Grand Designs: The Street episode 1

An epic 5 years in the making, 6-part series Grand Designs: The Street follows 10 pioneering households who are building a brand new street at Bicester’s Graven Hill from scratch, on what is one of the biggest UK self build projects.

Be prepared for twists and turns along the way, from injuries and structural disasters to physical exhaustion to financial struggles.

With the first episode aired on 4th April 2019 at 9pm on Channel 4, we’ve got the lowdown on the first episode with Terry and Olwen in plot 1 and Lynn in plot 2.

Plot 1: Terry and Olwen

• Plot 1: THE BLUE HOUSE
• Names: Terry, 61, and Olwen, 73
• Bedrooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 2
• Started: April 2017
• Finished: September 2018
• Build estimate: £280K
• Final build cost: £335K

The oldest couple on the street, Terry and Olwen live in a quiet village in Northamptonshire. Terry has some building experience and wants to build his own home – while his body is still up to the hardships of construction.

The couple plan to build a bespoke, future-proofed, giant wedge of a house, which Terry will project manage and build himself. This is a huge physical challenge, but should save the couple a fortune on labour. If successful, Terry and Olwen will have built a stand-out home that’s hard to imagine could be built anywhere but on this street.

Whilst building their own home, Terry and Olwen will be helping their friend and current neighbour Lynn (Plot 2), who is following them to site and building her own home on the plot next door. However, lacking any building experience, Lynn’s forced to rely on Terry for help. Will their friendship and ageing bodies survive the self-build experience?

Plot 2: Lynn 

•    Plot 2: THE PANGOLIN HOUSE
•    Name: LYNN, 63
•    Bedrooms: 2
•    Bathrooms: 2
•    Started: APRIL 2017
•    Finished: NOVEMBER 2018
•    Build estimate: £275K-£300K
•    Final build cost: £400K 

Lynn is a retired Design Technology teacher but is not quite ready to put her feet up. She has boldly chosen to ‘build a home before somebody puts her in one’. She currently lives in a 250-year-old cottage on the same street as Terry and Olwen (Plot 1).

In contrast to her current house, her new home will be spacious and modern with an open plan ground level and polished concrete floor. Upstairs the two bedrooms will be cantilevered out over the front of the building with an Oast-house inspired roundel protruding from the roof.

It is a bold design for someone with no building experience, but Lynn is not easily deterred and has decided not to only project manage but also to do as much of the work as possible herself. However, trouble arises when there’s a fall-out with her neighbours and a structural disaster puts her in a financial and emotional downspin.