A self-build bachelor pad on Graven Hill
Kevin McCloud called Jitinder Hari's home 'resplendent' on Grand Designs: The Streets
Jitinder Hari’s Grand Designs self-build bachelor pad on Graven Hill was a hands-on project with its fair share of challenges – including a visit from the site safety inspectors. But when it was complete, Kevin McCloud called it ‘resplendent’ and ‘finely tailored’ with a ‘slight swagger’. It featured in the same episode of The Streets that showcased Leah and Craig Lewis’ custom build house, which Kevin referred to as ‘the house of the future’.
Jitinder, who works as a consultant helping businesses find efficiencies, decided to use his skills to project manage his own build. After living in a two-bedroom flat in Reading for 26 years, he wanted to build a home with more space for guests to stay over, room for a home gym, and a space that feels more communal.
His three-storey, three bedroom property – constructed from timber panels supported by steel beams – sits next to Vineet and Simmi’s home, which also features on The Streets. The living room with terrace sits on the first floor to take full advantage of the views over the Oxfordshire countryside, with two guest bedrooms, a home gym and utility room on the ground floor, as well as a mezzanine office and master suite with balcony on the top floor.
Jitinder’s architectural statement is nearly complete and it definitely has a certain swagger to it #GrandDesignsStreets pic.twitter.com/qK8MnKCi2g
— granddesigns (@granddesigns) May 11, 2022
An architectural statement
The build didn’t run as smoothly as Jitinder had hoped, with a visit from the Graven Hill safety inspector while craning heavy steel beams over his neighbour’s property. There were also long delays in pouring the resin floor due to high moisture content in the air, and a misreading of the numbers on a sample pot of render leaves the exterior of his home with a pale violet tinge.
He set himself a budget of £650,000 to achieve his dream home, but didn’t manage to complete the build during filming. Kevin still offered his seal of approval: ‘From the outside, at least, Jitinder’s architectural statement is complete. And what a statement it is, in addition to the architectural menagerie of the street.’
‘What self-build can do for you, is allow you to fully express yourself,’ adds Kevin, ‘to make a mark on the landscape, and make manifest a whole set of dreams and hopes.’
Photo: Jacqueline Cross / Channel 4
