Grand Designs sneak preview: locals thought I was bonkers!

Patrick Bradley, a young farmer and architect from County Derry, had big plans for a beautiful property in a stunning location on the family farm.

There was just one drawback: with big ambitions for the quality of the build, and just two years of self-employment under his belt, there was no way he could secure the mortgage he needed for the build. Then he hit on a shocking solution, which features on Grand Designs on Wednesday night.

Bradley says: "When I did the costings at first, I did them for a traditional construction, but it was way over my budget, so I had to think of other options.

"I did a lot of research into modular construction, and the thought of using shipping containers just came into my head." By using such an off-the-wall idea, he could knock down the price of the build from £180,000 to just £100,000, and bring it in on budget.

When news of his building materials spread, he became the subject of local gossip. He says: "A lot of the locals came to see what I was doing and thought I was bonkers. I was a laughing stock for a long time, but I knew I could make it work." %VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-mortgages%

Challenges

There was no shortage of challenges on the build. One was the fact that Bradley planned to project manage it - alongside running his own architecture business, working as a part-time farmer, and doing charity work.

The second issue was that although planning started in November, it took months for him to research the best containers, find the right team to work with on site, and complete detailed drawings (especially while doing two other jobs simultaneously), so it was June before work started.

It left him with 12 weeks to complete the project. He says: "It was a ridiculous time for a build. When the Grand Designs team was on site, they said it couldn't be done in the timescale.

"I told them that nothing was impossible, and they all laughed." Bradley says he can't explain how it was all done so fast, but that the construction team should take much of the credit, as they understood his vision when few other people could.

The property itself also posed a challenge because of the size of the containers. When the four containers arrived on site, weeks before building started, Bradley was well aware that they were "very tight." The finished property is just 1,200 square feet - around half the size of a typical property in the area - so it was a challenge to avoid it feeling claustrophobic.

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The end result

However, the design overcame the limitations of the containers. Bradley designed it to be open-plan, with large windows overlooking an expansive view, to bring a feeling of never-ending space.

The layout allows for three generous bedrooms - one of which is en suite, a large bathroom, main open-plan living area, utility room, and two large balconies to make the most of the view.

He says: "A family could live here. If I do find someone to start a family with, they will be very comfortable in the house." The programme makers say that Bradley's mother is hoping the property will help him find a girlfriend.

After the property was completed, Bradley opened his home up for the neighbours to have a look. He said: "People were stunned, because it turned out unbelievably well."

But what do you think? Would you like to live in a home like this? Click on the images below to take a virtual tour then share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Grand Designs airs on Wednesday 24 September at 9pm on Channel 4

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