Prepare to be inspired as Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 lands on Channel 4.
Presenter Kevin McCloud is back in his hard hat and high-vis jacket for a new outing of his property show celebrating the brave souls determined to build their dream homes in streets specially dedicated to self-build projects.
During the seven-part series, Kevin will be returning to Graven Hill in Oxfordshire from seasons one and two and Glasgow from season two, but the first episode will see him filming at a brand new location in York.
Here Kevin tells What to Watch about this new chapter of the groundbreaking series…
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — release date
The new series of Grand Designs: The Streets launches on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 on Channel 4 at 9 pm. Episodes will be available on All 4 after transmission.
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — trailer
A trailer isn’t available yet, but check back for updates.
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — filming locations
During the third series of Grand Designs: The Streets, Kevin returns to Graven Hill in Oxfordshire, where it all began in season one. He’s also back in Glasgow, with co-presenter Natasha Huq, to witness the final few homes going up in the iconic Scottish self-build street, which was introduced to viewers in season two. And, excitingly, he’s at a new site in York.
“York has a great tradition of high-quality social housing,” explains Kevin. “Joseph Rowntree started its first social housing project for his workers at the Rowntree Chocolate Factory, so this new self-help program is really exciting to see. We film some beautiful houses.
“The lovely thing about whether we're filming Graven Hill or in York, is that every project is an example — it doesn't matter how difficult it's been for the people to build or how cheaply they're building — every project is better built than the average offering and is more thermally efficient, simply because it is properly made.”
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episodes
The third series of Grand Designs: The Streets consists of seven episodes. Six which will be airing from May 2023 onwards, while the seventh and final episode is due to air later in the year.
Ambitious projects this time include a small black-timber home, inspired by mountain huts; a revisit to Jitinder whose Hollywood Hills-inspired house remained unfinished at the end of the last series; and a home made from boxes!
“Jonathan in York makes boxes out of cheap-as-chips building materials, fills these boxes with insulation, and then builds a house with them like Lego bricks. I'm simplifying this, but it's brilliant, and we're very lucky to be able to film it,” reveals Kevin. “All these people are pioneers and heroes for doing what they're doing.”
See below for our guide to every episode of the series.
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — Interview with Kevin McCloud
What to Watch caught up with Kevin while he was filming the finishing touches to the third series of Grand Designs: The Streets...
What are you filming today Kevin?
“I've been in Graven Hill today. We’re doing the finals as we call them, which is our final shoot where we go back at the end of the project hoping that it's finished.
“Today was, as you'd expect with self-build and television when the two worlds collide, they don't always mesh. Television is very demanding of deadlines. Everybody in television wants a programme delivered early, and everybody in construction wants to finish… not early! But anyway, it’s fun and it was a beautiful finished house that was worth waiting for.”
If you’re still filming, will you be working on the series right down to the wire?
“As ever we are right up against it. We're editing as we're shooting, as we're finishing a series, which we've been making for three years. It’s always at the last minute a complete kick rollick scramble. Sometimes we are filming the finals and putting it all together; then editing; then squeezing on the voiceover; then it's got to be formatted and graded; and then it'll go off to the channel — sometimes the night before transmission!”
It doesn’t show on screen at all…
“We have the best camera operators and wonderful sound people, it’s a great team. And it’s all produced and directed by an old friend of mine, Ned [Williams], who I've worked with for 20 years. So when we get together it's like watching a well-oiled machine, everybody synchronizes. In a sense, what that does is allow us on camera to enjoy ourselves and I think that's a really important part of filming — not to allow the craziness of the world that we're in to dominate what we do.
“The lovely thing is, because we're filming, everybody has to turn their phones off for the whole day. So I mean, I call it work, but it's really just a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the buildings, company, and conversations in a very protected environment where we're not disturbed by phone calls, texts and TikTok videos!”
We’d love to see a TikTok video of you!
[Laughing] “I don’t think such a thing exists!
“I'm of an age where I predate the mobile phone, let alone everything that's on it. I grew up with children's television programs starting on BBC One at four o'clock in the afternoon in black and white. So yeah, it’s a different world. But I love making television. I'm very lucky to be able to work in this world. But I guess if ever I'm unemployed again, you’ll suddenly find me all over the Internet!”
How much do you think building practices have changed over your career?
“Nothing much has changed, it's still antediluvian. [That said] I’ve seen buildings go up made by robots. At Graven Hill in the last series we saw a house go up literally in two days. It was craned in on six lorries from Poland. Amazing stuff.
“The house that we've just finished working on today is a six-panel structure. That technology is probably 15 — 20 years old in the UK. That was problematic, there was a huge problem early on, a discrepancy between the foundations and the panels that had to be corrected, and it took months.”
What problems do you see a lot?
“In the UK, we're still putting up buildings made out of water soluble materials, like cement in the rain. As a result, we’ve to wait for stuff to dry out, puddles to go away, and mud to turn to dust. Then people tramp all the mud and dust into the house and wreck everything, so you've got to order a new set of windows or the kitchen’s trashed or the doors have dropped. These are stories I hear every day, people who have to go backwards in order to go forward with building.”
Is that part of what makes self-build projects so rewarding?
“The lovely thing about self-build is yes, of course things go wrong — things will always go wrong — but it's how you put it right that matters. And in the end you make a beautiful, airtight super performing fabulous piece of architecture… I love it! What I want to see is really well-made houses and well-made films too.”
Do you think it takes a certain type of person to self-build?
“I look at these people and think, ‘oh my God, you are a species apart aren't you?’ But then I’ve filmed so many of them over the years, I think, actually, you're not. An artist I once filmed, she and her husband built a conversion of a water tower, an all-concrete, brutalist thing. And I said to her, ‘You are extraordinary people for doing this.’ And she said, ‘No, we're not. We're really ordinary people. We're just doing an extraordinary thing.’ That comment has stayed with me for years now. I think this is something that's within us all, this potential, and it's hidden. Once you get the bug and the zeal, it’s like being converted.”
What advice would you offer anyone considering a self-build project?
“Well, I'd always be nervous about advising any single individual, because I think there are different routes in and out of it, and different personalities suit different approaches. But I would say that we in this country love going our own way. We love being independent, learning everything on YouTube, and deciding we're going to build everything ourselves, so we don't like to ask for help. I think asking for help is the best thing in the world because suddenly, from the woodwork, come all these people who can provide you with extraordinary expertise. Whether that's a project manager, an architect, an engineer, or a supplier, there are people out there — and plenty of self-builders, of course — who have learned from the experience of doing.
"That is what we see in Graven Hill, for example; because there's a critical mass of self-builders there's a fantastic exchange, whether it’s for information, tips, tools, reusing scaffolding, whatever it is, and I love that. There’s a culture of support already there in the neighborhood, and that's beautiful.”
Are these programmes a big time commitment for you?
“Yes! For viewers it's an hour’s entertainment, for me it’s three years of my life! Whether it's The Streets or Grand Designs or House of the Year, it takes up vast amounts of time. For every hour we might record up to 200 hours worth of film. It’s a lot of work, but if you want to make beautiful stuff that people love and return to again and again and rewatch again and again, you've got to craft it haven’t you?”
Do you spend a lot of time on the road?
“Literally 50% of my time is spent traveling. I said to Ned, this is absurd, [episode one is] going out and where are we going to be? We're going to be on a train or in a car park, still making the series!”
After this, what’s next for you?
“I'm making another show for Channel 4 coming out later in the year, which is about climate change. There are three of us making it and my strand is about housing.”
And finally, an intellectual question to leave you on… How many hard hats do you own?
“I have one hard hat, it’s orange, and it's in the boot of my van. I’ve also got two high-vis, one at home and one on the van. That’s it. That’s all you need! I mean, I’ve got more than one pair of boots, because they get trampled, but you’ve got to look after your hard hat!”
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episode guide
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episode 1
The first episode of the third series kicks off at the new site in York.
From C4 publicity: “Taking the leap into the world of self-build are two families from Yorkshire with two very different visions.
“Nicola and Gareth are pioneering the first build in this landmark scheme. With only a small budget, former schoolteacher Nicola takes on the challenge of designing and project managing a traditional, redbrick, family home with a modern twist herself. But, working with a tight budget and lack of experience, things start to go wrong when the centerpiece of her vision — a spectacular triangular window — arrives but does not fit.
“Down the road is an exciting Brazilian-inspired home built by Matt and Maryellen, with flamboyant colors, textures and a butterfly roof. Steelworker Matt is keen to use the material he loves wherever he can, but Maryellen fears it will make the building feel industrial. They have different ideas about what they want from the house. Matt wants a gothic bathroom all in black, like a nightclub, Maryellen in contrast, wants a glamorous white one.
“The house promises to cut an extraordinary figure on the York skyline — but with a tiring commute, the pace of work at the office and family commitments — building it promises to be far from straightforward.”
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episode 2
C4: "Tim is eagerly anticipating the next stage of his life, as he hopes to move from a small flat in Bicester into an epic, architecturally daring home at Graven Hill. A man of machines, Tim plans to build the first basement in the area and fully kit it out as a workshop where he can tinker with his collection of motorbikes. With the help of his dad Michael, this project is meant to be an opportunity to spend quality time together away from work. But soon, the stresses of the build begin to ramp up, especially when the five-tonne car lift that Tim has ordered from China doesn't fit into the specially prepared hole in the basement... We also revisit Jitinder, whose house was unfinished when we last met him - thanks to problems with moisture and his resin floor. But now Kevin experiences the full splendour of his Hollywood Hills-style home."
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episode 3
C4: "When Jane and Richard met and fell for each other, Jane revealed that she was building her own home as part of a fresh start in York. Richard was inspired and decided to do the same, so, following in Jane's footsteps, he chose a plot three doors down on the same street. Jane's plan is for a beautifully crafted home with an inviting high-end kitchen, while Richard's design will be minimal and sleek with some special architectural moments. Both houses will provide a new life for the five children they have between them, but quite how they'll live in them, they don't know yet. And if things don't work out, they might not want to live in them at all..."
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episode 4
C4: "Tom and Lori want to escape London, so they've decided to self-build at Graven Hill in Oxfordshire, which will give them access to countryside and the opportunity to build an architecturally stunning home in what they hope will be the adventure of a lifetime. They're planning to build as much as they can themselves, while leaving the groundworks and frame to the professionals. However, before they start work, they make the troubling discovery — the groundworks are out of alignment with the frame. What was supposed to be a rewarding experience quickly turns into a nightmare."
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episode 5
C4: "In York Jonathan is building a home using an experimental new system, designed with the help of world-class engineers, which uses wooden boxes held together only with bolts. Pushing this concept to the limit, Jonathan intends to build three storeys. If he succeeds, it will be the largest structure ever made using this method. But it's more than just an experiment: his radical home will also be a place to settle down with his son and an opportunity to return to the city where he grew up."
Grand Designs: The Streets season 3 — episode 6
C4: "Shop owner and jewellery maker Karen is building her version of a mountain hut in central Glasgow, inspired by her hikes in the Scottish Highlands. After a five-year wait to get started, the project finally leaps into action when Karen and her two neighbours agree to collaborate and lay out all of their foundations together using the same contractor. But building an architecturally ambitious house in close proximity to neighbours comes with its own set of challenges...
"Next door is retiree William, who, in an architecturally progressive street, is building something deliberately old-style: a home cloaked in textured grey render called roughcast. His initial plan is to get the professionals in to build the house, but his love of DIY gets the better of him, and bit by bit he takes on more and more of the work himself."
The 7th and final episode of Grand Designs: The Streets is due to air later this year.
