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This program is a spin-off from another TV series out of Britain. It is the Australian take on people who are attempting to build themselves a custom-designed house. It evolves around all the challenges they have to deal with. It is hosted by an architect name Peter Maddison and airs on the Lifestyle Channel.
The Australian version follows the British lead closely. It starts off with Maddison meeting the people who are involved with constructing this very unique building. It reveals the design via a 'Computer Aided Design' (CAD) so the audience gets a feel for what they are aiming at.
As the construction advances Maddison makes a personal visit to the building site. His intention is to interview the clients and anyone else who might be involved in this undertaking.
The show explains how elaborate some design projects can be when you are a self-builder. It takes you from the initial blueprint stage to the long and many times very challenging task of turning those designs into an actual living space.
No designing project is overly ambitious when it involves the building of your dream home, but getting hit with all the unexpected challenges you will face can be stressful. Grand Designs Australia walks you through many various designs and styles of houses being built. They are unique and they all come with their own personal stories from the builders themselves.
Peter Maddison has more than 25 years of experience with a broad range of house-building projects, both commercial and residential. He has a solid grasp of what is involved in Australian architecture and its history.
Episodes
The first episode begins with the home of Chris Clarke being burned down. He had spent two years building this dream home located in Callignee, Victoria. He got over the shock and decided to rebuild in the exact same spot. The episode follows him as he reconstructs his dream a second time.
The second episode revolves around an architect named Domenic Alvaro along with his partner named Sue Bassett. They buy a small car park and proceed to turn it into a living space that measures 220 square meters. In spite of the fast construction techniques like 'pre-fab' they run into numerous interesting challenges.
In the third episode Peter Maddison takes a look at the Mansfield home that belongs to a couple named Stuart and Pamela. They want to bring an indoor-outdoor flavor to their new dream home. Maddison is curious about them trying to bring a taste of Melbourne into Mansfield.
The couple used to live in a 1-bedroom house that required their visitors to sleep underneath the stars. They wanted to keep that tradition alive if possible.
In the fourth episode you find a couple who purchased what used to be a reservoir in Warburton. Their plan was to build their home 'cantilevered' across the water. However, they had a feng shui expert who strongly advised them against this idea, so from there they simply had a Buddhist monk to bless the building site.
As the episode evolves they begin to seriously doubt the credibility of the expertise of their feng shui expert. Most of these episodes are focused on rural construction and are held in places like Ocean View, Barossa Valley, and Byron Bay. One specific episode takes place in Annandale while another happens in Hampton.
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