Grand Designs: Newbury, 2013

Michael Butcher and Phil Palmer want to bring a touch of urban glamour to their new home at Christmas Farm near Newbury, Berkshire, by creating a modern farmhouse that combines an open-plan party pad with functional spaces below. As the builders set to work on the handcrafted flint exterior, complete with a vast trapezoid window, the pair juggle construction with farming the land, and in an attempt to make the project work financially, they set up a microbrewery in the barn. Kevin McCloud follows their progress