In this episode, we head to Staffordshire to meet engaged and ambitious couple
George and Sarah, who plan to transform a 200-year-old derelict cattle barn into a luxurious and sustainable four-bedroom family home. George is a stonemason and Sarah a family support worker, this will be their first home together. Neither of them has any previous building or renovation experience and they intend to do most of the work themselves during their spare time, so that they can carry on with their day jobs while living with George’s parents. They bought the barn for £155,000 without planning permission and it takes 2 years to get the plans signed off as well as raise the £130,000 they need before they can start the work. They have a very limited budget with which to transform a barn (never designed to be built in) into a fully functioning home with all mod cons. The building has no electricity, running water or even drains and on top of all of that, they have a very tight deadline – just 10 months to complete the work because they are getting married. George has the added complications and challenge of trying to hand-carve two limestone staircases – that alone will take a month of his time.