The BEST episodes of Grand Designs New Zealand
Every episode of Grand Designs New Zealand ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Grand Designs New Zealand!
Architect Tom Webster meets people all over Aotearoa who are challenging architecture, geography, sustainability, technology, and even standard building practices to create innovative, cutting edge homes.
#1 - Whanganui Mid-Century
Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/15/2025
A rambunctious retired bricklayer builds one final house, for himself and his ever-patient wife on their farm near Whanganui.
#2 - Concrete Californian
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/11/2025
A concrete, steel and glass citadel above a popular Auckland beach combines austere functionality with luxury living.
#3 - Loburn Lifestyle
Season 9 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/8/2025
A couple with peaceful retirement in mind, plan a rustic retreat in North Canterbury inspired by a Stealth Bomber fighter.
#4 - Tennis Court
Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/1/2025
An old tennis court in Paraparaumu is set to become a couple’s new family home but the project lobs up a series of backhanders.
#5 - Passive House
Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/22/2022
In Featherston, Swedish architect Josefine Watterson tackles the challenge of creating a Passive House for her young family in pursuit of both a more sustainable lifestyle.
#10 - Waitaki Valley
Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/12/2023
In the Waitaki Valley, Michael and Olivia Pavelitch discover they have their work cut out for them when they embark on breathing life into an historic rabbiters' cottage.
#13 - 45° House
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/1/2015
Chris meets architect Nic Ballara, who's planning to build a house on a steep 45-degree slope overlooking Wellington. Nic Ballara clearly has a head for heights as he starts to build a family home for him and his wife Callie and their 12-year-old daughter. Nic's site in the earthquake prone city of Wellington is so steep that it looks virtually impossible to build on, however Nic is convinced he has a solution and is determined to build his first home there. A logistical nightmare lies ahead as this Grand Design looks to be an uphill battle throughout.
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#16 - Abel Tasman
Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/24/2023
Mark Ahearn and his Australian restaurateur wife Liz are taking time out from their hectic lives in Perth to build a legacy family holiday home in Abel Tasman.
#18 - Suspended Glass House
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/18/2019
A site with a river running through it would put most people off. But not Harlem and Nicola who attempt to build a glass-house on a bridge over the water.
#22 - New Plymouth: Hemp Home
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/2/2016
New Plymouth couple Greg and Gayle build one of the first hemp homes in NZ, and spend thousands shielding themselves against what they believe are the ill effects of electromagnetic radiation.
#23 - Kapiti Coast: Stilt House
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/16/2016
Predicted sea level rises are not stopping architect Guy Marriage and his extended family from building a DIY Bach, only metres from the high tide mark on Wellington's Kapiti Coast.
#24 - Container House
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/15/2022
Tony Hodge discovers that building with the humble container is not as easy as he thought it would be on his unforgiving, vertiginous, bush clad site on Waiheke Island.
#25 - Lake House
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/1/2022
On the shores of Lake Tarawera, kiwi fruit farmers Stew and Gill Moss are building a final family home in time for Gill's 60th birthday party.