Grand Designs

Another homebuilding series focusing strictly on the objects of design and nothing about the people who invest and labor on it? These home projects are carefully curated process tracks, spanning years. They're about real people and most with limited funds. Without their dramatic stakes revealed in each episode, you have but a nice glossy Architectural Record on TV. I couldn't watch it. Space without people interacting with it is meaningless to a lot of us!

And here they're not all brutalist modern/ Scandinavian plank designs-- although my personal taste runs to that look-- where walls and furniture provide their own function yet can be a tabula rasa for bespoke decoration, if any! No, many of the episodes I've seen reveal some way-out structures that would show up in National Geographic - don't want to give anything away here-- but it doesn't get much more diverse. These process shows are a real eyeful, with a perfect balance of visioned people, old and new tech, and the built environment.

If Kevin and crew shows up for a USA tour and are looking for a good editor-- sign me up! I live for this stuff. That's how I feel about this distinctive series.

Thanks to Netflix for the four seasons I've binged thus far-- I realize this series goes back 20 years.

'Grand Designs' is a very good program in which it follows people building their dream houses and all the dilemmas that come with it. I must admit a lot of the designs are very modern, quite impractical - definitely not my cup of tea, but it's a great show but I wonder why anyone would want to live in that sort of house. Just my opinion. That's why it's nice to see people's creative sides work, see what other people like, see people's dreams unfold before your eyes. The presenter is very good - he actually writes it himself, which is definitely a credit to him! All in all, a great show, very entertaining!

What's about all those people thinking they could be project coordinators in their spare time? Or they don't need an architect? Of course, the show wouldn't be as interesting without it, but the same old same old budget problem is getting a little annoying. First they want to build their dream home as big and pompous as possible But all of them have wrong budget expectations. Then they want it built in months during the worst possible snow and rain storms. And in the end they magically have enough money for it, but it took 4 years instead of 2. I love seeing new ides for houses, learn more about architecture and building problems, but I don't need the personal drama in each episode. Will they have enough money? Will the weather get better? Will they finally move in? That gets a little boring. The architecture itself should be the focus. And the building site.

When this show first started, we quickly compiled a "drinking game" checklist: 1) Will blow the budget. 2) Won't finish within timeline. 3) Want to be in by Christmas. 4) Underfloor heating. 5) Woman gets pregnant before the build is done.

A few years on now, and underfloor heating is so commonplace, they don't really show it anymore, and there are very few pregnancies now, but items 1, 2 and 3 are still tested and true.

Without a doubt, Grand Designs (including AU and NZ) is one of our top shows to enjoy as a family.

It's a tv show about building your own home in the UK and Ireland. It shows the up and downs and difficulties involved in a self build. Reviews here on IMDB are pretentious to say the least. Over aliasing every aspect of it it's a diy show for mid week tv pre prime time. And just to say one last thing. 18 years it running. Season 18. So it's doing something right.