Thread: Grand Designs

Funny, how you guys mention craftspeople etc - the thing I have noticed is how many old fashioned and non mechanised tools they use. Last week was a clangery - the architect guy was amazed by a ramset gun !!! Gee, thats a new bit of gear, never seen one of them........

Second example, is how many times you see an impulse gun - I've only seen them on about 3 shows so far, and plenty of carpenters actually using hand driven nails in frame work - LOL. One mans craftperson is anothers old timer sticking to slower less efficient ways I suppose ;D

My favourite show of the week though, and it is not even remotely a reflection of the UK - the UK is even worse than here for project homes. Though over there project homes are even more old fashioned, and built in village format, then sold off after completion - developers building entire tudor copy villages near the local motorway. Both countries have populations obsessed with comfortable same as the neighbour, same as their grandmothers built type housing - not helped of course by councils who also seem to think the same way, and see historic significance in a cottage designed to last 40 years built 100 years ago!

Loved the winged roof story - I have always thought that good design is also about intelligence of design, so for me, a winged roof belongs on a house with a central partition holding up said roof in the centre, and pre lining was always a disaster waiting to happen - sheesh - its hard enough ensuring a completed house has no leaks, let alone a half finished one!

Originally Posted by Sir Stinkalot

John,

I don't disagree that a better job takes longer and costs more, and that many people are happy with a second class job if it is slightly cheaper.

The savings can be quite significant not just slightly cheaper

Originally Posted by Sir Stimkalot

Just disagree with the remark that the show in question only picks the unique houses with high costs. I feel that the show does very well to pick interesting people who have a real passion for what they are doing, this passion then goes on to create the unique house, some times resulting in high costs, other times not so costly.

Appreciate your comment, point taken.

love the show watch it every week gets me how they gut a building completely and the outside walls dont fall down with my luck would take a roof tile off and the whole lot would come down
they certainly find some different hse and also interesting seeing the different styl\es of construction and have also noticed that they dont seem to use nail guns etc so much over there i had thought most builders had embraced the things
and also gets me that they build a lot of hses with flat roofs and they are only sealed with tar ( stuff ?) and have never seen a sheet of custom ord used yet lol

Originally Posted by chromis

It's a shame we don’t have the same kind of craftsmen here in Perth.

We do! I'm right here

On now !

Total nuts! Bulding that house in amongst all those blocks of ugly flats. They really want people to notice them don't they

Watched it while cooking dinner. These people are blissfully ignorant of how ignorant they actually are. I think that when these people manage to end up with a good end productit's more through the good fortune of finding good, reliable and conscientious tradesmen rather than any skill on their part.

Mick

got me that hse amonsgt the flats where are the building inspectors i mean they where cuting lumps of concrete off here and welding steel on there and they never seem to have plans that they have to stick

would like to see a onther show on it revisiting all they hses that arent finished in a year and see what they look like after a yr or to of living in

After reading the forums reports on the show I watched last night. They mustn't have building inspectors like here, welding 3 feet of steel onto a short curved length, I wouldn't accept that. Cutting the 'footing' to suit the wrong windows. And talk about over capitalization, a house costing that in a slum wat is it position,position.position. I was hoping it would be like "This Old House" on pay TV. But I will watch it again.

les

Wasn't a bad looking house in its own right, the architects deserve praise, just a shame it wasn't carried out properly by a crew where everyone knew what they were doing! The actual position amongst flats like that was a bit off-putting, but maybe that's London (I think that's where it was)
Did notice the lack of nail guns in the framing work, as noted before, so maybe just Australia is big on losing the hammer. Is US the same?

Originally Posted by les88

I was hoping it would be like "This Old House" on pay TV.
les

I had pay TV some years back, and if that's the show I'm thinking of, I'm glad Grand Designs isn't!! It was nothing more than a rolling ad for the latest and usually most expensive DIY product, and couldn't watch it again after they finished an otherwise reasonable house with faux timber period window frames, a.k.a plastic!
Like you Les, I will be watching it again, just a pity its on at the only time I get to watch the news...maybe that isn't a downside!?

Cheers,

It is a great eye opener at what others are doing.

The only Australaian show that goes close to Grand Designs is Great Australain Sandcastles but the houses are finished.

When ever we finish a job and it is something special we say to our selfs (me and some of my workers) "This should be on GD".

I worked on houses recenlty that can stand side by side with those shown on GD. all it takes is a designer with a passion for detail and a cilent with deep or willing pockets.

I didn't find last weeks to be the best of shows .... the house was impressive enough but I couldn't stand the woman (client/owner). To think that she could save €100K by doing the project management herself with no experience was stupid. It was just lucky that she had a good team that managed to bring it all together ...... then again perhaps getting the right people made her a good project manager?

Watched Grand Designs last night. The house was built from plans in the bloke's head. No prior submission of plans to the local council or authority for approval before commencement of building. Is this the way it is/common ?

I think you'll find that was construction certification only.

The planning approval took two and a half years, and there were definitely drawings done for that. It was all a bit strange really (the drawing thing I mean!).

Cheers,

P