The team at Discover Glamping are delighted that George Clarke is back on Channel 4 for a third series of Amazing Spaces. Although it does not always have a glamping-heavy theme, it focuses in on small builds which are very fascinating and most glamping accommodation is similar in principle at least. They both tend to showcase exciting and practical ways to use relatively small structural spaces.
He started episode 1 of the new series in a similar way to series 1 and 2 by introducing the connective theme. In the first one there was a lot of focus on small builds in general and caravan renovations, in the second series his main project involved a tree house build. For the third series there is a lot of attention given to gardens.
George starts by explaining that there are around 22 million gardens in the UK and later in the programme suggests that almost 80% of people who do have gardens are underusing them. His aim for this series is to explore what other people are doing, particularly with gardens, as well as other types of small builds, to get the most out of space and how they are injecting some of their own personality into these projects.
He also mentions for the first time that he plans, with the help of his master carpenter friend Will Hardie, to transform his garage and at least of his garden area into a magical hideaway for not only himself, but his kids and the whole family.
Clarke also explains that much like previous series when he has visited different countries to see the impact of small builds and various individual’s creative and innovative designs, that this series he will be taking Will with him on a drive across Texas.
The Warren in Bolton
The first project George visits is Olly and Tamsin’s underground hideaway at the bottom of their garden that they have named The Warren. As usual, he visits at the very beginning stages and speaks to them about their plans. Much like George, they want The Warren to be a magical place to escape from the world for the whole family. At the point when George first meets them they are planning to have a walkway/hill that will go form an archway of grass over the habitat to make it look like it is part of the landscape. The kids will then be able to run and ride their bikes over the top of the mini house, which sounds amazing.
Olly and Tamsin also want to have enough room in The Warren for a double bed (with a pull out bed underneath) so that they can sleep over in their special little hiding place. It was quite funny when George brought up the subject of budget because Olly had said that it was set at £2000, but they were aiming for it to come to £1000, because Tamsin laughed and said something like “That’s the first time I’ve heard that” The whole idea of The Warren is meant to give them the chance to spend more quality time together as a family.
Unfortunately at the time they started work, they were just at the finishes stages of their new kitchen/extension and there was no space for the mini-digger/excavator to get through besides through the house. They even had to remove their brand new kitchen back door to ensure it got through ok. Luckily, nothing was damaged.
When George returns to them, rain had played havoc with the digging and building process. He was surprised at how deep the actual hole was for The Warren, but had to give Olly some tips because he was building the foundation wrong for the cabin. George pointed out that Olly was thinking of a build at ground level, when the actual specifics change the minute you start digging and building underground.
George’s Garage and Garden
George explained again that he wants to inspire the many people out there who have gardens that they don’t make the most of, by visiting people who are doing that and by letting us see his own project come to fruition. He also spoke about the rather shocking figure that there are around 10 million garages in the UK, with only about half of them actually being used for anything different than storage.
Apparently there is a kind of loophole that means as long as you don’t build a structure higher than 2 metres and build it on a maximum of 50% of your garden; you can avoid planning permission for the small build. It is called Permitted Development Rights and is worth checking out if you are interested in small builds and glamping ideas in your own garden.
To try and get Will excited for the project they visit a garden in London, which used Permitted Development Rights and just ordinary materials from shops to build a decked area and shed type office space that was really nice looking. The decking had a few surprises in that there was a fire pit and kids swimming pool hidden underneath.
Later in the show he outlines his plans for the project. He wants to build a structure that will be the ultimate games room for him and his friends with a hidden bar; but also a fun and creative den for his kids during the day that has lots of treats and hidden spaces. His garage will be transformed into a comfortable cinema and planetarium, to bring back the memories of the times he has stargazed with his children.
This is joined together with a tunnelled courtyard that includes something George had always wanted when he was a child – a butterfly house. It all sounds rather impressive and we can’t wait to see it take shape over the coming weeks.
Box Fish Caravan in Kent
Another couple that George visits during the programme is Barry and his partner, a South African who moved to Kent. This particular project is a lot more directly related to the idea of glamping.
He is a landscape gardener and since moving to Britain, he takes his partner and dog out in their van to visit and explore Britain’s beaches and coast in a van. They take a mattress in the van to sleep on, but wanted to upgrade.
They bought a caravan £250 and completely tore it apart in order to build their own take on a teardrop caravan. The basic structure of a teardrop caravan is that it is shaped like a teardrop, with the central section containing the living quarters and the back having a hatch that opens to reveal a handy kitchen section.
Barry’s plans were to take this idea and make clever use of the limited space by making most things multipurpose. Problems hit the build though when some of the worst storms in recent years hit their town in Kent. After a day spent getting the basic structure erect, the storms came and ripped all of Barry’s hard work to pieces.
This didn’t slow down his dedication or motivation and he got back on it and managed to make up for the lost time and work. There was a special reason that they had such a short time left to complete it, in a weeks’ time it would be April 1st, the couple’s anniversary. His partner pointed out that this would be the first time using, while Barry rather cheekily joked that the double bed would get used a lot.
The finished caravan is beautiful and does look like a yellow with black spots boxfish, with porthole style windows for the eyes. There is a sink, gas hob and fridge for all their cooking. George was surprised how roomy the inside actually felt. There was room for two benches, that have front panels that click up to form the double bed and there was a radio with large speakers for entertainment.
Barry said that the final total cost came to £3000 but admitted that it was worth it because it would greatly improve the quality of their trips away. His partner then laughed that it would be easier when they had a baby to go on trips having a comfortable place to stay. Barry laughed and looked a bit shocked!
Man Made Home in Man Made Hill in Texas
Of all the states in the USA, the reason George chose Texas was because over the years it has a reputation due to wide open spaces and loose planning laws and regulations, for attracting some of the most eccentric small builds
The first destination for George and Will’s trip across the Lonestar state was to a town just outside Dallas. They visit a man called Al Shwaltz who has designed and built something that you’d be forgiven for thinking was just a series of hills. In actual fact, it’s a manmade cavern. The existing hills were removed and then remade using special dome shaped inflatable balloons to form the pod shapes of the cavern. They were then reinforced and covered in mud and rocks, so that it disappeared into the landscape.
The inside was particularly special though as it was incredibly big and had lots of open spaces. There was a cinema/theatre area, which was not just a big screen and a couple of chairs, it was a proper cinema. He had also made sure there was space for a nice and equipped kitchen, a bar and even a pool table.
Episode 1 finished with a trip to the completed Warren in Bolton. Amazingly, despite all the setbacks and the fact that from start to finish it was 2 full months, it actually only took 2 weeks of proper working days to build it.
It really did look like something from a fairy-tale, with circular doors and lovely wooden interior.
They had also made secret escape tunnels and a skylight that you could climb out of, if you were small enough. Although it came to £5000 in the end, both George and the couple agreed that it was worth it.
We will post coverage of each episode weekly, so look out for the next one after next week’s show. We can’t wait as there is a glamping build featured.
