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Richard Hawkes made his name when he built a ‘world-first’ house on Grand Designs – which presenter Kevin McCloud dubbed ‘lunacy’.
It took a year and £800,000 for Richard and his wife Sophie, 50, to build eco-home Crossways, in Staplehurst, Kent.
But all did not go to plan, after a roofing error saw a workman fall through the ceiling and the couple were forced to spend £200,000 over the original budget.
Richard and Sophie opted to build a Passivhaus, an energy-efficient building with an arched roof – which is 20metres wide and nine metres high but only 100mm thick.
Disaster struck however when a contractor went tumbling through the very delicate first layer of tiles on the gravity-defying roof.
Richard Hawkes made his name when he built a ‘world-first’ house on Grand Designs – which presenter Kevin McCloud dubbed ‘lunacy’
It took a year and £800,000 for Richard and his wife Sophie, 50, to build eco-home Crossways, in Staplehurst, Kent
‘There was a time when Kevin was on site filming with the house in the background when the roof collapsed,’ Richard told The Sun.
After the first layer of tiles had been completed, site contractor Tony leaned on them while laying the second over the top.
This caused the surface under him to fall through the roof, tumbling onto a crash pad placed below. Tony suffered a graze to his head but was otherwise uninjured.
‘Our contractor Tony was crying and really upset,’ Richard said. ‘Some of the bricklayers were frustrated but it was hugs and “Are you okay”.’
Richard revealed that he became aware of the dramatic incident as he stood beside the cameraman before hearing an ‘almighty crash’.
The mammoth eco design project went over budget by £200,000, – but thankfully there were no extra charges for redoing the roof.
Richard and Sophie, an investment banker, stayed in a caravan on site with their son Oscar before moving in to the stunning house – which they still live in today.
The couple fell in love with the land their home is situated on, which inspired them to build the bespoke design.
Richard and Sophie opted to build a Passivhaus, an energy-efficient building with an arched roof – which is 20metres wide and nine metres high but only 100mm thick
Disaster struck however when a contractor went tumbling through the very delicate first layer of tiles on the gravity-defying roof
They loved the area so much, that they would drive by the small cottage that was on there at the time so they could stargaze.
Determined to make a home for the ages, Richard drew up plans to have the house made of clay and intertwined with nature – all held up by a signature arched roof.
But the risky home was to be made of tiles held up entirely by themselves.
‘We’ve had people tell us it’s the most bonkers thing they’ve ever seen,’ Richard said.
‘Maybe it was my age or enthusiasm. I’d been working in London on big things and this was small so I wasn’t scared of it.’
Richard revealed that he became aware of the dramatic incident as he stood beside the cameraman before hearing an ‘almighty crash’
Richard enlisted Cambridge professors to plan how the house could feasibly be built – but Grand Designs presenter Kevin was convinced it would fall apart.
The pair tested out the arch by making a small mock-up and both managed to stand on it without it breaking – so the house was approved.
However originally-dubious builders became so comfortable with the plans that they became ‘complacent’, Richard admitted, resulting in the roof collapse.