Grand designs - new series 2021

[Moonshine]

The opener is a house pretty near me and I pass it fairly often, it has a great spot and amazing views

 

On the board out side it said something like, living in a sculpture.

 

It's been in news locally stating that the original 800k budget ballooned to 2.5 million!!!

 

 Will be interesting to see.

 

[Happy Valley]

It came across as being the architects dream more than the owners. Some of the details such as unframed windows were totally unnecessary in my opinion as it would have made no difference being enormous. 

 

I said to my wife at the first mention of the budget is that it have to be doubled - well I was wrong. Trebled!! At least it looked like they could afford it. 

 

It was such a big and complex building it needed another hour imho.

 

Loved his Lexus LFA in the garage!

 

Certainly a bold building. 

[nod]

  On 01/09/2021 at 21:22, Happy Valley said:

It came across as being the architects dream more than the owners. Some of the details such as unframed windows were totally unnecessary in my opinion as it would have made no difference being enormous. 

 

I said to my wife at the first mention of the budget is that it have to be doubled - well I was wrong. Trebled!! At least it looked like they could afford it. 

 

It was such a big and complex building it needed another hour imho.

 

Loved his Lexus LFA in the garage!

 

Certainly a bold building. 

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I totally agree 

Architechts are good at spending other people’s money 

I like how the Architecht insisted on spending 500k on the horrible cladding 

[NSS]

Looked stunning, like something out of a Bond movie, and on this occasion I suspect the client actually quite enjoyed the fact that it ended up costing so much.

[Bonner]

‘Reassuringly expensive’ said the owner at one point! And did Kevin say good value for money?! End result is spectacular but can’t help feeling they could have achieved the same for a lot less money. 

[recoveringbuilder]

What annoys me in these programs is that they never tell you how things are overcome. The kit was prefabricated originally until they discovered it wasn’t fitting together as it should have so then they decide to build it as they go , surely it wasn’t as clear cut as that?

not for me this one, clearly a status symbol, can’t imagine trying to get that through planning up here , we weren’t even allowed a bay window on our last build.

[joe90]

Frankly (IMO) it looked horrible (but i am not a fan of modern art). “More money than sense” rang true with me. Glad they like it tho!

[Nickfromwales]

  On 01/09/2021 at 21:22, Happy Valley said:

It came across as being the architects dream more than the owners

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As is in so many instances. And with unjustifiable uplift in cost often without a wink of an eye.

It would be a very different profession if they became responsible for creating budgets and were penalised for going over!!

The best part is how little useful involvement they have during the build. Instead, it gets left to the likes of general builders to dig them out of the shit as unsung hero’s. 
And we keep on paying them because the human race is just so lost in its pursuit of this importance of what others will think.

Can you imagine if the builder announced this uplift? He would have been launched out of a catapult. Beachside a “god” provoked it, they’re all chuffing smiles ffs. 
Goons. 

 

[Ralph]

I did not watch the show but have seen some of the pictures this morning. It looks like it's clad in standing seam steel with some really bad oil canning and rippling. I would have wanted better for that kind of money.

 

  On 02/09/2021 at 06:43, Bonner said:

‘Reassuringly expensive’ said the owner at one point!

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It does look like a "I am considerably richer than you" type of house. 

 

[joe90]

  On 02/09/2021 at 07:42, Nickfromwales said:

It would be a very different profession if they became responsible for creating budgets and were penalised for going over!!

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Oh that is so true, virtually all tv progs involving architects get the budget wrong.

[Ralph]

  On 02/09/2021 at 07:42, Nickfromwales said:

As is in so many instances. And with unjustifiable uplift in cost often without a wink of an eye.

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It seems like you can get away with a lot if you have a black polo neck and some trendy glasses.

[Alfie]

Likely some answers to some of the questions ion the build n the updates here.

[joe90]

It also makes me wonder how the hell they got planning permission in such lovely open countryside with no previous building on site ?‍♂️ When so many of us here struggled to fight planning for far more moderate houses?

[Russell griffiths]

Well I liked it. 

[Alfie]

  On 02/09/2021 at 08:21, joe90 said:

It also makes me wonder how the hell they got planning permission in such lovely open countryside with no previous building on site ?‍♂️ When so many of us here struggled to fight planning for far more moderate houses?

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Para 55/79/80.

 

I agree though, it looks as if "exceptional design" doesn't have to mean "nice to look at".

[Nickfromwales]

  On 02/09/2021 at 08:03, Ralph said:

It seems like you can get away with a lot if you have a black polo neck and some trendy glasses.

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AKA pretentious prick.

[recoveringbuilder]

  On 02/09/2021 at 09:08, Nickfromwales said:

AKA pretentious prick.

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The architect or the owner or both??

[Andrew]

The external appearance wasn't really to my taste but I did like some of the interior. £120k on a kitchen blows my mind - for me it didn't look 6 times better than a £20k kitchen despite all the fancy finishes and materials. 

 

I prefer to watch the Grand Designs where the owner puts in much of the work themselves and are hence much more invested in the building. On last night's episode the guy didn't seem interested in how it was built - his view was if there's a problem just throw some more money at it. Rightly or wrongly the vision definitely belonged solely to the architect. 

[Andrew]

  On 02/09/2021 at 09:08, Nickfromwales said:

AKA pretentious prick.

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 Have a look at the website linked further up by @Alfie if you want to see the mere essence of pretentiousness - https://www.huxshard.uk 

[Ralph]

  On 02/09/2021 at 10:41, Andrew said:

Have a look at the website linked further up by @Alfie if you want to see the mere essence of pretentiousness - https://www.huxshard.uk 

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Ahahahah! Someone really does think they are the dogs bollocks.

 

"The knowledge and experience gained will be published on this website and made available to the public. In addition the performance of the building would be monitored and an annual open day would be held to enable future builders and designers to learn from the building methods and details used. This could be very useful for the self build market that the government are currently nurturing."

Also what do you think they mean by a "...didactic solution."

[Lorenz]

I look at the photos and condensation comes into my mind, but I have not seen the programme so do not know if that was solved somehow?

[Onoff]

  On 02/09/2021 at 09:08, Nickfromwales said:

AKA pretentious prick.

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He said typing on an iPhone... ?

[Bramco]

  On 02/09/2021 at 11:20, Lorenz said:

I look at the photos and condensation comes into my mind, but I have not seen the programme so do not know if that was solved somehow?

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Triple glazed, MVHR and massive open spaces - it's not like steel framed single glazed windows in a 50's council house with the washing on a clothes horse in front of the fire....

[Lorenz]

  On 02/09/2021 at 11:58, Bramco said:

 

Triple glazed, MVHR and massive open spaces - it's not like steel framed single glazed windows in a 50's council house with the washing on a clothes horse in front of the fire....

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It is the condensation in the walls that came to mind, I should have said. But looking through the photos the process had started long before it was covered up. Watched a video from a chap in Scotland who is a surveyor, building his own house and he warned about these with this kind of framing, he just had to fix one that was just ten years old. Had to take out the bottom 2 feet all the way around because it had rotted. Depends on the climate zone he was saying.

[patp]

I loved the bit where Kevin McCloud points out that the bins have nowhere to go and, also, was it the bathroom that was miles from the living area? The £120 kitchen was quite compact for the money it cost. No attempt was made to show off any fancy design features other than the work surface and the extractor fan. I think the designer saw them coming.