Living out my Grand Design dreams...

[gzoom]

Instead of paying attention to lectures at Uni, I use to waste hours watching Kevin McCloud mock and question seemingly clueless people on a mission of financial runin all in the pursuit of 'design'....

I never thought I would be lucky enough to even consider such an adventure, but life is full of possibilities, and you just have to grab every opportunity you get.

A few years ago we were lucky enough to buy our 'final' family home, amazing location, amazing plot, and a house that really needed nothing doing.

However the devil finds things to do for idle hands, and soon we were shown some drawings that were hard to ignore....

....the pièce de résistance was the interior, a 'floating' central corridor that joins two ends of the house, which will overlook a proper double height kitchen and main entrance at the same time.

 

[gzoom]

....all of that was in 2019, one thing lead to another, COVID, inflation on 35 tons of steels etc, meant lots of delays.

But almost 3 years to the dot of gaining planning permission we now have set off on the madness. Our previously perfectly good house is now a tip, and by the end of next week it'll have no back wall or roof.

......how is this all going to end?? How much is this going to cost?? Why do we need 35tons of steel in a domestic build??? Who knows, but uncertainty is surely what makes life fun .

 

[MichaelW2]

Any babies?

 

[gzoom]

Any babies?

Not planned....but who knows!!

 

[cougie uk]

Blimey - keep us informed !

 

[figbat]

I’ll be back to check on progress when you’re 23 months pregnant, it’s mid ice age, you’re living in a cardboard box and the unicorn horn cladding has been delayed again.

 

[Colin Grigson]

This should be an interesting project - please keep the thread updated with progress … lots of pics are always nice - good luck !

 

[Jameshow]

I’ll be back to check on progress when you’re 23 months pregnant, it’s mid ice age, you’re living in a cardboard box and the unicorn horn cladding has been delayed again.

Not to mention the budget is goosed and divorce is on the cards!!

One that sticks in the mind was the big white elephant 🐘 one on the north Devon coastline that literally destroyed the guys marriage / family.

 

[Mrs M]

....all of that was in 2019, one thing lead to another, COVID, inflation on 35 tons of steels etc, meant lots of delays.

But almost 3 years to the dot of gaining planning permission we now have set off on the madness. Our previously perfectly good house is now a tip, and by the end of next week it'll have no back wall or roof.

......how is this all going to end?? How much is this going to cost?? Why do we need 35tons of steel in a domestic build??? Who knows, but uncertainty is surely what makes life fun .

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Good luck! 😀

 

[geocycle]

Great project!

anyone else play Grand Design bingo? Things like unexpected pregnancy, windows are late, planning problem, fall out with architect, Kevin mentions Miese van der Rohe… Alcohol optional.

 

[fossyant]

What have you done to the house - that's major - are you still living in it ?

 

[gzoom]

What have you done to the house - that's major - are you still living in it ?

We moved out about 10 days ago, when we left this is what the kitchen looked like!!

 

[gzoom]

I’ll be back to check on progress when you’re 23 months pregnant, it’s mid ice age, you’re living in a cardboard box and the unicorn horn cladding has been delayed again.

Well I know my only use on this project is to keep the ££££££ flowing. Hanging up a picture is about my limit for DIY!!

Been looking up 0% credit cards today, though credit card limits are so low am not sure how much they will be if we do hit 'cash flow' issues .

 

[AndyRM]

Not to mention the budget is goosed and divorce is on the cards!!

One that sticks in the mind was the big white elephant 🐘 one on the north Devon coastline that literally destroyed the guys marriage / family.

The lighthouse? Pretty sure he ended up having to sell it as well.

There was also the guy who owns a cleaning company who had built a massive house, and then built an even more massive one next to it, just because he could.

As much as I love Grand Designs, I do not understand this desire to have more space than you need. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

[Slick]

The lighthouse? Pretty sure he ended up having to sell it as well.

There was also the guy who owns a cleaning company who had built a massive house, and then built an even more massive one next to it, just because he could.

As much as I love Grand Designs, I do not understand this desire to have more space than you need. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

It makes perfect sense to me as I bought my current house from a great lady who unfortunately lived on her own after losing her husband. She took my cash, bought a lovely little house that suits her needs now, and still has a fair bit to make sure she can enjoy her retirement. I plan to do much the same, so its an investment and makes perfect sense to me.