April 23, 2026 / By rachel
As we mentioned at the start of our 40 projects for 40 years series, not every story is straightforward. Some come with a few twists along the way… and Hillcot Barn is one of them. This is a project that many people will feel they already know …
… or at least think they do.
This is Week 7 of our 40 projects celebrating 40 years of RRA Architects.
Back in 2006, our clients set out to convert a remote field barn in Herefordshire into their dream home. Around the same time, RRA was approached to be involved in what would become a Grand Designs project, and the start of a very memorable journey.
At the time, Grand Designs was attracting millions of viewers each week, with much of its appeal rooted in the human story behind each build. The pressures, the ambition, the unexpected twists… and, more often than not, the budget.
Hillcot Barn was no exception.
The programme told a compelling story of determination, personal challenges and the ambition to create something special under tight financial constraints. It made for great television. But as is often the case with television, what you see is only part of the story.
From the outset, there were some significant differences between the expectations presented and the realities of the build. A pre-construction cost plan had indicated a build cost considerably higher than the £250,000 figure referenced on screen, suggesting that the project would always be more ambitious than the budget allowed for.
Structural requirements were also understood early on. The need for underpinning, for example, had been identified from the beginning, although it later appeared in the programme as an unexpected development.
There were also suggestions of issues relating to drawings and setting out, which did not reflect the reality of the project from our perspective.
As the project progressed, the challenges familiar to many self-managed builds began to emerge. Managing costs, coordinating trades and maintaining momentum proved difficult, with multiple contractors engaged over the course of the build. None of this is unusual in self-build projects, but it does highlight the complexity involved and the importance of clear planning and professional oversight throughout.
Kevin McCloud’s closing comments struck a fair note, recognising both the achievement and the difficulties faced along the way, and reflecting on how a different approach to project management might have changed the journey.
For us, Hillcot Barn remains an exciting project to have been part of. It offered valuable exposure at the time and continues to be a talking point many years later.
If you would like to see more of the project, including the finished building and watch the Grand Designs episode, you can view it on the Hillcot Barn project page.
Projects like this are a reminder that while great architecture can make for great television, the reality behind the scenes is often more complex.
As our 40 projects for 40 years series continues, we will be sharing more stories that go beyond the finished images and explore what really happens along the way.