Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Grand Designs - "The Violin Factory" (SE04E01)

Lambeth (London), 21 January 2004
Louise and Milko Ostendorf wanted to build the home of a lifetime. Milko's job as a well-paid City banker meant they could think big, so Louise set up her own architectural practice and they bought a disused violin factory in the heart of London's Waterloo. The crumbling building was hemmed in on all sides and had no views, but Louise had a vision of a spectacular loft-style home that would combine stunning design with utter luxury.

Grand Designs - "The Isolated Cottage" S02E04

Brecon Beacons (Wales), 7 August 2001
Kevin McCloud travels to Wales to visit Adrian and Corrina, who have decided that their first home will be a 300-year-old ruin. The cottage is set in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Corrina and Adrian have a very small budget and an enormous amount of work to do to return the ruin to its former glory but they are eager and seemingly undaunted by the scale of the project. But how will they cope when the elements suddenly turn on them?

Grand Designs - "The Joinery Workshop" (S12E08)

London, 7 November 2012
Architect Henning Stummel and his partner Alice Dawson plan to convert a dilapidated joinery workshop in north London into a contemporary family home and office. They want to preserve the building's original steel frame, but to restore it they will have to take it down, which means carefully extracting it from the neighbours' walls without causing damage to their property - and that's just the start of the couple's problems. Kevin McCloud follows their progress.

Grand Designs - "The Edwardian Artist's Studio" (S12E06)

London, 24 October 2012
Kevin McCloud meets Audrey and Jeff, who dream of living in one of west London's most exclusive areas. However, the only way they can afford it is to go underground. Their plan is to transform a listed Edwardian artist's studio - along with 5,000 sq ft of derelict basement - into a bespoke subterranean home, complete with supersize kitchen, mezzanine sitting room, four en-suite bedrooms, a gym, cinema, steam room and wine cellar. As if the task weren't tricky enough, they are doing it without proper architect's drawings and Audrey is project managing - and the difficulties begin almost from the start.

Grand Designs - 21st Century Roman Villa (S05E09)

Belfast (Northern Ireland), 2 November 2005
This is Belfast, one of the great cities of the industrial revolution, and home to Thomas and Dervla O'Hare. They've lived here for 18 years, and although they still love their tiny cottage for its compactness, they're about to build something much, much bigger. They're building a 21st century answer to the Roman villa, with a copper roof, glass and concrete walls and vast amounts of living space all arranged around a central courtyard. In order to cope with the incredibly steep slope the house was divided across three levels. At the base of the building there is a garage and all the utilities. Through the front door a double-width processional staircase leads up to the living and dining areas.

Grand Designs - "House from Straw: Revisited" (from Grand Designs Abroad) (S10E12)

Lot (France), 1 December 2010
Kevin McCloud returns to see the Sampson family in France.

Grand Designs - "The Modest Home" (S10E03)

Woodbridge, 29 September 2010
In Woodbridge, Lucie Fairweather and Nat McBride plan a responsible, low impact, ecologically sensitive home for their young family. Nat tragically succumbs to cancer early in the build, leaving Lucie to continue on her own with a downsized version of the original design.