We love having a bit of Grand Designs chat here at LIV for Interiors. From disaster properties that collapse midway through a project, to financial woes and even family breakups, a build doesn’t come without drama!

The award-winning Channel 4 programme inspires and delights us, yet it keeps us in a realistic mind set, as we’re all a little afraid of embarking on a project of our own! Unless it’s a mini-makeover - we’re partial to a new lick of paint or updating our bathroom tiles, but we’d rather sit back, relax and watch others take the plunge!

Want to find out our opinions on the best and worst projects? Then read on below to find out our top 3 for each..

The Best Properties on Grand Designs

Graveyard Lodge, London

It split opinions, but we’re big fans of the show’s most costly project. A lodge and a 1960s toilet block set within a West London cemetery was transformed into an outstanding home. With a basement complete with a wine cellar and a 13-metre swimming pool, a moat and an indoor waterfall, no expense was spared to create this magnificent home. With 5 bedrooms and the perfect blend of the old and the new, we’d really like to have a snoop around this house!

Carved from Stone, Worcestershire

Carved within an 800-year-old cave, this unusual home is a work of art. A hobbit house set within remote woodland, the owner purchased the dwelling for £62,000 and created a real life ‘man cave’. Unassuming from the outside, yet beautifully decorated throughout, the property’s natural character, with its bumpy surface, is simply charming. The owner’s passion and determination throughout meant he was able to take on the majority of the work himself, creating a truly bespoke and beautifully crafted cosy home that he can be proud of.

Shipping Containers, County Derry

We were really impressed with the use of old shipping containers for this Irish home. An ingenious way to create a home on an achievable budget, the owner opted for a bold and contemporary approach to design by balancing shipping containers on top of each other. Inspired by farm buildings, the containers blended into the countryside with the use of dark agricultural colours, which also perfectly zoned the different areas of the home. Modern and contemporary the property was tastefully furnished to create a simplistic space from which to enjoy the surrounding rural views.

https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/grand-designs-houses/shipping-container-home-county-derry-2014/

The Worst Properties on Grand Designs

Chesil Cliff House, Devon

Probably the saddest episode we’ve ever watched, this disaster-laden property suffered delays, set backs, financial stress – with loans totalling £3 million, and it even cost the owners their marriage. Located on a rocky outcrop on the North Devon coast, the build took almost 10 years to complete and sat idle for years, creating an eyesore that the locals compared to a North Korean missile bunker! Over ambitious, with tricky foundations required to ensure the building wouldn’t be disrupted by erosion, the project incurred problems throughout, with money being the biggest issue – there was simply none left! The good news however, is that the project is finally complete and is now on sale for £10 million with Knight Frank.

The Gravity Defying Eco-build, Kent

Being based in Kent, a few of us at LIV for Interiors have passed by the rather peculiar curved eco-house situated within rural farmland. If you watched the episode, you might recall the hand-made clay tiles (glued together with plaster of Paris – madness!) collapsing in halfway through the build – luckily no one was injured, but it still makes us feel nervous and we’re not sure we’d cope well sleeping under the arches! Although visually we’re not so keen on this one, we do think its eco-credentials are something to be impressed by. With a wild grassy roof, south-facing solar panels and a concrete base formed from 50% recycled content, it’s an impressively eco home.

Dinton Castle, Buckinghamshire

We didn’t enjoy this quirky folly restoration. Bought for just £100,000 without the knowledge that planning permission would be granted, the couple planned to create a family home for them and their two children. Our major issue with the project is that it was just two bedrooms! Not ideal for a growing family, and the homeowners didn’t even look happy at the end, it must have dawned on them that this home wasn’t suitable for their needs. With a compact snug, a twisted stone staircase and even a flight of stairs leading to the entrance, the property was simply not suitable for little ones. We’re also not fans of brown windows here, so aesthetically we were not wowed either. On sale for £850,000 in 2019, and still for sale to this day (August 2021) the priced has been slashed to £700,000.

Agree or disagree with our opinions? Let us know your favourite and least favourite projects in the comments box below.

We have teamed up with Grand Designs Live to offer you two free weekday tickets to this year’s event, taking place at Birmingham’s NEC from 6-10 October.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration, are planning a home project, or need some help with the finishing touches, the live exhibition, based on Channel 4’s Grand Designs, is the best place to find ideas, advice, and the products you need, to make your home a success.

How to Claim Your Tickets:

Visit the link here and enter our unique code: LIVGDL

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