Grand Designs?

I am not keen on the houses they show in Grand Designs. None of them look like homes to me. They look soulless with all the glass and white.

I do like house with large windows and I like a bright interior, but there is a limit. I have often thought how lovely those chocolate box cottages look with their thatched roofs and tiny windows. However, they must be so dark and gloomy inside. Unless, of course, they have knocked the whole back of the cottage down and added a huge glass extension

I do think that Kirsty Allsop has some good ideas on Love it or List it that are practical and stay within budget. Sarah Beeny has also done some similar sensible conversions

I wonder sometime if architects actually look where their designs are going to be built. Currently, there is a block of very expensive apartments being built near us. The most expensive is £1 million. There are (I think) eight apartments in a double story block. They are opposite the sea. The houses at either side were built in the 193o-ish and are white rendered with red roofs. Very traditional. The new block is an angular building in brown brick with brown fake stone on the front. It has large windows but to me it looks like community centre from the 60's. It is totally not in keeping with the others house around it.

It’s a Zombie apocalypse today

Reported.

I love grand designs, particularly the episodes when they have no money and don't know what they're doing.

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By the time most of the projects are finished they can probably only afford trade white mat paint.
I enjoy grand designs and I love the look of the super tidy immaculate homes because it is sheer fantasy.

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It’s always an anti climax, you look forward to Kevin going back to see the end result, and in my humble opinion, it’s always too bland, too dull, often with so much wood you must feel like you’re living in a log cabin, but on the bright side, they’ve almost always had a baby

I love the program but the participants always steer to close to the wind, have no money etc. How come then when Kevin goes back their houses are newly, and fully furnished ?

I didn't realise that Ilovebeigecardigans1955 makes the whole thing even more silly. Some participants take on big mortgages or borrow money from families, too much stress for me.

Apparently if a project has no jeopardy it won't be featured as it's thought that viewers like the danger of it not being finished before the winter snow/gale force winds/torrential rain comes in.

It's been noted that much of the furniture is the same at the end of many episodes as the production team bring it in to film and then take it away to use for the next project which leaves the broke participants with nothing to sit on as they've run out of money. They all sadly overstretch themselves and lose sight of common sense. Is it more entertaining? I'd rather see a proper finish without the tragedy of near bankrupcty myself, but then what do I know?

Yep, have been bringing the outside in for years sodapop. Muddy feet, leaves that swirl in on the wind, little stones in the tread of shoes ?

I agree rubylady the Grand Design formula is very tired now, it won't work, not enough money etc then everything is ok and it's all working. Never mind the people have gone way over budget to the tune of many thousands of pounds.
So many silly ideas incorporated with no thought given to future maintenance, cleaning etc. I don't bother watching any more it's so predictable.
George Clarke started well but is going down a similar path with ultra modern finishes etc. Many of his projects now have all the character stripped out of them.
Same old rote speeches as well, the kitchen is the heart of the home, bringing the outside in etc etc.

Hello. Can you recommend any agency that can help me with replacing windows and doors in a private home? My windows and doors are old and letting in cold and moisture. Advise me something, I'm already tired.

I can hear that another episode of Grand Designs has just finished - DH has it on a loop!

It still doesn't inspire him to do our kitchen though

I know the one, wasn't it a liverish pinky colour? I thought as far as modern design went it was a very poor example.

A well designed modern house could have been fitted very comfortably on that site between its older neighbours. Unfortunately what these neighbours got was a house that would have been ugly and unattractive where ever it was built with the addition of having it occupied by selfish and boorish couple.

Like everything else modern design runs from good modern design to really bad ugly modern design. This house came out at the bottom of the rankings.

I thought those owners must be deranged, and Kevin also with his talk of bold decisions and new perspectives etc.

It was grey and desolate looking.

Yes Jane that was the one.

If its the one I'm thinking of it was an affront to the lovely old houses nearby -which the owners of the new creation decried!

Varian I like glass too but you have to think about cleaning it as well!

What did others think of the 'boat' house on the Thames ( the one that was flooded , ie, the building site before they got ctacking on the house.)I thought it was ugly.

On "Britain's Best House" Kevin McCloud actually commented that he'd had a lot of letters from viewers wondering why so many of the houses featured lacked curtains and hinting that the occupants must be exhibitionists. He then showed a house in full view of a coastal path which had no curtains (the owner said they were old fashioned and would spoil the "clean lines" of the architecture) - this house had a full length transparent window in the SHOWER facing the public footpath which seemed to prove the point.

Glass is great for "bringing the outside in", "flooding the interior with daylight" etc, etc. I like glass as much as any architect but I don't like staring into blackness from an artificially lit room at night. Whatever happened to privacy, security, coziness? - Not fashionable, perhaps, but still important to real people such as GNetters.

Curtains also help to absorb sound as do carpets, upholstery etc. Too many hard surfaces create an echoey, soulless space which can feel quite uncomfortable. But I have to admit I do like white walls, which reflect much more light than any other colour.

...and they are always held up because the windows have been delayed because they are coming from Italy.

I like Restoration Man - but I am an old house person anyway

Kevin is very down, depressed, says it won't be done on time or for the money right up to the last five minutes when he turns into the court jester! They have all become the same though, with floor to ceiling glass and double height inside. Boring.

George Clarke is very good on Restoration Man, some beautiful properties and some of the people on have had brilliant skills doing their projects and I've been watching Amanda Lamb too with her Selling Houses programme where householders make over their homes for selling. Some good tips and it makes a change that she likes colour and lovely furnishings.

Funnygran.

The houses usually aren't designed by an architect but by the people themselves. It's often been their dream for years and they're sticking to it whatever happens.