I tell people off. The house is in a graveyard on a busy London road but this room is so peaceful. But in typical Grand Designs fashion, costs and problems escalated. But Justin asked architect Simon Gill to cast a fresh eye over the plans. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. A trip to Maxwell Stuarts 900-year-old ancestral home on the Scottish borders reveals why his ambitions are so grand. They asked why we were only excavating beneath part of the building when digging under the whole thing would add a huge amount of extra room, Justin explains. Enter your password to log in. The owners of an eye-catching Devon house that featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs have lost a planning battle with the council. It seemed natural to think that because the design of these spaces is contemporary, the interior design should be very clean and modern. He 'rattled up the funds' via a mortgage and a loan from his mother Kirsty, a scion of the wealthy Salvesen shipping family. 'If you didn't live in London, you will think what I spent is a ridiculous amount of money for a house. 'Inside was a giant oyster shell I recovered from the Seychelles, and inside was the ring,' he says. Gretchen Trusted of Shake the Sky, is responsible for the stunning scheme. he would ask himself in the dead of night. Open the doors to the courtyard and doors and the sunshine pours in. The elegant living room is in the new extension. We tour the nanny flat off the utility room, complete with its mini kitchen and narrow bed, upstairs to the master bedroom where Justin has left a pair of socks balled up on the floor ('oops') and into the ensuite with its mirrored bath. Justin then plans to replace the adjoining blocks with a huge luxury extension on its ground floor, with a basement swimming pool and moat. A third also added: "Possibly the greatest #GrandDesigns ever. We admire the ginger jars decorated with blue marlin, the paintings by his uncle, the photographs of Mustique discreetly displayed. The concrete itself wasnt expensive, but holding up the old building while we dug underneath it was another matter entirely. Instead, the projects where people have been doing it themselves, stockpiling materials, being really resourceful and changing halfway through when they realise they dont have enough plaster or the right cladding, theyre the projects that have come to fruition because people are being really clever.. Millions of viewers presumed it was going to be a canine pal, a Lightning for his Thunder. A post shared by Grand Designs (@granddesignstv), WATCH GRAND DESIGNS ON CHANNEL 4 ON WEDNESDAYS AT 9 PM, ANDGET FREAKY WITH US ONINSTAGRAM ANDFACEBOOK, Kevin and Justin in SW London. I am used to living in old buildings because my family home in Scotland, dates back 1,000 years, says Justin. The blue upholstered chairs in the living room are from William Yeoward. A dad left Grand Designs viewers open-mouthed after the "craziest episode ever". Thrust inside once again, those of us who are finding our homes less than ideal can take comfort in the trials of the foolhardy self-builders who were unlucky enough to come up against a global pandemic, alongside the issues of budget and marital dis-harmony were used to enjoying on the Channel 4 show. The TV presenter, 61, is in the vulnerable category amid the pandemic, so as a result needs to be extra careful when around other people and keep a distance at all times. From graveyard cottage to 4.2million VERY Grand Design: TV property show's most costly project ever turned a cemetery wreck into a majestic home with a waterfall and underground pool By. Appearing on Channel 4's Grand Designs, dad-of-one Justin revealed his plans to transform the derelict land in 12 months and with a budget of 1.6 million - but things didn't go to plan. James' father, William, was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, Feb. 3,1727. The controversial Chesil Cliff House at Croyde - which is. 'I was worried,' he says, 'that people would just think I was a posh twit spending money.'. The house is an abandoned neo-Gothic cemetery . He clears his throat. I just imagined the show would slip onto daytime TV with no fuss, but the opposite has happened. But Justin says his personal grand design always had to make financial sense and be worth its own value. The Londoner . 'I was brought up in Scotland where everyone's houses have so much character,' he booms onscreen, which suggests a refreshing lack of familiarity with the kind of Scottish council estate where I was brought up, but no umbrage taken because Justin is such a delightful person and about as snobbish as a burst haggis. , updated No, he was worried about something else, something much closer to home. If you live one kilometre down the road, you will think it is bloody good value. If youve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page wed love to hear from you. A dad stunned Grand Designs viewers in the 'craziest episode ever' after spending four years and 4.2 million on transforming a cemetery into his dream home. But fans were beyond impressed with the outcome as one said: "Bloody love #GrandDesigns and what an episode to start the new series. axed after Jeremy Clarksons vile Meghan Markle comments. Photo: Jefferson Smith. So did they finish Justins home on Grand Designs? We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. How have you adapted your home during the pandemic? 20 most amazing Grand Designs homes - from the 100ft water tower to the 3million tree house The futuristic eco-mansion was branded "awe-inspiring" by host Kevin McCloud. Grand Designs returns this week with Kevin following a huge new project by army captain Justin, who has forked out 1.8million on his new home. Work was also forced to stop for a full three months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk, Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox. Died on 29 Jul 1969. This suggests he is more hard-nosed property developer than the wide-eyed dreamer who insists a home isn't really a home unless it has a moat. 2023 Grand Designs Magazine | Site by Media 10 Ltd, Simon proposed renovating the lodge, deemed a Building of Merit, to give two bedrooms and a study. Another wrote: "Can't tell you how jealous I am of the man who's converting a graveyard gatehouse into a gothic mansion WITH A MOAT on @Channel4 #GrandDesigns right now.". Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Justin Maxwell-Stuart, 50, from London, bought an abandoned keepers lodge and an adjoining ex-council toilet block in Fulham cemetery for 1.8 million in 2016. Justin drew inspiration from his family's 50-room mansion, Traquair House, Scotland's oldest inhabited house. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. I am used to living in old buildings because my family home in Scotland dates back 1,000 years, says Justin. Justin called on interior designer Gretchen Trusted. As his dream became a reality, the last scenes of the programme revealed one final twist, as Justin disclosed he had found a special someone to share his new home. I fantasise about how many could be helped instead, Jackie Milton (@JaxMilton) January 6, 2021, Put on #GrandDesigns to try and take my mind off everything but all I am thinking is no one should have this amount of money. ", A third also added: "Possibly the greatest #GrandDesigns ever. Have something to tell us about this article? We did not have to buy a single bit of meat for five months,' he roars. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. cemeteries found in Jamestown, New York will be saved to your photo volunteer list.. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list.. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list.. But soon after he started the project in October 2016, he ran into difficulties, with one of the most challenging being getting planning permission to build an entrance to the graveyard from his garden. Image: Jefferson Smith. Within 5 miles of your location. What happened next? (@i_WuV_hUgZ) January 6, 2021, I rarely post on here now as whatever I think theres always people with opposing and genuine views but #GrandDesigns wtf is a single parent spending millions on a ridiculously huge house. Jeremy Clarkson shuts down claim hes been sacked from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? As wife Margretta yearns for a beautiful contemporary house, Andrew's focus is primarily on his . Justin Maxwell-Stuart spent four years and 4.5 million transforming a cemetery into his dream home. When Colin Tennant invited them to his grand costumed 50th birthday party, they did not attend. Let us know in the comments below. 'We don't like to promote ourselves. It is so satisfying to come back and say this is what I did. While a number of viewers were put off by the creepy location, Justin has become fond of it as he says it has a special place in his heart. He is full of surprises and has lived a life that has included three tours of duty in Northern Ireland, one in Iraq and running a salmon fly-tying business in Thailand. Grand Designs returns Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 4. He explained: "I thought, now my life is in turmoil and chaos, I now have the opportunity to do something off the beaten track. Cemetery Design Services. Not for it to be solely architecturally beautiful, but a place that he would be really happy living in. Theres a need to bring a house together with an overarching view. The expensive plans that Justin has for the home is nothing short of easy. 'Pheasant, duck and venison. I think it would be fair to say that he had grave misgivings about the whole thing. But, I have watched enough episodes of Grand Designs to know this might not have worked. It wasn't just that his development was situated inside a West London cemetery, cheek-by-trowel with tombstones and crypts. Watch Grand Designs - January 2021 Series . If youve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page wed love to hear from you. That was mad, beautiful and very, very funny. And replacing the 1960s block with an extension for Justins ground-floor living spaces. It is amazing what you can achieve when you've got millions sluicing about in your sporran. But I thought it might be rather too awful.'. Anyone with a passing interest in the grotesque excesses of Londons richest inhabitants will know all about mega-basements, with floor upon floor being added to old houses by way of digging down, and deeper. If he worried that he may find himself staring down a catastrophic financial black hole in 2016, well, wait and see what happens when the pandemic rolls around. Photo:Jefferson Smith, The question was if the extension should mirror the style of the stone-built lodge or whether it should be something different. The series opens with a house in a Victorian cemetery in south-west London one of the series biggest budget projects. The house is one of only three here, built on land released in the 60s when the cemetery's finances were precarious. Further grand flourishes include a stone, The question was if the extension should mirror the style of the stone-built lodge or whether it should be something different. Although he admits: "I haven't quite worked out how to pay the end bill. But one of Justin's biggest fears would be that the team would dig up a grave. Grand Designs continues on Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 4. Grace Galloway died Nov. 2, 1898, at the age of 27She was taken ill with tuberculosis while studying music in Boston, Mass., and died in less than a yearShe had gone south to Asheville, N.C., for her health, and had also been a patient at Saranac, and was returning south when she died in Pittsburgh, PaFuneral services were held at the . It took months, a metre at a time, but it has added a huge amount of value to the property, said Simon. It was a luxury to design for a house with this level of heritage and space. 2023 GRV Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved. I listened to Justin who told me how he loves the outdoors, being near the sea, and blue tones. The garden spaces required a sensitive treatment, a design which would enhance the bold, contemporary architecture whilst paying respect to the original Neo-Gothic building. But as is often the case with these kinds of builds, time drags on, costs mount, and even a private gate into the cemetery becomes a problem. When asked if he plans on having any more children, he says: 'I'm not ruling anything out.'. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. 'The absolute thrill of achieving something by yourself. For private, municipal, state, and federal facilities, the firm's cemetery design services include: Feasibility studies. It was a chaotic period in my life, I signed my divorce papers and the contract for the house practically on the same day. . Where are these parties where you meet handsome, eligible, ex-army officer aristocratic millionaires? Even if he is a little less chipper and bright-eyed by 2020. Grand Designs lockdown houses: before and after, The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is failing to deliver, The seven stages of building design and construction, 9 simple ways to maximise space in a small bathroom. He raised the first part through savings and a loan from his mother; the second part is from a labyrinthine tangle of mortgages that I failed to understand. Image: Jefferson Smith. 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