Grand Designs

Kevin McCloud meets a woman determined to build the house of her dreams, an enormous Georgian-style mansion. Helen Saunders and her husband Mark Eisenstadt finally found the perfect plot of land in Farnham, and have spent years planning every aspect of their new home. Having undergone extensive preparation, they don't foresee too many problems, but once the build gets underway their dream soon turns into a nightmare.

Kevin McCloud visits the Sussex Downs to follow the construction of a New England-style kit house bought and designed entirely on the internet. Self-builder Jane Warren loves the New England style, and when she discovered that she could replicate it in the UK by buying an entire kit house, she just had to have one. Will Jane realise her dream of celebrating her first anniversary with her new husband Willem Mulder, in her new home or will her New England kit house become a living hell?

Kevin McCloud meets Chris and Jill Heleine, who have chosen to build their dream home in Huddersfield. Some time ago they bought a deserted textile mill, which they dream of giving a light, modern interior. The build has been organised like a military operation, their filing system has left nothing to chance and Chris will even be doing some of the work himself. But will their dream home turn out exactly as they expected?

Kevin McCloud travels to Wales to visit Adrian and Corrina, who have decided that their first home will be a 300-year-old ruin. The cottage is set in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Corrina and Adrian have a very small budget and an enormous amount of work to do to return the ruin to its former glory but they are eager and seemingly undaunted by the scale of the project. But how will they cope when the elements suddenly turn on them?

Kevin McCloud meets Rupert and Julie Upton, who are building a very experimental idea in the Lambourn Valley. Their dream is to create an amazing cross-shaped house made of oak and glass, strikingly modern with the most superb views. But each piece of wood has to be custom made and the design itself is incredibly complex. Few people would have the courage to take on such an experimental build – will Rupert and Julie's bravery pay off?

Kevin McCloud checks out a housing scheme in Birmingham. It's near impossible for many people, particularly those on a low income, to buy their own home. However, a Birmingham Housing Association along with Angela and Peter has set up a scheme that allows people to build one instead. The group of 11 men and women will build, not just their own property, but each other's homes as well. None of these budding self-builders have previous experience in the trade and have undergone extensive training to teach them the ropes.

Kevin McCloud visits a couple who are looking to build their hi-tech modern house in a quiet north London street. Sarah Jordan and Coneyl Jay have long dreamt of the perfect work and living space. Unable to find what they were looking for they decided to build their own. However the site they have found is situated in a predominantly Edwardian street. While they wait to see if the council approve their plans, they employ architect Mike Tonkin to realise their vision but can their ambitious project ever become reality?

Kevin McCloud travels to south Devon to meet Sue Charman and Martin Whitlock whose dream is to create a family home which feels part of the earth, using old English building techniques. They are not starting from scratch, but rebuilding two ancient run-down barns. Environmental concerns are extremely important to them, but will they manage to realise their vision of rebuilding the barns in same meticulous way they were built originally, whilst incorporating energy efficient, 21st century technology?

Kevin McCloud returns to Doncaster to catch up with Michael Hird and Lindsay Harwood, who set out to build a futuristic glass and steel house on the edge of a conservation area.

Kevin travels to Suffolk to revisit the build of an environmentally friendly house by Alida Saunders and former tax inspector Rob Roy

Jeremy Till and Sarah Wigglesworth built their experimental central London house out of straw bales, springs and sandbags. Nearly nine years after its conception, Kevin McCloud returns to the award-winning house to see the finished property and find out if an adjacent railway line is causing a disturbance.

Kevin McCloud revisits a housing scheme in Birmingham. It's near impossible for many people, particularly those on a low income, to buy their own home. However, a Birmingham Housing Association along with Angela and Peter has set up a scheme that allows people to build one instead. The group of 11 men and women will build, not just their own property, but each other's homes as well. None of these budding self-builders have previous experience in the trade and have undergone extensive training to teach them the ropes.

Started in 1998, Kevin revisits a development of ten timber frame houses is based on the Walter Segal method of construction and was led by Jenny and Paul Crouch. They incorporate high levels of Warmcell insulation and benefit from south-facing solar gain. The roofs are of sedum.

Kevin McCloud returns to Wales to visit Adrian and Corrina, who have decided that their first home will be a 300-year-old ruin. The cottage is set in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Corrina and Adrian have a very small budget and an enormous amount of work to do to return the ruin to its former glory but they are eager and seemingly undaunted by the scale of the project. But how will they cope when the elements suddenly turn on them?

Kevin McCloud revisits Sharon and Tony Relph a couple who hoped to restore a dilapidated Georgian house in London to its former glory. Once 200 years of redecoration and refurbishment had been stripped away, the property boasted elegant period features, but the pair still had to overcome daunting interior decay problems.

Kevin McCloud returns for a second visit to The Water Tower. As one of Grand Design's first projects, Andrew Tate and Deborah Mills found a site with a monstrous, dilapidated, 100 foot tall water tower on it. Unusually, they saw it as the perfect spot to build a contemporary family home and convert the old water tower into a seven-storey bedroom wing. Andrew is a commercial architect and so the modern new build went up in just four months, using fast-track methods alongside unconventional building materials. Kevin went back to see Andrew and Deborah three years after they had moved into their contemporary extension, but they had still made no progress on the water tower, and were living with minimal bedroom space.

Kevin McCloud returns to south Devon to revisit Sue Charman and Martin Whitlock whose dream was to create a family home which feels part of the earth, using old English building techniques. They were not starting from scratch, but rebuilding two ancient run-down barns. Environmental concerns were extremely important to them, but did they manage to realise their vision of rebuilding the barns in same meticulous way they were built originally, whilst incorporating energy efficient, 21st century technology?