Grand Designs (1999)

Episode Overview

Tamayo Hussey has longed for Japan ever since relocating to the UK with her husband, Nigel. To combat her homesickness, they’ve decided to convert a forester's lodge into a Japanese-style home, complete with a roof bath, tatami room, and sliding shoji screens. To keep expenses manageable, Nigel and Tamayo opt to hire only an architect for design advice, tackling the construction themselves despite their lack of experience. Without comprehensive plans, they face numerous challenges along the way. Using Japanese larch for the timber frame, which is unfamiliar in UK construction, raises doubts about its durability. The new interior walls fail to align correctly, and the window design struggles against the rain. Nevertheless, Nigel and Tamayo remain resolute in their quest to create the Japanese home they yearn for.