The BEST episodes of Grand Designs Australia

Every episode of Grand Designs Australia ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Grand Designs Australia!

Grand Designs Australia tells the stories of new homes and perhaps more importantly the Aussies who are building them. Based on the award-winning UK series, Grand Designs Australia is the first international format of the critically acclaimed show. The series charts the in-depth process of elaborate design projects undertaken by self-builders - from the initial details of blueprints, to the long and often arduous task of turning the designs into a practical living space. No design is too ambitious when it comes to creating your dream home. But discovering the hard realities that complicate your plans can often be too much to bear. Hosted by leading Australian architect Peter Maddison.

Last Updated: 8/31/2024Network: LifeStyleStatus: Ended
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Coburg, VIC
star
8.57
21 votes

#1 - Coburg, VIC

Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/19/2021

Marc and Felicity have dreams of building a non-toxic, passive home and after years of work, the unthinkable happens – a fire sweeps through their beloved home just as they are about to move in. Will their dreams be shattered forever?

Watch Now:Amazon
Annandale Urban House
star
8.44
169 votes

#2 - Annandale Urban House

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/22/2012

Brett and Rees are the proud parents of three young boys and desperately need more space. They love their inner west community in Sydney's Annandale, so the plan is to build on the small empty allotment behind their apartment. The first sod has barely been turned when one of the heritage buildings on their boundary is in danger of collapsing. Exhausted by ongoing battles and a build that's months behind schedule - will Brett & Rees have enough grit and determination to see their project through to completion?

Watch Now:Amazon
Barossa Valley Glass House
star
8.35
115 votes

#3 - Barossa Valley Glass House

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/29/2012

James & Helen plan to capture breathtaking Barossa views in their elegant new home. 60 metres long, 1 room wide and virtually all glass, it looks straightforward on paper. The complicated part is building it.

Watch Now:Amazon
Trinity Beach Pole House
star
8.19
139 votes

#4 - Trinity Beach Pole House

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/3/2012

Daniel Leipnik and Andrew Preston have long cherished the dream of a laid-back, barefoot life in the tropics. And they have found the ideal location at Trinity Beach near Cairns in Far North Queensland. Their ambitious new home will grace a hillside block bordering a World Heritage rainforest and overlooking the Coral Sea. After years planning this grand sea-change, they are ready at last to manage its construction. Their vision is for a classic pavilion-style pole home, nestled in the tree tops. But project managing is tough enough if you’re on site… and they’re attempting the job from 4,000 kilometres away in Melbourne, plus this is a first time experience for them both. While they believe they’ve left no stone unturned designing their South Pacific inspired hideaway, they can’t escape the challenges of the location. A precarious driveway, tropical downpours and expensive local trades are all threatening to send their budget and schedule spiralling out of control. Between pressing work commitments and the tyranny of distance, these idealists still believe they can pull off the house of their dreams. The question is, can they?

Watch Now:Amazon
Chain Of Lagoons, TAS
star
8.18
11 votes

#5 - Chain Of Lagoons, TAS

Season 10 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/2/2022

When Lynne and Paul met while sailing five years ago, neither had plans to fall in love, let alone relocate to the wilds of Tasmania to build a home. But that all changes for the Melbourne couple when they visit the Apple Isle and find a beautiful stretch of coastal wilderness with panoramic views over the Tasman Sea. With grand plans to build a huge Modern home, they decide that Paul will project manage construction. But living onsite for months on end in a battered up old caravan will test his skills, endurance and ultimately his health.

Watch Now:Amazon
Dooralong 'Elemental', NSW
star
8.17
6 votes

#6 - Dooralong 'Elemental', NSW

Season 10 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/8/2023

Electrician Mick takes on the challenge of a lifetime when he and artist wife Belynda decide to build their dream modernist home in the bucolic Dooralong Valley, on the NSW Central Coast.

Watch Now:Amazon
Warburton Arch House
star
8.12
115 votes

#7 - Warburton Arch House

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/8/2012

Tyrone & Hailey follow the advice of a feng shui expert or 'energy ecologist' throughout construction of their new house. An owner-built labour of love, their passive solar building has a curved living roof planted with native grasses.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
8.07
15 votes

#8 - Inverloch, VIC

Season 10 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/12/2022

In 2016, a fire destroyed the much-loved old family homestead on Alistair and Belinda's dairy farm, in Inverloch, Victoria. And while a lifetime of happy memories went up in smoke, the couple were determined to create something new that would reflect the family's farming history, while providing a home to entice their kids to stick around. With Belinda supervising the build, they embark on a bold new project to create a comfortable home that looks like a dairy shed, complete with silos for bedrooms. But trying to recreate an authentic looking 100-year-old barn using both old and new materials is harder than it looks, and it's not long before Belinda feels the pressure to get it right.

Watch Now:Amazon
Balnarring Rammed Earth
star
8.04
171 votes

#9 - Balnarring Rammed Earth

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/1/2012

Eco conscious entertainers Claire and Lisa adore their hobby farming lifestyle on Victoria's Mornington peninsula, but the cute 1930's beach shack they've long shared with two pugs has lost its once savoured charm. They're upgrading and building a sustainable, modernist, entertainers' home that blends sophisticated design elements with rammed earth, recycled materials and raw finishes. It all sounds glamorous and straightforward but with a zero contingency budget what happens when a wet winter meets an insidious clay soil?

Watch Now:Amazon
Kuitpo, SA
star
7.92
90 votes

#10 - Kuitpo, SA

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/19/2015

Nick and Kate take inspiration from their vineyard location for the first build. Their architect designed home in the shape of a leaf, with a spine stone wall running through the middle and comes with a singing studio.

Watch Now:Amazon
Foxground Pavilion
star
7.89
61 votes

#11 - Foxground Pavilion

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/30/2014

After 30 years as a civil engineer, Joe Cato has built more roads than the Romans. But a few years ago he and wife Maura made the active decision to slow everything down - to sell their successful construction business, and spend more time with their three children.

Watch Now:Amazon
Brookfield Spotted Gum
star
7.86
58 votes

#12 - Brookfield Spotted Gum

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/27/2014

Millie and Andrew are bringing their dream of life on a farm to fruition, including a home that is unique. Projecting out of the landscape and clad in natural materials, it's a new take on rural living.

Watch Now:Amazon
Northcote Vinegar Factory
star
7.85
59 votes

#13 - Northcote Vinegar Factory

Season 6 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/17/2015

Owner/Architect Adrian is passionate about sustainable building. He has grand plans for turning his Vinegar Factory inside out by creating a four storey eco-friendly house complete with a series of walled rainforest.

Watch Now:Amazon
North Bondi Urban Cliff, NSW
star
7.84
68 votes

#14 - North Bondi Urban Cliff, NSW

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/27/2017

Brendan and Penelope dream of a multi-tiered, multi-million dollar home, complete with infinity pool on the side of a cliff in Bondi. But when they constantly change plans, will it ever be finished?

Watch Now:Amazon
Launceston, TAS
star
7.84
67 votes

#15 - Launceston, TAS

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/12/2015

Seasoned renovators Mark and Karen are taking on the challenge of converting a derelict 1920's electricity substation into a cutting edge home - while preserving its history and integrity.

Watch Now:Amazon
Faraday Aussie Bush House
star
7.81
47 votes

#16 - Faraday Aussie Bush House

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/11/2014

Before Matt McClelland’s wife Anne died six years ago, they’d been looking for a rural property to build on - a place to call home for them and for their four adult children to come to visit. So when Matt stumbled across 40 acres in central Victoria with spectacular views to Mt Alexander’s granite hill side, he knew he’d found the spot.

Watch Now:Amazon
Clunes, NSW
star
7.80
10 votes

#17 - Clunes, NSW

Season 10 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/9/2022

Retirees and childhood sweethearts Liz and Warren have been together for over half a century, but a relaxed lifestyle is the last thing on their minds. They've taken on a hundred-acre Macadamia farm in the Byron Bay hinterland, with grand plans to build an epic five-bedroom Mediterranean style villa-cum-castle. Inspired by their adventures abroad their design is whimsical, unconventional, and extravagant. With no architect their plans embrace spontaneity and change on a whim, add in project managing it themselves and things soon freewheel. Question is, will this fairy tale dream have a happy ending?

Watch Now:Amazon
Whittlesea 'Earth', VIC
star
7.80
5 votes

#18 - Whittlesea 'Earth', VIC

Season 10 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/25/2023

Bel and John are building a radical underground house on 25 spectacular acres at Whittlesea, in Victoria's Plenty Valley - so named for its fertile farmland and magnificent views. But the area has also acquired a more terrifying reputation. In 2009, 120 people died nearby at Kinglake in what's now known as the Black Saturday bushfires, and as a result Bel and John want a home that's fire proof! With John away at work for much of the build, it's up to Bel to project manage the difficult and complex build. But a number of unexpected challenges make the process harder than anticipated, and with their underground sanctuary looking more like an airport terminal than a stylish home, the pressure reaches breaking point!

Watch Now:Amazon
Torrens Park Modern Mansion
star
7.79
34 votes

#19 - Torrens Park Modern Mansion

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/2013

Hoteliers Richard and Denise have knocked down the family home in the Adelaide Hills and are re-building an even bigger version, despite the fact their kids are grown. This modern mansion will have all the bells and whistles, amid resort like luxury on 3 tiered acres overlooking Adelaide. But is this unpretentious, likeable couple creating a home or a hotel for themselves? Money may be no object but have they taken on too much?

Watch Now:Amazon
The Graceville Container House
star
7.79
38 votes

#20 - The Graceville Container House

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/9/2014

This feisty and resourceful couple decide to trial a whole new way of building, starting with 10, then 20, then 31 steel shipping containers that carpenter Todd, plans to crane into their suburban block, then somehow weld into a flood proof family home - all for just $400,000.

Watch Now:Amazon
Claremont Origami
star
7.78
59 votes

#21 - Claremont Origami

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/23/2014

Why would an architect at the pinnacle her career and creative powers ditch the drafting desk, don steel cap boots and take up a blowtorch? Because for Ariane Prevost, that’s exactly the antidote to a lifetime of designing houses for other people – 102 in fact.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.75
16 votes

#22 - Carlton, VIC

Season 10 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/19/2022

Building a big house in inner city Melbourne is a tricky business stymied by heritage overlays, a lack of available space and soaring property prices. But architect Annalise and project manager Kim have a plan to thwart those hurdles and turn their tiny 1850s Carlton terrace into a multi-storied modern home with a large garden and a triple car-stacker. Their secret - to dig down and build up and out - creating a remarkable home that bridges the old and the new, and redefines living in the inner city. The catch - Annalise is based in Dubai with the kids, while Kim is left to project manager this complex and unusual build in the face of border closures, lockdowns and construction delays. As the project drags on with his family on the other side of the world, the pressure tests Kim's resolve and his relationships.

Watch Now:Amazon
North Melbourne, VIC
star
7.75
12 votes

#23 - North Melbourne, VIC

Season 10 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/23/2022

Soaring property prices have put inner-city living out of the reach of many. But not for architect Ben and artist wife Tania, who decide to think laterally and get creative buying a tiny 64 square metre discarded scrap of land in one of North Melbourne's grittier back lanes. Their plans - to build a three storey, three bedroom, two bathroom home with a large garden - all for the not-so-grand price of $600,000. But their slim budget is in total contrast to their expansive ideas. Ben is working on a revolutionary concreting method using a giant robot that can transform boring concrete walls into soaring works of art. And while it's an interesting idea in theory, using their own family home to test it is high stakes indeed! With the family crammed into rental accommodation while Ben finesses his master work, the pressure mounts while the months drag on. Will his plans to transform concrete buildings into habitable architecture works of art ever become a reality?

Watch Now:Amazon
Lewisham, TAS
star
7.74
27 votes

#24 - Lewisham, TAS

Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/14/2019

Alice is a long term fan of the small house movement and on a sloping site facing the Southern Ocean. She's creating a petite 40 square metre pod, offering all she needs and nothing more.

Watch Now:Amazon
Port Melbourne Urban Green
star
7.73
62 votes

#25 - Port Melbourne Urban Green

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/6/2014

Ian and Ann are challenging the norms in their suburb to build a modern and sustainable home that is clad in water tanks. It's a game of invention and ingenuity for a $1.8 million investment.

Watch Now:Amazon