A triangular house is a Grand Design

Best on the Box choice for Wednesday, December 6th…

Kevin McCloud follows more of Britain’s most ambitious self-building projects, as intrepid individuals attempt to design and construct the home of their dreams.

In 2019, master carpenter Olaf and his partner Fritha set out to create an oasis on a tricky slice of land in West Sussex, boxed in by a mainline railway and a busy A-road. To make their challenge even trickier, half of the plot couldn’t even be built on because of an underground mains sewer.

All they were left with was a very small triangle on which to build their future life together.

With just £190k in the bank, Olaf and Fritha had to use all the ingenuity they could muster to bring their triangular three-bedroom house to life. Sturdy retaining walls and foundations to combat traffic vibrations cost more than they hoped. The bewildering angles that were needed to create the sharp, pointed, hand-built timber frame stretched Olaf to his limits.

As super-thick sound-proofing walls were installed, and Olaf had his double-decker bus future workshop delivered, the budget reached a breaking point.

At the same time, Fritha and Olaf were going through IVF. It turned into one of the most stressful and pivotal moments of their lives. Now, Kevin McCloud returns to see how life has been for Olaf, Fritha and their young daughter Lagertha in their triangular house.

Grand Designs, Channel 4, 9 pm