Grand Designs UK: Kevin McCloud’s own ‘last great adventure’

Grand Designs guru is heading down under writes

After 24 years, Grand Designs (UK) shows no sign of slowing down – and presenter Kevin McCloud reckons it’s because we see house building as “the last great big adventure that we all imagine we could go on”. Even though most of us won’t do it.

But, as it turns out, he’s going on one of his own. The architecture guru who loves “ancient buildings” is in the process of doing one up. It’s a 400-year-old house near the Wales border, where the microclimate is beautiful and warm.

“It’s a bit of a new build, a bit of an old build, a bit of a garden build and a bit of a barn conversion. Ancient buildings are fabulous, but like elderly relatives, they do not thank you. And they’re smelly and damp like elderly relatives. It’s like living with a lunatic.”

But he has a problem – he can’t keep tradies. “I keep them for as long as it takes them to get all the selfies they need, and then they’re off.”

When questioned by as to why they leave, he says: “It’s probably because I’m fussy. It’s true. Finding good people is hard – people who are also tidy and see the world as you do, and want to do a beautiful job and not leave their crap everywhere. That’s really, really hard.”

He says he does sometimes think about how he would do a new build of his own – it would be a simple, straightforward house. “I keep thinking it has to be easier. When I eventually do retire I will probably downsize a bit maybe, but then I might not. I might just keep on rattling around here.”

Colleen Hawkes

FOLLOWING THE DREAM

Grand Designs fans are nothing if not loyal, and it has always been that way. “I’ve met people who live in social housing on minimal incomes who are great fans of the show,” the presenter says. “Because they sit on the sofa and they dream.

“They vicariously go through this amazing voyage with these people who

the viewer.”

‘GRAND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MONEY’

Kevin McCloud stands outside one of the most dramatic builds we saw in 2022, which he variously called an enormous “shard” house an alien ark, spaceship, temple, monument, the Tate Exeter and Superman’s crystal fortress. McCloud is pictured with Maite and Carlos on completion of their build on Grand Designs: The Streets. McCloud was impressed with the architecture, although he says the house is now surrounded by “mediocrity”.

Kevin McCloud is doing his own reno in a 400-yearold building that’s part barn conversion, part new build. But he’s constantly parting company with his tradies.