Grand Designs house worth £465,000 compared to 'Darth Vader’s boathouse' branded ‘worst in the show's history'

This Grand Designs property really didn't float the boat of viewers - so much so, that a host of people have dubbed it the 'worst in the show's history'.

We've already seen the 'saddest house ever’ on the Channel 4 programme, but fans think they've now found the most unattractive pad ever after watching Wednesday's (26 March) episode.

Kicking off the 26th season of the renovation series, host Kevin McCloud headed to Worthing, West Sussex, to take a look at a couple's ambitious project.

Howard, an architect, and his interior designer wife Sarah said the £465,000 pad was 'their most radical yet'...and they weren't kidding.

Take a look at this:

Obviously, a floating home which is designed to resemble a boat is never going to be everyone's cup of tea.

But one look at social media will let you know just how unpopular this maritime theme seems to be among viewers, who described it as 'absolutely hideous'...among other things.

One person said in a post on X: "Well, just watched new Grand Designs, that is the biggest pile s**t in the show's history."

Another wrote: "Could this be the ugliest home ever on Grand Designs? I think so."

A third added: "Most of the time houses on Grand Designs look decent once finished...this isn’t one of those times."

A fourth chimed in: "This could be one of the ugliest and most hideous ever. Interior designer, you’re having a laugh."

Howard and Sarah's 'radical' design didn't go down well with viewers (Channel 4)

And a fifth commented: "Couple with more money than sense build hideous ostentatious pile of s**t among perfectly sweet boat community. Like building Buckingham Palace in the middle of a row of terraced cottages."

Let's just say, the final reveal came as quite the shock to people tuning in.

Howard and Sarah spent three years building the boat-inspired property, which sat on top of a prefabricated, polystyrene slab allowing it to rise and fall with the water to protect it from high tides.

These are the sort of things you have to plan for when constructing a home on a tidal estuary in West Sussex, you see.

The couple faced a host of setbacks while trying to determine the best way to ensure their pad could endure the elements and hours of sitting in mud, while Howard acknowledged that the terrain was 'incredibly difficult to work on'.

"So we're looking at a new way of building, which is going to involve a lot of prefabrication, so we can avoid the basics of manual work on the mud," he explained while construction was still ongoing.

The couple spent three years building the maritime-themed pad (Channel 4)

Sarah added: "Actually going through this process is going to be really hard."

If only she knew, eh?

Despite initially hoping to spend £385,000 and intending to get the project completed in 18 months, the pair ended up going over budget and got way behind schedule.

It took three years to create their perfect 'combination of difficult and marvellous', all in all - and by the end of it, they were both done in.

When Kevin returned to see the boat house in all it's glory in February this year, Sarah said: "We've both given everything to this for three years."

The host told her: Which, if all it's done has driven a wedge between you as individuals, damaged the emotional relationship, created tensions, and stress, then it ain't worth it. If, on the other hand, you emerge from this triumphant, stronger, better..."

Kevin McCloud dubbed it 'Darth Vader's boathouse' (Channel 4)

"That feeling where you're working towards a common goal is intoxicating," Sarah then added, while saying they were 'a little weary' but 'very excited'.

In the words of Kevin, the place resembled 'Darth Vader's boathouse' thanks to its harsh exterior.

The presenter said: "Oh my word, look what's docked from outer space. What a pointy end. What a sharp shape. I mean, it is architecture, it's floating architecture and it's magnificent!

"Who'd have thought that retail shed construction could look like this? The insulated cladding looks forbidding, strong and military now that it's been capped with that sharp, aluminium trim.

"And Howard's homemade truss-bridge is fit for a modern stealth frigate."

And thankfully, Kevin said the couple had managed to overcome their mud problem as he added: "It's no longer like visiting grunge central on the mud, it's more like visiting some secret naval base."

If only people watching from home were as complimentary as Kevin, eh?