What happened to the first ever Grand Designs home?

Kevin McCloud has revisited the first ever Grand Designs home 25 years after it was built. 

In 1999, Julia Brock and Tim Cox became the first couple to feature on the show, building a family home on the cliffs in Newhaven, East Sussex.

The couple made history in kick-starting the show’s rich history of ambitious - and often fateful - home designs.

However, things didn't go entirely to plan and when Kevin last visited the home, their newborn baby Tiger had come along but the home was barely finished.

Now, a quarter of a century on, Kevin revisited the property to see whether the home had stood the test of time, back where it all began.

During his last visit, Kevin had left the home barely finished, with costs rising, and the property failing to blend in with the natural landscape.

But upon his return, he was thrilled to see a ‘rich and lush’ forest had grown up surrounding the house, while still offering a sea view from the top floors.

He was also happy to see the house standing and in a good condition, remarking: ‘It’s got a curiosity and wonder… 25 years worth of stuff and life, wonderful.’

The outside of the house had been completely transformed, with the cedar cladding replaced, and the west and south faces replaced with tiles.

Jules and Tim had also finally achieved the decking they’d long hoped for, completing their dream home.

Two new conservatories gave the property a unique feel, while an observation deck offered views of the canopy of trees and the ocean in the distance.

In the emotional scenes, Tim and Jules reflected on the many special memories they’d made in the home over the past 25 years, revealing they’d welcomed five grandchildren between them.

Tim said: ‘I guess that’s one of the advantages of staying in the same place. 

'You can build up a patina of memory, which kind of makes it a really solid home, especially for kids and ultimately grandkids. I think the whole place is going to come into its own again with the grandkids.’

He added: ‘It’s worked out beyond all our wildest hopes.’

Despite making big changes to the outside, the interior was strikingly similar to Kevin’s last visit.

The log cabin bathroom was relatively unchanged, while the kitchen was still decorated with the bronze leaf Kevin had once helped them out with.

The couple movingly confessed that appearing on Grand Designs had given them a record of the home they’d be able to show their grandchildren.

Kevin also reunited with a now-grown-up Tiger, whom he'd last seen when he was just a baby in the 1999 episode. 

Kevin, 65, was thrilled to see Tiger again - now a 26-year-old full-time paragliding instructor and children's author, who also looks after a falcon. 

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Barely concealing his excitement, Kevin exclaimed: 'Last time I saw you, you fitted into a shoebox!' 

Tiger joked: 'I think I was in a wheelbarrow the last time you saw me!'

He reflected on how important his parents' build was for him growing up, particularly being so closely surrounded by nature and the sea. 

He said: 'My parents had a very hands-off approach to parenting. They'd just kick me out, I was going to build a den. And then, when dinner was ready, bell would ring. 

'It was like something from Paddy Clarke or some old-school story.'

His father, Tim, added: 'It was nice for Tiger, growing up here. Especially because it's a massive area that was his kingdom.'

In the emotional reunion, Kevin was shown clips of Tiger as a child enjoying the home and garden. 

In the 1999 episode, Tim and Jules, paragliding school owners and parents of four daughters between them, wanted to build their new family home on the cliffs in a record three months. 

After selling their family home gave them £30,000 equity, the couple looked to build a large family home from scratch for £60,000, with extra for a decking and garden.  

Their need for such a lightning quick build stemmed from Jules's pregnancy, as the couple intended to have their first baby together in their brand new house. 

However, groundworks and erection of their timber frame kit, specially designed for speed, did not go to plan. 

More problems followed, from unexpected costs to materials not arriving in time, meaning Jules and Tim’s home birth dream was in serious jeopardy. 

When Kevin last visited newborn Tiger had come along, but the house was barely finished, and the new baby meant work was taking 'ten to 20 times longer'. 

Last week, Grand Designs viewers slammed a couple's ambitious project to transform a water tower into a family home as the show's 'worst idea ever'. 

Tassy and Adam shocked Kevin with the project, located on an estate in Northamptonshire. 

They hoped to transform the abandoned tower into a unique nine-bedroom home to live in with their three young children, complete with a swimming pool, slides, fireman's pole and sky garden. 

But by the end of the episode - and after five years' work - the project was nowhere near completion, and all they'd achieved was building some concrete walls. 

As he visited the building site, Kevin noted that the exterior hadn't changed at all and the project appeared to have been on hold for the past two years. 

Viewers were left aghast at the lack of progress and slammed the design as a 'concrete hell'. 

They wrote on X/Twitter: 'Why on earth did they think this was a good idea?! This must be the worst choice ever on this show. The noise from the sub-station alone (forgetting the possible health issues) makes it an absolute no-no. The mind boggles';

'You could give that job another 5 years & it wouldn’t be finished. Ridiculous trying to do a project like that with very limited funds & professional work force. No surprise it still looks like it does';

'Oh yes, and if the concrete monster wasn't enough, there's an electrical substation with loud hum next to it AND a train line. Sanity of those 'parents' in serious doubt';

Grand Designs is available to watch now on Channel 4.