Tragedy strikes at Grand Designs as a man reveals how his father died suddenly of cancer just months before the completion of the £1.2 million longhouse home he was building so his parents could move in
This is the emotional moment a man revealed his father died of cancer just months before he could move him into the sprawling £1.2million home he built to share with his parents.
In an episode of Channel 4’s Grand Designs, husband and wife team Mike and Sarah outlined their plans to build a massive 5,000-square-foot modernized Longhouse in the Derbyshire Dales.
Built to house Mike and Sarah’s elderly parents, as well as their two daughters and pets, the multi-generational home was inspired by a century-old design originally designed to house people and animals under one roof.
Construction began in December 2020, setting them back £250,000 for the land purchase and a further £945,000 for construction. But just as they learned they wouldn’t meet the December 2021 deadline, tragedy lingered when Mike’s father Robin suddenly passed away.
In the repeat episode which aired last night at 9pm, Mike shared the shocking news, saying: ‘Sadly my father passed away last weekend after a very short illness.’
This is the emotional moment Mike, a guest at Grand Designs, revealed his father died of cancer just months before he could move him into a huge £1.2million home.
During the episode, husband and wife team Mike and Sarah outlined their plans to build a giant modernized Longhouse (pictured) in the Derbyshire Dales.
Tragedy struck in December 2021 when Mike’s father Robin (pictured) died suddenly from cancer, just months before the house was completed
Even more devastating, his death seemed to come out of nowhere for Mike and his family.
‘[It was] a slight swelling in his legs. “He had a routine blood test done and that’s when they discovered he had cancer… and was just too late to do anything,” he said.
Mike paused to catch his breath as the emotion hit.
In response to host Kevin McCloud’s comment that it would be ‘very soon’, he replied: ‘Yes, yes. Within a few weeks from diagnosis until he actually died.
‘It’s such a big shock for him to leave so soon. It was a real surprise for everyone.’
The news brought a new focus for the couple to get the property finished as quickly as possible, especially with Mike’s widowed mother, Jean, still hoping to move in.
“My mother and father were married for 61 years,” he continued. “So it’s a big change for mom to be alone now.”
Robin and his wife Jean were due to make the big move from Stratford-Upon-Avon, but initially they were not keen as the ‘flat’ roads and ‘convenient’ local amenities were more attractive than the steep landscape of the Derbyshire Dales. .
The Longhouse features 500 square meters of living space and a modern kitchen (photo: Mike and Sarah’s Longhouse kitchen)
Construction began in December 2020, setting the couple back £250,000 for the land purchase and a whopping further £945,000 for construction.
The complex steel roof (photo) failed, causing the project to exceed its deadline
The house features an open-plan living space and bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms
But after a bad fall in the summer of 2022 and having to wait six hours for an ambulance, Jean became excited to live with their son.
With a new sense of urgency to complete the house, the couple went full steam ahead as they rushed to complete construction and finally move in.
However, the complex task was far from complete: the 550 square meter steel roof took nine weeks to complete and cost an additional £55,000.
Operations manager Neil Davies commented that it was one of the most ‘complicated’ projects he had worked on: ‘When I first saw it I thought ‘wow’,’ he said.
‘Then my director said this is coming through the factory, so I said ‘wow’ again.
“I actually thought it was Battlestar Galactica. I actually didn’t know it was a house… [it’s] one of the most complex we’ve ever done’.
Robin’s death left his wife Jean (pictured) devastated. His death seemed to come out of nowhere, with Mike and his family unconvinced that Robin had cancer
The 550 square meter steel roof took nine weeks to complete and cost an additional £55,000
The home features independent living spaces for both grandmothers, as well as additional bedrooms for the couple’s two daughters
It took Mike and Sarah a total of 19 months to build their dream home, which they were able to afford through personal savings and the sale of their previous home
Yet the builders persevered and in August 2022, and a staggering £250,000 over budget – mainly due to high material costs and additional steel purchases – the incredible house was completed.
It took Mike and Sarah a total of 19 months to build their dream home, which they were able to afford through personal savings and the sale of their previous home.
And even though the deadline was seven months past, it was all worth it for the couple as it was the “best night’s sleep” they had had in a while.
The couple’s daughter, Fran, who recently graduated from university and was living in London, also moved into the brand new home, where she plans to keep watch over her two nans.
Months later, not everyone is impressed with the end result, and some viewers are excited about it Xformerly known as Twitter, to criticize the exterior for looking like a ‘penal institution for young offenders’ or an ‘Amazon depot’.
One viewer also thought the building looked like a ‘municipal office’.