Grand Designs 18x2 - Harringey, London: Victorian Gatehouse

Penny Talelli has a passion for cutting-edge contemporaryarchitecture, while husband Mark Edwards loves periodbuildings. Somehow, these two neurologists want to build afamily home that satisfies both their tastes. But will it bethe best of both worlds or just an appalling mishmash? Takingthe plunge, they buy a derelict Victorian gatehouse on a verysteep hill in north London, that currently sits abandoned andunloved. The plan is to restore it, paint it white, and thenadd a giant black zinc-clad box at the back, marrying theirlove of old and new. But they run into problems. The gatehouseneeds knocking down. Excavating the sloping site takes longerthan expected. Increasingly struggling to balance their busyworking lives with project managing the build, the future ofPenny and Mark's unconventional home hangs in the balance.