The WORST episodes of Grand Designs New Zealand
Every episode of Grand Designs New Zealand ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst 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.
#3 - Copper Curve
Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/9/2020
Aaron and Christine Green create an unconventional, curvaceous creation in Cass Bay. It's as much of an artwork as it is a house, but at what cost?
#4 - Auckland: Vinegar Lane Apartment
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/24/2017
A young Auckland couple borrow a fortune to build their first home - and along the way face delays, budget blow-outs, and becoming new parents.
#6 - Hamner Springs: Tree House
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/17/2018
Ric and Boio turn a tree house childhood dream into reality. But building in a pine forest where trees frequently blow over in winter storms complicates things.
#7 - American Gothic
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/25/2015
Chris meets builder Steve Sygrove, who's planning to build and ornate and colourful American Gothic home in the Titirangi bush. Fifth generation builder Steve Sygrove and his wife, Chrissy, have a passion for things pretty, floral and pink. Their unique build in the Titirangi bush near Auckland is a handcrafted American Gothic style house complete with ornate detailing like a Juliette balcony, spandrels, a horseshow window, lacework valences, and interior walls made of fabric. Steve rallies against the bureaucracy that is stifling the creativity in his craft and expects this grand dame of a building will be his swansong.
Watch Now:Amazon
#9 - Steel House
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/18/2015
Chris meets Scottish migrant and urbanite, Scott Lawrie, who has a dream for a new life and a radical new stainless steel home in the remote hills behind Pakiri. Sydney-based writer Scott Lawrie's plans for his new life in New Zealand are encapsulated in a sculptural steel house he is building on a remote rural hillside behind Pakiri beach. Scott has an unrelenting refusal to compromise on his "legacy", but a budget can only be stretched so far. Will Scott realize his extraordinary dream?
Watch Now:Amazon
#10 - Helensville: Imitation Villa
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/2017
Kelly wants to recreate an ornate historic homestead in Helensville - just like one she fell in love with as a child. And she's not letting her six kids hold her back.
#12 - Te Arai: Tuscan Lodge
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/24/2018
Cathy and Vince strive to create a massive Italian style villa with petanque court and heated pool. But their budget takes on a life of its own.
#13 - Mount Ruapehu: Log Home
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/26/2017
Ski enthusiast Ash dreams of building a traditional European Log Cabin at the base of Mount Ruapehu. But will his daughter's input compromise his dream?
#16 - Earthship
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/11/2015
Chris meets Gus and Sarah whose solution to spiraling house prices is to make their first home an Earthship - an off-the-grid house made of recycled rubbish, earthen bricks and clay. An Earthship is a non-traditional home built using recycled materials such as bottles and tyres, and even mussel shells for insulation. Young Coromandel couple Gus and Sarah Anning decided to step outside the norm with their Grand Design when they realized they couldn't afford a traditional home. Enlisting the help of community volunteers, both here and overseas and using unique building techniques originally designed for the desert in California, it's not certain how this Grand Design will fare in Coromandel's temperamental climate.
Watch Now:Amazon
#17 - Ōkaihau
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/25/2022
In Kerikeri, local weekend market and café owners Warrick and Judy Hyland are building the biggest house they can on a budget. However, a global pandemic and building supply crisis force them to make some heart-wrenching decisions.
#19 - Cranmer Square: Red House
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2018
Photographers Johannes and Jo face double trouble - a heritage restoration with the addition of an architectural statement home on the side.
#20 - Clifftop House
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/8/2015
Chris meets Hamish and Diane Divett, who are rebuilding their house on the most unlikely spot - on the edge of a crumbling cliff top that plummets 40 metres to the sea below. Surfing Pastor Hamish Divett and his psychologist wife Diane have lived by the ocean for years, but in a dark, south-facing house that failed to take full advantage of the beautiful vista. To get the view they desperately desire, the couple have decided to push structural and logical planning to the limits. By building on a crumbling cliff with a sheer drop to the sea below, the Divetts will push their team to the edge to see this Grand Design though to completion.
#21 - Sounds Hideaway
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/19/2020
An off the grid monolith in the Marlborough Sounds is a challenging build. But when you live 12,000 miles away like the O'Briens, it's nigh on impossible.
#22 - Mangawhai: Jetty House
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/10/2018
Antiques lover Patty scours the country for historic materials to build a contemporary home. Her journey throws up weighty challenges like what to do with a hundred year old wharf?
#25 - Waiheke: Canopy House
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/31/2017
Wedding dress designer Robyn and husband David have a dream to build a home that looks across a native canopy. But will getting materials to their Waiheke site make the build impossible?