We'll be in by Christmas... No really! (Grand Designs)

Member Name: waterlilly

Product:	Grand Designs
Date:	02/07/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Kevin McCloud, some really amazing design

Disadvantages: Whiny home builders, short series up until this one

My husband and I have a low tolerance for reality television and often find ourselves skipping aimlessly through channels. More often than not we wind up watching a Top Gear rerun, but second to that is Grand Designs. Aired on Channel 4, Grand Designs, is often rerun on More 4. Hosted by the delightful design expert Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs is now in its 9th series.

In many ways a traditional home building program, Grand Designs follows a couple seeking to make a new life for themselves by building their own home. These homes are never your straight forward home hence the "grand" in the title. From a folly to a water tower, some of the families decide to take on buildings that are already standing. Others decide to build with non-traditional materials (such as tires) or in unique locations (there is a series of Grand Designs Abroad). One finds ones self keen to see how the building turns out no matter how annoying the couple may be. Trust me, my husband has a low tolerance for annoying home builders, particularly ones who mouth off to McCloud. Each episode follows the project for several months, tending to focus on the real highs and lows of the building experience.

McCloud really makes the program grand. He truly loves architecture and design getting excited about the building process. It is his role to add a little drama and so tends to question many of the decisions that the home owners make a long the way. Over the series he's also gotten better and better at explaining the building process to those of us who are rather less informed (I recognise a hammer, that's about the extent of my diy savvy). Some of his demonstrations have involved cardboard boxes and crackers. Despite obviously being highly knowledgeable McCloud always shows up to do some work often sporting delightful wellies. He is down to earth and earnest and truly seems to love returning to the buildings once the family has settled in to see how it has changed their lives.

One of Kevin McCloud's favourite properties is also my husband's all time favourite and the show has revisited at least twice. For those who have not seen the show, every season there are a couple of episodes that revisit a property from the past. This involves about 50 minutes of reused footage from the original episode and ends with McCloud going back, often a few years later, to see how the building and family have grown and changed. While this sounds like a bit of a cop-out, you find yourself enjoying it all the same!

Anyway, our favourite property was a modest timber frame home built by woodsman Ben from the materials to be found in the woods. Built by volunteers, fuelled by Ben's open air cooking, the little building is now the three bedroom home for Ben, his wife, their son and daughter. Kevin's envy of Ben's work shop is rivalled by my own husband's. I'm a little concerned we may wind up wandering around Sussex looking for it so my husband can beg to move in with them.

The show has taught me many things. It has taught me to stay away from listed properties as they are a dangerous, expensive undertaking and castle walls may collapse on everyone! Grand Designs percentages indicate that started a build will make you 100 times more fertile and you will wind up pregnant before the house is completed. The people who believe that building a new house will change their lives and it will be all rainbows, sunshine and fluffy bunnies are sadly mistaken. Also, you will never actually move in Christmas. It just won't happen! My husband and I have agreed that the only way we will ever build our own home is if we can get Kevin McCloud to agree to come visit us weekly through the whole process because otherwise it will be the end of our marriage.

Side note: best television moment our household has ever experiences was when Kevin McCloud actually appeared on Top Gear. It was almost like the world imploded and was replaced by a whole new level of amazing. Now if only Jeremy Clarkson would decide to build a house entirely out of speed cameras on Grand Designs.

Summary: If it's interesting enough Kevin McCloud might come help you build it.