FLOAT YOUR BOAT
Four-bedroom Grand Designs home that looks like it’s floating hits the market for £1.95m – but there’s a big catch
A STUNNING four-bedroom home that featured on Grand Designs could be yours for £1.95million – but prospective buyers might want to know about a catch.
The property on the Blackwater River Estuary near Maldon in Essex appears to be floating on air.
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However, as it was explained on the Channel 4 programme in October 2021, it was built on a piece of land designated by the Environment Agency as Flood Zone 3, the highest risk.
The house though is described as being “flood proof” because of its seemingly gravity-defying, cantilevered first floor which is 4.5 metres above the ground.
Londoner Geoff Wood, sold his home in Spain in order to be able to fund the construction project and lived in a caravan on the site while it was being built.
Mr Wood bought the land with planning permission for £325,000, according to reports.
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While he was able to overcome various hurdles, including the Covid pandemic and the collapse of the property market in Spain, some viewers were less than impressed by the end result.
One person wrote: “Awful house, awful décor. One of the worst houses I’ve ever seen.”
Another said: “What a f**king hideous house!”
Kevin McCloud, the show’s presenter, admitted the interior, including a blue carpet and orange sofa combination, wasn’t “fashionable”.
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Mr Wood, whose early retirement was soon followed by the breakup of his 32-year marriage, told viewers: “I'm at the stage in my life now where I don't know how long I've got left, so what I've got left, I want to enjoy.
“I'm 63 but I still feel like I was when I was 23. I don't feel that I'm old.”
Kevin told viewers how the plot was an empty canvas on which Mr Wood planned on painting a new life – which was set in more than seven acres of land, but it didn’t come without problems.
He said: “A large site it may be, but it is a flood plain so the planners have insisted any house here would need to be flood-resistant.”
Along with its flood-proofing features, the house was also designed to be energy efficient and is stacked with the latest tech - including an air-source heat pump, solar tiles and thermal glass to keep running costs down.
On the ground floor there is a large hallway and reception area, which is connected to a utility area and the garage.
The stairs lead up to the hallway on the first floor which also features a huge living, dining and kitchen area along with three bedrooms, each with en-suite as well as a fourth bedroom and family bathroom complete with a huge, modern tub.
Thanks to its wraparound terrace, the house had dramatic view over the surrounding countryside.
While the property may appear to be magically floating on air, in reality the flood-proofing has been created by a steel superstructure which is sat on 34 concrete piles drilled 14 metres into the ground.
Ed Casson, director of estate agents Fine & Country Mid Essex, said: “It really is a unique and beautiful property and although Geoff's enjoyed living there, he's completed his grand project and feels it's time to downsize a little bit.”
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He added: “I'd say it's ideal for someone who is perhaps London based but originally from Essex, and who wants a weekend place in an outstanding location.
“It might also suit an older couple, who want to take advantage of the walks and lifestyle in this area, which is really tranquil and beautiful."
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