Grand Designs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grand Designs | |
|---|---|
| Format | Property |
| Created by | TalkBack Thames/ Freemantle Media Group |
| Starring | Kevin McCloud |
| Opening theme | "Grand Designs" by David Lowe |
| Ending theme | as above |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 hour (with adverts) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Channel 4 |
| Original airing | 1999 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Grand Designs is a Channel 4 TV series covering unusual architectural house-building projects, presented by Kevin McCloud and produced by Talkback. The properties featured in the series vary wildly from homes underground to converted water towers, with the only common factor being that they are all rather unusual or extravagant in some way. An example project from the series was Ben Law's woodsman cottage which was built largely with wood harvested from the surrounding woodland, using few commercial materials and predominantly free labour.
Grand Designs: Trade Secrets, A spin-off broadcast immediately after the main Channel 4 show each week. Acting as a companion piece (to the main Programme), gave hints and tips about building and showed some "behind the scenes" material from the week's show. Trade Secrets One an accompaniment for Series Seven of Grand Designs and Trade Secrets Two for Series Eight.
Grand Designs Abroad A series on properties outside the UK, called, was broadcast in Autumn 2004.
Grand Designs Indoors This, a lesser known spin-off, with the same format. As the name suggests the series concentrated on the interior transformation of these properties. Only containing six episodes, this series was broadcast in the spring of 2001.
Grand Designs Magazine is a monthly magazine published by Media 10.
Grand Designs Live exhibitions are large events that take place every year in London and Birmingham. Organised by Media 10, the exhibitions showcase contemporary design and technology for the home and garden (with the next one being Grand Designs Live Birmingham at the NEC from 10-12 October 2008). The "Grand Designs Live" 2008 exhibition was held in the Excel centre located in the London Docklands in early May and had over 100,000 visitors through the door. To accompany the 9 day event, Channel 4 broadcast two (1 hour long) live daily programs directly from the show, 'Grand Designs Live:Today' and 'Grand Designs Live'. The event incorporated theGrand Designs Awards 2008, which awarded a set of prizes recognising excellence in product design and architecture. The Product Of The Year went to Katie Walker's Ribbon Rocking-chair and the title of "Grand Designs House of the Year 2008" won by Blacksheep House on Harris built by Miles of Harris Construction .
Grand Designs is broadcast in Australia on The LifeStyle Channel and ABC1. An edited version (with Dutch voiceover) is broadcast in the Netherlands on SBS6 as De Grote Verbouwing.
Contents |
[edit] Format
All episodes follow exactly the same format, but depending on the progress of the build, they may slightly deviate from this format. At the beginning of the episode, Kevin will meet with the clients, usually a couple, who are embarking on the project. He will visit the site with them, and discuss the plans for the building. A computer visualisation of the house is then shown, with an internal tour. Usually ground work commences in the next stage, and Kevin will make visits to the site as the build progresses. As the build progresses, there are usually numerous hitches or delays; suppliers delivering materials late and so forth. Often the build runs over budget. As the house continues to be built, Kevin will often to do a piece to camera about a unique material or feature of the house. The building is then made watertight, and the first and second fixes commence. This stage will often be shown briefly; Kevin will then come and visit the site in its finished or near-finished state, once the family has moved in. A tour of the house is then given; Kevin then gives his opinions on the house and its construction and then the episode ends.
If a house is unlikely to be completed before filming finishes, it will often be revisited in a later episode. A twist has been added in the current series in that Kevin revisits old, unfinished builds once they have been completed and stays with the family for a night.
[edit] Episode list
[edit] Grand Designs
[edit] Series One, 1999
- 1. The Timber Frame Kit House, Newhaven (29 April 1999)
- 2. The English Barn, Berkshire (6 May 1999)
- 3. The Co-Op, Walter Segal houses Brighton [1] (13 May 1999)
- 4. The Water Tower, Coleshill, Amersham (20 May 1999)
- 5. The Eco-House, Suffolk (3 June 1999)
- 6. The Chapel, Cornwall (10 June 1999)
- 7. The House of Straw, Islington (17 June 1999)
- 8. The Glass-House, Doncaster (24 June 1999)
[edit] Series Two, 2001
- 9. The Regency Villa, Surrey (17 July 2001)
- 10. The New England Gable House, Sussex (24 July 2001)
- 11. The Wool Mill, Yorkshire (31 July 2001)
- 12. The Isolated Cottage, Brecon Beacons, Wales (7 August 2001)
- 13. The Cruciform House, Berkshire (14 August 2001)
- 14. The Self-Build, Birmingham (21 August 2001)
- 15. The Jewel Box, London (28 August 2001)
- 16. The Derelict Barns, Devon (4 September 2001)
[edit] Series Three, 2003
- 17. The Wooden Box, Peterborough (12 February 2003), see also: Longwood House
- 18. The Water-Works, Derbyshire (19 February 2003)
- 19. The Woodsmans Cottage, Sussex (26 February 2003)
- 20. The Victorian Threshing Barn, Surrey (5 March 2003)
- 21. The Inverted-Roof House, Buckinghamshire (12 March 2003) see also: Cloud 8
- 22. The Terrace Conversion, Hackney (17 September 2003)
- 23. The Underground House, Cumbria (24 September 2003)
- 24. The Traditional Cottage, Herefordshire (1 October 2003)
[edit] Series Four, 2004
- 25. The Violin Factory, Waterloo (21 January 2004)
- 26. Customised German Kit House, Surrey (28 January 2004)
- 27. Revisited: The Inverted-Roof House, Buckinghamshire (4 February 2004) see also: Cloud 8 (From Series Three)
- 28. 19th-Century Sandstone House, Edinburgh (11 February 2004)
- 29. The Curved House, Clapham (18 February 2004)
- 30. The Modernist Sugar Cube, Sussex (25 February 2004)
- 31. The Oak-Framed House, Argyll (3 March 2004)
- 32. An Idiosyncratic Home, Dorset (10 March 2004)
[edit] Series Five, 2005
- 33. Revisited: 19th Century Sandstone House, Edinburgh (6 April 2005) (From Series Four)
- 34. The Sliding Glass Roof House, Peckham (13 April 2005)
- 35. The 16th Century Farmhouse, Gloucester (20 April 2005)
- 36. A Family Home built out of Finnish Logs, Kent (27 April 2005)
- 37. Revisited: The Terrace Conversion, Hackney (4 May 2005) (From Series Three)
- 38. Revisited: The Violin Factory, Waterloo (11 May 2005) (From Series Four)
- 39. Shaped Like a Curvy Seashell, Devon (19 Oct 2005)
- 40. Revisited: The Woodsmans Cottage, Sussex (26 Oct 2005) (From Series Three)
- 41. A 21st Century Answer to the Roman Villa, Belfast
- 42. The Miami-Style Beach House, Devon
- 43. The Eco-House, Carmarthen
[edit] Series Six, 2006
- 44. The Loch House, Killearn (5 April 2006)
- 45. The Contemporary Barn Conversion, Ross-on-Wye
- 46. The Contemporary Cedar Clad Home, Stirling
- 47. Water Tower Conversion, Ashford
- 48. Revisited: 19th Century Manor House, Creuse (From Abroad)
- 49. Revisited: Les Gets Chalet, Les Gets, France (From Abroad)
- 50. Garden House, Mies van der Rohe inspired house, Exeter
- 51. Revisited: The Curved House, Clapham (From Series Four)
[edit] Series Seven, 2007
- 52. The 14th Century Castle, Skipton (extended 90-minute episode) (28 February 2007)
- 53. The Thatched Cottage, Hampshire (7 March 2007)
- 54. The Eco-Barge, Medway (14 March 2007)
- 55. The Bournemouth Penthouse, Bournemouth (21 March 2007)
- 56. Revisited: The Eco-House, Carmarthen (28 March 2007) (From Series Five)
- 57. The Birmingham Church, Tipton (4 April 2007)
- 58. The Art Deco House, Guildford (11 April 2007)
- 59. Revisited: The Sliding Glass Roof House, Peckham (18 April 2007) (From Series Five)
- 60. Revisited: The Oak-Framed House, Argyll (25 April 2007) (From Series Four)
- 61. The Cambridgeshire Eco Home, Cambridgeshire (2 May 2007)
- 62. Revisited: The Tuscany Castle, Tuscany, Italy (9 May 2007) (From Abroad)
- 63. The Glass & Timber House, Dulwich, London (16 May 2007)
[edit] Series Eight, 2008
- 64. The Underground House, Cheltenham (16 January 2008)
- 65. The Decagon House, Oxford (23 January 2008)
- 66. The Modernist Sugar Cube, Bristol (30 January 2008)
- 67. The Gothic House, Monmouth (6 February 2008)
- 68. The Lime Kiln House, Midlothian (13 February 2008)
- 69. The Bath Kit House, Bath (20 February 2008)
- 70. Revisited: Masseria Impisi: An Artists' Retreat Puglia, Italy (27 February 2008) (From Abroad)
- 71. Revisited: The Wooden Box, Peterborough (5 March 2008) (From Series Three)
- 72. Revisited: Customised German Kit House, Surrey (12 March 2008) (From Series Four)
- 73. Revisited: The Victorian Threshing Barn, Surrey (19 March 2008) (From Series Three)
- 74. Revisited: The Underground House, Cumbria (26 March 2008) (From Series Three)
- 75. The Hi Tech Bungalow, Maidstone (2 April 2008)
[edit] Grand Designs Indoors (2001)
- 1. The Former Electricity Sub-Station, Sunderland (1 March 2001) - Anne and Richard Curtis have found a disused electricity substation in Sunderland. And set about converting it into a large four bedroom family home on a tight budget. Never having been to Morocco, but are taking inspiration from a Moroccan Interiors book. Trying to keep costs down Richard does most of the work himself while trying to hold down a day job as a Policeman.
- 2. The Barbican Flat, London (8 March 2001) - Financial Analyst Yuen-Wei Chew commissions Paul Daly, top nightclub designer, (this was his first time doing a domestic interior) to redesign the interior of his fifth floor, 1 bedroom 750sq ft, Barbican flat. As a vision of contemporary living with a fusion of two strong design elements, Zen meets Pop. With an initial budget of around £20,000, but with bespoke elements such as a walk-in wardrobe costing £6,000 and window blinds costing £9,000, things soon go out of control with the total being closer to £115,000
- 3. The Dilapidated Georgian House, London (15 March 2001) - Featuring Tony and Sharon Relph, a couple restoring a dilapidated 200 year old Georgian house in London, to its former glory. They have very little money and plan to do most of the work themselves If they manage to restore the grade two listed house in the Georgian style, the council will allow them to live there rent free for a period of their lease. They peel back layers of wallpaper to find a historical scrapbook of finishes which is donated to The English National Heritage. A modern interpretation of a period home with close attention to detail and sensitive repair. This is a true labour of Love
- 4. The Half-Timbered Cottage, Cheltenham (22 March 2001) - Kathryn and Charlie Raywood set about renovating a farmhouse cottage. The couple draw inspiration from Sainte Chapelle, Shakespeare’s birthplace and Gwidyr Castle. They start to strip the place back to its medieval roots. But with a meager budget of just £10,000 the basic structural work to the house eats up 80% of the budget, leaving a mere £2,000 for all decoration including a new kitchen, bathroom, lavish fabrics, tapestries and medieval furniture. They resort to enlisting family and friends to get things back on track. They buy Asian antiques which resemble medieval originals at a fraction of the price and up their overdraft in an attempt to get the project completed.
- 5. The Shaker Style Summer House and Thames Houseboat , Devon & London (29 March 2001) - Featuring renowned artist Damien Hirst and his wife Maia Norman, a couple who are pursuing the ultimate dream - a personally designed, secluded Shaker style summer house in the grounds of his country home (in Devon), as a retreat from the big bad world. Designer Mike Rundell, whom he worked with to create the Pharmacy restaurant in West London, to help him with his challenge. Maia is getting to work on their new houseboat in Chelsea (overall budget of £300,000 including the purchase of the boat), with the hope of turning it into the perfect London hang-out.
- 6. The Regency Home, Brighton (5 April 2001) - Hayley and Pedro Castle have lived in Brighton for 5 years in a small regency style cottage near the seafront. They want to clear out their place and start again. Using the ‘St Martins’ Lane Hotel’ as inspiration, they plan to modernise their home into a light, airy and totally modern space. The planned budget is just £23,000. As the work starts, all does not run smoothly, tensions run high as they fall out with the main contractor, after the property is plagued with structural problems, damp and leaks. Despite all of these nightmares, delays and overspending, the results in the end are very glamorous.
[edit] Grand Designs Abroad (2004)
- 1. Modernist Villa, Málaga, Spain (8 September 2004)
- 2. House From Straw, Lot, France (15 September 2004)
- 3. Masseria Impisi: An Artists' Retreat, Puglia, Italy - Il Collegio (22 September 2004) (Revisted in Series Eight)
- 4. 19th Century Manor House, Creuse, France - Chez Jallot (29 September 2004) (Revisted in Series Six)
- 5. Church Conversion, Ireland (6 October 2004)
- 6. The Tuscany Castle, Tuscany, Italy (13 October 2004) (Revisted in Series Seven)
- 7. 300 Year Old Chalet, Les Gets, France (20 October 2004) (Revisted in Series Six)
- 8. Florida Villa, Alicante, Spain (27 October 2004)
[edit] Grand Designs: Trade Secrets
[edit] Series One, 2007
- 1. The 14th Century Castle (28 February 2007)
- 2. Thatched Cottage, Hampshire (7 March 2007)
- 3. The Eco-Barge (14 March 2007)
- 4. The Rooftop Penthouse (21 March 2007)
- 5. Carmarthen Revisit (28 March 2007)
- 6. Birmingham Church (4 April 2007)
- 7. The Art-Deco House (11 April 2007)
- 8. Peckham Revisited (18 April 2007)
- 9. Argyll Revisited (25 April 2007)
- 10. The Hexagonal House (2 May 2007)
- 11. The Tuscany Castle Revisited (9 May 2007)
- 12. Dulwich Glass & Timber House (16 May 2007)
[edit] Series Two, 2008
- 13. The Underground House, Cheltenham (16 January 2008)
- 14. The Decagon House, Oxford (23 January 2008)
- 15. The Sugar Cube House, Bristol (30 January 2008)
- 16. The Gothic House, Monmouth (6 February 2008)
- 17. The Lime Kiln House, Midlothian (13 February 2008)
- 18. The Kit House, Bath (20 February 2008)
- 19. Puglia (27 February 2008)
- 20. The Wooden Box, Peterborough (5 March 2008)
- 21. The Huf Haus, Surrey (12 March 2008)
- 22. The Barn Conversion, Surrey (19 March 2008)
- 24. The Underground House, Cumbria (26 March 2008)
- 25. The Hi Tech Bungalow, Maidstone (2 April 2008)
[edit] External links
- Grand Designs at Channel4.com
- Grand Designs Live website
- Grand Designs Magazine Awards
- Grand Designs Magazine
- Media Ten
- The Woodland House - a book describing Ben Law's House
- Peckham House Monty shows how they shoehorned his house onto the sliver of land in Peckham.
- Barbican Flat Article about Yuen-Wei Chew, now famous for the £9000 blinds in his Barbican flat
- The Underground House The low energy earth-sheltered house built in a disused quarry site in the east of Cumbria.
- Cloud 8 Tom Perry's personal account of the difficulties in building his innovative dream house in Buckinghamshire
- Grand Designs Indoors
- The Cheltenham Underground House from Series Eight
- The Victorian Threshing Barn from Series Three
