The Grand Designs that drove their owners to despair… and are now up for sale: Homes featured on TV makeover show set to make a small fortune for the ‘exhausted’ families
- A Yorkshire Castle that appeared on the TV show cost £915K to finish and is today on the market for £1.65M
- A Northamptonshire house - shaped like a doughnut - cost £400K to build and is for sale for £1M
- A Newport house is on the market for £1,795,000 - but the owners refuse to admit how much they spent on it
Everyone loves a good Grand Design - something that has helped to make it one of the most popular property shows on television.
Yet after pouring everything into designing and building their perfect homes - and putting up with the stress that comes with it - some owners have decided to move on with three Grand Designs currently on the market for sale.
The first on our list is a seven-bedroom castle in Yorkshire that is one of presenter Kevin McCloud's favourites.
This Yorkshire castle first starred on Grand Designs in 2007 and is one of Kevin McCloud's favourites
The seven-bedroom property featured for a second time on Grand Designs in 2009 when it was partly being used as a B&B
It cost £915,000 to build - including the purchase of the original castle - and is currently on sale for £1,650,000
Francis Shaw and his wife Karen were only just keeping afloat financially when Kevin revisited the property
It featured in two episodes of the show in 2007 and 2009 as it took several years to complete.
When Kevin returned, he stated 'things haven't gone to plan' when explaining how owner and architect Francis Shaw was 'bracing himself against the cold winds of the credit crisis and the property slump' with Francis' wife running it as a B&B.
It meant the couple could remain living at the property rather than being forced to sell up.
They originally bought the ruin for £165,000 and completed the build for another £750,000 - funded through the £400,000 sale of their previous house and a £350,000 mortgage.
Fast forward seven years and the property is now on the market for £1,650,000, a sum that would generate a pre-tax profit of £735,000.
On the first episode, Kevin described the property as a comfortable family home that had been 'dramatically reconstructed' to provide a building that has 'great authenticity'.
And standing on the roof terrace, he told the couple: 'This is like a penthouse apartment on the roof. I would pay a great deal of money for this view. I never really wanted to be in your shoes at any point during this build. But coming out here I am suddenly very envious. I could move into this place certainly.'
The owners were forced to turn part of the property into a B&B to help with the running costs of the castle
The grand entrance and staircase welcomes B&B customers staying at the impressive property
Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud stayed at the B&B on his return to the castle in 2009
However, he went on to tell viewers: 'Two years of relentless work has left them exhausted and scarily remortgaged up to the hilt. This project has taken twice as long as intended. But for the first time in over 60 years, the castle is inhabited and no longer a ruin or an ancient monument.'
Grand Design's Kevin said he would pay a 'great deal of money' for the views from the top of the castle
The top floor opens out on to a roof terrace with a view of Yorkshire's rolling hills from the top of the castle
The second property on our list is a four-bedroom 'doughnut-shaped' property in Milton Keynes, which was built in a couple's back garden for £400,000.
It is currently on the market for £1million, which would produce a pre-tax profit of £600,000.
The property featured on the show in 2014 and was described by presenter Kevin as 'magnificent'.
This Milton Keynes property appeared on Grand Designs in 2014 and cost £400,000 to build
The 'round house' has a 57'9 living area that is wrapped around a paved central courtyard
Peter Berkin and his wife Chard told Kevin they were still together despite the tension of building their own home. The design included a kitchen which comes with a bespoke worktop and there are polished concrete floors throughout
He said: 'It is almost as though a giant wooden spaceship has landed on top of Stonehenge and interlocked with it. It is beautiful.'
The couple behind the build, Peter Berkin and his wife Chard, were at odds at the end of the project when Kevin asked if they would be happy there and whether it had been a good experience. 'Peter is going to be happy here,' said Mrs Berkin, before adding: 'It has been positive because I am still here with him.'
The four-bedroom detached house is clad in Siberian Larch and has an unusual planted roof
The spacious master bedroom suite has doors that open onto decking in the garden, making the most of the view
There are luxury fixtures and fittings that highlight the curves of the unusual round house
There are four sets of bifolding doors in the living area, which open out onto the garden
The final house for sale that starred on Grand Designs that is currently for sale is a six-bedroom house in Newport.
It is currently on the market for £1,795,000, with the owners refusing to be drawn on how much they had spent on the build.
When the programme aired in 2009, Kevin asked owners Sarah and Dean Berry the cost of the project.
This property in Newport featured on Grand Designs in 2009 and is currently on the market for £1,795,000
Owners Sarah and Dean Berry refused to be drawn by Kevin on how much the huge project cost to complete
It was built by couple Sarah and Dean Berry, who refused to disclose how much it cost to complete
The property dates back to the 1720s and today includes an original tower with a library/cinema room on the ground floor
Mr Berry, who grew up on a council estate, said: 'You could spend an unlimited amount of money here just because of the size of the property. I haven't totted it up yet. I don't take this for granted.'
On the show, Kevin said: 'They chose the difficult route - the double jeopardy route in this case - of both restoration and new building. They commissioned some architecture and bought back to life a local landmark. The result is first-class really.'
He concluded: 'Anybody who goes on this type of architectural journey earns the right to add to a place, to make their mark in the landscape, to say we love this place... but also we have arrived.'
Mr Berry said he could have spent unlimited amounts of money on the property due to its size
The Grade II listed property in Newport has panoramic views across the South Wales countrysid
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