And at the end of a hard day’s toil, your bathroom is covered in brick dust and large splinters and looks nothing like the one in the M&S Home catalogue.
 
So goodness knows why so many of us can’t get enough of Grand Designs. A whopping four million people tuned in for one episode of Grand Designs Revisited last month.
 
Deep down we all know the reality TV boom relies on the sadistic pleasure we get from watching things go wrong - though I suppose you could argue the case for the happy ending.
 
Property shows cater to the repressed nosey neighbour inside all of us and fortunately there’s a way to let your inner Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen out.

*** CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GRAND DESIGNS LIVE ***
 
Grand Designs Live kicks off at the London Excel next week and I’ll be heading down to check out the latest eco-friendly and space age home technology. 
 
What a teenage or twenty-something girl wouldn’t give for a magic mirror which can recognise your clothes, tell you when you last wore them and even if they are suitable for the weather.
 
This prototype from Microsoft, which could be straight out of chick flick Clueless, will be showcased in the House of The Future exhibit which also boasts an automatic vacuum cleaner and the world’s smallest bathroom on a pole (you have to see it to believe it).

*** CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WORLD'S SMALLEST BATHROOM ***

To keep things toasty without melting icebergs, there’s the Ecosmart fire - an environmentally friendly, open, freestanding fireplace.
 
It will be on show alongside the Philips prototype Daylight Window System which projects a pattern of your choice onto the window and lets you choose how much natural light you let in. Though why a good pair of curtains wouldn’t suffice, I’m not sure.
 
And if you’re sick of fighting your way through the aisles of Tesco on a Saturday, you can also find out how to live the Good Life.
 
Some bright spark has discovered that with just three square metres, the average family can produce their own fruit and vegetables all year round.


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