On Grand Designs tonight Kevin McCloud met designers Beth Dadswell and Andrew Wilbourne on the Channel 4 show.
The couple are planning to turn a Victorian diary in East London into a family home.
They hope to keep the original roof, rust and bricks, however the building’s decrepit state soon causes issues for the couple. Kevin McCloud follows the couple through the trick build.
The pair hoped to transfer Parisian chic into South East London. The couple bought the plot of land for almost £1 million, and hoped the project would cost £260,000.
The couple decided to, in Kevin’s words “revel in the atheistic of decay itself.”
They spent their lifesavings on the building, and were determined to turn it into a family home, by “stripping back some layers.”
Beth and Andrew are both fans of France, and love visiting Paris for design inspiration. They aimed to design their building around a central courtyard, much like town houses in Paris are designed.
The pair hoped to transfer Parisian chic into South East London.
Kevin MccCloud has recently revealed the biggest mistake that people make when renovating property.
The 58-year-old told Express.co.uk: “The biggest mistake – not planning. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
Kevin said that renovating or building a house takes a long time, and people need to be prepared to invest that time.
He said: “When you get to construction that’s when it gets expensive, so it is best to be prepared and plan properly.
“The problems that happen, tend to happen on site because building is a heap of unknowns, you don’t know whats in the ground, it’s fraught with risk. So why make life complicated by rushing into it?”
The presenter also revealed his favourite type of property.
He said that old buildings are among his favourites. He said: “First and foremost I’m a buildings historian – so for me the old places have an amazing feel.
“If Grand Designs had been about in the 1800s it would have been great and I’d have been just as happy doing it.”
Daily Express :: Life and Style Feed
