Grand Designs Handbook- the blueprint for building your dream home, by Kevin McCloud
Tuesday, 28 April 2009 5:01 PM
Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud offers his advice on how to design and build your dream home.
Published by Harper Collins, out April 20th, paperback, 286 pages, £14.99.
In a nutshell.
Does what it says on the tin.
What's it all about?
Kevin McCloud, 'Design Guru', explains how to build your own home, using examples and illustrations from the popular Channel 4 TV series along the way.
Divided into three sections; 'Thinking', 'Dreaming' and 'Doing', McCloud takes the reader on a step by step process through the building of their dream home.
Essential to the Grand Designs brand, and key to the book, is the building of sustainable projects, with a green agenda, with McCloud explaining the importance of efficiency to the longevity of a building's life.
Tips are divided into lists with a helpful contacts guide at the back of the book.
Who's it by?
Kevin McCloud, best known as the presenter of Channel 4's hit series Grand Designs, now in its ninth series, is also editor of the Grand Designs magazine.
He has written a number of books and articles about decoration, design, lighting and colour, and will be launching a product range at John Lewis soon.
Kevin says: "For me, this book is about doing it right, getting through the process with the minimum of fuss and maximum enjoyment. But it is also a book about architecture and how we should be raising the bar both in terms of how well designed our buildings are and how well built."
As an example.
"We have bred a particularly clever kind of architect in Britain, who is able, with the use of masonry, to block out the undesirable elements from our surroundings- like pylons, neighbouring garages, sewage works and housing estates- and instead focus our gaze, with the use of glass, on the pretty view, the precious thing that we bought the site for in the first place."
What the others say
"McCloud is to the architectural world what Jamie Oliver is to cooking"- Daily Express
"This book is a must-have for fans of the Channel 4 series"- Mail on Sunday
So is it any good?
Teetering on the edge of the 'coffee table book' category, the Handbook is a concise well laid out guide for the discerning self builder.
While the tone very much buys into the Grand Designs brand, those who are unfamiliar with the show may not follow the pictorial examples and anecdotes. However, for the millions of viewers who tune in to Channel 4's hit show, the handbook is a great incentive to leave the sofa behind and get building.
The frequent lists, such as 'eco pointers', are particularly helpful, and in line with the profile of the savvy environmentally conscious Grand Designs viewer. Written in the first person, McCloud imparts his knowledge, much of which is exemplified from what he has learnt on the show.
My personal highlight of the book was the fabulous pictures of the homes from Grand Designs; as even if you're not thinking of taking on a build project yourself they're great to nose at!
9/10
Sarah Garrod
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