Grand Designs

[Phil Pascoe]

Anyone see Grand Designs last night? What a truly awful building - it didn't surprise me one little bit that it was owned/designed by an architect. I suppose we all see and think about things differently, but one thing I did think was that I would have wanted every last bit of steelwork in situ and fitted before anyone even thought about measuring for windows, doors etc.
Surely when you already know the building is not parallel, uniform in height, section or anything else, it's foolish to make doors, windows, cladding etc. off a plan and expect them to fit.

 

[chippy1970]

I didn't think it was that bad. Quite basic but ok. I guess the windows and doors etc had to be measured off drawing as like they said on the show it would have meant big hold ups. They tend to exaggerate things on grand designs, you know as soon as Kevin mentions something then a few minutes later wow it happens :lol:. For example he made a big point of when they had to cover the neighbours roof then low and behold it leaked. If you watch enough of these shows you realize its cleverly edited to make the presenter look like a genius . Any shows with Sarah Beeny are the same.

 

[jasonB]

As Chippy says its all to do with lead in times. You can bet that if they waited until site dimensions could have been taken then Kevin would be going on about how the job stood still for 3 months until it was watertight and the cost of access and rented accomodation this would have created.

If a job went to plan he would be stuck for something to talk about.

Given that they wanted to keep the building as much like the original open space as possible I think they did a good job and kept that industrial look.

J

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I agree with both of you on some points, but would you rather wait a few weeks for accurate measurements, or faff around for that long trying to fit things that don't fit? There's a bit of a trade of there, I'd have thought - they over ran well on time and budget (£100,000). I saw one of these a while ago that had such an odd design that even K.Mc.C. said he wondered if it was no more than an excercise in professional vanity. (The couple were both architects). One architect a few weeks ago went over budget - he estimated £300,000 and spent £580,000 - I'm surprised he had any clients left if they had seen that one. It always seems to me that the architect designed ones seem the most uninhabitable. I do accept that it is made for T.V. though - sometimes what isn't shown or said is probably as important as what is.

 

[kostello]

If you watch enough of these shows you realize its cleverly edited to make the presenter look like a genius . Any shows with Sarah Beeny are the same.

like that one she did that should hgave been called help i've got leaky gutters......................

 

[devonwoody]

I thought it was rediculous really, to spend 600K like that.

Think what could be purchased for that sought of money/

I reckon neighbours would have paid him to dismantle and purchased his land.

Then he could have built elsewhere cheaper and with some decent privacy etc.

 

[chippy1970]

I thought it was rediculous really, to spend 600K like that.

Think what could be purchased for that sought of money.

That's cheap for central London

 

[devonwoody]

Camden Town :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: urgh.

I knew it well 70 years ago, saw it again this year and I still think the same.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I thought it was rediculous really, to spend 600K like that.

Think what could be purchased for that sought of money.

That's cheap for central London

Don't forget it was £600,000 on top of the £500,000 purchase price.

 

[devonwoody]

Looks like we could be heading for another credit crunch, do you think it was all their own money?