how long it would take to get around to the Tivver angle, you lot honestly!

[ncs]

rich 36 said: I was wondering how long it would take to get around to the Tivver angle, you lot honestly!

I thought that was why we are here!

Nick

[ultimapaul]

Top programme, I only caught the last half hour, that lounge, BLISS! You would need to be really careful on what furniture you put in it though, it could end up looking like a bit of old stock in a warehouse. They made a very good job of it. I liked the use of some of the old water works machinery parts.

For me though, I'd have to have an E-Type in there, if the room was big enough. How much for a really ruff one? All you'd need is the body sprucing up. It wouldn’t even need to be rust proofed of safe even, just look the part. All the oily bits could be knackered, just make ‘em look OK. Call it a piece of sculpture for a couple of grand.


Paul

[littlegearl]

pigme said: Brilliant show, I thought they would fail at the first hurdle but they really impressed me and just got on with it.

I Like that show anyway, but that has to be one of the best. Saying that the guy who presents it is a bit posh for my rough self and I feel threatened by his obvious intellect and upbringing.


I was dragged up me.

>> Edited by pigme on Thursday 20th February 16:13

Kevin McCloud (or is it McLeod!?!) - he's not all bad...

oh and he's got quite a nice car collection, TVR Cerbera and Land Rover Series II - though he seemed to be in a modern 110 last night...

[mightydquinn]

It took along time to do but the end product was spot on but they must have had plenty of money to start with and a house to live in

[DanH]

I was really surprised how it looked in the end as they showed every sign of having appalling taste the whole way through. They then end up with some really nice (and patently expensive) modern centre piece furniture

Dunno how they did it for so little!