OK, not a disaster. It was very cleverly designed. I liked most of it (especially the lap pool) but it seemed a lot of money for what it was.
I can't help thinking that coffer dams would have saved a huge amount of cash and time, rather than bored piles. They could have even done two layers and filled the gap with concrete saving all that expensive formwork.
Well they got away with that one in the end, just.
Nice to have your own place with your wishlist but they'd have been better launching a million quid at a luxury pad somewhere else perhaps.
Big risk to sell the business in the end as well. I think I'd have been "out" at that point.
Shame for the builder to go bust during it too but I could almost see that coming they way he talked of tight margins etc. He did seem genuinely upset at the issues he'd caused the clients although I guess his feelings were more for his family who all worked for the business.
The couple weren't as bad as I thought they might be from the clip at the end of the cinema conversion episode. They certainly used the wife's "**** the house" clip to build the tension but she seemed fairly reasonable about it all.
Still, if the woman next week doesn't annoy the life out of me I'll be surprised. You could almost see the thumb hitting the boy's head as she said "it's a fantasy until it's complete" haha
Spend a million quid and you don't even get a parking space.
For what they paid, including the cost of the land, £1.3m - £1.4m they didn't do that badly at all - whilst I liked the house in the end, I'd have bought a plot a little further out and built there, but if they wanted to build and live in Camden then that's the price you'd pay. They seemed to have struck lucky with the agreeable neighbours, but I'd imagine quite a few were glad to get rid of the waste ground that provided easy access into their own gardens/houses.
Amazed it got finished last night, what with the Builder going belly up - would have liked to have seen more of the build nearer the end too, there is only so much concrete pouring you can take in one episode.
End result was OK, but I was expecting a 'wow factor', but there wasn't one....apart from the sheep dip/lap pool - oh yeah, the heated toilet seat.
Did like the Hearts & Minds on the Neighbours - did they get any money, I wonder.
And I felt Kevin was being very negative from the start, regards the Money and at the end, with how long it was going to take to finish.
Amazed it got finished last night, what with the Builder going belly up - would have liked to have seen more of the build nearer the end too, there is only so much concrete pouring you can take in one episode.
End result was OK, but I was expecting a 'wow factor', but there wasn't one....apart from the sheep dip/lap pool - oh yeah, the heated toilet seat.
Did like the Hearts & Minds on the Neighbours - did they get any money, I wonder.
And I felt Kevin was being very negative from the start, regards the Money and at the end, with how long it was going to take to finish.
Going by my, limited, knowledge of the Party Wall Act, I don't think so. They didn't, to the best of my knowledge, use any of the neighbours actual walls in the building of the structure, so there wouldn't have been enclosure payments to make, they probably had to lodged money for security for expenses (basically lodge money with a solicitor or their surveyor's clients' account, in case neighbours garden collapses into their plot, or similar, and the money is there to put the damage right - if all goes well the money goes back to them).
Spend a million quid and you don't even get a parking space.
One has to ponder whether the couple were target fixated, which is very easy for me to say in a position of cool impartiality.
Did the chap there get so obssessed with solving the problems the site threw at him and realising the goals, that he missed the chance to step back and say "This money could be been better spent elsewhere" (and by elsewhere I mean another part of London and another lifestyle) especially when his architect was telling him that £600k was looking doubtful.
I personally wouldn't be spending time designing something if it was going to outstrip the client's stated budget, unless they have told me to do just that and indicated they have financial flexibility.
And my fees were going to be paid no matter what got built.
Going by my, limited, knowledge of the Party Wall Act, I don't think so. They didn't, to the best of my knowledge, use any of the neighbours actual walls in the building of the structure, so there wouldn't have been enclosure payments to make, they probably had to lodged money for security for expenses (basically lodge money with a solicitor or their surveyor's clients' account, in case neighbours garden collapses into their plot, or similar, and the money is there to put the damage right - if all goes well the money goes back to them).
I still expect that the neighbours were paid for their inconvenience. If someone wanted to use 1m of my garden for several months, I'd probably agree but I'd want some compensation. £1000 a month should do it.
There must have been a building of some sort on the site before as we saw the remains of a fireplace being demolished?
Might just have become a dumping ground over the back of the 17 tenant walls over the years.
I might be wrong but I think there was a GD before where someone had to be paying the neighbours a fee for impinging on their land during a build. As usual, it ran on way past the deadline and the fees became silly as penalty clauses were introduced.
Someone with a better memory than me might recall the ins and outs of it.
Going by my, limited, knowledge of the Party Wall Act, I don't think so. They didn't, to the best of my knowledge, use any of the neighbours actual walls in the building of the structure, so there wouldn't have been enclosure payments to make, they probably had to lodged money for security for expenses (basically lodge money with a solicitor or their surveyor's clients' account, in case neighbours garden collapses into their plot, or similar, and the money is there to put the damage right - if all goes well the money goes back to them).
Might just have become a dumping ground over the back of the 17 tenant walls over the years.
I think it was brick, and part of one of the back walls i.e. built into the wall.
There were so many little hovel type houses scattered all over London, cleared away over time. That little triangle of land might have been a builders yard or other trade place with a little hut, or maybe housed 20 families.
I think it was brick, and part of one of the back walls i.e. built into the wall.
There were so many little hovel type houses scattered all over London, cleared away over time. That little triangle of land might have been a builders yard or other trade place with a little hut, or maybe housed 20 families.
I remember one Grand Designs project on a very similar plot which was previously a builders yard.
Might just have become a dumping ground over the back of the 17 tenant walls over the years.
I might be wrong but I think there was a GD before where someone had to be paying the neighbours a fee for impinging on their land during a build. As usual, it ran on way past the deadline and the fees became silly as penalty clauses were introduced.
Someone with a better memory than me might recall the ins and outs of it.
I do remember that one, IIRC they had scaffolding on the adjoining owners' land, which is a slightly different matter as that's not a right under the Act, so a payment per month was negotiated to let them put up the scaffolding (obviously I could be remembering this completely wrong )
[Geek mode on] Anyone notice that they used the old theme tune at the start of this episode and the new one at the end? Wonder if that was as most of the edit had been completed prior to the new tune being commissioned? Also there was quite a jump from getting the new contractor on board to it being completed.
I'm not a fan of the new theme tune. [Geek mode off]
As for the house I guess it got the most out of the plot but it felt a bit claustrophobic to me due to being surrounded by all those much taller houses.
Just started watching this weeks ep and the couple are literally misusing "literally" in every other sentence, literally. I might have to put it on mute.
okay, they calmed down on that after the first ad break.
The house turned out nice but you could have spent a lot less on a lot more house outside of central london. Not sure why an actress an someone who sold his cab firm could not commute.
Comments
I can't help thinking that coffer dams would have saved a huge amount of cash and time, rather than bored piles. They could have even done two layers and filled the gap with concrete saving all that expensive formwork.
Not the location though.
Spend a million quid and you don't even get a parking space.
Welcome to central London
Although I guess they could rent a space if they really needed a car. I guess it depends on how they plan to get about.
I quite liked the house, but it was hemmed in; Inner-city life!
In Islington they might well use one of those community car schemes if you only need a car occasionally
Nice to have your own place with your wishlist but they'd have been better launching a million quid at a luxury pad somewhere else perhaps.
Big risk to sell the business in the end as well. I think I'd have been "out" at that point.
Shame for the builder to go bust during it too but I could almost see that coming they way he talked of tight margins etc. He did seem genuinely upset at the issues he'd caused the clients although I guess his feelings were more for his family who all worked for the business.
The couple weren't as bad as I thought they might be from the clip at the end of the cinema conversion episode. They certainly used the wife's "**** the house" clip to build the tension but she seemed fairly reasonable about it all.
Still, if the woman next week doesn't annoy the life out of me I'll be surprised. You could almost see the thumb hitting the boy's head as she said "it's a fantasy until it's complete" haha
If only they had access to an "eco-taxi" company...
For what they paid, including the cost of the land, £1.3m - £1.4m they didn't do that badly at all - whilst I liked the house in the end, I'd have bought a plot a little further out and built there, but if they wanted to build and live in Camden then that's the price you'd pay. They seemed to have struck lucky with the agreeable neighbours, but I'd imagine quite a few were glad to get rid of the waste ground that provided easy access into their own gardens/houses.
End result was OK, but I was expecting a 'wow factor', but there wasn't one....apart from the sheep dip/lap pool - oh yeah, the heated toilet seat.
Did like the Hearts & Minds on the Neighbours - did they get any money, I wonder.
And I felt Kevin was being very negative from the start, regards the Money and at the end, with how long it was going to take to finish.
Going by my, limited, knowledge of the Party Wall Act, I don't think so. They didn't, to the best of my knowledge, use any of the neighbours actual walls in the building of the structure, so there wouldn't have been enclosure payments to make, they probably had to lodged money for security for expenses (basically lodge money with a solicitor or their surveyor's clients' account, in case neighbours garden collapses into their plot, or similar, and the money is there to put the damage right - if all goes well the money goes back to them).
One has to ponder whether the couple were target fixated, which is very easy for me to say in a position of cool impartiality.
Did the chap there get so obssessed with solving the problems the site threw at him and realising the goals, that he missed the chance to step back and say "This money could be been better spent elsewhere" (and by elsewhere I mean another part of London and another lifestyle) especially when his architect was telling him that £600k was looking doubtful.
I personally wouldn't be spending time designing something if it was going to outstrip the client's stated budget, unless they have told me to do just that and indicated they have financial flexibility.
And my fees were going to be paid no matter what got built.
I still expect that the neighbours were paid for their inconvenience. If someone wanted to use 1m of my garden for several months, I'd probably agree but I'd want some compensation. £1000 a month should do it.
Might just have become a dumping ground over the back of the 17 tenant walls over the years.
I might be wrong but I think there was a GD before where someone had to be paying the neighbours a fee for impinging on their land during a build. As usual, it ran on way past the deadline and the fees became silly as penalty clauses were introduced.
Someone with a better memory than me might recall the ins and outs of it.
Cool basement here.
I think it was brick, and part of one of the back walls i.e. built into the wall.
There were so many little hovel type houses scattered all over London, cleared away over time. That little triangle of land might have been a builders yard or other trade place with a little hut, or maybe housed 20 families.
I remember one Grand Designs project on a very similar plot which was previously a builders yard.
I do remember that one, IIRC they had scaffolding on the adjoining owners' land, which is a slightly different matter as that's not a right under the Act, so a payment per month was negotiated to let them put up the scaffolding (obviously I could be remembering this completely wrong
Yes, there was a very similar GD last year although the end product ended up looking like a kitchen showroom. This was it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64jKlobfLzE
I remember that, absolutely hated it
I'm not a fan of the new theme tune. [Geek mode off]
As for the house I guess it got the most out of the plot but it felt a bit claustrophobic to me due to being surrounded by all those much taller houses.
The house turned out nice but you could have spent a lot less on a lot more house outside of central london. Not sure why an actress an someone who sold his cab firm could not commute.
Another example of harsh posters. Utterly nasty people.