George Clarke

I love storytelling through old photographs.

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

On a windy day, the wind that comes through a keyhole is unbelievable.

When most of the kids were playing with building blocks and pieces of Lego, I was actually on building sites.

I've gone the full hog with ecological upgrades.

There's probably things at the back of your kitchen cupboard that you've not seen for years.

Every parent like me thinks about the future. We worry about our parents, who are getting older and how we may have to look after them, and we wonder if our own children are ever going to be able to move out and afford a place of their own.

I won't even watch my own shows - I know what I've filmed and I see snippets when recording voiceovers.

Most people only bother checking their boiler when it breaks. They call British Gas or somebody else to fix it. Try and get it checked before the cold weather kicks in, around September time.

If you build your own home, it's usually something you wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. But with this type of project, you tend to be the builder and the main contractor, and you're managing every stage of the process. Nobody else is making a profit. You get the home of your dreams at a better value.

If people could see with their own eyes how much electrical appliances cost them, they would be less wasteful.

When I began studying architecture all I ever wanted was an original, black Eames lounge chair.

I have quite a nomadic life.

One of the best things I've ever put in is an air source heat pump. So, I've got rid of my gas boiler - I'm not gas-dependent at all.

There is more technology in an iPhone 5 than the first Apollo spacecraft that went to the moon. That's mind-boggling. The technology in housebuilding by comparison is really slow.

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

There are a lot of programmes around where people are spending millions of pounds building incredible houses and that's great television. But for me it was really important to try to show people that they could achieve a huge amount on very low budgets, through creativity, hard work and the recycling of materials.

I travel a lot and spend on average three nights a week in hotels, so I take every opportunity I can to get home.

There's something magical about rooftops. You feel like you're in 'Mary Poppins.'

Great architecture is not just about buildings like the Shard or the Guggenheim - it can be a caravan, castle, boat or house.

Your bathroom only needs to be big when you're in it.

The kitchen blackboard is a handy place to keep your reminders and lists.

Showers use a huge amount less water than baths.

Buildings are storytellers. They teach us about our history, good and bad. They tell stories about people.

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

Good design and talented architects can transform an ugly house on a relatively accessible and achievable budget.

For me, there is nothing more sustainable than buying a beautiful product that can last a lifetime, rather than being less beautiful, cheap, and disposed of after a few years because you don't give it any value.

My kids are the best presents I've ever had in life. My second choice was when my uncle gave me my first car when I was 17 - now that was life changing!

I've partnered with Arlo as it's committed to empowering homeowners to keep their homes secure through DIY connected security solutions.

If you've had a standard gas boiler in your house for 12-15 years, it's probably very inefficient and needs to be taken out and upgraded. But I would suggest, if anyone can afford it, do not replace your gas boiler with another gas boiler, and if you can, put in an air source heat pump.

I know I've got clean, green technology providing all the heating and hot water for my house.

The majority of men can see and visualise the end part of the build, and their wives go, 'I just can't get it.' The common phrase I hear from women is, 'He gets to do the build, he can project manage all that - and I'll do the interior design, decide the look of it, decide what the kitchen's going to be like, decide the tiles.'

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

You should think of renewing your boiler every 10 years or so.

Most paints used in homes are oil-based and therefore less energy-efficient.

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

Everyone wins if you buy an ugly house. The people who buy it win because they have got something at a much lower price than the nicest house on the street. They have a chance of making their own mark and making it personal, rather than paying more to buy someone else's taste.

Windows are like eyes on a face, so if they are wrong the whole face looks ugly.

I honestly believe that every house has the potential to be made into something beautiful.

Our beautiful old buildings tell us so much about who we are.

One of the great things about my job is that people are always keen to show me the quirky bits of their house.

British housing stock has so much potential to be dragged into the 21st century.

I'm a big fan of contemporary art.

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

I went to university, became an architect and - almost by accident - fell into a career in television, starting on Channel 5's 'Build a New Life in the Country.'

New Zealanders don't do drama, they don't do stress - they choose not to worry about the small things to make time to enjoy life, and their lives are much the better for it.

I realised that I loved the outdoors, and that I yearned for peaceful, quiet places.

Growing up in Sunderland, I had two uncles on my mother's side - both of whom became father figures after my dad passed away suddenly when I was six.

Any steps you can take to put people off burgling your house are important.

I love architecture, I love buildings, I love history, buildings that have got a story to tell, and we can save the building along the way by turning it into a house. For me, as an architect, there's nothing better than that.