Author Topic: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)  (Read 4589 times)

gbbi_977

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OK, this is a long one, but Grand Designs is my favorite TV show and last night I watched an episode (available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgu87R3Khc4) that just made my jaw drop.

TLDW: man almost dies from brain bleed. Decides 'you only live once' = I should take out 11 LOANS to finance a house-build, without costing it in advance. Builds monstrous 7000 square foot house that we are informed at the conclusion of the program [throughout which you can see mounting dull terror in this man's eyes] he doesn't have time to enjoy, because he spends all his time in his study trying to work enough hours to keep afloat.

ABout halfway through the build he stops enjoying his masterpiece: "All I see is debt."

TheAnonOne

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2015, 10:32:00 AM »
Yikes...

Though, he may be able to sell the thing if he is lucky at a small profit. Assuming the location, land, and style is right. Looks like a nice place...

Spiffsome

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2015, 04:52:15 PM »
Isn't the drama about money a regular feature of Grand Designs? I mean, people spend half a million pounds on an old manor house and then realise they have to replace the foundations entirely ...


mohawkbrah

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2015, 08:14:57 AM »
wow... i would never pay that much for some modern looking crap box

gimme a cheap cabin in the woods please!

GuitarStv

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2015, 08:23:58 AM »
I really like Grand Designs . . . but an awful lot (maybe a third?) of the houses built are financial jaws-of-life-required car wrecks.

gbbi_977

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2015, 08:55:27 AM »
Absolutely, blowing budgets is pretty par for the course on Grand Designs.

But I haven't seen an episode since discovering MMM (they didn't produce a season last year) and it struck me anew how ridiculous it is to be underwater on a house because 'you only live once, want to enjoy it' but you literally can't spend time with your family because you're working.


obstinate

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2015, 12:14:19 AM »
Wow. All that for just $3.3M??? My house is 2500 sqft, made of shitty 1940s materials, and is worth 2 even right now. Fucking California. I gotta get out of here.

cerat0n1a

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2015, 06:07:28 AM »
Wasn't there some kind of "grand designs" drinking game - have to have a drink for every time "project 100% over budget, wife finds out she's pregnant, no planning permission, innovative build technique that goes wrong, that kind of thing? There's always some element of drama - they built a normal house that took the right amount of time and came in under budget isn't much of a programme, is it?

One of my sisters is a surveyor and often ends up working on OTT house designs - people making roman villas with mosaic swimming pools and columns and all kinds of nonsense.


obstinate

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2015, 02:34:04 PM »
Quote
they built a normal house that took the right amount of time and came in under budget isn't much of a programme, is it?
Actually we have a ton of shows like that in the US.

cerat0n1a

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2015, 03:18:26 PM »
Quote
they built a normal house that took the right amount of time and came in under budget isn't much of a programme, is it?
Actually we have a ton of shows like that in the US.
You have a lot more tv channels to fill in the US :-)

One of many Grand Designs Bingo/drinking games is here.

http://carina.org.uk/granddesigns.shtml


Papa Mustache

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Re: House budget blows from 850K pounds to 2.2M pounds (excluding land)
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2015, 11:00:55 AM »
Wasn't there some kind of "grand designs" drinking game - have to have a drink for every time "project 100% over budget, wife finds out she's pregnant, no planning permission, innovative build technique that goes wrong, that kind of thing? There's always some element of drama - they built a normal house that took the right amount of time and came in under budget isn't much of a programme, is it?

One of my sisters is a surveyor and often ends up working on OTT house designs - people making roman villas with mosaic swimming pools and columns and all kinds of nonsense.

There is one of those houses here. Went on the market and then marked down. Marked down again. I have no idea how much it sold for but it was sorely out of place in the neighborhood where it was placed.

When I see fancy houses built and then go up for sale within 24 months I wonder if they are flipping a house or they got in over their heads on the house.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!