Restoration TV shows... more, more, more!

[atlasfever]

Hello,

Ok, while I'm busy reading all of your posts, I'd like to watch a couple of the restoration/re-build shows.
I know of:

Restoration Man: Besides George's over use of "passion" and "custodian," I do like it and it's interesting.
Grand Designs: Well, a little too much reality TV drama (I could care less), but the ideas are cool to say the least
Home Show: Sometimes they do period houses.
Restoration Nightmare: Pretty good, perfect as it's georgian, and I ignore the self-editing.

So, does anyone know what is similar to watch? A different channel? I can't seem to see Restoration Man 2nd series, only the 1st series.

Thanks, A

 

[skier-hughes]

renovation game - no idea of which channel !
Nick Knowles' Original Features - Home chanel

 

[JoceAndChris]

You might also like " Country House Rescue " for all the period interiors.

I'd also suggest lots of period dramas - particularly any of the Jane Austen adaptations, or "Vanity Fair", or the mini series "Cranford".

 

[MatthewC]

There are some things that get me about the various property programmes on TV:

1. They often gloss over questions about listed building consent and building control, apart from the times when the owner has actually got into conflict with the council. It would be nice if they did actually mention that the changes to some lovely listed building DO have the necessary approval and took several months, as they give the impression you can buy today and change it tomorrow.

2. Most of the presenters do seem to know about breathability but they just stand back and smile approvingly as the owners wreck a lovely old building by a chemical dpc, tanking, gypsum etc. Surely at least they could give some advice as to the best way to do things, and then look on disapprovingly as the owners ignore them?

There was one I saw ("Escape to the Country"?) where a couple bought a "character cottage" at auction and proceeded to remove every vestige of character from the place. At one stage the entire inside was 100% gutted (wall to wall, ground to rafters) before being rebuilt as a new property. It just all seems so sad... they might just as well have demolished the place entirely and built from scratch.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I so agree. Many people come at old buildings from very unhelpful angles, they want to put their stamp on it, make it yield to their needs, etc. They forget the qualities that drew them to the building in the first place, and remove them.

Most buildings, towns and villages in the UK are completely aesthetically ruined in my opinion.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Most buildings, towns and villages in the UK are completely aesthetically ruined in my opinion.

You've been to Birmingham then!!!!!

 

[middi]

The problem with restoration programmes is that they focus mainly on the before and after with as much drama as they can get away with in between. These are essential ingredients to capture an audience and, apart from the entertainment value, also ponder on what can or cannot be achieved with an old structure or acient building.
It is of little use if someone needs to gather detailled information on the diverse disciplines required in order to achieve a good restoration project. The knowledge gained from these programmes is as usefull as watching a heart transplant on the telly with a view to become a heart surgeon. ( well, you know what I mean )

Middi

 

[plasticpigeon]

Yeh, I don't watch those shows much any more. I bought a few construction and carpentry/joinery books from around 1900 which I find much more enlightening. Those programs do tend to gloss over the process and concentrate more on the initial concept, and the before and after. I wish that the program makers would use their programs as an opportunity to educate the public about sympathetic ways to do up older properties, particularly about using lime and sensible ways of dealing with damp, otherwise i fear many of these old places with end up beyond economical repair before long.

 

[plasticpigeon]

How about a show where the building before restoration is better than after. That would be a novel twist on the tired old formula.

 

[Flyfisher]

Such programmes are primarily about entertainment rather than education. The best they can reasonably be expected to do is to raise someone's interest to the point where they start to really research the subject for themselves. Fortunately, the internet makes such research far easier than it ever has been.

 

[atlasfever]

Ah... did i mention I like to watch them as entertainment while I actually learn from periodproperty.co.uk?

 

[Flyfisher]

Quite probably the best approach of all.