Grand Designs front man Kevin McCloud tells Rebekah Commane why he has his doubts about the government’s energy efficiency incentive, the Green Deal, and why quantity surveyors are “the only realists” when it comes to self-build.
Television favourite Kevin McCloud is not a man to mince his words. He says exactly what he thinks, and it’s refreshing. Speaking to What Mortgage he highlighted one of the major pitfalls in self-build projects, revealing a behind the scenes insight into the reality of the grand designs on the hit TV show.
All hail the quantity surveyor
“On Grand Designs there are amazing stories of people building houses on shoestrings but they’re not
being transparently honest with us. It appears that they all come in on budget but, off camera, I get the impression that with all the extras, they actually don’t,” Kevin discloses.
“One of the things that should certainly be done more by anyone getting started on a self-build is employing a quantity surveyor to do an initial valuation of the project. They’re experts at looking at it objectively to see if it can be done within budget or not.”
Contrastingly, McCloud believes that architects, builders and even those holding the purse strings can be overly optimistic with how far the budget will stretch.
“What often happens is, say a client has £200,000 to spend, a quantity surveyor will be honest and say it could cost £400,000. If you ask your architect for a price they are natural optimists. If you ask them if a project can be done for £50,000 they’ll nearly always say they hope it can. They’re not really giving you a quote. The only realists are the quantity surveyors and they are nearly always right.”
The latest fads in self-build
“Right now there’s a trend for what I call ‘ground scrapers’. We’ve had white boxes and glass boxes and grey boxes and wooden boxes in the past. Now there’s a popular trend of houses that are being built under what used to be known as PPS7, now known as paragraph 55; these planning clauses allow people to build in open countryside. It’s all about creating buildings of architectural and environmental distinction, super cool buildings.”
Kevin describes these ‘ground scrapers’ as buildings which look like bits of the landscape, with grass roots, so you can’t really see them.
He’s a big fan of eco-friendly developments and anything that is low carbon but isn’t too optimistic about the government’s energy efficiency attempt, the Green Deal, which encourages homeowners to take out a loan to install energy saving measures, with the promise of savings on bills.
“I had great hopes for the Green Deal but looking at the way the legislation is being received in the industry it isn’t too good. There’s a lot of gnashing of teeth and whaling going on. The 7 per cent interest rate seems too high for me when the whole thing was predicated on the golden rule that the investment must not outweigh the benefits. But with ten years worth of interest on a loan to pay it makes a nonsense.
“Although the homeowner doesn’t feel as though they’re paying for the loan, because their outgoings are no greater than they were before, they’re paying less on energy but more back in capital costs. If the loan rates were down at base lending rates it would be a very effective deal but at the moment it doesn’t seem to be.”
Dream home
Kevin is practical when asked if he would live in any of the homes featured on Grand Designs; he wouldn’t. They don’t suit his circumstances, although if things were different he would have a few favourites.
He would live in Ben Law’s house in Sussex, an eco-build featured on the show and costing just £28,000. Its electricity is generated by solar panels and wind turbines. Otherwise it would be the timber framed house on the Isle of Sky.
“It’s all about the relationship between people and place. There were some great builds on the show but they wouldn’t suit me.”
Instead his time is continually occupied by his 15th century converted farmhouse in Somerset, a pain and a pleasure at once.
“Any home is never finished, especially an old one. We’ve been tinkering, repairing, adding, changing, renewing. I’m in love with old buildings, always have been. They are absolute bitches and demand a huge amount but if you’re lucky they’ll repay you with charm and happiness at living there. But they’re usually grumpy, smelly and ungrateful, like old relatives! I’m a romantic and I love old homes and living a low carbon life, which is the next big thing but hard to get right.”
Grand Designs, the future
The home-build and improvement exhibition, Grand Designs Live will be held this May 4th to 12th at London’s Excel arena and there will be some new ideas for visitors to feast their eyes on.
“We have an eco-tech house this year, a new thing that’s part and parcel of our focus on green technology. The government has stringent carbon reduction requirements that are very demanding, so green technology in the home that is appealing and fun is what it’s all about. When these measures save on energy costs they are no brainers as they make life easier and cheaper.”
The ever popular Channel 4 show reached its 100th episode in October last and, when asked if he will be around for 100 more, Kevin initially dismisses the idea, but after some calculation reconsiders.
“I’m too old. I’m 53 and we make eight shows a year, so that’s 12 years. Actually, we might just make it, assuming we carry on being re-commissioned.” wm
Kevin McCloud is the ambassador for Grand Designs Live London (May 4 to 12 2013, ExCeL Centre). The leading contemporary home show is based on the hugely popular TV show hosted by Kevin. Visitors can expect to find over 500 exhibitors – from interiors to build to gardens – all under one roof. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.granddesignslive.com or call the box office on 0844 854 1348.
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