Grand Designs new series.....

Indeedely doodeley. Often clients will want me to specify Welsh Slate until the prices come in, and then they throw their principles out the window and go for either Spanish or Brazilian as the next best option.
As with all things from China, it still amazes me how they can be so cheap when the cost includes shipping across the entire world.
 
Being frienRAB with Chris and working next to him for the last 2 years while this house has been built it was finally great to see his house finished. Listening to the dramas and goings on every day I'm not sure a hours TV show really did it justice. I'm sure the could of easily made the show 2 hours. There was a lot of drama with the first passive house certificate that nearly wasn't was that wasn't shown which was a shame.

Before anyone asks I'm not a architect but can see the merits of this build for what its worth. I've been highly impressed by the exterior of the building but can see the concerns people have raised of the interiors. But as Helen said its each to his own and i know Chris and Helen both are not keen on the standard tweed furniture inside most houses (including mine). I think the final pictures of the house did show it in a better light and i felt a lot of the ducting work did disappear then. One thing I did miss was the Media room they didn't show. Myself and Chris have had long conversation on how to set this up so was disappointed they didn't show that :(

If anyone is interested more in this house i recommend checking out the website that was created to go along side the build of this house http://aipassivhaus.com/ . Its worth a read if you want to find more about it :)
 
20th of October show
I loved that house , not showey offy , simple and lovely .She was a lovely girl who was not full of her own importance and just got on with it .
She was well able for Kevin and his way of patronising people , one remark I thought very patronising was his
" interior designers are usually fiddling about with bits of material " But thats kevin I guess .!
 
I dare say they can't show a new series until enough of the projects are complete.

Given the level of stupidity of the people involved it could be years yet.
 
I think she admitted the same to Kevin, but I'm not sure if it's had the desired effect



I haven't really liked either of them so far
 
I'm not sure why some people are being rude about her boyfriend. Perhaps he didn't feel the need to come over all macho and try to claim the limelight. He seemed to be supportive of her when he was talking about the stress she was under. We don't know what his job is, so he may not need the work space whereas she seemed to be self-employed so would need room for an office. If it was the other way round, would you be saying the same things about a girlfriend? He seemed to be a perfectly nice guy to me.
 
Was Helen dubbed by Victoria Wood?

I haven't liked either property too. I trust this isn't going to be the shape of things to come - Green Grand Designs for the recession!
 
i used to work as a labourer on a pier construction project. I was on the gang that poured and finished pre-cast concrete beams.

If I'd produced a beam ( which was eventually going to be buried under several tonnes of concrete) with a finish like that worktop, I'd have had my arse booted hard!
 
Agreed, its actually making me switch off im so sick of pretencious middle class eco warriors with their homes in caverns/underground/on a windy hillshide RAB... grand designs is supposed to be about the DESIGN not the environment.. its pushing this agenda far far too much in my opinion.
 
Can say this wasnt the house on Escape To The Country and Chris and Helen have no plans to more in the very near future while Ben is still at home.
 
Actually i am a frequent visitor, i live over the water & go there for my work too.

I realise some parts aren't exactly pretty...particularly in the built up areas. But there are some beautiful places too, same as anywhere.
What I meant was...how did they get planning for such a hideous building in the middle of what looked like a lovely woodland?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder i suppose :rolleyes:
 
Wow.

I thought this one would be a disaster but it has turned out superbly.

I'd probably 'accidentally' smash the stained glass window though.
 
It was nice to see decent, comfortable-looking, well-designed house for a change. :) None of that eco-sh*te that's been the bane of this series.

Though the women (and her bf) came across really well, and the house looked lovely. Few things I wasn't convinced by (the stairs, the chimney...) but generally it looked great and decent value too. Kevin clearly liked it.

Plus anyone with that many books and that much stuff gets instant bonus points in my eyes.
 
It is still in the same place (about fifty meters further up the river) as when he was working on it. I know because it is opposite the University of Essex Quays accommodation, where I spend some of my working life.

Ps I may have the wrong program.
 
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