Grand Designs viewers have pointed out that the latest episode of the popular show had all the hallmarks of a disaster.
Hailing from Kent, Dorran, 47, and Vereuschka, 50, set out to create an underground home within a Saxon hillfort. The five-year project is marked by the stunning moment the couple sacks their builders and takes control of the ambitious project themselves.
The high-tech property had the features of an infamous Grand Designs episode - running over-budget, delays, and a bit of catastrophe. Many fans, who panned the building process on social media, were nonetheless drawn into the drama.
The parents of three drained their savings for a complicated build deemed as "daring, demanding, and difficult" by presenter Kevin McCloud.
The project started in the summer of 2017 with an initial budget of £1million. The aim was to carve out a home into the ancient site near Canterbury, but in typical Grand Designs fashion, there were setbacks.
Almost a year later - at the point the couple planned to move in - the home was still a "half-buried" building site. Further complicating plans was the couple's decision to fire their planners.
Kevin summed up the progress succinctly: "So far they have spent £400,000 on half a buried concrete structure. They were seduced by a high-tech design but building it themselves was never part of the plan."
Despite spending weeks working in the North Sea, Dorran takes up the mantle while onshore as his wife continues to work full-time in the pharmaceutical industry. The site later freezes over and, unable to find workers, the naval captain later quits his job to focus on the build.
"Will Dorran finish the project or will it finish him?" asked the Channel 4 presenter.
The project is delayed further by the pandemic and plagued by extra costs, but in 2022, the Dorran and Vereuschka's new home is finally complete after five years.
Whilst Kevin dubbed the build a "concrete submarine that has breached the surface of a wildflower meadow", some fans compared it to the Teletubbies house.
Other viewers took to social media to express their shock at the homeowners' decisions. One viewer wrote: "Let's build a house. But we won't use professionals as they'll do it inaccurately and incorrectly. A madness."
A fan attached an image of a Grand Designs bingo card, adding: "We need an updated grand designs bingo card with 'Its early 2020 and the build is progressing well'".
Another person joked: "#granddesigns bingo full house tonight:
- Builders all sacked
- Way overbudget
- Way over time
- Pandemic overrun
- Relationship troubles
- Working away from home
- Ends with them living in a glorified visitor centre"
"When you're watching a 2022 episode of 'Grand Designs' and it starts with the caption 'May 2017' you know you're in for a real rollercoaster," tweeted one viewer.
"Why did nobody warn me about last night's Grand Designs?" asked one fan.
Another said: "The only two good kinds of Grand Designs episode are the 'nice folk build quirky modest cottage' and the 'monsters slowly immurate themselves in a catastrophically gauche over-budget mausoleum'. The middle way is pointless."
The episode follows the heartwarming build last week which viewers called 'the most emotional episode ever'. Fans gushed about the 'relatable' couple and their family connection to the land.
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