Kevin McCloud revisits the Newhaven self build which featured in the first ever episode in 1999
The house that started it all is revisited in the latest episode(Image credit: Channel 4)
In tonight's episode, Kevin McCloud returns to where it all began, revisiting the show’s very first featured home from 1999.
He reunites with Tim, a former hang gliding and paragliding instructor, and Jules who ran the office for the hang gliding school, who wanted to create a timber clad seaside home with panoramic views on the cliffs above Newhaven.
Their project was fraught with problems, similar to the Grand Designs lighthouse home, and they tried to get the project done before their fifth child was born and amazingly managed to complete the home in just six months.
Now, 25 years later, Kevin revisits the home to see how it looks today.
Took just three days to assemble
The couple managed build the shell of the timber frame house in just three days.
The couple used a local architect who recommended a prefabricated home that arrived on the back of one lorry and Kevin said: "It's the ultimate in flat pack assembly".
When revisiting the home Kevin said: "The difficulty with this house was that it was put up so quickly and that it was made of timber you wonder whether on top of this cliff with these strong salty southwesterly winds whether the building's been able to survive properly over that quarter century and whether it's still in one piece."
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Bedroom with panoramic views and New Zealand decking
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In 1999 the plot cost £86k and the house cost £67k to build(Image credit: Channel 4)
The children's bedrooms are now used as guest bedrooms(Image credit: Channel 4)
The four daughters would bring their beds onto the decking and sleep under the stars(Image credit: Channel 4)
The attic bedroom was added since Kevin last visited(Image credit: Channel 4)
Set against the stunning backdrop of the cliffs, with sweeping views that remain as captivating as ever, the episode promises to reveal the beauty and resilience of a home designed to stand out.
Kevin said: "Getting planning permission for a prime coastal site is pretty well impossible but Tim and Jules managed to find a derelict house with panoramic sea views".
The couple had their heart set on New Zealand decking surrounding the house, which was worth it as Tim said: "The girls would often drag their beds onto the balcony and sleep under the stars."
The four daughters have now moved out but an attic bedroom was added and the bedrooms were turned into guest rooms.
Kitchen-dining area that 'hasn't changed' in 25 years
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Kevin said the interiors hadn't changed in 25 years(Image credit: Channel 4)
The outside of the house changed from orange, yellow, now a brown due to new tiles for the outside wall(Image credit: Channel 4)
The open plan kitchen area had two fireplaces(Image credit: Channel 4)
When Kevin saw the kitchen-dining area he was stunned by how little it had changed in 25 years. He said: "They haven't changed a thing."
The open plan kitchen area was called the "heart of the home" with two fireplaces but Kevin did note it was "softened" by the presence of family photos and etches of memories made by the family.
He praised them by saying: "We seem addicted to remodelling our homes. Here is a couple who are content with what they have."
'Snooze room' added to their 'forest of a garden'
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The garden room was something new in the property(Image credit: Channel 4)
Tiger, the baby featured in the episode 25 years ago, said the garden greatly influenced him(Image credit: Channel 4)
The "snooze room" is used to grow grapes(Image credit: Channel 4)
The garden became a "maze", according to Kevin(Image credit: Channel 4)
As Kevin trawled around the house he was "amazed" that "a forest has flourished around it".
Oak, Scotts Pine, Silver Birch and numerous other trees planted 25 years ago had sprung up, which Kevin called a "forest maze".
And the baby seen 25 years ago, Tiger, now 26, still lives at the home and took after his father as a paragliding instructor. He said, "The garden was instrumental in my childhood and shaping how I see the world and environment", and he even wrote a book on the environment.
Something new was added though in the garden, a garden room that Jules called "a snooze room", which helped the house take advantage of the south facing house. They used it to grow grapes and propagate a variety of other plants.
Couple say they have 'no regrets'
Jules said she had no regrets 25 years after completing the self build(Image credit: Channel 4)
The house that Kevin says laid the "groundwork" for numerous other homes over many years that followed in this home's footsteps.
When asked if she had any regrets or anything she would have done differently, Jules simply said "none". She said the house meant "life" to her and her family and that she wouldn't change a thing.
Grand Designs Season 25 episode 6 airs tonight at 10:00 PM on Channel 4.
News Editor Joseph has previously written for Today’s Media and Chambers & Partners, focusing on news for conveyancers and industry professionals. Joseph has just started his own self build project, building his own home on his family’s farm with planning permission for a timber frame, three-bedroom house in a one-acre field. The foundation work has already begun and he hopes to have the home built in the next year. Prior to this he renovated his family's home as well as doing several DIY projects, including installing a shower, building sheds, and livestock fences and shelters for the farm’s animals. Outside of homebuilding, Joseph loves rugby and has written for Rugby World, the world’s largest rugby magazine.
