Grand Designs Best Modern House
The best houses from Grand Designs
The best houses from Grand Designs houses
Grand Designs has been the television home of incredible property projects for over a decade, and some of the creations have been truly inspired. With a whopping 17 series and over 150 properties built, it has changed the way we think about self building. We've taken a look back through the archives to find the best Grand Designs houses, from woodland wonders to hyper modern glass and steel creations...
The Eco Arch House
In 2009, Grand Designs followed the dream of Richard and Sophie Hawkes, who wanted to build a stand-alone eco-house in the Kentish countryside. The resulting eco-arch passive house was born and has been monitored ever since for its (impressive) energy consumption.
The Eco Arch House
The dome-shaped roof is an example of a framework based on a medieval design, known as timbrel vaulting. The arch is ultra-thin, reducing material waste, and the gravel and soil on top weigh down the self-supporting frame, stabilising the whole structure.
The Eco Arch House
The arch was made by gluing clay tiles together using Plaster of Paris without any formwork. And despite the thinness, it supports over 100 tonnes of soil. Over the years this soil as become home to a thriving wildflower habitat.
The Eco Arch House
Since its original construction, Crossway has now been fully landscaped, softening into its surroundings and the company continues to build inspiring projects promoting renewable technology.
The Rusty Metal House
This highly unusual home was dubbed the 'Rusty Metal House' by Kevin McCloud, and was the innovative brainchild of couple Stephen Yeoman and Anita Findlay. The pair wanted to create a cutting edge, post-industrial house covered in a weathered metal.
The Rusty Metal House
Despite its rusty exterior, inside the home boasts a modern, open-tread oak staircase that blends with the timber-clad wall of the main space, climbing to the first floor. The five bedrooms are all positioned on the riverside for incredible views.
The Rusty Metal House
Though there were concerns about local conservative building culture, architect Sandy Rendel's unusual design was completed in 2015 and went on to win some prestigious awards including the RIBA 2017 National Award, a RIBA South East Award and the Sunday Times British Home Award 2016 for the 'best one-off home in the UK'.
The Modernist Sugar Cube
Architect Martin Pease, who came up with the idea of the Sugar Cube property, was hardly an amateur. The architect, who described the project to an incredulous Kevin McCloud, had worked on an opera house at Glynde and the Los Angeles Getty Centre.
The Modernist Sugar Cube
The Sugar Cube was his first house, and it was planned for himself and his family, after they had secured a rare plot in a rather nice part of Bristol. The plan was to use luxurious materials, fixtures and fittings (one tap cost £1,000) and create a beautiful, modern and cutting-edge home.
The Modernist Sugar Cube
To build it, Pease designed a three-sided timber box and a fourth side made entirely of glass looking out over a garden, with its own swimming pool. In terms of tech, the plan was to use seven solar panels on the roof to heat the entire home.
The Modernist Sugar Cube
Kevin was pleasantly surprised, claiming: "It's quite magical, isn't it." He went on to describe the structure as "an architect's dream home, properly built with a simple palette of luxurious materials sparingly used, controlled changes of scale, beautiful detailing, and yet everywhere unremitting hard architectural lines."
Stock Orchard St Hay Bales
Sarah Wigglesworth Architects
One of the oldest houses built on Grand Designs, the straw bale house and office of 9-10 Stock Orchard Street in Islington, London, has frequently been heralded as one of its most innovative. Planning the work as far back as 1994, architects Sarah Wigglesworth and Jeremy Till were keen to create a truly green design with an exciting architectural concept.
Stock Orchard St Hay Bales
Sarah Wigglesworth Architects
The designers believed (and still do) that the main idea of architecture is not to design something perfect but create a living experience and so set out to create something that fit the bill in this desirable area of London.
Stock Orchard St Hay Bales
Sarah Wigglesworth Architects
Unusual materials were used, with straw bales making up the walls of the bedroom and back wall of the living area covered with a waterproof transparent material that reveals the underlying structure. The sloping roof is natural irrigated and able to grow plants and an L-shaped design was planned to act as a sound barrier, especially from nearby railway lines.
Stock Orchard St Hay Bales
Sarah Wigglesworth Architects
It was designed in three sections that reflect the desire for a better work/life balance: a raised office block sloping towards the living area, a great glass wall and the bedroom wing at the bottom end.
Two Cocks Farm
In 2013, Phil Palmer and his partner Michael Butcher appeared on Grand Designs with plans to build what became The Two Cocks farm and brewery. Describing the title as 'memorable but not illegal', the pair gave up their jobs in London to oversee the building of the house ready to begin their new business.
Two Cocks Farm
The farmhouse has three bedrooms with incredible panoramic views across West Berkshire, keeping the general aesthetic of the house rustic but infusing it with modern touches including a mudroom with a shower and an open plan living room with a huge retractable glass window.
Two Cocks Farm
The minimalist property sits on a historic site of the English Civil War occupying the location of the Roundhead Encampment of the first battle of Newberry, in September 1643 and the beers from the brewery use this in their names, including the 1643 Roundhead Bitter.
Two Cocks Farm
It was called 'elegant' by presenter Kevin McCloud, who said: "It is the modern equivalent of the small 18th century rural mansion with its attached farm, built for gentleman equally at home in Berkshire as in Soho. It is game-changing."
Grand Designs container house
Patrick Bradley Architects
Irish architect Patrick Bradley came up with the fantastic design for this home, created using four old shipping containers. It's located on the family farm, cantilevered over a stream, and has become known as the Grand Designs container house.
The Sea Containers Home
Patrick Bradley Architects
The 45 foot shipping containers needed to be reinforced with 10 tonnes of extra steel to prevent buckling - and it was quite a gamble by the engineers at the time. By the end you couldn't even tell what materials had been used, as the exterior was cladded in a dark grey expanded steel mesh on the upper level and the ground level in natural corten steel.
The Sea Containers Home
Patrick Bradley Architects
Bradley's original budget was £100,000, but the whole project costed an extra £33k, including this incredibly extravagant bath, which cost £16k alone.
The Decagon House
In 2008, Henry Chopping's contemporary plans for a home in Oxfordshire were featured on the programme, which followed the building of the Decagon House, hidden behind a listed wall - bringing with it some challenges and planning restrictions.
The Decagon House
These meant that only a single storey building could be constructed, and so an innovative design was born – a series of interlinking glass decagons inspired by Moroccan tents, planned to make the most of the natural sunshine. But it didn't float everyone's boat. Kevin McCloud summed it up, saying: "It may not be beautiful, but it is fascinating."
Monty's Underground House
It might not be obvious from the outside, but look a little closer and you'll see one of the most unique houses ever shown on Grand Designs - Monty's Underground Home in Peckham. Because of space, budget and permissions, Monty Ravenscroft and partner Clare Loewe built downwards, created a surprisingly bright underground home.
Monty's Underground House
Unable to afford more than what was really a driveway in Peckham, the couple and a group of their very supportive friends and family, managed to create a four-bed family home, including two bedroom 'pods' and a retractable roof. The entire plot was just 80 foot long and in some places only 13 foot wide.
Monty's Underground House
Being mostly underground, there were limited light options for the property and no external windows, but the retractable glass roof allows light to flood into the living area. And there are some other clever touches in the design too. A double bed slides back to reveal a bath underneath and the toilet doubles up as a wet room.
Monty's Underground House
The couple worked hard to find the best materials they could for longevity, while not breaking the bank. They describe the process as "the story of some urban wasteland rescued by innovation and will power. It wasn't easy and we proved them wrong".
Monty's Underground House
Kevin McCloud has often pointed to Monty's ingenuity in getting the project off the ground and complete, saying: "He was on a very restricted budget but what his project showed was an extraordinary example of personal craft. It's very easy, isn't it, to slit open a fish and sell the eggs as caviar. What Monty did was miraculous."
Ben Law's Woodland House
One of the most often-remembered episodes of Grand Designs is the one where Ben the Woodsman built his home in the woods, living his dreams. After completion, Ben said: "I love living here,' he says. 'Every day, waking up is a pleasure."
Ben Law's Woodland House
Ben wanted to build his home in Prickly Nut Wood, West Sussex, using natural resources, and ensuring that it blended into the landscape seamlessly. It was 10 years between acquiring the land and the finalisation of the house, and for that time Ben lived in a caravan.
Ben Law's Woodland House
The property was built with wind turbines and solar panels, combining the modern with the traditional building techniques used by Ben himself. And thanks to a band of useful friends, costs were kept down. But there are one or two extravagances - a sunken hot tub on the veranda, for example.
The Curve
Though the building process suffered some major setbacks, including the owner suffering serious health issues, The Curve building that resulted is quite an ode to modernism, and tasteful to boot.
The Curve
The curved design offers stunning views over the West Sussex countryside, and the modern interiors include double-height rooms lined with tinted glass and a stunning spiral staircase. Local builder turned artist Barry Surtees struggled with his health throughout the project, but was ultimately rewarded by a beautiful house.
The Curve
At the core of the design is Japanese Minimalism. Barry explains his fascination with it: "I'm obsessed with modernist architecture and Japanese design. I was keen to make the rooms very large, light, airy and follow the natural contours of the surroundings. I also wanted to make my mark in the area," he says.
Grand Designs water tower
The incredible renovation of this historic old water tower was quite a feat. It endured a spectacular overhaul adding four luxury bedrooms, a glass-walled living space and stunning views of London. Dubbed the Grand Designs water tower, it was one of the most ambitious projects ever on the show.
Kennington Water Tower
The building is Grade II-listed, and once sat in the grounds of the Lambeth workhouse in South London, so the face lift is quite incredible. Kevin McCloud described the transformation as "a jaw-dropping showstopper".
House in the trees
Lincoln Miles Architecture
Architectural designer Lincoln Miles and his wife, artist Lisa Traxler, took on a very ambitious bungalow conversion on the Isle of Wight, hoping to create a look that would blend into the pristine woodland. The original uninspiring 1970s home was transformed into a rural haven, a 'house in the trees'.
House in the trees
Lincoln Miles Architecture
A major feature in the new dwelling was the wall of trees to the the north, to thoroughly bend into the surrounding woodland. A timber-framed tower was erected, leading up to a bathroom and dressing room and beyond, a bedroom is nestled in the treetops.
House in the trees
Lincoln Miles Architecture
In a wooded glade five minutes from the beach, they re-worked the building to become a multi functional family home using contrasting materials including warm birch and corrugated fibre cement. The project required techniques never used before - the horizontal stacking of the sills, for example.
House in the trees
Lincoln Miles Architecture
But when it came to the final touches, Lisa wanted to keep some of the original building, despite its uninspiring design. She explains: "I'm glad we kept some of the old house. It makes it feel connected to the Isle of Wight building's history."
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Grand Designs Best Modern House
Source: https://www.loveproperty.com/gallerylist/70126/the-best-houses-from-grand-designs
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