On the advice of lowculture I watched Channel 4′s Grand Designs on Wednesday night. The programme tracks people who are developing their own properties. In Wednesday’s programme they followed a couple who were converting an old violin factory in their dream home.

The house, when it was completed, was stunning and included all the latest hi-tech gadgets. However, I did find myself agreeing with the presenter about the open plan dining room/kitchen. Yes it was huge, yes the table was about 20m long, but it looked more like a restaurant than a dining room in a home. Added to that was the fact that they’d had a gas cooker installed that cost a staggering £34,000! And it didn’t even work properly, the thermostats didn’t function.

I must say though that I’d love to be able to build my dream house, just the way I wanted it. Not sure I could spend £1.2m on it though!