The BEST episodes of Grand Designs season 2
Every episode of Grand Designs season 2, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Grand Designs season 2!
Presenter Kevin McCloud follows some of Britain's most ambitious self-building projects, as intrepid individuals attempt to design and construct the home of their dreams.
#1 - Devon, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/4/2001
Sue and Martin took a holistic approach when they converted a pair of Devon barns into a family home. They believed that the house should look like a natural part of the landscape. So they built it using environmentally sustainable techniques and allowed much of its design to evolve during the build. The oldest barn, dating from the 1600s, was built from stone and cob - a straw-and-mud mixture characteristic of Devon - while the newer, 19th-century barn was totally of stone. The older barn would have a thatched roof, the newer barn slates. A south-facing sitting room would overlook a double-height glass atrium, which would become an indoor garden, filled with citrus trees. Four bedrooms and a study would go upstairs.
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#2 - Wales, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/7/2001
An isolated hilltop in the Brecon Beacons might seem an inhospitable place for a couple's first home. But Adrian and Corinna both grew up in the area, and the ruined farmhouse they chose to restore had been in Adrian's family for generations. The site's lack of mains water and electricity gave them no qualms. True, the track up the hill was often inaccessible in winter. But the landscape was beautiful and they both felt they belonged there
#3 - Lambourn Valley, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/14/2001
When Rupert and Julie bought a hilltop site in the Berkshire Downs, they were determined to build a house that would make the most of the countryside and stunning views. They turned to architecture firm Roderick James, which specialises in modern design and traditional timber craftsmanship. Together with architect Hugh McGann, they came up with a house of green oak and glass, built in an unusual cruciform (cross) shape.
#4 - Sussex, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/24/2001
With a plot of land in Sussex overlooking the South Downs, newly-weds Jane and Willem wanted a house that would be atmospheric and open to the countryside. Inspired by memories of America, Jane planned a New England-style gabled house with large windows to make the most of the views.
#5 - Grand Designs Revisited: Devon 2002
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 10/1/2002
Sue and Martin took a holistic approach when they converted a pair of Devon barns into a family home. They believed that the house should look like a natural part of the landscape. So they built it using environmentally sustainable techniques and allowed much of its design to evolve during the build. The oldest barn, dating from the 1600s, was built from stone and cob - a straw-and-mud mixture characteristic of Devon - while the newer, 19th-century barn was totally of stone. The older barn would have a thatched roof, the newer barn slates. A south-facing sitting room would overlook a double-height glass atrium, which would become an indoor garden, filled with citrus trees. Four bedrooms and a study would go upstairs.
#6 - Grand Designs Revisited: Birmingham 2001
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/29/2001
Kevin McCloud revisits an innovative housing scheme in Birmingham. Just over two years ago a group of 11 men and women agreed to build, not just their own, but each other's homes.
#7 - Grand Designs Revisited: Brighton 2001
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/14/2001
Kevin McCloud revisits a group of people in a Brighton co-operative who are building their own homes and the homes of their neighbours.
#8 - Grand Designs Revisited: Islington 2001
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/13/2001
Kevin McCloud revisits Jeremy Till and Sarah Wigglesworth in Islington, London. Will they have realised their dream of using straw bales in the construction of their house?
#9 - Huddersfield, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/31/2001
A derelict woollen mill in a Yorkshire village may not say 'modernist' to everyone. But Chris and Gill - who, fortunately, run their own specialist joinery business - saw it as the perfect opportunity to create a visionary home. They liked the traditional brick of the building and opted to keep the exterior virtually untouched. Inside, they would strip everything out and make a home of fluid spaces, based around an open-plan ground floor, an atrium and a galleried upper floor.
#10 - Farnham, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/17/2001
Helen and Mark had always dreamed of owning a Georgian house but knew they couldn't afford the genuine article. So they decided to build their own. They bought a large plot of land in Surrey, surrounded by trees, and commissioned an architect who specialised in conservation architecture to design it.
#11 - London, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/28/2001
Sarah, a maker of modern jewellery, and Coneyl, a freelance photographer, wanted a modern home from which they could both work. But they also wanted a uniquely personal house. So they commissioned architect Mike Tonkin to come up with a radical design for their long, thin site in a north London residential street.
#12 - Grand Designs Revisited: Wales 2002
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 9/10/2002
Kevin McCloud re-visits Adrian and Corrina, who decided their first home was to be a 300-year-old ruin. The former cottage is set in the inhospitable climate of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
#13 - Grand Designs Revisited: Suffolk 2001
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/15/2001
Kevin McCloud travels to Suffolk to revisit a couple who dreamed of building a 100% environmentally friendly house. How far have they managed to stick to their green ideals?
#14 - Grand Designs Revisited: Doncaster 2001
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/8/2001
Kevin McCloud travels back to Doncaster to catch up with self-builders Michael Hird and Lindsay Harwood and their futuristic glass and steel house in a suburb of Doncaster.
#15 - Birmingham, 2001
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/21/2001
In May 1999, 11 people in Bordesley, West Birmingham, set out to build their own homes. Few of them had any professional experience in construction. For the previous two years, the Accord Housing Association had been training them in the skills they would need. Now they were to put them to the test. Angela, who worked for Accord, would be the project co-ordinator. Peter, a builder with 20 years' experience, would be site manager, overseeing the work. The group members; Calvin (who was appointed leader), Paul, Carol, Mr Azad, Petrona, Tab, Gerald, Paul, Yasser, Richard, Bash - had not known each other when they signed up, having been attracted to the project through advertising and word of mouth
#16 - Grand Designs Revisited: Amersham 2002
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 9/24/2002
Kevin is in Amersham to update on a project taken on by Deborah and architect Andrew. Their venture involved designing an 'invisible' house that blended in with the surrounding reservoirs.
#17 - Grand Designs Revisited: London 2002
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 9/17/2002
Kevin McCloud revisits Sharon and Tony Relph a couple who hoped to restore a dilapidated Georgian house in London to its former glory. Once 200 years of redecoration and refurbishment had been stripped away, the property boasted elegant period features, but the pair still had to overcome daunting interior decay problems.