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

Breaking News

Council funding to crack down on rogue landlords

English councils are set to receive additional funding and training to help tackle rogue landlords, ahead of taking on new responsibilities when renters’ rights reforms come into force next month. All 317 local authorities in England will share £41 million in funding, building on an earlier £18 million allocation made last autumn. The funding is…
Read More
New Builds 2020
Breaking News

Fewer than 1 in 5 new properties securing buyer

New-build demand remains subdued as fewer than 1 in 5 homes find buyers in Q1 2026 The latest New-Build Stock and Demand Index from Property Inspect has found that demand for new-build homes remained subdued in the first quarter of 2026, with fewer than one in five new properties securing a buyer. New-build stock levels…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Top five AML red flags in UK property transactions

Cash-heavy and internationally supported purchases continue to shape the UK market New data from client due diligence platform Thirdfort reveals the most common anti-money laundering (AML) red flags identified in UK property transactions. Analysis of more than 415,000 completed Source of Funds (SoF) checks shows that the top five red flags are: Savings mismatch – 43.04% Gifted…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Discover Northern Ireland’s top emerging investment hotspots

Derry/ Londonderry and Fermanagh named Northern Ireland’s top emerging investment hotspots Northern Ireland’s emerging investment hotspots are delivering compelling opportunities for landlords in 2026, with new research from Belfast-based estate agency John Minnis revealing a shift in where investors are finding the strongest returns. Drawing on insights from the latest John Minnis Investment Guide, the…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 13/4/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Why customisation matters more than capability Thought Leadership by Wes Snow CEO & Co-founder of Ascendix Technologies ‘There’s a persistent misconception that success with Artificial Intelligence comes down to selecting the most advanced or sophisticated tool. In reality, that’s not where the value lies. The real…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

First-time buyers pay extra £307m in stamp duty since relief ended

New Rightmove analysis reveals that since the end of the temporary relief measure in April 2025, first-time buyers in England have paid an estimated £307 million extra in stamp duty, averaging £4,618 more per buyer: The total estimated first-time buyer stamp duty bill over the past year was £408 million, versus £101 million the previous year In April 2025 the first-time buyer stamp duty threshold was lowered from £425,000 to £300,000. Before the change 62% of homes for sale were stamp-duty free for first-time buyers and that has…
Read More