0:00:25 > 0:00:30We're restoring this 200-year-old
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Our goal has been to keep as many original features as possible
0:00:37 > 0:00:42Sadly, the roof was just too
0:00:53 > 0:00:56absolutely pouring in there.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I've never seen that happen before.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01We have had a fair share of delays
0:01:01 > 0:01:05and they forced us to extend
0:01:10 > 0:01:15We're 17 months in. We have a month left before we open for business.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20The idea that there's a pipe missing or somebody hasn't delivered stone,
0:01:20 > 0:01:26this adds three months to the workload, doesn't square it with me.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34than we had when we started.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46need first of all to finish work
0:01:46 > 0:01:50original Pembrokeshire stone,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55this isn't how it was meant to be.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59The house would have been covered in a protective layer of lime render,
0:01:59 > 0:02:04painstakingly applied by hand.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Ready to take the lime-wash.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17whitewashed with no pigment added.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28of the house, the posh bit.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30We've got quicklime in here.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36You'll see why in a minute.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39the plaster deep into the joints.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Some of the joints are hollow
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The hot lime-wash is reputed
0:03:10 > 0:03:14than an ordinary putty lime-wash.
0:03:16 > 0:03:23it goes on a little bit thicker but it whitens up immediately.
0:03:23 > 0:03:31The house will need several coats.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34who has been busy in the garden
0:03:41 > 0:03:44you look out at St David's.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48It's my own personal rubble tump
0:03:50 > 0:03:54This is just accumulated stuff
0:03:56 > 0:04:00where would we put all this stuff?
0:04:10 > 0:04:14We have to put a notice on it
0:04:22 > 0:04:26the much-debated carbon neutral heating system has arrived.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32which is a big textile tank.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38The bag will be filled with wood pellets which will fuel the boiler.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51It will be two fills a year,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54the lorry will come and blow
0:04:58 > 0:05:02As the pellets go in, the air comes out through the fabric.
0:05:02 > 0:05:08Yes, we've got to get the heating up and running as soon as possible
0:05:08 > 0:05:11so the house can start drying out,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14especially as my oak flooring
0:05:14 > 0:05:19we've got rid of all the damp.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30it's going to take a little time
0:05:33 > 0:05:35We're trying to be realistic here.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39If you've got some dehumidifiers...
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Given the schedule, perhaps I ought to get my own hands dirty.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56the big gaps, like these ones,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Then we're going over it again to give it a smooth finish.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50I got carried away already.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56We do, to give it a lovely finish.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00There's a sort of sculptural quality
0:07:04 > 0:07:08I'm putting it on too thick. Upward movements, to spread it out.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18has been going so smoothly.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24The ancient crafts may be complex, but modern ones can be catastrophic.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Apparently, this 21st-century,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33We found a hole behind this patch.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37It was just slowly dripping down.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Then we found the multiple holes.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Once we'd filled it up with water, it was spurting out.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51We don't know if it was watertight
0:07:54 > 0:07:58from the guys who put it in to start with, but we don't know.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Never mind, it's only money.
0:08:00 > 0:08:06Ah, yes, that very expensive oak flooring stuff. Isn't it lovely?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Of course, it was a bit of a gamble
0:08:10 > 0:08:13The heating has only been on
0:08:13 > 0:08:15It's still a wee bit damp in here.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19But I'm eager to keep things moving on. So they're going to lay it now
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Let's hope that under-floor heating
0:08:24 > 0:08:28will help dry out the place
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Both Gill and I said to Griff,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45First, because there's no damp-proof
0:08:45 > 0:08:49They're insulated lime floors with under-floor heating in them.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52to use timber on these floors
0:08:55 > 0:08:58and timber moves and swells
0:08:58 > 0:09:01how much moisture there is.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07appropriate to this type of house.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10it's a bad idea now, do they?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14It was a good idea to try an oak floor because oak is very soft
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Very durable, hard wearing,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22but let's just fingers crossed
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Especially since the place is beginning to look like a house
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and not an archaeological dig.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Somehow, the best of intentions are held up by missing parts.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33And then something slots into there,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51don't do any of this any more.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58of screwdriver, now you need two.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02They should send it with the BLEEP bracket already screwed on,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11There's a lot of wood around,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Perhaps it's that that helps
0:11:21 > 0:11:26Nathan is making the staircase up to the sleeping platform
0:11:29 > 0:11:33It used to be where you slept, and you had the cattle below you
0:11:35 > 0:11:39The cattle and sheep were at the
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Why don't they just send you
0:11:57 > 0:12:02the soot and tar is bleeding through the plaster. So we need to seal it.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07We have never done this before
0:12:07 > 0:12:11We're going to use cow dung,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15dilute it a little in order
0:12:18 > 0:12:23and we can lime-wash it then without any soot discolouring the lime-wash.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58but it's definitely hit the fan
0:13:12 > 0:13:20The moisture left in the ground has come up through the floor.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32It's swollen...three inches.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38I can't see it working. The
0:13:38 > 0:13:43We need to look at it and decide if we want to go ahead with it or not.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I sent him an e-mail to say
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Good. Let's look at the floor
0:14:00 > 0:14:04We needed something to take rainwater away from the house.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Gill tells me concrete would have been the traditional material.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17couldn't be delivered on time.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20So we went to India instead.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Apparently, the experts say you can't tell it from York stone.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and delivered the next working day.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38We can have the wrong materials
0:14:38 > 0:14:41If we want the right materials
0:14:41 > 0:14:43it takes a lot of energy and time.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Alas, the local builders' yard
0:14:49 > 0:14:51We still have rather a lot to do.
0:14:55 > 0:15:02We don't have any kitchen cupboards,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05equipment, nothing here yet.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13what they've done with this door.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26This, I'm not so sure about.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32the heating unit, the boiler.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40It wouldn't look out of place
0:15:40 > 0:15:45It's the sort of thing you see in old science-fiction films.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51When I first asked about it, I was
0:15:51 > 0:15:56Of course, the boiler is this big,
0:15:56 > 0:16:02I intended to knock this shed down. Now I have to build another shed
0:16:02 > 0:16:10to accommodate the monster.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05carpet-layers, like Paul here.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08So I'm doing the simple jobs
0:17:17 > 0:17:21I've found another solution
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and allows the damp to escape.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34are coming back to haunt me.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It's wrong to bring this to here,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46But we've added to the complications
0:17:49 > 0:17:52What's that for? Weird, isn't it?
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Inaccessible plug - sort of thing you'd find in a '30s house.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58But it's just been all redone.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07But after months of hard work
0:18:07 > 0:18:11it's the last-minute details
0:18:27 > 0:18:30But while we worry over every detail
0:18:39 > 0:18:44Because surely, it cannot be beyond the measure of human beings now
0:18:47 > 0:18:50This is a standard smoke-detector
0:19:03 > 0:19:07I asked my surveyor why it was going off and he said, "It's your farts."
0:19:14 > 0:19:18We've tried to source simple,
0:19:30 > 0:19:37To me, to me. To me, to me, to me. Let's try that against there.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48We're gonna have to watch the light!
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I think it was better where it was,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Everything is coming together.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27They've done a fantastic job here.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31We've got a wood with a little curly-whirly path. I love the gates.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Everything is now fenced off
0:20:44 > 0:20:49I imagine that there may still be
0:20:49 > 0:20:52quite a long time to dry out.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01whether people want to rent
0:21:03 > 0:21:07I'm filled with zeal to get on
0:21:07 > 0:21:09they're different problems.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16to its house-like qualities.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The other buildings we approach will have different problems.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40It's the first time I've been here in six weeks. I am so shocked.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47so I missed the end of the event,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I am so pleased to come and see
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I knew it would look good. It was
0:21:54 > 0:21:57but this really has blown me away.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Quite a few semi-pioneering efforts
0:22:04 > 0:22:07For example, the peg-slated roof.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13will be pleased when they see it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22I'm particularly glad they've kept
0:22:22 > 0:22:24They've kept all the panelled
0:22:35 > 0:22:39of the jigsaw came into place
0:22:39 > 0:22:43and you see the finished product.
0:22:43 > 0:23:03Which, of course, is a great reward.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33than was initially envisaged.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37A privilege to be able to do
0:23:39 > 0:23:45This is the most exciting part now, seeing the whole thing come together
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and people staying at the property.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Alas, I won't be able to live
0:23:54 > 0:23:57want the house to stand empty.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03It's been divided into two.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07for the croglofft side arrive,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14to demonstrate to them the delights
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and that's the parlour end.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40'The farm end has the cegin fawr.'
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Now, this is the little tin...
0:24:56 > 0:25:00The croglofft has been furnished
0:25:00 > 0:25:04in keeping with its simple origins.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18the bedroom for mum and dad.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Come and have a look at this boys. It's where mum and dad are.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30This is just pine, I think.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33It's lovely, it's really nice.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36I suppose it's how I'd imagine
0:25:36 > 0:25:41This part would be ideal for us
0:25:41 > 0:25:44because it's for two adults
0:25:44 > 0:25:48so if there were two families
0:25:48 > 0:25:52who didn't know each other, you won't get on top of each other.
0:26:16 > 0:26:24My only comment would be to have
0:26:24 > 0:26:44Oops, Nina has spotted that we just haven't managed to fit it yet.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48The house has been beautifully done
0:26:48 > 0:26:51it's been a labour of love.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59on cash registers and invoices
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and receipts, on how much it's cost.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Not because those things aren't
0:27:07 > 0:27:13with the idea of turning a buck
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I hope that we've put the house
0:27:19 > 0:27:23and I hope the house is going
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I have restored houses before.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48All the time there are little
0:27:48 > 0:27:52and things that don't quite
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Probably the most annoying thing about it is that it involves
0:27:56 > 0:27:58a considerable amount of waiting.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02There's a frustration about
0:28:02 > 0:28:05But somebody once described it
0:28:05 > 0:28:10It is slow building, all building is slower than you want it to be.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd