Do you like watching HGTV or DIYTV? If you do, you are going to LOVE Grand Designs, a British TV series now in it’s 17th season.
I discovered it streaming on NetFlix. I believe the current season may be available on Hulu. Some episodes are available on YouTube. It’s worth the effort to hunt it down.
The host is Kevin McCloud who is very British. He knows his architecture, though he is not an architect. In each episode we are introduced to the owners who are planning on building, expanding, or renovating a home. We learn what they’ve spent on the property, what their plans are, and the key issues they might be facing. Then, every few months McCloud shows up to see what the progress is.
The show has no hand in the design or construction. The clients usually have their own architects. They hire their own contractors. They are spending their own money. The drama is real. The budgets are real. It really is great TV for those of us who enjoy programs on HGTV. The Los Angeles Times article I’ve linked to, above, describes McCloud, aptly, as the Tim Gunn of architecture. If you know who Tim Gunn is (co-producer and design mentor on Project Runway), you will enjoy this show.
The above is the trailer for Season 12. It gives you some idea of what you’ll be seeing. I watched all the streaming episodes available on NetFlix. Now I’m working on the older episodes I can find on YouTube.
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