Grand Designs

Sharp MZ700 · 09-10-2019 10:55pm #1

appledrop wrote: »

If anyone here is watching Grand Design this evening its 3 million + counting + it's still just a shell !!!!!!

I dont think anyone can complain again about Room to Improve.

Maddest idea ever. Nut jobs, banks should have never have given them any money.

It doesn't stop at 3 either, and borrowed from a hedge fund at 8%! And he loses far more than money...

Still reckon he'll finish it, but won't own it.

Calhoun · 09-10-2019 10:56pm

Lol will have to give it a watch now. Nearly as good as the mad bastard on grand designs from Ireland who was upgrading a castle.

Stroke Politics · 09-10-2019 10:57pm

appledrop wrote: »

If anyone here is watching Grand Design this evening its 3 million + counting + it's still just a shell !!!!!!

I dont think anyone can complain again about Room to Improve.

Maddest idea ever. Nut jobs, banks should have never have given them any money.

The high street banks did not fund him, he had to go to a hedge fund and pay 8%. Dermot the Starchitect would need a defibrillator if he had to deal with that client....

appledrop · 09-10-2019 11:06pm

The 'eye' house they built was lovely + bunkered down from elements.

Why didn't here just build that + manage to keep his family + enjoy their childhood.

Now he is divorced with a lighthouse he will never live with his family or finish anyway.

Wacky out.

That's the second divorced this year on Grand Designs.

Sharp MZ700 · 09-10-2019 11:32pm

Pure greed. It was an enormous gamble that didn't pay off. And one that shouldn't have been facilitated.

ShamoBuc · 09-10-2019 11:52pm

The banks facilitated him. His idea was good though. If he had sold the 'eye' he actually could have gotten through to the other side somewhat unscathed. As it was, it wasnt to be. Which is a real pity as I'm sure the finished product would have been stunning.
He did get to the point of no return very quickly in the build, too quickly in fact and that meant there was probably never going to be a nice ending for him.
Losing the marriage on top of that must have been really tough. I felt sorry for him in the end saying his vanity got him where he stood that day.
A good watch all the same and strangely 'nice' to see it not turn out right. Good to see a show where it can all ho wrong also, from a monetary, time, family and house perspective. Tough on him and the family. Glad I got to see it.

Sharp MZ700 · 10-10-2019 12:10am

ShamoBuc wrote: »

The banks facilitated him. His idea was good though. If he had sold the 'eye' he actually could have gotten through to the other side somewhat unscathed. As it was, it wasnt to be. Which is a real pity as I'm sure the finished product would have been stunning.
He did get to the point of no return very quickly in the build, too quickly in fact and that meant there was probably never going to be a nice ending for him.
Losing the marriage on top of that must have been really tough. I felt sorry for him in the end saying his vanity got him where he stood that day.
A good watch all the same and strangely 'nice' to see it not turn out right. Good to see a show where it can all ho wrong also, from a monetary, time, family and house perspective. Tough on him and the family. Glad I got to see it.

Didn't understand why his estate agent was reluctant to sell The Eye while the Lighthouse was being built, surely the prospect of that being completed while living next door to it could only enhance a sale, albeit he was probably looking for too much for it..

What had he to do with the Euphoria albums? He was a music salesman no?

Princess Calla · 10-10-2019 12:46am

appledrop wrote: »

The 'eye' house they built was lovely + bunkered down from elements.

Why didn't here just build that + manage to keep his family + enjoy their childhood.

Now he is divorced with a lighthouse he will never live with his family or finish anyway.

Wacky out.

That's the second divorced this year on Grand Designs.

I'm actually surprised there's not more divorces tbh.

I don't think I could put such blind faith in my partner like alot of them do.

That was a beautiful build though, really a shame it didn't work out.

prunudo · 10-10-2019 7:13am

Princess Calla wrote: »

I'm actually surprised there's not more divorces tbh.

I don't think I could put such blind faith in my partner like alot of them do.

That was a beautiful build though, really a shame it didn't work out.

After the publicity the show brings he may get new investors but sadly for him and his family it will never be their dream home. Was interesting that his daughter had the same drive as her father, very strong mind set for a young person.

I've noticed at the end of GD, with some of the more extreme builds and budgets that the body language between the couples in the final scene where they're sitting talking to Kevin can be very strained looking.

Addle · 10-10-2019 9:39am

https://youtu.be/GKxO57g8kAI

ShamoBuc · 10-10-2019 5:51pm

Sharp MZ700 wrote: »

Didn't understand why his estate agent was reluctant to sell The Eye while the Lighthouse was being built, surely the prospect of that being completed while living next door to it could only enhance a sale, albeit he was probably looking for too much for it..

What had he to do with the Euphoria albums? He was a music salesman no?

Think he said it would look like a fire sale, I have to sell the Eye to finish my house. Any buyer would lowball big time as a result and he would not get anything near what he wanted /needed.
Think he was a producer of the Euphoria label and had a deal whereby he got a percentage of the royalties.

Larsso30 · 10-10-2019 7:35pm

That episode of GD was mind blowing. Sensational looking house but not worth his family

Sleepy · 11-10-2019 9:20am

If he'd finished The Eye before starting the steel-work on the lighthouse he'd have finished it out. Bad project management all round tbh.

FishOnABike · 11-10-2019 10:01am

Calhoun wrote: »

Lol will have to give it a watch now. Nearly as good as the mad bastard on grand designs from Ireland who was upgrading a castle.

The difference being the mad bastard upgrading the castle had the pockets to finish the job even if it did cost more than originally anticipated.

Princess Calla · 11-10-2019 10:18am

Random question: I get why this was taken out of the room to improve thread but why not merge it with the grand design thread?

Edit: I see the other thread was locked...oops

Thargor · 11-10-2019 6:49pm

That was a mad ep of Grand Designs alright, S20E06 if anyone's looking for it.

Felt bad for the guy, it turned him into a gambling addict and ruined his life, now theres probably another downturn plus Brexit to wreck his plans again and he's still talking about one more loan, I hope Kevin gave him a talking to off camera.

Saddest thing of all was that it would be a tacky Los Angeles hills style McMansion even if it had gone to plan, people should not be allowed to build eyesores like that on the coast anywhere.

..board.. · 12-10-2019 5:59am

Princess Calla wrote: »

Random question: I get why this was taken out of the room to improve thread but why not merge it with the grand design thread?

Edit: I see the other thread was locked...oops

Maybe this would be better as a grand designs thread, start a new room to improve V2

Mr E · 12-10-2019 10:58am

Good idea. Done.

HeidiHeidi · 12-10-2019 11:33am

But, but..... there already is a Grand Designs thread..... here https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056982560/13/#post111476221

(Apologies if I should have used the report post button instead of posting)

honeybear · 12-10-2019 12:48pm

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

But, but..... there already is a Grand Designs thread..... here https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056982560/13/#post111476221

(Apologies if I should have used the report post button instead of posting)

Think I started a GD thread. Kevin has a lot of fans!

Mam of 4 · 12-10-2019 12:55pm

honeybear wrote: »

Think I started a GD thread. Kevin has a lot of fans!

I never knew there was a GD thread tbh

I think having it in here is a great idea , it might get more footfall , only my opinion though !

Princess Calla · 12-10-2019 12:58pm

Maybe keep this thread for current season, I think it's season 20 on channel 4?

There's lots of repeats on other stations and might get confusing

Muahahaha · 12-10-2019 6:40pm

What time/day is the current season on C4? Thought I had it set to record from previous seasons but it didnt link them like it normally does

Princess Calla · 12-10-2019 6:42pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

What time/day is the current season on C4? Thought I had it set to record from previous seasons but it didnt link them like it normally does

Wednesday at 9.. The rugby was on earlier so couldn't double check

Lisha · 12-10-2019 10:05pm

Love Grand Designs. Fab escapist telly.

I still think of a GD episode I saw years ago. I’d love to know if they are still in the house as the lady said that they were in financial bother after the build. She had very opulent ideas that were gorgeous in reality.

Might try and see if I can find anything online

honeybear · 12-10-2019 10:10pm

Lisha wrote: »

Love Grand Designs. Fab escapist telly.

I still think of a GD episode I saw years ago. I’d love to know if they are still in the house as the lady said that they were in financial bother after the build. She had very opulent ideas that were gorgeous in reality.

Might try and see if I can find anything online

The All4 Player is great

Lisha · 12-10-2019 10:21pm

honeybear wrote: »

The All4 Player is great

I was just on there and I found the episode but I don’t see that they ever had a revisit episode..... so I’m doomed to wondering

Thargor · 12-10-2019 11:13pm

appledrop wrote: »

The 'eye' house they built was lovely + bunkered down from elements.

Why didn't here just build that + manage to keep his family + enjoy their childhood.

Now he is divorced with a lighthouse he will never live with his family or finish anyway.

Wacky out.

That's the second divorced this year on Grand Designs.

Any clue what the other divorced ep was?

Princess Calla · 12-10-2019 11:23pm

Thargor wrote: »

Any clue what the other divorced ep was?

Think episode 1 or 2 of this season, the guy was in a wheelchair from a motorcross accident when he was 15. They had 3 teenage kids and wanted to build a house beside their original house that was completely wheelchair accessible. As he was getting older and finding it harder to manage. She was a sahm and he designed bikes for motogp.
She project managed the build but there was delays etc and about a year in the marriage broke up, she still managed the project and the house was finished but with the split it had to be sold. Very sad episode.

looksee · 12-10-2019 11:48pm

I agree the new lighthouse house was not attractive but the original 50s house was an ugly yoke too.

Franz Von Peppercorn II · 12-10-2019 11:50pm

The Eye on the other hand was great.

My favourite GD episode is still the 20K build in the forest. Legend.

honeybear · 12-10-2019 11:56pm

Franz Von Peppercorn II wrote: »

The Eye on the other hand was great.

My favourite GD episode is still the 20K build in the forest. Legend.

T’was fab alright. Thought it was interesting that it didn’t feature in Kevin’s 5 memorable GD. In fact, he chose Paddy’s container home as probably his favourite!

Calhoun · 13-10-2019 12:31am

Great thread, really like this program. Mainly because while Kevin is a brilliant host your not stuck to one architect and one design.

One of my favorites has to be the hedgehog co-op, especially after they did the follow on years later. How the build process empowered allot of the people living their and they created a community and not just the buildings.

Mr E · 13-10-2019 11:13am

This lighthouse episode was the first one I watched (just out of curiousity from reading this thread).
That guy lost so much from the project. I half expected an epilogue with the two girls in their 40s reminiscing about their dad, now in a psychiatric hospital.

Enjoyed the show though.... I'll start recording it now.

jimbobaloobob · 13-10-2019 1:31pm

There was a great episode few years ago of an Irish guy in England he renovated an old lifeboat launch house did an amazing job and managed not to disclose the costs.

honeybear · 13-10-2019 6:09pm

jimbobaloobob wrote: »

There was a great episode few years ago of an Irish guy in England he renovated an old lifeboat launch house did an amazing job and managed not to disclose the costs.

Remember that episode. Lovely couple.

Calhoun · 13-10-2019 8:53pm

Mr E wrote: »

This lighthouse episode was the first one I watched (just out of curiousity from reading this thread).
That guy lost so much from the project. I half expected an epilogue with the two girls in their 40s reminiscing about their dad, now in a psychiatric hospital.

Enjoyed the show though.... I'll start recording it now.

20 years worth of episodes floating around some real gems, one of my favorites and is an Irish one is related to this story https://www.irishcentral.com/news/sale-irish-island-castle-vulture-fund-withdraw/.

The guy building it was away with the fairies when it came to building plans and the law, which resulted in some interesting results.

prunudo · 13-10-2019 9:56pm

Calhoun wrote: »

20 years worth of episodes floating around some real gems, one of my favorites and is an Irish one is related to this story https://www.irishcentral.com/news/sale-irish-island-castle-vulture-fund-withdraw/.

The guy building it was away with the fairies when it came to building plans and the law, which resulted in some interesting results.

Any of the Irish participants are always great characters.

Calhoun · 14-10-2019 2:07am

prunudo wrote: »

Any of the Irish participants are always great characters.

Indeed they were, the Farmer up the North with his container house which while not for me was really good.

I think Sean was as about eccentric as you get from an Irish perspective.

Its a pity we don't have some more on it.

Mam of 4 · 14-10-2019 7:04pm

Franz Von Peppercorn II wrote: »

The Eye on the other hand was great.

My favourite GD episode is still the 20K build in the forest. Legend.

This one is on More 4 now !

Princess Calla · 14-10-2019 7:27pm

Random career

Calhoun · 18-10-2019 8:43pm

Finally got around to watching the lighthouse episode, absolutely brilliant and you could see how much he ****ed himself up early on based upon his method of funding.

It felt in this case like his architects vision really screwed him over and he probably should have done a rethink when the original funds fell through.

The eye house he built was amazing and would have been exactly what they needed.

chooseusername · 24-10-2019 1:11pm

How some of the efforts ended up,including the lighthouse;
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/money/homes-property/grand-designs-ghost-houses-the-abandoned-builds-left-to-rot-and-the-families-torn-apart/ar-AAJhe6w?li=BBr5KbJ&ocid=mailsignout

Calhoun · 25-10-2019 12:58am

chooseusername wrote: »

How some of the efforts ended up,including the lighthouse;
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/money/homes-property/grand-designs-ghost-houses-the-abandoned-builds-left-to-rot-and-the-families-torn-apart/ar-AAJhe6w?li=BBr5KbJ&ocid=mailsignout

The barge episode was brilliant, the owner was a donkey who had such an eccentric vision in mind that it went over budget and he built an unfinished monstrosity that nobody wanted to moor.

mloc123 · 11-01-2021 2:50pm

Kevin is back... watched the first episode of the new series last night, not sold on the house tho. It felt a little loveless, the guy IMO had no great drive to design/build it etc... Just hired an architect and paid the money.

Princess Calla · 11-01-2021 3:07pm

mloc123 wrote: »

Kevin is back... watched the first episode of the new series last night, not sold on the house tho. It felt a little loveless, the guy IMO had no great drive to design/build it etc... Just hired an architect and paid the money.

What station/time

mloc123 · 11-01-2021 3:29pm

Princess Calla wrote: »

What station/time

It is on C4.. I am not sure what day or time, it was available on demand on my sky box last night

Larsso30 · 11-01-2021 5:00pm

Found it, take you for the heads up! Have it in now. Ambitious job

Princess Calla · 11-01-2021 5:54pm

Season 21 c4 Wednesday 9pm

Larsso30 · 13-01-2021 10:22pm

New episode on Channel 4 now

Lisha · 13-01-2021 10:37pm

Larsso30 wrote: »

New episode on Channel 4 now

Am watching, it’s ambitious and they seem to be dealt a crap hand in life so I truly hope it all works out for them.

Grand Designs

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