A couple who appeared on Grand Designs with their self-built home have sold the property and left the UK to care for Maite Alegre's elderly parents in Spain. The three-bedroom house in Graven Hill, Oxfordshire, was put on the market for £550,000 – £19,000 less than the final build cost of £569,000.
Maite, 61, had dreamed of featuring on the Channel 4 show since 1999. After buying a plot for £220,000 in 2017, she was approached by a Grand Designs scout. Within days, producers and cameras were involved, and the couple received £1,500 for appearing. Presenter Kevin McCloud visited monthly, and the pair once shared Spanish wine and chorizo with him.
The original budget was £150,000, but costs spiralled. Foundations alone cost £70,000 – £36,000 over estimate – wiping out the contingency in three weeks. Maite worked ten jobs, including at an ice-cream parlour and the Red Cross, to fund the project. Her husband Carlos, 61, said the strain tested their relationship: “You either break or become stronger.”
The finished home featured a glass front, aluminium and larch cladding, seven-metre high ceilings, and a mezzanine overlooking the kitchen. It won an award at the UK Property Awards and was described as “breathtaking” by McCloud. The couple intended it as a legacy for their grandchildren, but family needs forced a sale.
Carlos told the Independent: “This was going to be a legacy space that our grandchildren would grow up in. We didn’t think we would ever move. If we had waited to sell, we might have got more for the house but life and age have meant that isn’t possible. But it was never about money anyway.” Maite admitted she still dreams of building again.
