eMoov’s all-time top-five ‘Grand Designs’ – do you agree with their choices?
Channel 4 TV show Grand Designs has been around for 16 seasons, providing real-estate aficionados with a full-hour of property porn, overseen by long-time host Kevin McCloud.
It wasn’t an easy choice, but here are the five best all-time Grand Designs, as chosen by top UK online estate agent eMoov.co.uk.
The House of Straw
Grand Designs is a show that gives us the most practical and imaginative home conversions ever, from barns and chapels to water towers, timber-frame kits and modern glass houses.
This season 1 favourite is what’s called The House of Straw. Located beside a railway in Islington, the house has a bedroom wrapped in a wall of straw for insulation. At the centre of the house is a five-storey tower, giving its owners a fine view of the surrounding area.
The Violin Factory
Next is a property called The Violin Factory, located near Waterloo in London. Owned by couple Louise and Milko Ostendorf, it featured on Grand Designs series 4 in 2004, with a revisit a year later.
Before, it was a crumbling wreck, but now it’s been transformed into a remarkable piece of architecture, showing that a substantial budget and engineering CPR goes a long way.
The building now features a spacious 30-foot-high reception area, a private cinema, three-car parking and a winter garden – pretty rare for properties in Central London – and can be hired as a beautiful event space.
eMoov is a fan of converting condemned buildings into residential palaces, which is why this one makes it to the top 5.
Kent Water Tower
The third featured home in this list is the Kent Water Tower, featured in Grand Designs season 6 (pictured above). For years, a water tower sat derelict in their garden until owners Bruno and Denise del Tufo decided to convert it into additional living space.
It’s not the prettiest of the lot, but it’s practical and turned out great.
Kemeys Folly – restored castle in Wales
The 18th century meets the 21st, as a Welsh couple decided to restore their 18th-century property with 21st-century trappings.
The result is stunning, and this 9th season favourite definitely deserves to be in this list.
Grillagh Water House – Patrick Bradley’s house from containers
Perhaps the most practical and modern entry in this list is the home of architect and farmer Patrick Bradley, located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
This house has a modern design and is built using modern materials. On a budget of just £100,000, Bradley welded together used shipping containers to create this stunning home, which sits over a stream on his family farm for a reliable water source.
The costs of building a home in the UK continue to rise, but this home proves that a little imagination can easily complement a meagre budget, resulting in a home worthy of being featured in Grand Designs. Recycling shipping containers isn’t only practical, its eco-friendly as well.
Thanks to Emoov, one of the UK’s leading online estate agents, for sharing its Grand Designs favourites! Do you have other highlights from the 16 series? If so, share your picks with us below.
Kent Water Tower photograph is copyright Oast House Archive and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
It’s always fun seeing the transformation people can make on tired or run-down designs. The Kemey’s Folly is a particularly impressive renovation. It’s beautiful seeing the two extreme contrasts of old and modern featured together. The designer hasn’t particularly tried to integrate them, but rather feature them both separately in their glory.