Everyone has a vision of their dream house. Some want a swimming pool, some want glass walls overlooking beautiful gardens and some want houses full of top tech, complete with a cinema room and voice-activated appliances. We can’t all have the houses of our dreams because finances restrain us, but if you’ve ever seen Grand Designs then you’ll know that there’s something exciting about watching incredible houses being built for other people and, occasionally, imagining that they’re actually for you.

Here’s a quick rundown of 5 of the best houses ever to feature on Grand Designs:

The Amersham Water Tower

Located in Coleshill in Buckinghamshire, the Amersham Water Tower stands 30 metres tall and is atop a hill, with exceptional views. It featured on Grand Designs way back in 1999 and on a revisit in 2010, and both times it captured the hearts of viewers. The tower conversion might have taken a long time but, in the end, the tower and surrounding glass-fronted luxury home were worth the effort.

Hundreds of people, after seeing the episode, started to consider the possibility that they too could purchase a derelict water tower to convert. Most soon got bored of the idea, which means that some are still available to buy today. Why not see if your favourite estate agents in Leeds, London or Liverpool have any old water towers waiting to be purchased?

Ben Law’s Woodland House

Woodsman Ben Law created his quaint woodland house using sweet chestnut wood. The ivy-clad house might look a little rickety, but it’s also like something you’d see in a fairytale. The house was voted by viewers as the Most Popular Grand Design Ever, and it’s easy to see why! Surrounded by floral gardens, the house is filled with woodcraft furnishings and decorations.

The Underground House

Planning permission restrictions can cause all sorts of trouble for people looking to build their own homes, which is why the Underground House came to be. 60% of the Underground House was below the surface of the ground simply because planning restrictions stopped it from rising any higher. After trying to sell the house for £850,000 and getting nowhere, the owners decided to run a £25-per-entry competition to allow one person to win the property. Still they didn’t make enough money to cover the sale price, so eventually they decided to move into their Grand Designs house and make it their permanent home. Yet, just two years on, the house is being marketed as a self-catering holiday property. If nothing else, it was certainly an ambitious project!

The Adaptahaus

The Adaptahaus was an incredible creation, and ended up being the first of many similar (or not-so-similar) houses built across the world. The sustainable house was built off-site and put together in its final location. Adaptahaus designs are truly adaptable, with the option to add and remove rooms to suit a growing family and changing needs. Though the original Adaptahaus was certainly a Grand Design in every sense of the word, the plan was always to create adaptable, easy to build houses to suit all sorts of requirements which is why Adaptahaus is now being marketed as a solution for social housing and community buildings as well as residential properties.

The Disco Home

London’s Disco Home showed that Grand Designs don’t just need to be functional or eco-friendly, and can also be incredibly fun. The finished house included a spa and sauna, a cinema and a disco room with a DJ booth and an illuminated dance floor. The house was designed with the whole family in mind, as an attempt to allow kids and teenagers to have fun without resorting to drinking and partying away from home.