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Grand Designs Returns to Our Screens

Grand Designs Returns to Our Screens

By Andrew Tweddle on 16th September, 2011

Wednesday night saw the return of the king of all home shows, Grand Designs, which is now in its eleventh series. This week’s episode followed Polish Couple Stefan and Ania, as they set about on a mammoth project in the beautiful surroundings of Northumberland. The build involved renovating an old farmhouse, while adding a very large extension, made of large expanses of glass, handcrafted stonework and unusual zinc roofing.

As with many previous projects shown on Grand Designs, it quickly became clear that both budget and timescale would be considerably higher than the couple’s initial estimate. Stefan, who took on many of the building tasks himself, mentioned a mere £250,000 budget in addition to the £400,000 they had already spent on the original house. Presenter Kevin McCloud, who has heard so many of these optimistic estimates before, simply chuckled at Stefan’s naivety. The final figure was not disclosed, but we were made aware that Stefan had to return to lend money from the bank numerous times, as well as withdrawing money from his own business.

What was even more astonishing was the length of the project. Work began in 2006, and as of August 2011, when filming finished, the couple were still putting the finishing touches to the house. In fact, during the course of filming, the couple had time to get married and have two children.

However, when the project was finally finished, Stefan’s unrelenting attention to detail was clear to see. Every aspect was carefully designed and developed, which resulted in a building of immaculate standards. McCloud had his reservations, mostly about the expansive amount of steelwork, which seemed to dwarf the original cottage entirely, but accepted that it was exactly what Stefan and Ania had envisaged. Even though the project was way over budget and lasted so long, it was not meant to be sold on. It was to be their family home for many years to come, and in that respect it looked to be a real success.

 


Category:  Architecture and Design

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