Top 10 Grand Designs Disasters

This homes and renovation show isn't always a success story! For this list, WatchMojo UK counts down the most spectacular, unforgettable and unfortunate disasters on Channel 4's "Grand Designs". Including a doomed river barge, a destined-to-fail London tower, and a eco house that did more harm than good!

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[WatchMojoUK]

Top 10 Incredible Grand Designs Creations

[hoagy_ytfc]

The one phrase you always want to hear is “to save money, we’re project-managing ourselves”. Definitely a recipe for entertaining disaster.

[stephenjohnston]

No 10 was one of the most beautiful houses to ever feature on the show, and some of the nicest, most talented, hard-working people. They didn't deserve what happened to them.

[LitteJeanie]

Things I've learned from Grand Designs. Whatever your budget is, assume you need double. However long you think it will take, assume it will take twice as long. The more conceited you start out, the more likely you will fail. And don't build on cliffs.

[sukijay]

I have nothing but admiration for these people with big ambitions to build their dream houses. My husband and I engaged an architect and a professional builder to do a fairly minor conversion to our house and even that went wrong.

[BrentODell]

As an American, one of the things I always enjoyed about this show it the possibility of failure. It's not that I WANT to see people fail, but American/Canadian shows will create fake drama, but always end up with (at least the illusion of..) a happy ending. It's silly and unrealistic.

[Polyphemus.]

Nothing will ever beat UK Grand Designs. That perfect blend of hubris, low intelligence and no money is beautifully entertaining. Unfortunately the Australian and Kiwi versions never seem to be able to track down any proper lunatics and most of the builds are usually well-funded and completed in a reasonable time frame. Nice houses, but nowhere near as entertaining.

[peterlatham]

My favourite episode was Grand Designs UK where the guy bought an old Railway Station and set about making it a home. He made all the windows and cabinetry himself and it was a fabulous home built to an extremely high standard. He was building the home whilst also working and Kevin kept on asking him how he could afford it. His reply was something I will always remember. He said “ Well I started with nothing and I’ve managed to hang onto most of it ! “. A very clever owner, designer and builder and I remember it being up there with the best !

[IrishKeshiHead]

I feel sorry for the folks who created their Eco house.. it looked lovely to be fair!

[NathanEllery]

As a building designer, I've learnt a lot of wisdom lessons from GD that I pass on to my clients, particularly because they are also building custom projects.

[Bazookatone]

I remember when the eco barge episode was broadcast, my mum got angry at the guy because the girlfriend owned a flat which she sold to pay for the whole project, and he just squandered the money. I'd be curious if they're still together.
I always feel a little sorry for poor Kevin McCloud he alwys has to try and find something positive to say, even when its clear the whole idea is a disaster in the making, his favourite go-to is "they refuse to compromise their vision", which is a great euphemism for "they're stupid and they don't know it".
Grand Designs is like watching the Dunning Kruger effect in action.

[benodaboy]

My favourite is one ever, is the barn conversion on the most recent season. An example of great, simple, practical architectures.

[gordonpatrick]

Anyone else noticed the wives always end up having kids 9 months after meeting Kevin???

[peterjames]

I was the Agent selling the watertower and it was incredible doing viewings in

[pippipster]

I plan to build a palace with 300 rooms.… But I only have £15 in the bank.

[gcrichards]

Number 1 was the biggest disaster ever, and no surprise from the start really, the guy had an ego bigger than the house he was trying to build. His poor wife and kids living through that hell for years, only for it to be still unfinished was a salutary lesson for all self builds.

[rogerking]

Why do so many of the houses on Grand Designs feature rooms with at least one outside wall made entirely of glass? It's so unimaginative _and_ I'd feel like a zoo exhibit living in them, even if they were set in large grounds.

[denisegore]

2 million over budget, and there's me trying to scrape up $40 for a tin of varnish.

[rspandit]

“Are you going for a pitched roof in this rainy country, like every other long lived building?” “No, Kevin, we’re going to ignore hundreds of years of common sense and put a flat roof on it, probably made from something that will sound like Evelyn Glennie has moved in upstairs every time it rains.”

[Justin-Theobald]

“That boat is a wonder it created itself.” The builders would say otherwise.