Tragedy strikes on Grand Designs as man reveals how his father died suddenly from cancer just months before completion of the £1.2 million longhouse home he was building so his parents could move in

• Mike had no inclination that his father Robin would soon pass away from cancer 
• READ MORE: Inside Kevin McCloud’s ‘favourite ever’ Grand Designs house 

This is the emotional moment a man revealed his father died of cancer just months before he could move him in to the sprawling £1.2 million home he’d built to share with his parents.

In an episode of Channel 4’s Grand Designs, married couple Mike and Sarah outlined their plans to construct a gigantic 500 square-metre modernised Longhouse in the Derbyshire Dales. 

The multigenerational home was built to accommodate both Mike and Sarah’s ageing parents, as well as their two daughters and pets, and took inspiration from a centuries-old design originally created to house humans and animals under one roof.

In December 2020 building began, setting them back £250,000 for the land purchase and a further £945,000 for construction. But just as they learned they wouldn’t meet the deadline for December 2021, tragedy stuck when Mike’s father Robin suddenly passed away.

In the repeat episode which aired last night at 9pm, Mike shared the shattering news, saying: ‘Sadly my father died the other weekend after what was a really short illness’.

This is the emotional moment Mike, a guest on Grand Designs, revealed his father died of cancer just months before he could move him in to a sprawling £1.2 million home 

During the episode, married couple Mike and Sarah outlined their plans to construct a gigantic modernised Longhouse (pictured) in the Derbyshire Dales

Tragedy struck in December 2021 when Mike’s father Robin (pictured) suddenly passed away from cancer, only months before the home’s completion

Even more devastating was that his death seemed to arrive out of nowhere for Mike and his family. 

‘[It was] a slight swelling in his legs. He went for a routine blood test and then they found he was full of cancer… and just too late to do anything,’ he said. 

Mike took a pause to catch his breath while the emotion set in.

Responding to presenter Kevin McCloud’s comment about it being ‘very swift’, he replied: ‘Yes, yes. Within a matter of weeks from the diagnosis to him actually dying.

‘It’s just such a big shock for him to go so quickly. It was a real surprise to everyone.’

The news ignited a new focus for the couple to get the property finished as quickly as possible, especially with Mike’s widowed mother Jean still hoping to move in. 

‘My mum and dad were married for 61 years,’ he continued. ‘So it’s a big change for Mum to be on her own now’.

Robin and his wife Jean were scheduled to make the big move from Stratford-Upon-Avon, but initially they weren’t too keen because the ‘flat’ roads and ‘convenient’ local amenities were more appealing than the steep countryside of the Derbyshire Dales.

The Longhouse features 500 square metres of living space and a modern kitchen (Pictured: Mike and Sarah’s Longhouse kitchen)

In December 2020 building began, setting the couple back £250,000 for the land purchase and a further whopping £945,000 for construction

The complex steel roof (pictured) through a spanner in the works, causing the project to run past its deadline

The home features an open-plan living space and bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms

But after taking a serious fall in the summer of 2022, and having to wait six hours for an ambulance – Jean became enthusiastic about living with their son after all. 

With a new sense of urgency to complete the home, it was full steam ahead for the couple as they raced to finish the construction and finally move in.

However the complex task was far from over, with the 550 square foot steel roof taking nine weeks to complete and costing an extra £55,000.

Operations manager Neil Davies remarked it was one of the most ‘complicated’ projects he’d worked on: ‘When I first saw it I went “wow”‘ he said.

‘Then my managing director said this is coming through the factory so I said “wow” again.

‘I actually thought it were Battlestar Galactica. I didn’t actually realise it were a house – [it’s] one of the most complex we’ve ever done’.

Robin’s death left his wife Jean (pictured) devastated. His death seemed to arrive out of nowhere, with Mike and his family having no inclination that Robin had cancer

The 550 square foot steel roof took nine weeks to complete and cost an extra £55,000

The home features independent living quarters for both grandmothers, as well as extra bedrooms for the couple’s two daughters 

It took Mike and Sarah a total of 19 months to build their dream home, which they afforded through personal savings and the sale of their previous home

Still, the builders forged ahead and by August 2022, and a staggering £250,000 over budget – mostly owing to searing material costs and extra steel purchase – the incredible home was completed.

It took Mike and Sarah a total of 19 months to build their dream home, which they afforded through personal savings and the sale of their previous home.

And although seven months past the deadline, for the pair, it was all worth it, being the ‘best night’s sleep’ they’d had in ages. 

The couple’s daughter Fran, who recently graduated from university and lived in London, also moved in to the brand new home, where she plans to keep watch over her two nans.

Months on, not everyone is impressed with the final result, with some viewers taking to X, formerly known as Twitter to lambast the exterior for looking like a ‘young offenders correctional facility’ or an ‘Amazon depot’.

One viewer also felt the building resembled ‘local council offices’.

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