A PROJECT, featured on a recent episode of Grand Designs, to convert an old driving test centre into a “dream home” has come to life following a halting and testing ten-year build.
The couple behind the project – Rory and Jana – even resorted to living in a caravan on the site for more than a year while construction faltered.
And despite buying and renovating a separate railway station house adjacent to the site in the Edinburgh suburb of Portobello, the pair were unwavering in their determination to see the project through.
Speaking today, after the programme aired, Rory said: “There were a lot more hardships than were portrayed, but it is what it is.
“You just have to battle through them and get there, but I think they made a nice programme, I’m pretty proud of it.”
Rory and Jana set out, in 2016, to tear down the old driving test centre they lived in with their two young children – Nina and Otto – for seven years and build the “home of their dreams”.
After demolishing the test centre, however, the project suffered setback after setback, chronicled in Wednesday night’s episode of the hit Channel 4 show – part of a new series.
Finances, mortgage issues, Covid, and the sale of their neighbour’s land where their caravan was sited, all stalled the project.
In 2018, when it became clear the house would not be finished soon, they made the bold move to buy up the land surrounding the test centre.
From there, they converted an old railway station on the land into a small flat. This gave the couple a more comfortable roof over their heads than the caravan but further stretched the project’s budget and timeline.
“I think you have to remember it’s just one hurdle at a time, but those hurdles were quite unexpected at some points,” Rory added.
“I think we were also in a position, where I don’t think we ever thought about giving up, so it was just about overcoming the next hurdle, and there was a lot of gut punches, but we got over them.”
Architect Iain MacLeod, who is a close friend of both Rory and Jana, put their perseverance down to strength of character:
“They’re a unique couple in many ways, they’re both very headstrong characters that are willing to persevere to achieve their dreams.
“But also to a degree, it was about necessity as well, they were both wholly committed to this from the point they bought the site and moved into the old driving test centre.
“I think by the time they had planning permission to build the house they were fully committed to realising the project.”
A key feature of the house’s design was a large window with a view of the sea, which served as an anchor point for the project.
“Rory and Jana have such a strong connection to here [Portobello] that they are willing to go through such trials and tribulations to achieve this in this location,” Iain added.
“I think certainly the connection to the coastline and that desire to get a glimpse of the sea down Brunstane Road, and that pocket of green space they’ve created, does feel quite unique to a coastal suburb like Portobello.”
Rory’s wife Jana – who hails from the landlocked Czech Republic – opens the episode at Portobello Beach, saying “I’ve always loved the sea… I’ve always liked the space, that sensation of space”.
Having grown up in the area, Rory views it with less romanticism: “I moved away when I was 18, never to return.”
“Jana actually found Portobello on an excursion and said ‘I’ve found an amazing place to live but I can’t remember what it’s called’, and to my horror, I ended up moving back home,” he joked.
“But I am very grateful for that, and it is a special place. It’s got its own community, and you know, everyone’s been very supportive from the outset.
“So, as much as people didn’t know exactly what was happening, you get supportive words, and it does make a difference.”
At the end of the episode the design is revealed in its full grandeur.
At the heart of the house is an ambitious cantilever, with a light timber box sitting obliquely on top of a solid masonry ground floor.
The ground floor contains the bedrooms while the upper floor makes maximal use of light for an open plan living space. A section of the masonry floor is freed up for a south-facing courtyard at the rear.
Despite the episode’s conclusion, the house is still essentially empty, with floorboards and a set of handcrafted stairs still to be installed.
On when they expect to be able to call the empty shell a home, Rory added: “I’ve got a few big commissions on now, so whilst I would like to finish by Christmas, we think that might stretch a bit.”
“But I think we’ll be in under some guise by the end of the year, the start of next.”
Grand Designs: East Edinburgh 2026 aired on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday 7 October. The episode is available to view on-demand via channel4.com.
