Grand Designs

10 Best Episodes of Grand Designs - Season 5

Kevin McCloud follows people as they build their dream house, often focusing on modern design, energy efficiency, maximizing space and views.

Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 10, 2023.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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Grand Designs - S5E7

#10 - Shaped Like a Curvy Seashell (Season 5 - Episode 7)

For the last 20 years, Pat Becker has been living in a large Georgian family house overlooking the sea in Devon. Now that her family have flown the nest and the house has grown too big for her, she's decided to build a new home at the bottom of the garden. Shaped like a curvy seashell, the new house has concrete and polystyrene walls, which spiral down from the central staircase. Her architect has promised it will take only six months to build but constructing a round house is never straightforward!

The episode was rated 6.53 from 15 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E1

#9 - 19th Century Sandstone House: Revisited (Season 5 - Episode 1)

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Kevin returns to see whether the couple's solo attempts to transform a wreck of an old stone building in Leith, with no previous building experience, has been successful.

The episode was rated 7.00 from 30 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E9

#8 - A 21st Century Answer to the Roman Villa (Season 5 - Episode 9)

This is Belfast, one of the great cities of the industrial revolution, and home to Thomas and Dervla O’Hare. They’ve lived here for 18 years, and although they still love their tiny cottage for its compactness, they’re about to build something much, much bigger. They’re building a 21st century answer to the Roman villa, with a copper roof, glass and concrete walls and vast amounts of living space all arranged around a central courtyard.

The episode was rated 7.13 from 15 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E8

#7 - The Woodsmans Cottage: Revisited (Season 5 - Episode 8)

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Kevin returns to see how Ben Law's woodsman's cottage has changed. The house has bedded down into its landscaped kitchen garden and his life has changed in unexpected ways.

The episode was rated 7.18 from 11 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E6

#6 - The Violin Factory: Revisited (Season 5 - Episode 6)

Louise and Milko wanted to build the home of a lifetime. Milko's job as a well-paid City banker meant they could think big, so Louise set up her own architectural practice and they bought a disused violin factory in the heart of London's Waterloo. The crumbling building was hemmed in on all sides and had no views, but Louise had a vision of a spectacular loft-style home that would combine stunning design with utter luxury

The episode was rated 7.28 from 18 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E5

#5 - The Terrace Conversion: Revisited (Season 5 - Episode 5)

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Kevin McCloud takes a trip back to the home of John and Eleni Flood who completely gutted their Victorian terraced house to create an open, light and modern space.

The episode was rated 7.40 from 30 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E3

#4 - The 16th Century Farmhouse (Season 5 - Episode 3)

When lawyers Jeremy and Louise Brown walked into Upthorpe Farm in Gloucester, they couldn't believe their eyes. It was like stepping back in time. Apart from a few minor alterations, the Grade II listed 16th-century farmhouse had barely been touched for over 400 years and was completely unmodernised. There were original beams and doorways, original paint and plaster and a hay loft. Now that they've purchased the property their ambitious design plan is to bring the farmhouse into the 21st century, blending the original historic features with modern simplicity and luxury. Kevin watches on intrigued as they tackle the challenge of reconciling the very old and the very contemporary.

The episode was rated 7.44 from 32 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E2

#3 - The Sliding Glass Roof House aka Urban Space Pod (Season 5 - Episode 2)

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When Monty Ravenscroft and Clare Loewe began looking for a house to buy in London they soon realised that the only affordable option was to build one themselves. They snapped up a dirt cheap slither of land in Peckham at an auction only to be told it was too small to put a house on. Undeterred, three years ago, engineering whiz Monty began building an extraordinary experimental bungalow that filled the site to bursting point.

The episode was rated 7.48 from 33 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E10

#2 - The Miami-Style Beach House (Season 5 - Episode 10)

Kevin McCloud meets Julie and Mark Veysey, whose Grand Design is a stunning Miami-style beach house on a beachfront plot overlooking the south Devon coast. Julie and Mark have had several holidays in Miami, and Julie wanted to recreate the outdoor beachfront lifestyle back in England, living in a house full of light and sun, within easy reach of the waves.

The episode was rated 7.56 from 16 votes.

Grand Designs - S5E4

#1 - Finnish Log Cabin (Season 5 - Episode 4)

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John Cadney and Marnie Moon have never had a permanent home. For 16 years they've camped on land owned by Marnie's parents because they could never afford to buy a house in the area where they live. So John, a carpenter, rolled his sleeves up and decided to build a house for his family with his bare hands. After much searching for the right kind of house they settled on an environmentally friendly four-bedroom log cabin. The whole thing was imported from Finland as hundreds of pre-cut bits of wood. All John had to do is figure out how it all fits together!

The episode was rated 8.00 from 26 votes.

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