Grand Design viewers came away disappointed with the latest episode of the long-running property development show, with some suggesting they would turn off altogether.
In Tuesday’s episode, host Kevin McCloud introduced viewers to couple Graeme and Melanie’s Hackney home project which, inevitably, came with spiralling costs and complexities..
However, rather than the usual backlash to the projects themselves, fans were quick to point out that they had already seen this build and that the supposedly latest outing was actually a repeat of an episode shown scarcely two weeks earlier, on April 16.
As a result, viewers quickly flooded social media with complaints, with some wondering if the second showing was an error on Channel 4’s part.
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“@Channel4 I think you’ve made a mistake – you’re showing the same #granddesigns episode you showed the week before last,” one wrote on X, prompting another to agree and furiously add: “We thought exactly the same… @granddesigns changed channels now.”
“Oh I’ve seen this one. I’m sure it was on not long ago,” a third asked, to which a fourth replied in rage: “Yes, two weeks ago!”
A fifth despaired: “I don’t know why they have to repeat them so often.”
One more irate fan questioned furiously: “Why are we getting repeats midway through a new series? #granddesigns @Channel4. It was horrible 2 weeks ago. And it’s still horrible tonight!” (sic)
Even with the complaints, others persevered with the repeated episode and stuck it out to revisit Graeme and Melanie’s ambitious build.
The couple were redeveloping a tiny Hackney twin garage plot they had picked up for £275,000 on a charming Victorian terraced road.
An architect himself, Graeme had ambitious plans to build an “unapologetically modernist bright red design” that would be the new home for himself, his wife, and their teenage daughters.
They had budgeted between £400,000 and £450,000 for the project and set themselves a tight 12-month time schedule to see it completed. Owing to the little space they had to work with, Graeme and Melanie intended to maximise the vertical space of the property with clever use of interior spaces.
Pretty in pink 🩷
This sculptural red-bricked house makes a real statement on this traditional Victorian street.#GrandDesigns pic.twitter.com/HvHxK0iEcp
— granddesigns (@granddesigns) April 16, 2025
However, their dreams quickly soured as the contractor working on their basement space dramatically pulled out of the project, citing the massive increase in the cost of raw materials.
McCloud warned the couple that this was quickly becoming a global issue that would likely impact future projects.
Beyond their construction woes, Graeme and Melanie’s project also triggered a neighbour row on the cozy street. The couple were issued an even stricter deadline to take down the scaffolding or be slapped with a brutal fine.
The strains of construction also took a toll on the family, with Graeme and Melanie’s daughters growing strained with the stress and disruption of living on a building site for an extended period of time, piling more pressure on the build.
Despite all the challenges to the project, McCloud returned 18 months later to see that the family’s new home had finally been completed.
