Grand Designs C4 21:00

[fred]

Ok, it's been a while since we dismantled one of MakLOUD's self serving progs, so I'll start the ball rolling:

1. Tonight's over-development of a London end mews site bore planning conditions that the property looked, at least superficially, like it was clad in London stock bricks. This was achieved by cladding in polymer tiles that admittedly looked a very close match to the originals on surrounding buildings. No problem with that but unfortunately they decided not to stagger the tiles to make it look in any way like a brick built building, they stacked them vertically so that the look clashed with the surrounding properties in a most unnatural and gratuitously offensive way.

Any other points?

[Andy Burns]

I'm not recording it until Sunday, can't think what tonights showing would have clashed with though ...

[OG]

'Look at me!' throughout.

[Halmyre]

GD used to be interesting. Now it's just people with an off-the-scale money/taste ratio, creating a total f*ck-up.

-- Halmyre

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And you actually watched last week's one?

[fred]

Hope I haven't spoiled it for you ;-)

Agreed on the lack of clashing progs, it's not on my regular viewing list but it was slim pickins tonight and I was cooking.

Plenty of other bloopers and neighbour conflicts on the build and sadly it was that that they concentrated on rather than the design and innovation.

Agreed with others that it is not the programme that it was.

[brass monkey]

GD used to be interesting. Now it's just people with an off-the-scale money/taste ratio, creating a total f*ck-up.

Right next to a railway line and overlooked by most of the locals, brilliant.

[Dave Liquorice]

Still clashed on C4+1 or can't you get C4+1?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Standard Inner London house. ;-)

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

That back lawn screamed "Astroturf" to me.

The Resident's Association resident Old Trout was right to be suspicious - what a bloody eyesore it turned out to be.

[Matty F]

We've got stone cathedrals in Christchurch NZ that have fallen down after about 6000 earthquakes. Maybe some fake stone tiles on steel framing would be a good idea. Does anyone make those?

[Halmyre]

What would the Internet be without users spouting uninformed rubbish?

-- Halmyre

[Andy Burns]

Don't bother with BBC's "To Build or Not to Build" either ...

[Andy Burns]

Tell me, I even tried 15 minutes of "The Fades" ...

Summary ...28DL with cannibals and wooden-top actors

[Andy Burns]

My recording rules are set to prefer HD, so no +1

[fred]

Yes, they've become quite popular over here for cladding some parts of office blocks/malls/hotels but it is mainly terracotta tiles that they hang off them. When I fidt saw them going up I did wonder how well they were fixed and how well they would fare in an impact situation (earthquake unlikely here). A previous GD prog had bath stone cladding that appeared to be about 40mm thick fixed on a frame. The cladding was slotted on its top and bottom edges and slid in from the side onto a frame of rails.

Here the walls were concrete poured into insulating foam formers that looked like PIR rather than usual polystyrene. As the foam was the external surface there wasn't much to hang stuff on so the lightweight

3mm brick like tiles were perfect for the job, that is if they'd applied them to look like laid brickwork.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Indeed - which is why I replied to you. Last week's prog simply didn't match your description of the series. Quite the reverse - someone lovingly restoring an old derelict building and converting it into a dwelling.

But I'm sure you're happy in your Barratt's box. Several series of how to build one would make compelling viewing for some, I'm sure.

[Halmyre]

I've admitted to talking rubbish so unkind remarks about Barratt boxes are uncalled for. Actually, our house is about 160 years old and sometimes I wish I did live in a Barratt box...

There's been several programmes about cowboy builders so presumably that covers it.

-- Halmyre

[Andy Burns]

Very nice, shame about the boxing-in of the stairs, but that ought to have been predicted. I think it looked better with just the one lean-to on it, rather than both of them.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Also, the new one hadn't been stone clad by the time the prog finished - I'd guess it will be when funds permit. But it did look better without - more as all the others. As to the staircase, yes. Dunno if there could have been a better solution.