From underground homes to cob castles, Grand Designs has seen no shortage of impressive builds taken on by its contributors. However, more often than not, the tasks have not been easy – to say the least. With 20 years of experience as the show’s presenter, and therefore starring in the 198 episodes broadcast, Kevin McCloud is no doubt more than at home in the world of construction. And, during an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, the 59-year-old has shared a word of advice with those looking to make changes in their property.
With the winter drawing to an end at long last, Kevin was quizzed on whether there’s a particular time of year as to when homeowners who are interested in making alterations to their property should do so.
And, for Kevin, it seems that there is.
Having spent plenty of time filming outdoors in less than idyllic weather, the TV presenter warned against building in the wintertime, where possible.
“It doesn’t matter on the size of the project, building in winter is always miserable because what you realise is builders leave the door open all the time,” he said.
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“They traipse mud in and the wet. It’s so much nicer when it’s in the dry.”
And, while the UK’s typical climate won’t always give property owners much control over whether they build in the sunshine or rain, opting for summer projects where possible may be a good decision.
“Mud is one of the big enemies of construction and builders will tell you that,” Kevin continued.
“They spend a lot of time wallowing in that – trying to contain it, move it, shape it, and get it out of the ground.
“I’d always plan work to be in the dry months, it’s that simple.
“Winter is about ‘cosying’ in isn’t it? For shutting the doors and lighting the fire.”
Kevin, who will be attending Grand Designs Live in London next month, also discussed the importance of increasing biodiversity in construction.
“We have absolutely decimated wildlife, not just in this country, but around the planet, in the last 60 years to a worrying degree,” he said.
“What gives us the right to do that? I don’t understand why we have the right to do that. So to creating habitats is the first thing we can do to heal that.”
Ahead of the new series of Grand Designs: The Street airing, Kevin revealed what the “clincher” was, when determining which projects they followed.
Kevin McCloud will be appearing at Grand Designs Live at London’s ExCeL, from 4 – 12 May 2019. For more information and tickets visit www.granddesignslive.com.
Grand Designs: The Street airs Thursdays at 9pm on Channel 4.