George Clarke

“Draught excluders at the front door make a huge difference as does covering an old Chubb lock key hole. That stops the whistling wind come in and as we know from being North-Easterners that happens a lot.”

“My grandfather was a builder. So as a kid I hung out with him on building sites during the school holidays - long before health-and-safety regulations put a stop to that.”

“I'm not much of a gardener really. I'm hopeless, so I don't really get involved with it that much.”

“My grandad was a prawn fisherman who built his own boat.”

“My mum was a full-time mum and a great homemaker.”

“Often parents have equity or available funds in the bank, while sons and daughters have the energy and enthusiasm to build their own property. So parents may be able to fund a multi-generational home, while the younger generation make it a physical reality.”

“My favourite TV show is 'Peaky Blinders' - it's off the scale.”

“I try and buy most of my homewares from independent 'makers.' I like things that are crafted by hand and made in the U.K.”

“I don't want to get into any politics about it but I just think if we are a nation that is all about expensive houses and affordable houses and not caring about people who are genuinely in need, then everything starts to fall apart.”

“I've actually been refurbishing and developing property since I was in my early 20s, and probably not a lot of people know that. And it's something that I'm really passionate about.”

“What upsets me is when people spend decent money on a project which isn't designed properly from the beginning.”

“Showers use a huge amount less water than baths.”

“People aren't going to change their habits just to save the environment. They need to see the benefits for themselves.”

“I'm very traditional and have some great accessories on my desk at home by Tom Dixon.”

“The men always tell me off for giving their wives too many ideas that end up costing them a lot of money.”

“I never use the 'C' word - which for me is 'Celebrity.' I don't want to be a celebrity. I want to be a good architect. I want to make and craft really beautiful programmes that people love watching.”

“If it wasn't for Durham Cathedral I probably wouldn't be an architect. I was taken there when I was about seven and I couldn't believe that someone built it 1,000 years ago.”

“Make sure your loft's really well insulated, and get rid of draughts.”

“It turns out, I have a very rare form of muscular dystrophy, which is a muscle-wasting disease.”

“My favourite way to dress a bay window is with shutters.”