Grand Designs require a grand budget! 4/5 Houses come in over budget by 34%

Ever wondered how much the average person spends on their Grand Designs project? How much they go over budget? Who went over budget and under budget the most? How much they make on their property when selling after build their Grand Design? Where the most Grand Designs have been built?

Well… to celebrate Grand Designs 20th year of being on TV and all things Kevin McCloud, we have watched every episode of Grand Designs, (all Series 1-19, and yes it took me a long time), and have deconstructed all of the must-know statistics in the show.

Key highlights:

• 80% of Grand Designs projects go over budget, with 7% on budget, and 8% under budget.

• The average Grand Designs budget is £371,213, but in fact people go over budget by 34% (£124,356), spending £495,570.

• 21 properties from the show are built in London, with rural hotspots such as Devon, Wales and Cornwall attracting more than 6 Grand Designs projects since 1999.

• North/South divide exists in the show with only 23 properties being built in the south compared to over 100 in the south – alone in London, a total of £12,870,000 was spent on building the 21 Grand Designs properties.

• The most over budget property was Bram and Lisa Vis who spent £1.35 million more than planned. The most under budget property was the Floating House in Series 14 that went under budget by £100,000. (I can provide details for the other Top 5 most under/over budget properties).

• The majority of houses in the show (22) cost between £200,000-£299,999. In fact 19 houses are built between the £100,000 an £199,999 mark – showing that building your own property is certainly affordable.

• On average, a Grand Designs house goes on the market at £1.29 million – after being built. The Miniature Hollywood Mansion has the biggest ROI going on the market at £3.95 million after costing £700,000 to build.

• The average Grand Designs project takes 17 months to build – 47 houses are completed in less than a year.

Shared by: Seb Burchell – seb.burchell@mojomortgages.com

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Home and Living

Domestic Fridge Recycling in the UK: Compliant, Convenient and Eco Friendly with Recycling4you

Every year thousands of fridges in the UK reach the end of their useful life and must be replaced. These appliances cannot simply be left out with general waste or dumped at the nearest tip. They contain hazardous materials such as refrigerant gases and insulating foam which require careful handling in accordance with strict legislation.…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Buy-to-Let Explained: How It Works and Is It Worth It?

Buy-to-let is one of the most popular property investment strategies in the UK, attracting investors who want to generate regular rental income while benefiting from long-term property value growth. Whether you are a first-time landlord or someone considering adding property to an existing investment portfolio, understanding how buy-to-let works is essential. If you are exploring opportunities with Whitegates…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

The Hidden Cost of Deposit Disputes for Letting Agents

Nobody gets into lettings because they love arguing over oven grease. Yet for a growing number of letting agents across London and beyond, deposit disputes at the end of a tenancy have become one of the most quietly destructive parts of the job — eating into time, draining morale, and slowly eroding the trust that…
Read More
Breaking News

Britain’s strongest housing markets revealed

The latest research from Benham and Reeves reveals the best-performing housing markets across Great Britain when it comes to the average rate of house price growth seen over the course of 2025, with the northern regions and Scotland outperforming most of the rest of the country with annual price growth of up to 11%. Last…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Over £900 million economic opportunity lost to property fall throughs

Analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals there is an economic opportunity of over £900 million in England if the number of property transactions falling through can be reduced The calculations show that nearly £392m in potential estate agency revenue and £515m in potential government stamp duty receipts were lost last year to…
Read More
Breaking News

Landlords chasing rental arrears of £470m

The latest research from Propoly – the platform that automates compliance, reduces risk and protects landlords – has revealed that landlords in England deal with more than £470 million worth of rent arrears in a year, with the largest number of tenants in arrears found in London and the North East. Propoly has analysed the…
Read More