Inside Kevin McCloud’s ‘favourite ever’ Grand Designs home – costing just £130k and made of shipping containers
GRAND Designs host Kevin McCloud fell in love with an unconventional house which appeared on the show back in 2014 and it’s still one of his favourites.
The house, which was made out of shipping containers, is a thing of architectural beauty, according to Kevin, 64.
It was built by farmer and architect Patrick Bradley in the countryside of Northern Ireland in County Derry. The impressive house has a low environmental impact, and it cost just £130,000 to build.
“My idea was for a bold contemporary home made of boxes balanced on top of each other. They thought it was a bit wild, and my mother was worried that I was going to ruin her favourite view forever,” Patrick explained.
However, Kevin was the first to admit that he didn’t initially think much of Patrick’s plan to build a house out of shipping containers.
“Who in their right mind would choose to build with these?” he asked at the beginning of the episode, calling them “quite ugly material.”
The Grand Designs star was concerned the material would ruin the beautiful landscape he was building on.
In response, Patrick acknowledged that he was taking a big risk with his project, but added that he was more excited about the possible reward.
He upcycled four shipping containers to create the house’s frame, stacking them together to create an elegant design.
It only took nine months to complete the project, but it wasn’t an easy task.
‘This was probably one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of any of the houses I’ve built,’ he said.
He was particularly nervous about making sure the containers were balanced properly, but he happily confirmed that they created a foundation that is ‘as solid as a rock’.
And he did enough to impress Kevin, so much so that it’s become one of his all-time favourite houses.
“Against all my expectations, the magic of this place, you put it back,” he gushed when he saw the finished product for the first time.
He continued to be more and more impressed by Patrick’s work.
“Oh Patrick, this is very good,” he exclaimed as he entered the house.
Patrick explained that he used the containers purely for the structure, but they don’t play that much of a factor in his interior design, which Kevin called “pure genius.”
Inside, the house featured while walls, clean lines and plenty of windows to let in the light and showcase the stunning landscape Patrick has on his doorstep.
The property has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and was built across 130 square metres for the total cost of £130,000.
“I’m staggered that you managed to get such quality in such little time for such little money,” Kevin said, very impressed with the finished result.
“It’s proof that brilliant design needn’t cost the earth,” he concluded.