Mr. Clark...as an Environmental Designer for over forty years, I came across your Ugly House series and have been binging ever since. I must say you do an excellent job of hosting. But I'm seeing a definite trend with almost every episode with regards to the design factors. It seems almost every architect is bent on adding a huge contemporary rear addition that looks out onto the garden, that often isn't in keeping with the design of the original structure. And most are smitten with using black on the exterior, with the same contemporary design and furnishings inside the addition on each project. The finished product is rarely assimilated into the neighborhood, with little concern for the possible difficulty the owners might have in the future if they decide to sell. Room additions and facade replacements plunge owners into "over budget" stress. Often, just interior reconfigurations, minimal exterior adjustments, a fresh coat of paint and appealing landscaping can solve a plethora of issues.
You should see the program : before after from waku waku Japan. The architect always uses the original building structure without having to add space beyond what is needed and accordance with the available budget
Totally agree. It's sad that the focus is always on gaining more space with an extension. But there are no measurements taken to save energy like insulation, solar panels etc. Energy costs and sustainability seem to be of no importance.
It really angers me how they pushed the expensive addition on these people and where is the rain running to, towards the house???? And now they have a larger heating bill and does the architect really care??????
This radical re-envisioning of the bland domestic architecture that blights the beautiful landscape gave me hope. The design is bold, courageous, inspiring and responsive to the environment. What a great gift to this visionary family, from a gifted architect and set of construction experts. Thank you for showing us the possibility of greatness.
They could have done so much better on their own with the money they had! I hated that they went so far into debt, especially with a new baby, and George acts like $20 or $30 thousand over budget is nothing! That architect was something!
why do they keep trying to convince us that the house finally belongs? regardless of the design, it still sits in a neighborhood of buildings that resemble the house's pre-construction look. the reality is the house now absolutely does NOT belong. it sticks out like a sore thumb.
"Shard" seems to be the architectural B.S. of the day. That's a lot of expense and the way the furniture fits is unimpressive. I would be wary of hiring this architect, because he could look through me with those intensely gorgeous eyes and I would say YES!
Everyone in this episode is left handed! George, the architect, the couple, the kid.. And the fact that they very casually acknowledged it by shaking hands left handled! Was rare at the same time wonderful to watch..
Love the extension. Some are saying it wasn't necessary, and of course it wasn't. It makes it special. It makes it dramatic. It's not ridiculous. Not everything needs to be practical. I do think it was a missed opportunity to not have the picture window in the living room be a sliding door, with steps down to the backyard. That said, the picture window IS gorgeous!
While its a beautiful design, I worry about the butterfly roof line. When it rains , all the water (on that particular roof line), will run right back to the house; rather then away from the house.
So he suggests they do the kitchen separately and cheaply at the outset do they can spend more money on the external build and then says half way through the show - "but you still have the kitchen and not a lot of money left". Wtf dude
People, the audio is bad due to copyright issues. They had to either speed it up or slow it down. Better to slow it down, because speeded up they would all sound like chipmunks.
Oh! I had a completely different take on that. So often the inflated budget is completely ignored, as if it hadn't happened or is too normal to mention AND that they should just 'figure it out.' George ALWAYS brings it up and asks about it. I see this as acknowledging the anomaly. (I STILL think the architects ought NOT be allowed to do this).
Wood bees and wasp will love it especially when it starts to decay in a year and turn grey. Architect loves to play on paper but truly lacks what maintance free, to a young couple means. Will need another$60,000 to fix the outside when it all starts rotting. As builders, we would have never let a client put this raw wood on a home. What a shame.
It seems there's a current trend in UK architecture to have a contemporary space in a traditionally-designed house. So, we see, over and over again, the mish-mash results. Could it be the combining of contemporary with traditional is due to the lack of open spaces to allow homeowners the ability to build new houses? I'm not sure. I do really like George Clarke and his connection with the homeowners and the architects. My favorite George Clarke series is Restoration Man. 😍
There is nothing wrong with all white walls if your sense of decor is on point. If it isn't it can go really quickly from Scandinavian cheque to doctor's office.
Since most homes in the UK are brick, it's expensive to build from scratch. If the structure is solid, then it's worth keeping and a mish mash of modern mixed into an older home works if done correctly.
In that setting, I would have liked a more traditional exterior, but each to his own. They didn't even change out those ridiculously skinny tooth-pick sized pillar things on the front porch.
The extension on this house was ridiculous. It wasn't apparent that an addition was even needed. All they needed was to remove walls and put in new glazing. Resurfacing the exterior was okay - made it distinct from the neighbors who were all just like the old house. But to con a young family into a "unique" money pit was just ethically wrong.
As a designer , I have to agree that the angled roof is ridiculous . I also agree with you that the original brickwork was sound and didn't need painting .The aluminium windows were not a bad idea .Nor were the picture windows .The pebbledash should have been stripped before cladding . I would rather have spent money on the interior , than trying for a look that looks like a ugly modern church and cost too much .They were very lucky to have had a builder who put up with the inadequate architectural details and solved the problems himself .Without him , they could have been left with a gaping hole and leaking roof .--Written by Mrs Southall.
Maybe it is because I am Australian - but I would have thought first walk out deck from the living room, with big folding glass doors - and then access to the garden that way. Maybe it isn't the climate for decks though?
@@ludicrousone8706 So very true. I have seen many beautiful gardens ruined with pools, gazebos and other stuff. I often want to cry ... these become outdoor living spaces but NOT gardens. There is a place fo a nice deck however as a link between house and garden.
I feel very sorry for that family having to go far beyond their budget with everyone on the show just being like "yea, yea but it's gonna turn out fantastic". They really should've kept the budget in mind instead of forcing a young family into financial problems - I liked the new design tho.
Not bad, minus the absolute waste of money for an extension to place a dining table. She hated the look and décor, how does this help as its in the backyard and the house was reasonably large to start, maybe just nice big sliding glass door and a deck. The house looked great painted and clad with nice new clean interior, I'm happy for them but better options would have worked, I think most of their budget went to the architectures ego. I'm not paying for it though so whatever, personally I was enjoying it until I cringed at that damn pointless point.
This house originally presented an ungainly, ill-proportioned, generic, uninspired facade. Now you can add quirky and eccentric to that list of adjectives, but the others continue to apply. They criticized it for being "unsympathetic" to its environment. I fail to see how their changes have made it more sympathetic. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
Several of those cladding batons have already warped and look shoddy...they obviously were not attached in enough places to hold them down straight....I can imagine in a few years this is going to be a major ugly problem.......the fancy extension for a family on a budget was an ego trip for the architect, not very considerate to their needs.
I loved it, especially from the back. I agree that the wood should be sealed to keep it that colour. I think the extension worked to link the house to the garden in a way that a deck just wouldn’t have, because of the slope. Kudos to this lovely family.
Appreciate the upload, but I can't watch programs whose length/speed has been tampered with so that the people sound either like they're on testosterone injections, as in this one, or are Munchkins.
I do agree with you. Had to quit after 2 minuttes, even though I like the subject. I also don´t like that the picture is mirrored. Wonder how that video ended up with all this disturbance? Is it done by the production company?
The original house looked out of place in its environment. The new house looks completely out of place in its environment. It's modern and slick all right, but it does not fit in with the other houses or anything. The addition looks unappealing, like a shelter we have at our local park, right down to the bare light bulbs hanging down. I foresee many future projects trying to soften the industrial look of the new kitchen and addition.
You don't approve of the unique and creative use of materials? The previous version was a cookie cutter that was routinely placed on random lots, and never took into account the lot and view and how to tie it all together with the inside spaces.
What is it with Brits taking nice houses that just need a paint job and some landscaping and redo them into post modern monstrosities that stick out like sore thumbs from that beautiful English countryside???? They took a not too bad house and destroyed it. They had great indoor space and nice room flow. Each room could have stood with a new paint job and the outside of the house needed re-clad. The gardens needed redone but that is it. They did not need an addition. This was a stupid waste of good renovation funds.
The advantage of the house is it's a good size....but it's ugly. Architect's solution - let's make an expensive and unnecessary extension rather than renovate the house! Why not just replace the windows, remove the carport, give it all a nice paint job, and move the terrace in the back to the right side of the house?
...not to mention that the architect seems incapable of making a plan to a given budget. Typical of the breed. Let's make something 'artistic' and 'unique', that still happens to look exactly like what the other architects are doing.
ElBundz I totally agree with you, they speed lot of money to build the unnecessary extension. In my point of you they was able to destroy the wall between living room, dining room, kitchen, and the garage. Change the Windows, also change the small windows upstairs.
Totally with you on this one. A bad decision to make it look jazzy. As for the demo house with the protrusion at the back....the two does not marry up. Neither one of the two styles comes into it's own right. Fortunately the house did turn out looking better from the outside than before.
I would’ve loved to see this home still get huge windows, but have the overall feeling go much more cottage rather than modern. I don’t personally connect with such a modern home.
Is it just me? I don't like that extension. I keep thinking....what if it rains? Nope...watched to the end and I don't like the house at all. I would have added a full front porch with roof, window shutters and made a walled patio where the garage was located. As for cladding....I think rendering throughout in a pale yellow would have been nice...with olive shutters and door. It still has not character.
I haven't heard anything about how the rain water is being managed... And why is the big window being added to the living room not being French doors to give access to the garden... I do like the end result. Hope they are enjoying it too.
Limewashed masonry, yes, but painted masonry, never. The kitchen seems to need 2 slender islands in center. A common theme of this show appears to be for the architect to nix any garage that may exist but they are important spaces.
They got a new roof, higher performance envelope, windows & doors, attractive new look; and if there are no hidden defects covered over, decades of care-free living in a comfortable, healthy and efficient home on a quiet lot with a view. Literally thinking outside the box. Well done!
Looks beautiful with lots of light....hope the drainage works out well with that slope towards the rest of the house during downpours...I know all designers like to show the uncluttered look...but no sign other than outside that a toddler and baby live there.
Can't believe they thought it was a good idea to expose those very young children (not to mention pregnant mom) to all the dust and chemicals involved in construction. Too risky.
Save the garage and simply open out the back of the house with sliding glass doors, add a deck or patio and you've accomplished integration of the interior/exterior space at a much lower cost and much less of a construction nightmare.
Did you see how horrible the house was beforehand though? £60,000 and they've got a house that looks a lot nicer, they have more internal space, that money is not lost it's just part of the resale value and come on a patio and sliding doors that's the best you can come up with that's just awfully depressing.
Greg has beautiful blue eyes I'm wondering if their not colored contacts & the house is also very beautiful lucky people .Good luck on ur beautiful home hope it's filled with lots of joy & all good inside & out.
Copyrighted programs like this are tracked by the audio file and the video file. A robot essentially looks for matches and if it finds a match that video is tagged and removed form RU-vid. To prevent that from happening on television shows and movies that are uploaded, some uploaders will change the pitch of the audio and reverse the video file to ensure that they don't get caught.
He likes the open space concept, created by an addition to the backyard and he also loves kitchen island. Maybe people who hire him have the same taste and no worries about the money
People in the comments are really bitching! The only thing I agree with, on what everyone's saying, is the budget thing, but other than that, this house looks great! Scandinavian style homes aren't for everyone, but the design is gorgeous! And some are saying that the house doesn't fit in with the neighborhood. Why would one want their house to look like everyone else's? I can't stand cookie cutter neighborhoods. I understand neighborhoods with HOA's, but I doubt this one has one. Do what pleases your aesthetics, not someone else's. It's very modern and beautiful and this guy new what he was doing.
Is it just me I find the audio is brutal. I love the transformation its like night and day. The only thing that I don't like is that interior wall that exposes the two by fours it looks like a cheap idea and takes away from the build. The rest of it looks pretty awesome. Also Those plywood blocks behind the cladding is a very poor choice, they will not stand up to the weather, especially plywood spacers. They should've used hard wood like black locust which is very water resistant or something along those lines. Actually, I'm shocked that the builder did that, he should've known better. smh. It was smart of the wife to get rid of the partial cladding of the windows. He must of been half asleep thinking that was gonna fly. LOL
With almost every other house building project you have the “we’ve got another announcement we’re pregnant” I wonder if the best building actually stimulates some kind of fertility upsurge. Has anybody ever done a study on this or is it just a weird bee in my bonnet.
So glad to see the finished house after so much work...I bet the little boy will remember a lot of how a house is built and was glad to have his space and room finished...and the family can now enjoy their new home and I hope each other! How people can envision the finished home is so exciting to me...
HOW much is this going to cost ?? This architect has absolutely no sense of reality. He just seems to design whatever bonkers thing he wants and make people feel uncomfortable about the price.They don't need this and it's really not very nice anyway.
Swap dining table to the opposite side next to fixed window. Change to comfortable dining table chairs. Have the new extension with some flop-upon child-proof furniture and enjoy the view.
I HATE it. A smart modern house does NOT blend in with the countryside. It sticks out like a saw thumb. The countryside does NOT look smart. Smartness belongs to the town.
I'm sorry to say that it still looks ugly - it now looks like 2 houses, a wooden one plonked on top of a brick one, and the almost flat black paint looks shabby.
Yep...watch my lips....NEVER....PAINT...BRICK....EVER. Well pointed brick is as good as it gets, so fancy paying all that money to make an ugly house a drab house that looks like its had a lot of money needlessly spent on it. If I had the money I'd buy that house and demolish it and start from scratch.
Simple fix for the sound.. speed up to 1.25x in settings. Sounds almost perfectly normal then. Backwards doesn't bother me.. zoomed in is to remove logo. It's to keep it from being pulled down for copyright infringement.. enjoy the upload.. and deal with the issues or watch it on tv.
