*brilliant* revisit - and a truly unexpected final result. A truly astonishing couple - shifting lamp posts and building roofs barehanded.
The end result in the interior wasn't to my own taste - far too minimal (where do they keep the hoover? coats? shower gel??) but clearly utterly personal to them.
As for the open air bath arrangement - I've never seen anything like it in my life!! I guess after a life on mountains and in camper vans their need for privacy may be different from stuffy old gits like me.
I guess GD is the polar opposite of PL - everything being as idiosyncratic, personal and un-resaleable as possible.
And lovely to see gorgeous Kevin back on our screens, and in my own city to boot.
Yeah, but what energy and ambition, i'm renovatin an old semi at the moment, thay just took my breath away with thier drive and determination. I bet if you tried to move alamp post in the south of England some one would be on you like a ton of bricks As for the bath pretty cool i reckon, my girlfriend who was watching it away from home asked if we could somehow incorporate it into ours! Semi, er think not!! Otherwise great.
Great GD,and I couldn't help feeling envious of their youth and muscles! (add in ability to work at terrifying heights too!)
I loved the interior for the, light, sense of space and vitality and the whole building has a certain quirkiness that made it very individual and special to them. The romantic chimney pots for example!
This GD reminded me of the one in Italy where the stonemason made the arches, another real hands on job with masses of creativity.
If you are looking in, Reuben & April congrats on a interesting programme and I hope you will live a little more safely in future and enjoy your house.
Really impressive result. But even I'm not too sure about placing the bath centre-stage, at least when there didn't appear to be a shutter or curtain in the whole place... Reuben, are you still around? I haven't noticed your posting recently... Just wondered if you had 'designs' on further use of the new skill-set!
Their commitment to the project was outstanding and it obviously 'washed them out' by the end of the project. Did you notice the cost though?£175k and look how much work they put in themselves! I am a strong believer in rescuing buildings such as these from demolition and replacing them with a Grumpy Prescott cardboard shoebox, so full marks to the pair of them!
It was good to be reminded of their hard work and determination, so impressive. The end result looked great, I really liked the downstairs. I wasn't so sure about upstairs space, where the design seemed to mean they lost floorspace. I've seen baths in bedrooms before, nice idea. And I really loved the spiral staircase with the wrought iron balustrades but wooden treads and handrail, nice looking and practical.
I couldn't live in it as I am not an open plan fan, but it was obviously ideal for them.
I'm confused - no change there then!!! Why can I "picture" the interior when I didn't see the programme (yes readers, I watched something OTHER than Kevin last night ). Has the interior featured in one of the GD magazines at some time???
I think I'm *thinking* of the end of the orignal programme then - I can picture very white walls and huge spaces and the staircase was in I *think*!!???
I know what you mean Wandapops - I thought I had seen it finished before - maybe it was the computer graphics they showed at the end of the first programme.
Anyway, enjoyed the revisit, loved the fire, liked the underfloor heating but I could not live there as I have far too much clutter!
**Just wants to pass some time without any hassle**
I loved the house. I thought that the combination of quite severe clean lines in some places and the quirky and slightly mad stuff in others worked really well, although I am not sure why it did!
I would not have a bath in the bedroom - but then I don't like baths anyway. But then it is their house, not mine, and if ever there was a house which suited the personalities of its owners, this was it.
Have to agree with you Percy. I would have liked to use the stone ( which they did brilliantly outside ) internally, and followed the roof line with ceilings. They could still have kept the loft style this way. I thought the curved beam didn't work - the proportions were wrong- it needed a more rectangular building, which would have given more scope upstairs. But hey, it's their house, not mine. I thought they were great.
I think this one one of the best GD ever, really interesting following their progress seeing their methods ideas etc and the house was brilliant.
It was really great that this programme had almost no background music, unlike some of the programmes when it has been whining away in the background through most of the programme. As I said about Time Team, when there is no background music the programme is much more realistic because it is the nearest experience a tv viewer can have to actually being there, the people on the programme don't have to suffer background music and nor should the viewers.
***************** Stop racism & smokerism ***************** Which is zen? The head in the stars, Or the body in the chair?
i liked what they did, bought i thought it looked a little bare inside, i agree about the hoover thing. not a child frendly home but quite lovely in it's own way.
the biggest thing i was worried about was ruebens hair....
"pass the hammer junior ~ daddy's got a fly on his head"
. As I said about Time Team, when there is no background music the programme is much more realistic because it is the nearest experience a tv viewer can have to actually being there, the people on the programme don't have to suffer background music and nor should the viewers.
You are so right Sheldon Boy , I really enjoyed this programme though more the second half, the first half somewhat going over old ground. There was a sense of adventure, danger and frustration plus the exciting moment the curved steel was being fitted and as you said, all this and no annoying music.
. As I said about Time Team, when there is no background music the programme is much more realistic because it is the nearest experience a tv viewer can have to actually being there, the people on the programme don't have to suffer background music and nor should the viewers.
You are so right Sheldon Boy , I really enjoyed this programme though more the second half, the first half somewhat going over old ground. There was a sense of adventure, danger and frustration plus the exciting moment the curved steel was being fitted and as you said, all this and no annoying music.
spongemum, yes, if only all episodes of GD were free of annoying music then they would all be near perfect.
***************** Stop racism & smokerism ***************** Which is zen? The head in the stars, Or the body in the chair?
I thought the end result was fantastic. The outside and groudn floor were stunning, the first floor not to my taste but obviously to theirs which is what matters. I did worry about the lack of curtains/blinds etc especially bearing in mind the nearby towerblocks.
What an incredible amount of work they did - much better than seeing people throw money at someone else to create them their dream home without ever lifting a finger themselves.
If you are looking in, Reuben & April congrats on a interesting programme and I hope you will live a little more safely in future and enjoy your house.
Yes we are looking in , though neither of us have seen the programme yet ! We've just this second got back from a ten day offroad motorbiking tour in Morocco, (the Sahara and Atlas mountains-Honest !) as payment to ourselves for all our hard graft.
Thanks for all the positive (and the honest) comments. It definately is an "idiosyncratic, personal" house though as to whether it proves "un-resaleable" we will have to wait a while to find out ! Hopefully it might inspire people to build things that are more personal to them rather than the future occupiers !
Gotta go- we starving and the pub shuts for food soon- We're desparate for some nachos cos its been chicken tagine and cous cous every night recently...
"The life of the creative man is led ,directed and controlled by boredom" -Saul Steinberg
a 10 day off roading motorbike holiday? good lordy. that exhausts me just looking at it. anyway thanks for replying rueben. and honestly your house was personal and interesting but your hair is still scarey.
good luck for future
"pass the hammer junior ~ daddy's got a fly on his head"
In reply to Percy Vere - (an apt name since its also the local motto of Leith {in its normal spelling}- and was nearly on the chimney pots) The inside contemporary layout doesnt really affect the house since it it could be removed- not easily I admit- but still possible since the house has externally been given another 100+ years of life (I hope !). During the demolition there was clear evidence of major renovations in the past:the main house being younger than the rear wall by decades; new window openings in the old wall; 1930's terrazo flooring downstairs, cement pointing (aaargh!); two differing internal wall layouts; rewiring, plumbing etc. Hopefully the work we have done will provide us (and others eventually) with plenty of pleasure in the future and when it is no longer suitable for anyone then it can be remodelled once again - who knows maybe in Grand Designs Series 104
In reply to Freckle... Since April and I like to throw ourselves into challenges we have agreed to go down to the Grand Designs Live event at ExCeL on the Friday 10th June to talk with Kevin in some kind of seminar thing (I'm sweating it already !) so you might get to see the hair in real life ! If thats not enough I think Ben Law (the "guy with the crazy house in the woods" from an earlier series) is due to be on with us.
and also...
In search of a free meal (as long as its not chicken tagine) we have entered the Direct Line Home of the Year comp and have just been put in the final eight ! If anyone feels energetic enough to vote you can at...
... remember to check out the other entrants to be fair . Our house is the "Mr Welch ,Edinburgh" one not the other Edinburgh one if you've been for a beer before voting and cant see the pictures too clearly ! You need to put in a few details but Apes and I will send you all a toast on the night if you do !).
"The life of the creative man is led ,directed and controlled by boredom" -Saul Steinberg
I've never seen anything like it in my life!! I guess after a life on mountains and in camper vans their need for privacy may be different from stuffy old gits like me. 
Yeah, but what energy and ambition, i'm renovatin an old semi at the moment, thay just took my breath away with thier drive and determination.
I'm confused - no change there then!!! 
