'He inspired me to build my Huf Haus': Tributes paid after death of Grand Designs fan favourite pensioner in his 80s David Iredale who 'stole the nation's hearts' when he built a revolutionary flat-pack home in 2004
- Greta and David Iredale built a revolutionary flat-pack Huf Haus in 2004
- Huf Haus can be built in around 14 weeks, with properties costing around £500k
- Appeared on Grand Designs where they 'stole the nation's hearts'
- Viewers were overjoyed when Kevin McCloud visited in 2019 to find them well
- Tragically, David has died, with Huf Haus Instagram sharing the news
Tributes have been paid to a pensioner who 'stole the nation's hearts' when he built a revolutionary flat-pack Huf Haus on Grand Designs in 2004.
Greta and David Iredale were one of the first people in the UK to build a German Huf Haus - a house where all the components are pre-constructed and then put together on site - 16 years ago. The couple built their ambitious home on land they'd bought in Walton-on-Thames, in Surrey.
They first appeared on Grand Designs nearly 20 years ago, but viewers were overjoyed when Kevin McCloud visited them in a 2019.
The official Huf Haus Instagram page shared the news of David's passing with a snap of the couple, writing: 'A tribute to David Iredale. It is with great regret and deepest sadness that we share the news of David's passing.
Tributes have been paid to David Iredale who 'stole the nation's hearts' when he built a revolutionary flat-pack Huf Haus on Grand Designs in 2004
They first appeared on Grand Designs nearly 20 years ago, but viewers were overjoyed when Kevin McCloud visited them in a 2019 (pictured with their Huf Haus)
The official Huf Haus Instagram page shared the news of David's passing yesterday with a snap of him with his wife Greta from Grand Designs
'The delightful David and Greta Iredale welcomed viewers to share the experience of building their own Huf Haus on GrandDesigns and in the process, stole the nation's hearts.'
The caption continued: 'David will always be rememebered for his compassion, sense of humour, incredible artistic skills and creativity - but mostly as a dear friend and part of the Huf Haus family.
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'Our thoughts are with Greta and David's family.'
After the post was shared to Facebook, the Huf Haus page was flooded with tributes to David.
David and Greta spent months living in a caravan while their home was pulled into place on Grand Designs in 2004
One person wrote: 'This makes me massively sad - such a passionate guy and ultimately extremely talented too. The episode served to be a real learning experience to those of us who didn’t know anything about HUF HAUS. Condolences to the Iredale family.'
Another commented: 'My favorite ever grand designs Huf Haus. RIP David Iredale thinking of Greta at this sad time. He gave his heart to her and this house.'
A third wrote: 'That episode of Grand Design in 2004 inspired me to build my Huf Haus. My thoughts with family Iredale.'
The couple spent two days in a German factory back in 2003 deciding on the specifications for their Huf Haus before it took just three-and-a-half days to build on the land they'd bought in Walton-on-Thames.
The flat-pack property being built; the Huf Haus company, based in Germany, saw a spike in sales after the show aired in 2004
Benefiting from a 'good summer', the couple lived in the grounds in a caravan while the final touches were put to their home.
A medium-sized Huf Haus costs around £500,000 to build and the entire house-building process - from initial designs to builders - is provided by the company.
The properties generally take no longer than three-and-a-half months to finish, once a plot of land has been found.
The Huf Haus, a German flat-pack home with pre-fabricated parts, caused pensioners Greta and David Iredale many a headache when they built it back in 2004, in series four of Grand Designs
Greta Iredale was seen relaxing in the living room of her home, with light flooding in from the property's huge windows
The Huf Haus was raised from the ground in just three-and-a-half days back in 2004 but the couple spent six months living in a caravan while the property was finished and furnished
When it appeared on Grand Designs in 2004, presenter Kevin McCloud described the home as a ‘German spaceship’, but he was impressed by the ‘most efficient [building] process’ he’d ever seen and the ‘beautiful engineering’ of the finished product.
At the time, Greta, a retired office manager, said: 'They are so open and there’s so much glass you feel as if you’re living in the garden.
David, 84, a retired design director, remembered the neighbours bringing deckchairs to sit on to watch its construction.
After the post was shared to Facebook, the Huf Haus page was flooded with tributes to David, with many saying the episode of Grand Designs was one of their all-time favourites
Meanwhile Kevin revisited the couple in 2019 when he whittled down his top five picks on Kevin's Grandest Designs.
The Iredales, already pensioners when they embarked upon the ambitious build, appeared just as delighted with their home in 2019 as they were when they first walked through the doors, after they'd spent six months bedding down in a caravan on site.
A heart-warming moment saw the couple share a kiss and David admit that he still 'tingles' when he sees the property.
