Time for a good snoop: Grand Designs returns to tour the Riba House of the Year 2018 longlist — and eight spectacular London homes are in the running

Grand Designs may be over, but presenter Kevin McCloud will be back on Wednesday night to lead us on a snoop around the architecturally awe-inspiring UK newbuilds in the running to be crowned RIBA House of the Year 2018.

Joined by architect Damion Burrows and design expert Michelle Ogundehin, Kevin will be travelling up and down the country to explore the 20 contemporary, cutting-edge properties longlisted by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Each episode, he'll reveal which two featured homes have made it onto the shortlist, before revealing the winner of the prestigious prize at the end of the four-part series.

Eight London homes are on the longlist, including a derelict East London gin distillery given a fresh lease of life as a modern family home; a garage turned "sunburnt end-of-terrace house" in East Dulwich; and a magnificent, monolithic, concrete block built on an irregular corner plot in Hackney.

Old Shed New House, a farm shed on the edge of a North Yorkshire village converted into a “part country cottage, part classical villa”; Pheasants, a glass and Corten steel, modernist riverside home that caused uproar with local residents in traditional Henley; and Ouseburn Road, two houses built side-by-side by neighbours in Newcastle using local bricks, polished concrete and steel in a nod to the region’s industrial heritage, will be other highlights of the series.

"It's very exciting to be back for a fourth season of Grand Designs: House of the Year with more architectural rich pickings from the very best new homes in the country," said Kevin.

"Each year, we plot how these exemplars are shaping the architectural landscape of the country and our time as we approach the end of the second decade of the 21st century.

"I say this because although these homes are sometimes expensive and ambitious, they contain ideas and innovation that will help shape the volume housing of the next twenty years — an important reason to watch the series."

Ben Derbyshire, Riba president, said: "I am delighted that Grand Designs: House of the Year has been recommissioned for its fourth year. This is a great opportunity to showcase excellence in housing, and raise the bar for quality residential design.

"The series, I hope, will continue to inspire architects and clients by exploring a range of projects from smaller-scale home extensions to entire 'dream homes' expertly designed by talented architects across the UK."

Previous Riba House of the Year winners include Richard Murphy Architects for Murphy House last year, Skene Catling de la Peña for Flint House in 2015, Loyn & Co for Stormy Castle in 2014 and Carl Turner Architects for Slip House in 2013.

The Riba Awards, now in their 52nd year, are also useful in highlighting the latest design trends. Sustainability is a big one, with materials being sensitively chosen to complement their natural surroundings.

Earlier this year, London’s Leadenhall Building, also known as the Cheesegrater, was named one of the UK’s best new buildings in this year’s RIBA National Awards.

The prestigious prizes celebrate architectural highlights from across the country, with the winners ranging in scale from major cultural buildings like Tate St Ives and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to under-the-radar gems like Lochside House, an eco-friendly home hidden in the West Highlands.

Flick through the gallery above for the Riba House of the Year 2018 longlist.