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The Worst Episodes of Grand Designs

Every episode of Grand Designs ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Grand Designs!

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British television series which features unusual and often elaborate architectural homebuilding projects.

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Channel 4
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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 1 - The Timber Frame Kit House, Newhaven, East Sussex
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - The Timber Frame Kit House, Newhaven, East Sussex

    S1:E1

    A couple in Newhaven face a race against time as they build their dream home on windswept cliff-top site in time for the birth of their baby.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 2 - The English Barn, Oxfordshire
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - The English Barn, Oxfordshire

    S1:E2

    Kevin travels to Oxfordshire to meet the Randolphs, who built their first house 10 years ago and now, in their 70s, have decided to do it all again!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 3 - The Co-op, Walter Segal Houses, Brighton
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - The Co-op, Walter Segal Houses, Brighton

    S1:E3

    This project was a co-operative venture - 10 young families each put in 30 hours of construction work per week. Kevin travels to Brighton to meet a co-operative of ten young families, including ex-travellers and single parents, who are building both their own and each others homes. A housing association bought the land from the council for £58,000. Paul then worked with the association to put the co-operative together. All the members were people on the council's housing list.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 4 - The Water Tower, Coleshill, Amersham
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - The Water Tower, Coleshill, Amersham

    S1:E4

    Kevin McCloud travels to Amersham, where a couple plan to design an 'invisible' house, blending in with the earth banks of the surrounding reservoirs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 5 - The Eco-House, Suffolk
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - The Eco-House, Suffolk

    S1:E5

    A Suffolk couple plan an environmentally friendly house with solar heating, grey water systems and reclaimed materials.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 6 - The Chapel, Cornwall
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - The Chapel, Cornwall

    S1:E6

    Kevin McCloud travels to Cornwall to visit Gavin Allen and Jane Fitzsimons, who are trying to convert a chapel into a home and a teleworking office for Jane.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 7 - The House of Straw, Islington, North London
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - The House of Straw, Islington, North London

    S1:E7

    Kevin McCloud is in lslington where Jeremy Till and Sarah Wigglesworth have come up with a highly experimental design for a home/office.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Grand Designs Season 1 Episode 8 - The Glass-House, Town Fields, Doncaster
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - The Glass-House, Town Fields, Doncaster

    S1:E8

    Kevin McCloud travels to Doncaster where Michael Hird and Lindsay Harwood are building a futuristic glass and steel house in a suburb of Doncaster.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 1 - The Regency Villa, Farnham, Surrey
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - The Regency Villa, Farnham, Surrey

    S2:E1

    Helen and Mark had always dreamed of owning a Georgian house but knew they couldn't afford the genuine article. So they decided to build their own. They bought a large plot of land in Surrey, surrounded by trees, and commissioned an architect who specialised in conservation architecture to design it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 2 - The New England Gable House, Sussex
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - The New England Gable House, Sussex

    S2:E2

    With a plot of land in Sussex overlooking the South Downs, newly-weds Jane and Willem wanted a house that would be atmospheric and open to the countryside. Inspired by memories of America, Jane planned a New England-style gabled house with large windows to make the most of the views.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 3 - The Wool Mill, Netherton, Yorkshire
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - The Wool Mill, Netherton, Yorkshire

    S2:E3

    A derelict woollen mill in a Yorkshire village may not say 'modernist' to everyone. But Chris and Gill - who, fortunately, run their own specialist joinery business - saw it as the perfect opportunity to create a visionary home. They liked the traditional brick of the building and opted to keep the exterior virtually untouched. Inside, they would strip everything out and make a home of fluid spaces, based around an open-plan ground floor, an atrium and a galleried upper floor.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 4 - The Isolated Cottage, Brecon Beacons, Wales
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - The Isolated Cottage, Brecon Beacons, Wales

    S2:E4

    An isolated hilltop in the Brecon Beacons might seem an inhospitable place for a couple's first home. But Adrian and Corinna both grew up in the area, and the ruined farmhouse they chose to restore had been in Adrian's family for generations. The site's lack of mains water and electricity gave them no qualms. True, the track up the hill was often inaccessible in winter. But the landscape was beautiful and they both felt they belonged there

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 5 - The Cruciform House, Lambourn Valley, Berkshire
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - The Cruciform House, Lambourn Valley, Berkshire

    S2:E5

    When Rupert and Julie bought a hilltop site in the Berkshire Downs, they were determined to build a house that would make the most of the countryside and stunning views. They turned to architecture firm Roderick James, which specialises in modern design and traditional timber craftsmanship. Together with architect Hugh McGann, they came up with a house of green oak and glass, built in an unusual cruciform (cross) shape.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 6 - The Self-Build, Birmingham
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - The Self-Build, Birmingham

    S2:E6

    Kevin checks out an innovative housing scheme set up by a Birmingham Housing Association, which allows a group of people to build their own homes

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 7 - The Jewel Box, London
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - The Jewel Box, London

    S2:E7

    Kevin McCloud visits a couple who are looking to build their hi-tech modern house in a quiet north London street.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 8 - The Derelict Barns, Devon
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - The Derelict Barns, Devon

    S2:E8

    Kevin McCloud visits a couple in Devon who are hoping to convert a traditional barn complete with thatched roof.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 9 - Revisited: The Glass-House, Doncaster
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Revisited: The Glass-House, Doncaster

    S2:E9

    Revisited Season 1 (2001) episode 1 Kevin travels back to Doncaster to catch up with self-builders Michael Hird and Lindsay Harwood and their futuristic glass and steel house in a suburb of Doncaster.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 10 - Revisited: The Eco-House, Suffolk
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Revisited: The Eco-House, Suffolk

    S2:E10

    Revisited Season 1 (2001) episode 2 Kevin McCloud travels to Suffolk to revisit a couple who dreamed of building a 100% environmentally friendly house.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 11 - Revisited: The House of Straw, Islington, North London
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Revisited: The House of Straw, Islington, North London

    S2:E11

    Revisited Season 1 (2001) episode 3 Kevin McCloud revisits Jeremy Till and Sarah Wigglesworth in Islington, London. Will they have realised their dream of using straw bales in the construction of their house?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 12 - Revisited: The Self-Build, Birmingham
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Revisited: The Self-Build, Birmingham

    S2:E12

    Revisited Season 1 (2001) episode 4 Kevin McCloud revisits an innovative housing scheme in Birmingham. Just over two years ago a group of 11 men and women agreed to build, not just their own, but each other's homes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Grand Designs Season 2 Episode 13 - Revisited: The Co-Op, Brighton
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Revisited: The Co-Op, Brighton

    S2:E13

    Revisited Season 1 (2001) episode 5 Kevin McCloud revisits a group of people in a Brighton co-operative who are building their own homes and the homes of their neighbours

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Grand Designs Season 3 Episode 1 - The Wooden Box, Peterborough
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - The Wooden Box, Peterborough

    S3:E1

    'Is it a bold contemporary design or a garden shed?' John and Terri found themselves asking, halfway into their build. They had knocked down a derelict house in a beautiful rural setting and commissioned commercial architects to build them a new one. But was it too small for them, their young son and the baby on the way?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Grand Designs Season 3 Episode 2 - The Water-Works, Whaley, Derbyshire
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - The Water-Works, Whaley, Derbyshire

    S3:E2

    The 1930s derelict water-works Chris and Leanne fell in love with was huge and its design had clearly been inspired by Gilbert Scott's Bankside power station, now better known as the Tate Modern. But nothing would deter the couple. 'We looked at it,' said Chris, 'and saw our home.'

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Grand Designs Season 3 Episode 3 - The Woodsman's Cottage, Sussex
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - The Woodsman's Cottage, Sussex

    S3:E3

    For 10 years, Ben lived in tents and caravans in a wood in West Sussex. As a woodsman, he needed and wanted to live among the trees. But after a battle with planning he finally got permission to build himself a house with more creature comforts. He invited volunteers to help him build one by hand, from the materials growing around him.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Grand Designs Season 3 Episode 4 - The Victorian Threshing Barn, Surrey
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - The Victorian Threshing Barn, Surrey

    S3:E4

    For Philip and Angela, the build was part of a life change that had begun two years earlier. Just after their second daughter was born, Philip fell seriously ill, prompting the family to leave London and move back to his parents' village. Acquiring the site was easy, as Philip's parents owned it. Getting planning permission took longer, and a crucial factor in their success was that they would be restoring the outside of the barn and keeping the innovation hidden.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"The Timber Frame Kit House, Newhaven, East Sussex" is the worst rated episode of "Grand Designs". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/29/1999. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The English Barn, Oxfordshire".