Restoration Man

[alecstilleyedye]

maybe it's for the benefit of the elderly day-time audience…

 

[Kestevan]

Perhaps the repeated re-hashing of the programs overall concept is done because like most television it is designed to fit the ever decreasing attention spans of the avarage skunk addled teen.

Irrespective of the target market of the program, producers increasingly feel the need to "sex up" programs by the addition of load music, flashing lights and random spin/jump cuts.

I'm eagerly awaiting the next production of Oliver Twist where I believe there will be kickin Rap/R&B background music and Fagin will be gunned down in a hail of automatic fire by Dodger and "his homeys" - All filmed in vomito-vision cuts with a reprise of the storyline every 2.8 minutes.

 

[Fnaar]

I should have known this thread was not likely to be about what I first thought...

Blimey, she's let herself go a bit! Whoever she is. Or was

 

[postman]

It's her off Garden Invaders -Charlie Dimwick .

She can potter about in my borders all she likes .

 

[Over The Hill]

Fantastic countryside setting - so the extension had no windows on the outside to see it. Bloke was a chav muppet.

 

[brokenbetty]

The recaps are to grab people who flicked over from another channel's advert break

 

[philipbh]

That Geordie muppet kept going on about the stunning scenery when the place was next to a railway and surrounded by flat fields, then he said there was no access and he'd had to walk through the wheat field, which was cobblers because anybody could see that there was a well-established track leading straight to the front door - it even featured on the old photos of the place FFS.

How do you heat a building that's built around a courtyard efficiently? The place had flat roofs and that awful plastic skylight, not to mention the glass bit joining the old and new bits. Give it ten years and it'll be leaking all over the place and all that timber will be rotting and grey, that lump of brick in the middle of the courtyard will look look awful, the owners will have grown tired of the heating bills, the leaks, the filthy drive and the isolation and it will be on the market for a song, the builder having made a packet selling it to the first idiot with an inflated ego who stumbled along.

It really was the biggest load of bollocks I've seen in a long time. Bring back Grand Designs.

All true - except that

1. the guy did say that the council wanted him to add a modern extension rather than a traditional building / copy of the existing folly.

2. the council conservation man was insisting on those glass panels as a demarcation line between the old an the new build (despite that much being obvious)

I wonder if he will ever get around to putting the panel in by the front door ?

Decoration wise - not to everyones taste, but each to their own I suppose - I dont suppose they are moving any time soon

I read elsewhere that the conversion cost around 400K and in the prog they said that it had been valued at £1M - so he / they are sitting on a tidy profit.

 

[Over The Hill]

But he did buy it for £290k too so that cuts into his profit.

Really cannot see it being worth a million. Basically it is a 3 bed house that is not to many peoples taste. Funny design that will cost a fortune to upkeep and run. Not even a garage!

Doubt it is worth the £690k he has sunk in it.

 

[philipbh]

But he did buy it for £290k too so that cuts into his profit.

Really cannot see it being worth a million. Basically it is a 3 bed house that is not to many peoples taste. Funny design that will cost a fortune to upkeep and run. Not even a garage!

Doubt it is worth the £690k he has sunk in it.

300K profit is OK if the valuation is correct - I'm sure the £1M was mentioned in the show.

Do you recall how long it took from start to finish - this is often overlooked when people work out the gain on other programs (Property Ladder, Grand Designs etc)

 

[Over The Hill]

It is in Lancashire. You can buy the whole of Lancashire for a million.

 

[Greedo]

What a bunch of snobs!!!Seriously.

It's not everyones cup of tea but most of you seem to have half watched it.

The guy wanted to build an older style extension and was told point blankly that he couldn't as it had to be a total contrast.

Not his fault!!

He took an old building, brought it back to life, said he would end his days there (albeit that nearly happened during the build) and has what he acheived

Not perfect by any means but if you looked properly at the extension anything that would date could be updated easily. The guy knows that.

I'd love to see the houses you live in as the comments about the extension being out of date in 20/30 years applies to the majority of homes in the UK

That's the thing about taking on a old, listed building is the compromise you have to do with planning, historic Scotland etc.... is a headache and you don't always get what you want. And I'm speaking from experience but it's a headache I love.

A lot said is jealousy at a guy who achieved his dream. As for the slagging off George Clarke!! what a joke. He's a decent lad and a very talented architect for such a young guy. some of his work is brilliant.

 

[philipbh]

told point blankly that he couldn't as it had to be a total contrast.

I watched it back on 4OD & it wasn't clear (to me, at least) why this was the case.

Any insight..?

 

[Globalti]

A lot said is jealousy at a guy who achieved his dream.

Cobblers. He did it for the investment value; he had already built his dream house, which we saw briefly and was a typical ostentatious and tasteless builder's house.

I'd be willing to bet a tenner that he sold it soon after the programme to somebody with an inflated ego and no taste.

 

[Greedo]

Cobblers. He did it for the investment value; he had already built his dream house, which we saw briefly and was a typical ostentatious and tasteless builder's house.

I'd be willing to bet a tenner that he sold it soon after the programme to somebody with an inflated ego and no taste.

See. This is my point. When I watch a programme I'm interested in I actually watch the thing. You obviously didn't.

The start of the programme when they were giving the background on him they showed his wife and kids in a house. George Clarkes voiceover clearly stated "having sold their previous home they are currently renting this house" the shot then was of a stone clad house. Where they mentioned he had previously built his dream home is must be in your head. I have it sky+ and I'm sure if you don't you'll be able to see it again at somepoint.

I'll bet you £100 quid the house is still his.

 

[Greedo]

I watched it back on 4OD & it wasn't clear (to me, at least) why this was the case.

Any insight..?

It's so complicated at times and comes down to who you are dealing with.

The main thing is when folk try to match something so old and try and make it blend in then it can look horrendous as it never really does blend seamless. By giving it a complete contrast seems to be the option as it at least defines the older listed building.