If I wasnt me Id be Kevin McCloud. 'The Maxwell Stuarts are very understated,' he says. The concrete itself wasnt expensive, but holding up the old building while we dug underneath it was another matter entirely. It took months, a metre at a time, but it has added a huge amount of value to the property, said Simon. The project took four years and cost a whopping 4.5 million - a sum that Justin admits he wouldn't have paid had he have known at the start. With a comprehensive slate of services under a single roof, The LA Group minimizes impact, maximizes value, and ensures every project begins and ends on solid ground. Justin called on interior designer Gretchen Trusted. The blue upholstered chairs in the living room are from William Yeoward. The garden spaces required a sensitive treatment, a design which would enhance the bold, contemporary architecture whilst paying respect to the original Neo-Gothic building. How have you adapted your home during the pandemic? Born in 1951. These include a kitchen/dining area, snug, living room, and a basement with a subterranean swimming pool. Memory Gardens Cemetery and Memorial Park 983 Watervliet-Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12205 USA, Phone: 518-869-9506, Fax: 518-869-0818 Theres beautiful green space just outside, so this is definitely my favourite space. You can now, I can be completely anonymous in a hat and a mask.. Sienna loses the twins in social services nightmare after shock incident in Hollyoaks? A dad stunned Grand Designs viewers in the 'craziest episode ever' after spending four years and 4.2 million on transforming a cemetery into his dream home. 2023 GRV Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Grand Designs houses Graveyard lodge renovation A spacious extension replaced a 1960s building adjacent to the Victorian lodge By Hugh Metcalf | 5 January 2021 Ex-army officer Justin Maxwell Stuart was at a crossroads in his life when he spotted a run down cemetery lodge for sale. As wife Margretta yearns for a beautiful contemporary house, Andrew's focus is primarily on his . Gretchen Trusted of Shake the Sky, is responsible for the stunning scheme. Local papers often carry complaints about the practice from residents, but here, Maxwell Stuarts neighbours are relatively undemanding, since they are buried six feet under. 'Mad, beautiful and very funny,' was one popular viewer's verdict of the show, while another declared it the 'best Grand Designs ever'. its a bit spooky.. Walking into the new wing from the cosy rooms in the lodge could easily have felt like stepping into the freezer aisle in a supermarket, said Gretchen. Don't stint on the cushions, Morag! 'Have I made a terrible mistake?' Do you have a story to share? But, I have watched enough, The already-stretched budget was in jeopardy when the contractors began to dig beneath a section of the lodge ready for the pool installation. It isnt exactly what his man is going to do the prospect of ripping up graves to build a baronial architectural masterpiece is a little much, even for Grand Designs but his man, former army captain Justin Maxwell Stuart, is quite happy to live next to a graveyard, and has a big plan to do so. On the show, Justin said that he began the project after he and his 'wonderful ex-wife separated'. For instance, its not just about having the pipework in the right place. 22:38 GMT 15 Jan 2021. Photo: Jefferson Smith. The controversial US oil plan explained. 2023 Grand Designs Magazine | Site by Media 10 Ltd, Simon proposed renovating the lodge, deemed a Building of Merit, to give two bedrooms and a study. The original 18-month timeframe more than doubled and the costs spiralled, but he has no regrets. 'We make the best flies in the world,' says Justin, who knows the lyrics to only one song Happy Birthday. Grand Designs 2021: inside the new homes on the C4 series, You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. A nickel bath adds a luxurious element to Justins ensuite bathroom. 2023 Grand Designs Magazine | Site by Media 10 Ltd, Image: Justins bedroom is tucked under the exposed roof timbers on the upper floor of the lodge. But soon after he started the project in October 2016, he ran into difficulties, with one of the most challenging being getting planning permission to build an entrance to the graveyard from his garden. What do you think youre doing? A spacious extension replaced a 1960s building adjacent to the Victorian lodge. ", And another wrote: "I rarely post on here now as whatever I think [there are] always people with opposing and genuine views but #GrandDesigns wtf is a single parent spending millions on a ridiculously huge house. Instead, the projects where people have been doing it themselves, stockpiling materials, being really resourceful and changing halfway through when they realise they dont have enough plaster or the right cladding, theyre the projects that have come to fruition because people are being really clever.. Grand Designs returns Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 4. Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps. It was a chaotic period in my life, I signed my divorce papers and the contract for the house practically on the same day. But fans were beyond impressed with the outcome as one said: "Bloody love #GrandDesigns and what an episode to start the new series. Former army captain Justin, who now runs extreme fishing expeditions, decides to do something really off the beaten track, converting the original neo-Gothic lodge and derelict public toilet next door into a dramatic modern home within the cemetery gates which are locked at night. Winter Love Island 2023 final date confirmed and its just around the corner, Clarksons Farm star in shock as fans raise tens of thousands for TB-hit farm, Incredible five-bedroom home The Curve, as featured on Grand Designs, on sale for 3.45million, Boy, 16, designs Covid Invaders arcade game to encourage vaccinations, Do not sell or share my personal information. It is a fascinating insight into the strange economics of the aristocracy. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. To decorate and furnish a house that had two distinct sections the new wing with open spaces and the smaller lodge with original features. A dad both baffled and stunned Grand Designs viewers in the "craziest episode ever" after he spent four years and 4.5 million transforming a cemetery into his dream home. I wouldget a bigger potential return on my investment. The work was painstakingly slow as well as costly. Within 5 miles of your location. However, Justin is seen struggling to keep his budget under control, and later says he is staring down a catastrophic financial black hole. From an early age, wee Justin became adept at hunting, shooting, fishing and spent boyhood Christmases at the family's holiday home on Mustique in the Caribbean. By The neo-Gothic house will have a moat and a chainmail water feature. He raised the first part through savings and a loan from his mother; the second part is from a labyrinthine tangle of mortgages that I failed to understand. If he worried that he may find himself staring down a catastrophic financial black hole in 2016, well, wait and see what happens when the pandemic rolls around. Justin's Grand Designs for cemetery lodge The expensive plans that Justin has for the home is nothing short of easy. On my own.'. Ive never built a pool in a cemetery before, says one builder. Millions of viewers presumed it was going to be a canine pal, a Lightning for his Thunder. 'Not our thing,' said Justin's father, who tended to avoid celebrities and 'didn't fancy getting dressed up in gold Lycra anyway'. Have something to tell us about this article? Schools in London face disruption as teachers stage strikes, Former Met acting commissioner described rape as regretful sex, Detectives hunting for Constance Martens baby find remains of infant, London Ambulance Service told to improve its ethnic diversity, Shocking moment moped narrowly misses 70mph train at level crossing, FTSE 100 Live: ITV, Taylor Wimpey and Flutter post results, What is the Willow Project? 'I now own a house in London that is steeped in history and surrounded by 13 acres of green space,' he says and you've got to give him credit for that, despite the thunderously busy main road on its western border. Meanwhile, Grand Designs Kevin McCloud recently joked hes got quite good at being rude to people approaching him in the street. While a number of viewers were put off by the creepy location, Justin has become fond of it as he says it has a special place in his heart. When we left off at the end of the episode, Justins home had been completed, with a total cost of 4.5 million including the 1.8 million he had originally spent on buying the place. A dad stunned Grand Designs viewers in the 'craziest episode ever' after spending four years and 4.2 million on transforming a cemetery into his dream home. The aim was to knock down the toilet block and replace it with a ground floor extension, a moat and a basement with a swimming pool. From graveyard cottage to 4.2million VERY Grand Design: TV property show's most costly project ever turned a cemetery wreck into a majestic home with a waterfall and underground pool By. And there are certainly twittish moments when striding around his building site in his padded gilet or counting up the mounting cost of his project, when Justin gives off an unmistakably upper class, full-on Rupert, Tim-Nice-But-Dim vibe. It also gave the basement an extra bedroom, a media room, a larger wine cellar and a sauna. After the programme was broadcast last week, he has been overwhelmed by the reaction. The build is one of the biggest budget projects on this series, with the property costing 1.8 million and a further 1.6 million budgeted for the renovation work, but costs mount rapidly, leaving Justin with two very large mortgages to service. The series opens with a house in a Victorian cemetery in south-west London one of the series biggest budget projects. This account already exists. Image: Jefferson Smith. Im quite bad walking down the street now. But we struck a good balance of creating flow between rooms and making sure they are warm and cosy. Justin has just bought the property and hired the architect. The Londoner . Image: Jefferson Smith. I saw the potential to create something really wonderful as the building had such great character.. And replacing the 1960s block with an extension for Justins ground-floor living spaces. Although Justin remembers seeing the likes of David Bowie and Mick Jagger on the island, his parents always kept a low-key presence. "That was mad, beautiful and very, very funny.". This show refuses to be coy about money, which is a significant reason for its success. The interior designer of this stunning home describes how she created the luxurious interiors. Following our socially distanced chat under the exploding acorns in the kitchen, Justin takes me on a tour of The Lodge, which he plans to rent out on short-term Airbnb-type lets once the world is back to normal. They asked why we were only excavating beneath part of the building when digging under the whole thing would add a huge amount of extra room, Justin explains. s soon as Kevin McCloud sets the scene a graveyard in south-west London you know the latest instalment of. I would watch a compilation of Kevin McClouds attempts to suppress any sort of facial response to the wildly gung-ho plans and financial implications laid out every few minutes. GRAND Designs revamp labelled the best of all time, Justin's dream home comes complete with a swimming pool and moat. For more news and features about London, directly to your inbox sign up to our newsletter here. This is perhaps the most important of the interior design secrets. Off we go, down to the 13-metre pool, where he has a daily swim of 100 laps before tea and toast with homemade raspberry jam; then into the wine cellar with its 'everyday bottles' on the racks and more serious grand cru clarets still being unpacked from their cases. He wants to restore the lodge and demolish the toilet blocks. Get the latest London news straight on your phone without having to open your browser - and get all the latest breaking news as notifications on your screen. 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