2 weeks Ago
A disgruntled neighbour says a crane near a houseboat which featured on TV show Grand Designs is an “eyesore”. In an episode broadcast on March 26, married couple Sarah Cheeseman, a designer, and Howard Carter, an architect, from Worthing, took on what presenter Kevin McCloud called one of Grand Design's most "ambitious self-building projects" yet. The pair wanted to build a "sleek, angled, metallic floating home" on the estuary near Worthing by dismantling a Second World War landing craft.
The home was designed to look like a boat, to fit within the houseboat community, with the steel structure sitting on an "experimental prefabricated polystyrene slab to deal with high tides". The steel structure sits on a huge polystyrene slab to deal with high tides (Image: Rob Brown/Channel 4) It wasn't until three years after the project began, in February 2025, that Kevin was able to visit Howard and Sarah to see if they had managed to achieve their dream. Although the project has finally been completed, a crane still remains near the floating home – something that a resident who overlooks it is frustrated by.
She said: “Although the owners of the houseboat have done a magnificent job – beyond belief really – I would like to know when they are going to remove the crane that has been sitting there for three years plus. “Do they have a date of removal and if not, why not? The red light shines straight across into our windows and the sight of any crane is an eyesore. Why is it still there?” The crane has been essential during the project (Image: Supplied) Howard told The Argus: “The crane has been essential during the project, but we are now nearly finished so it will be coming down within the next few months.
“The light is a safety requirement as I’m sure most people would appreciate especially as we are quite near to the airport. “Our neighbours have been wonderful about it, some even like it!” To complete their Grand Design, Sarah and Howard had a budget of £385,000 and a schedule of 18 months. The couple planned to complete much of the work themselves but faced challenges from the beginning.
The striking interiors of Howard and Sarah's floating home (Image: Rob Brown/Channel 4) They first had to remove a derelict Second World War landing craft on their landing plot, which they had purchased for £255,000. What made the project especially difficult was that the house needed to be able to weather high tides, followed by hours of it sitting in the mud. Attempting to permanently moor the building site at the last minute added a further five months.
By the end of the show, the couple's floating home was finally completed, after a gruelling three-year period, marked by hardships and delays..
