Grand Designs fans gobsmacked by ‘utter disaster’ as couple face multiple setbacks as dream home turns into a nightmare
GRAND Designs fans were left gobsmacked by a potential dream home that quickly turned into a nightmare on the show.
The Channel 4 property programme featured an epic water-tower with plans to overhaul the building into a classy five-storey home.
At the heart of the home was couple Adam and Tassy who decided to overturn the house into the perfect place to live with their family.
But what looked like a potentially iconic build quickly turned into a chaos and problem-riddled project thanks to multiple setbacks and disasters.
Renovations kicked off in April 2019 and with an initial length of time plan of three years, it did not take long for the first thing to go wrong.
With a new baby having arrived for the family, they were left shocked when it was revealed that the tools they were planning to use for the build had been stolen which derailed all of their timed plans.
This appeared to kickstart a series of problems and issues that turned the build into an “utter disaster”.
The unavoidable Covid pandemic brought things to a halt and financial issues caused them to re-mortgage their home in order to free up funds to complete the build.
Wanting to free-up some cash, both Adam and Tassy completed much of the work themselves as well as recruiting their friends, family and other local volunteers for other non-paid jobs to help the build move on.
Unbelievably, horror soon struck for the couple once again when a design feature that Tassy was desperate for ended up being more hassle than it was worth.
She decided that she wanted the stunning home to feature an impressive concrete interior with curved walls.
But as the concrete was poured into the carefully-designed pattern, it began to leak and seep through causing a huge clean-up operation to be enforced.
Further work on the house had to be paused as all effort turned to getting rid of the leaked cement.
It quickly became apparent that the three-year mark had been well and truly missed for the house’s completion date with Kevin only heading back to the home after five years.
Upon his arrival to see how the pair had been getting on, the couple were forced to deliver even more bad news as they admitted the project had been paused once again after Tassy was left injured.
The homeowner had slipped a disc in her back and as a result had to rest up and not work on the house.
Inside the 'saddest' Grand Designs house
Savills’s listing reads: “The property represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take on and finish the specification and fit out of one of the UK’s most spectacularly situated coastal homes.
“The bespoke design has been brought to life through impressive engineering, with the building being anchored to the bedrock, blending whitewashed elevations with steel and glass, culminating with a lighthouse feature at one end giving almost 360-degree views of the coastline.
“The position combines privacy with a diverse range of breath-taking views, all set in around 3 acres, which includes a large area of foreshore, a private tidal beach area and coves.”
The property is set in three acres of land and is equipped with an infinity pool and a hot tub as well as a spacious driveway.
Nic Chbat, director of Match Property estate agents in North Devon, who previously assisted with finding a buyer last year said at the time the sale stalled after the timeframe for the sale “expired”.
He added the previous buyer was “still wanting to buy the property,” and the sale was still expected to proceed.
The new listing though would suggest the purchase was never made with the sale now being handled by London-based estate agents Savills.
A spokeswoman for both Savills and the receivers Bellevue Mortlakes said: “The sale represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase one of the UK’s most spectacularly situated coastal homes and for the buyer to put the finishing touches to the property’s interior to their own specification.
“The current sale price (offers in excess of £5.25m) represents fair value noting the prevailing economic and heterogeneous nature of this opportunity.
“The property has panoramic sea views and is set in grounds of over three acres, including foreshore and a tidal beach, with accommodation extending to over 6,260 sq ft.
“The detached guest lodge/holiday let accommodation extends to about 1,270 sq ft and is included in the sale price.
“Subject to registration with the agents, the receiver has provided an extensive suite of information and supporting documentation relating to the building’s history, construction and title, which are available via an online data room.”
It left fans in shock at how problematic the home had been and how it had taken five years to even get to a somewhat presentable state to Channel 4 star Kevin.
Writing online, one viewer said: “Well. This has the makings of an utter disaster.”
Another added: “Why on earth did they think this was a good idea?! This must be the worst choice ever on this show.
“The noise from the sub-station alone (forgetting the possible health issues) makes it an absolute no-no. The mind boggles.”
Before a third wrote: “Bit off more than they could chew.”
As a fourth took a huge swipe at the couple and sternly stated: “You could give that job another 5 years & it wouldn’t be finished.
“Ridiculous trying to do a project like that with very limited funds & professional work force. No surprise it still looks like it does.”
Despite the countless issues, Kevin was left in awe at some of the work that had managed to be completed.
Three of the five floors had almost been finished and to an impeccable standard.