What do you do if you're a perfectionist, revel in precision and minimalism and have a deep fascination for all things Japanese? Well, if you're ex-advertising guru turned Japanese bar and restaurant owner Steve Minon, you track down iconic Kobe-based architect Yo Shimada to realise your dream of a Japanese inspired Queenslander. Steve has an extremely steep block of land in the Brisbane suburb of Hamilton that will take an engineering feat of epic proportions to bring Yo Shimada's groundbreaking east meets west vision to life. Especially because conditions in flood prone Queensland are vastly different from Kobe, something that becomes all too clear when the build is battered in cyclonic weather that washes much of the steep block away. With such precise and intricate design details, including the galvanised steel framework constructed by robotics, this stripped back home takes its cues from the refinement of Japanese culture. Simple raw materials and exposed junctions that reveal the intricacies of the construction. It ticks all of Steve's boxes: one bedroom, simple, elegant and pared back, but when his partner, musician Jonny moves in with his grand piano, will this modest but beautiful house for one become a house that also works for two?

Grand Designs Australia Season 7 Episodes...

• s07e01 - North Bondi Urban Cliff, NSW
• s07e02 - Maianbar Cross Laminated Timber, NSW
• s07e03 - Verrierdale Tent House, QLD
• s07e04 - Hillbank Medieval, SA
• s07e05 - Ocean Shores Chipboard, QLD
• s07e06 - Kensington Curvy, VIC
• s07e07 - Aldinga Beach Dune, SA
• s07e08 - Stirling Glass Stone House, SA
• s07e09 - Hamilton Japanese Queenslander, QLD
• s07e10 - Daylesford Long House, Vic
• s07e11 - Tallebudgera Valley Queenslander, QLD
• s07e12 - French Island Barge, Vic
• s07e13 - Stanley Windmill, Tas
• s07e14 - Coombs Curtain Wall House, ACT

Grand Designs Australia Show Summary

A truly unique brand and a massive undertaking with a shooting period of over 12 months, Grand Designs Australia tells the stories of new homes and perhaps more importantly the Aussies who are building them. Based on the award-winning UK series, Grand Designs Australia is the first international format of the critically acclaimed show. The series charts the in-depth process of elaborate design projects undertaken by self-builders - from the initial details of blueprints, to the long and often arduous task of turning the designs into a practical living space. No design is too ambitious when it comes to creating your dream home. But discovering the hard realities that complicate your plans can often be too much to bear. From rebuilding a labour of love in the Victorian bush after it was burnt to the ground in the Black Saturday bush fires; to transforming a tiny corner car park into five l