0:00:02 > 0:00:03Welcome to DIY SOS - The Big Build.
0:00:03 > 0:00:07This week, coming to you from just outside Aberystwyth.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10The boys are not only taking on the complete renovation of a house...
0:00:10 > 0:00:14It's probably two weeks work, to be done in two days.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17..but they're battling Arctic weather conditions too.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21I've just spoke to the big company who's delivering all the building materials.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23They won't send a lorry up here.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27You may have heard the expression "it never rains but it pours",
0:00:27 > 0:00:29but for the couple we're here to help,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33it hasn't been so much a pour down as a deluge of bad luck.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I just want to be able to help Mum.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39It is one of the biggest builds we've ever attempted.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42We have ten days to do it, and it is bone-chillingly cold.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Can we do it? I tell you what, we'll give it a flipping good go.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Because this is DIY SOS - The Big Build!
0:00:57 > 0:01:00When Mike and Lynn moved to their cottage in the Welsh hills,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03they hoped for a quiet life with their animals.
0:01:04 > 0:01:11Well, the original plan was we was going to move out here and retire - that was the original plan.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16We're home people. A holiday is being at home.
0:01:16 > 0:01:22And even though they haven't got much in the way of money, they share their home with several rescue dogs.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Just animal mad.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28It doesn't really matter whether it's dogs... Dogs are my favourite.
0:01:28 > 0:01:34I love cats, horses, chickens, anything that's got two legs, four legs, and with feathers or fur.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43Four years ago, Lynn's son-in-law Rob got ill with MS and needed to use a wheelchair.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47This meant Rob and Alyson had to move out of their house.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52As Mike was a builder, he decided to construct them a disabled-access house next door,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57so the family could be on hand to look after each other.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Mike worked like a Trojan on this house.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08- 12 hours a day. Seven days a week. - Probably, and the rest sometimes.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Yeah. Not even one day did, you know, anybody help him.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14He did it all himself.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19They needed a helping hand, otherwise you don't know what...
0:02:19 > 0:02:21where would they have gone?
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Mike's back-breaking work over the next two years, building the extension for Rob and Alyson
0:02:27 > 0:02:30meant his own house was turned into a building site.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35It is a home, but it's not a home, you know.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40We're sort of, we're part way there, but we're a long way from being finished.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43We moved in in December,
0:02:43 > 0:02:49and Mike then said he was going to have a month off before he went back
0:02:49 > 0:02:55to start work on their own house, and then disaster struck.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Well, the headaches,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00they started, oh,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04about 18 months prior to
0:03:04 > 0:03:07me being admitted to hospital.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12You'd be going along, driving along, and you'd go down a hole in the road
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and he would suddenly scream at me,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19because obviously going down the hole made his head hurt,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21but I didn't think anything of it,
0:03:21 > 0:03:27I used to say, "Don't moan," kind of, but they got worse and worse and worse, and then...
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Don't cry, Michael.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Go on. I'm all right.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It was two years ago that the doctors found a brain tumour.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47The diagnosis is obviously it's cancer.
0:03:47 > 0:03:54But you know, but where it is they've taken out as much as they can take.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56There's not a lot they can tell me, and even
0:03:56 > 0:04:00if I ask them they can't tell me, because they don't know themselves.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Mike's condition means paramedics are called regularly to help him, and they can't negotiate
0:04:06 > 0:04:11the building site upstairs, so he's forced to sleep in the front hallway, behind a sheet.
0:04:11 > 0:04:18It's cruelly ironic that a man who's built so many homes for people can't now sort out his own.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Like most builders, Mike was self-employed.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25The brain tumour means no work, and that means no money.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Mike and Lynn have been left living in terrible conditions,
0:04:28 > 0:04:33but Mike's not really one for giving up or complaining.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34I'm coming!
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Rome wasn't built in a day.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41You've got what you've got.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46You know, it's no good sitting down and saying, "Oh well, I've got cancer, I'll pack in,"
0:04:46 > 0:04:49you know, because that don't do anybody any good.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55It's just been a hard time for us all.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I just want to be able to help Mum,
0:04:59 > 0:05:00I do.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03I want to give her something back.
0:05:04 > 0:05:12I hope people can see how much they've done for us, and, you know, how it's changed our lives.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14We're hoping that DIY SOS can change their lives.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19I know they will. I do.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Right, Mike needs our help.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23We've got a job to do here.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28'I'm a little bit worried, because on the drive up here
0:05:28 > 0:05:33'the weather around Aberystwyth has turned really, really nasty.' Hello?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36'Let's have a look round.' Needs a bit doing to it, doesn't it?
0:05:36 > 0:05:40- Just a little bit. - Kitchen's a bit of a mess.- Yes.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Bathroom's a bit of a mess back there. And this is...
0:05:44 > 0:05:46well, this is the extension.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49This is the extension to the extension of the extension, yes.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Which you built, did you?- Yes.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- Along with the house next door?- Yes.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- So you've been busy. You've actually done quite a lot already.- Oh, yeah.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03Just the brain tumour that I didn't know I'd got,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08and then that, that was found, and since then I've been able to do...
0:06:08 > 0:06:14- Well, I haven't been able to do anything, as such, on the building work.- It's difficult to know...
0:06:14 > 0:06:19You work in the building trade and you've been a builder all your life,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23which is a very active, physical way of making a living,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26so it must come hard to you, that to suddenly find
0:06:26 > 0:06:33yourself in this situation, where you can't get out and just do what you've done every day of your life.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Well, it's hard for me,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42but it's more hard for Lynn, I think, because, you know,
0:06:42 > 0:06:48touch wood, I won't, but if I was, was to drop dead, you know,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51how would Lynn carry on with this?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54You know, there's no way she could carry on and finish it off,
0:06:54 > 0:06:59because she's not, she hasn't got the physical strength to do it.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02'That's what we're here for, but the weather's turned bad.'
0:07:02 > 0:07:06I mean, really bad. Remember this?
0:07:06 > 0:07:07- Snow showers...- Snow.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12The earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years has begun to grip many parts of the UK.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15First of all, the heavy snow's just started here in Caerphilly.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20Across Wales, well, the worst of the snow initially was in North and West Wales.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24It's going to be staying cold at least, I'd say, for the next ten
0:07:24 > 0:07:28days, so with the cold persisting, get used to seeing more of these.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29This is a severe weather warning.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34The boys are already feeling the effects of the weather.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39They're trying to do the two-mile drive up an icy hill to get the tools to the house.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42This is a bit of a climb up. The roads are a bit icy.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47I can get up here because I'm a four-wheel drive, but the boys are behind me in a van.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51We've got two vans full of tools coming up behind us, and it's not looking very good,
0:07:51 > 0:07:56and I've got to keep moving, because if I get stuck and they stop, they're not going to get up here at all.
0:07:59 > 0:08:05Normally at this stage, I'd be asking you to leave and we'd get the team in and start building.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08I'm going to have a chat with the lads and see what we think.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10We don't want to disappoint you.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- By the same token we don't want to do half a job, so...- No.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20Our dilemma is that if we start bashing this house apart and the weather stops us finishing the job,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Mike and Lynn will be left with a home even less habitable.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29We've got to decide if it's even possible to get the work done in these terrible conditions.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Well, I've just spoke to the big company who's delivering
0:08:32 > 0:08:35the building materials, and they won't send a lorry up here.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40If trades can't get up, materials can't be delivered, you know how tight it is when we do these anyway.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Here's someone that's come to help and he can't get up here either.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47The weather's getting worse and closing in, it's making harder.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51The trades are finding it harder to get up the hill. Some are making it, some aren't.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56We're going to have to make a decision whether we're going to continue with this or not.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59We know some of the trades can't join us
0:08:59 > 0:09:01because they can't get out their own villages.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It's pretty rough out in the countryside, is it?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05The main roads get gritted, the actual main road into
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Aberystwyth gets gritted, but for the rest of the time, no.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14The roads are so bad you've got to drive through Caerphilly.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20'That's a terrible joke. We've got no time for jokes. We've got to make a decision.'
0:09:20 > 0:09:22How much of the job can we do if we start?
0:09:22 > 0:09:25If we can't get materials up here, you know,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29and we can't get the trades here, we can only do half the job, can't we?
0:09:29 > 0:09:33You might get three, four days into it and find out that you've bitten
0:09:33 > 0:09:36off more that you can chew and you can't put it right.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39This is just crazy, we cannot leave them with half a house.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43What is the weather situation? You know, is it going in worse?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45More snow towards the end of the week.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47It's going to get colder.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52We set out to achieve something and we're not going to do it, and that's letting us
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- down and letting the family down. - If we start now, we're here now.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58If we start today, because we've got no materials, all we can do is start demolition.
0:09:58 > 0:10:05Then let's start demolition. Mike and Lynn need the house sorted, so let's get on with it.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11Me, Jules and Matt are taking that down to get at the doorway, to knock it through to widen it.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12That's our plan.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16We've packed Mike and Lynn off and we just have to hope that
0:10:16 > 0:10:19the weather holds or improves, preferably, so we can get this done.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23There's such a lot to do.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26The two-storey cottage needs a complete overhaul.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34Upstairs we need to create two bedrooms and give them a much-needed bathroom.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Downstairs the space needs to be completely redesigned and the floor levelled throughout.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43- Shall we start at the front door? - Are we changing that?
0:10:43 > 0:10:48We're going to block this up and change it and put a new window in here.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- Where is the front door going to be?- On the side of the house.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- Take this centre wall out here. - Right.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- Remove this original staircase.- Yes.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59We're going to have a new staircase round at the back.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03This is going to be a huge living room once the dividing wall is down.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06In here, in the bathroom, we're going to reconfigure that.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09There's going to be a washing machine and tumble dryer and shower in there.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- MOCKING NORTHERN IRISH ACCENT: - A shower? Is there going to be a mirror?
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- A mirror and a shower? - Right...- Right.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- What was that?- Oh!
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Bill, what's happening?
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- Has he started already?- He's started. The electrics are on the go.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28- And then this?- On the other side of this there is a kitchen.- Yes.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Which we're going to rip out and put a new kitchen in.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33This floor's all lumpy. How are you going to do it?
0:11:33 > 0:11:34A self-levelling compound?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37No, we're going to put a sand and cement screed in, so the guys
0:11:37 > 0:11:39are going to hand-mix it because we couldn't get anything
0:11:39 > 0:11:45delivered, because the company that makes liquid screed had to close down because of the temperatures.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47So now we're going to have to do it by hand.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50All the changes we're having to make because of the weather and
0:11:50 > 0:11:53transport actually are making everything slower.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55What's the turnout this morning? Six or seven?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58We've got six or seven. Not bad. We need 35.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59But six or seven is a start.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02You can only start with a start, can't you?
0:12:02 > 0:12:03I hope there's a finish.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- Oh, this is lovely, isn't it? - Nice, that, isn't it?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09This wall, are we keeping that?
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It was going to be dot and dab, but it's a nice feature, isn't it?
0:12:13 > 0:12:17It is pretty. The top of it's ugly, but this is beautiful.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19It would be nice to keep some of that, wouldn't it?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21The top of you is ugly, and we've kept you.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29And up there, just when Mike got ill, one of the last jobs he was doing was all these beams here.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33They have to be bolted together. They've got to have a load of bolts put through them.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36The rest of the building has to be insulated
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- all the way through. - It's huge, though, it goes way back.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40It's massive.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45You know, it's almost 1,000 square feet of insulation.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51Even if we had a full complement of people, we'd be hard pushed to get this done in the next nine days.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54But with something like this you just need to start and keep going.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Outside, Jules and Matt have cracked on demolishing the lean-to.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01We need to knock it down to make room for the new front door.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- He's like a human JCB, isn't he? - He is.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09How is it going to go from here?
0:13:09 > 0:13:15- Bow the wall in, which will, in turn, drop the roof down.- Then its own weight will bring it down.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- Can I ask you another question?- Yes.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Are you wearing that hat correctly or is that the shape of your head?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23That's the shape of my head. What's the matter with it?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26You look like you've got a pointy head.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I had a policeman knock on the door the other day.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31He said, "It looks like your wife's been in an accident."
0:13:31 > 0:13:33I said, "Yeah, but she's got a lovely personality."
0:13:35 > 0:13:38He's only joking - his other half's lovely!
0:13:38 > 0:13:42This lean-to, on the other hand, is proving to be a bit more disagreeable.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Do you know what we could do now?
0:13:49 > 0:13:56Go in the field with a lump of four-by-two and give that wall a push with a bit of wood.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01It's not going to work.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Go on, son!
0:14:07 > 0:14:13Ah! It turns out Mike's better at building things than we are at knocking them down.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15That's just wedged.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18From one old thing that goes on endlessly to another.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21But he's got his hands full with this job and he wants us all to know about it.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Well, the three of us, cos I've got two good
0:14:24 > 0:14:29sparks from Ed, what we're doing is stripping out all the cables in the old house.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33So, yeah, we are going to be very busy in the next few days.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Are you surviving working with him?
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- No.- Seriously, tell me, because the people have a go at us for picking on him.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Tell people what he's like to work with. Honestly, go on.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- He's a good laugh.- No.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44- Yeah.- Really?- You're missing out.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49- You should work more often with him, to be honest.- I've had 11 years of working with him.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53But you need to be an electrician to actually understand the same craic.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54You've paid him, haven't you?
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- You've paid him to say that. - He hasn't slipped you any money?
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- No.- And you like him?- Yeah.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02- Blimey!- Of course they like me, I'm a likeable person.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05I'm the most likeablest person in these shoes.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08No, really, he is likeable.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11If you like that kind of thing.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17Downstairs, the kitchen and day room are going to be made open-plan,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19so the floor needs to be levelled.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22In here Gareth is starting to lay the screed.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28Pete's outside mixing this up, which is a screed, which is a coarse sand.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33What we need, really, to work with any wet fluids with cement in it,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37the temperature has to be two degrees and rising for stuff to set.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41So basically, for that chemical reaction in the cement to work,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44it has to be two degrees and rising through the day.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49That's unfortunate, cos inside it's below two degrees and outside it's below freezing.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51And they're having issues with the sand.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Our poor old screeders are struggling. That sand is frozen.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59It's like concrete.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00It's that cold and frozen.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03What are we going to do? Because we need to get that down tonight
0:16:03 > 0:16:06so it's got half a chance of going off in a few days.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10A bit of Arctic weather is not going to stop us, though.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15Luckily, inside the house we've got our own little Irish hot-air machine.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21That's a good sign - two degrees and rising. 2.6. I'm happy with that.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23It's roasting in here!
0:16:25 > 0:16:30What you're seeing here is an epic battle - man versus wood.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31The wood's winning.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Wahey!- Well done, Matthew.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46That worked all right, didn't it?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54It's another day, a chance to make another dollar.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Not really, because we are doing it for free. But you get the drift.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02We don't care about the cold because the road is clear, which means people can come to work.
0:17:02 > 0:17:03And we've got some deliveries.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Though not without some difficulty.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08It's still well below zero.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16I'm nice and warm, all dressed up.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20I've got my gloves, hat, coat, waterproofs on. I've got my long johns on as well.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Yeah. Do you want to see my long johns?
0:17:22 > 0:17:24- No. No, we don't.- They're very nice.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Don't! Don't unzip. I forbid you.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Don't! Oh, really!
0:17:29 > 0:17:33That's the sort of gear you need when you're working out in these extreme conditions.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37It's not the cold weather, by the way, that caused him to look like that.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39The house is already giving us a headache,
0:17:39 > 0:17:45but if there's one designer up to the challenge of soothing our fevered brows, it's Julia Kendall.
0:17:45 > 0:17:52Julia's an old friend of DIY SOS, and no matter what we throw at her, she's almost never lost her cool.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I don't have any symbols for gas.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- I don't have the time. - I say "almost never".
0:17:56 > 0:18:02She's got a proven track record at transforming old country ruins into cosy cottage chic.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07And she's a dab hand at turning the dilapidated into the desirable.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10In fact, some people have said she's quite desirable herself.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15So in here, obviously, this is our kitchen space.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17The main thing is we're going to take this wall down
0:18:17 > 0:18:22so that it's an open, flowing space, which will be lovely.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Lynn's big on practicality, so she doesn't want anything that she can't keep easily clean.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30And again, with all the dogs in the house, it makes sense.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35But she really likes traditional styling, so we're going to be using a lot of her old furniture.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Right.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41We have arrived in Lynn's bedroom.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- Right. - Which is going to be a lovely room.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45A nice big space up here.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- This is going to be Toile de Jouy in here.- So where's the bed going to go?
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- The bed's going to go on this wall here.- Right.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54It's going to be very, very pretty-pretty in here.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Despite the fact that she's a very practical, down-to-earth girl
0:18:58 > 0:19:01she likes really pretty sort of pink, flowery...
0:19:01 > 0:19:05- Does she?- Yeah.- I would never have said that.- I know. It's funny, isn't it?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07What does Toile de Jouy mean?
0:19:07 > 0:19:15Toile is a fabric wallpaper from the Toile region of France, and it's quite intricate designs.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17It goes back to about the 1800s or so.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And it's going to be really pretty. Very girly, very pink.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Nice. OK, that's lovely.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24And then next door we've got Mike's bedroom.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Mike really loves his gardening.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31He loves growing herbs and he's really into the whole botanical thing, so I've got
0:19:31 > 0:19:34a botanical theme going in there, in a masculine way.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40So Julia's got ten rooms to decorate from start to finish in only nine days. Right.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42So there's a lot to do. It's huge.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Yeah, it is mammoth.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It is going to be a beautiful house when it's done.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Well, it's going to be a finished home.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52And we'll just have to do the best that we can with it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55She's very good. You know, we need to swamp his house with people.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The trouble is the trades that have offered to help us
0:19:58 > 0:20:01have been snowed in and can't get here.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03It's minus four, and the roads have iced up again.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07I'll tell you what this job is reminding me of a bit - the Marie Celeste.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09That's what it's like.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13To be helpful, I thought I'd start insulating.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15- OK.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18So, you've just got to show me what we've got to do.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19It can't be hard, can it, surely?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28How do you move these things around?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- Mind that cable.- Shut up!
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- You're doing well, mind.- Oh, no, see, I've gone off track now.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Go on, go away.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40- She's very good, you know. - Oh, no, see, I'm miles out now.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42She's not very good, you know.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Oh, come on!
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Right, here we go. Oh, please fit.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Right, I take it all back. It clearly is rocket science.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57There's a van. I can hear a van! I can hear a van!
0:20:58 > 0:21:00- We've got a tradesman.- One?
0:21:00 > 0:21:02One.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06- Just in time, because Jules and Matt can smell a...- Rat!
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Yeah, I was going to say that.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Ready? Coming out? No.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15There's a hole under there, so if they are going to be in there
0:21:15 > 0:21:17they will be right in the middle, Jules.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20I have a strong phobia of rats.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Rat!
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- It's a dead one.- Eurgh, how could you pick it up?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Cos it's not living.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34- Jules, this has actually got big teeth, this one.- Do you like rats?
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- I know what I would like.- What? - I'd like some tradesmen.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44- Yeah.- Or labourers, anything. There's one person here today and it's day two of the job.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Normally, we'd have, how many today? We'd have 30 people.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- Today we've got one. - Oh!- It will be fine.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Just keep chipping away. They'll turn up.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I love it when you back me up and you're positive.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- 100%. 100%.- We'll do it.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Yeah.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04We need to do something about this.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08There's sure to be lots of people round here who'd help if only they knew about it.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11RADIO JINGLE
0:22:11 > 0:22:14If you're in the area and you could give us a couple of days
0:22:14 > 0:22:18to come down and help out, we would honestly appreciate it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23And we'll promise to feed you and make lots of tea for you, which is pretty much what all builders want.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Well, that and one other thing, but we can't provide that!
0:22:26 > 0:22:28'Definitely. Thank you very much, Nick.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30'If you want to help out on DIY SOS...'
0:22:30 > 0:22:33And do you know what? It only worked!
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Look! People!
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Loads of them!
0:22:40 > 0:22:45Them boys have just driven from Leicester to come and help their dad help us. How cool's that?
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- Glad to have them here? - Aye, it's good.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- A bit emotional? - Yeah. Very tearful now.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Yeah, I'm not sure he's telling the truth there.
0:22:54 > 0:23:00Upstairs it's looking more promising. Now Julia's got more help it's starting to take shape.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03She's a happy bunny. She's got a gun in her hand and there's loads of men around.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05What woman wouldn't be happy in that situation?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08I'm having a lovely time this afternoon.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13There's several lovely lads getting it all lidded up
0:23:13 > 0:23:16and sorted out this afternoon.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21The insulation is nearly done and, as you can see, it's starting to be transformed.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22It's like a miracle, isn't it?
0:23:22 > 0:23:26And the transformation is going on downstairs too.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34Open-plan is the name of the game and watch it take place in front of your very eyes. Ready? Look at this.
0:23:35 > 0:23:41Yep, the wall dividing the living room's down, and Julia's showing the boys how it's done.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44She's started demolishing the dividing wall in the kitchen.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It's good fun. I do enjoy this bit. That's very good fun.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Do you want another cup of tea, Jules?
0:23:52 > 0:23:56- That would be lovely.- Unbelievable!
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- She's a big, strapping girl, that one, isn't she? - No, she's tiny and svelte.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- They're being helpful, really. They've fitted the new front door. - Fascinating.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07From fascinating to weird.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Yeah, this morning, this is quite worrying.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15It felt like a big hill to climb, but now we're getting there. It's good.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20- It's good.- And we've got half a chance of meeting our next deadline in the build.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23The plasterers are here the day after tomorrow, and the way we are
0:24:23 > 0:24:29going, I think a good day today and another day tomorrow, we'll pretty much be ready for them.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31That's where we want to be, anyway.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33There is a lot of plaster going in this house.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39It's probably two weeks' work to be done in two days. Bottom line, Mike and Lynn need it.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42They've had a right old rough time of it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Let's get them in. Let's get them in.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Strolling through the blizzard are neighbours Colin and Jackie.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Hello.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53'They know how hard the last two years have been for Mike and Lynn.'
0:24:53 > 0:24:57- How are you, darling?- All right. - 'They are worried for their future.'
0:24:57 > 0:25:00If anything happens to Mike, Lynn's never going to be able to
0:25:00 > 0:25:03finish it on her own. Never. And we've seen her struggle.
0:25:03 > 0:25:09They've been doing the roof, and the tarpaulin blew off in the storm and she got water pouring in the kitchen.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Lynn was up on the roof herself, wasn't she?- Yeah.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16It seems a stupid question to ask, but if we actually do manage to sort
0:25:16 > 0:25:21the cottage out for them, more of a weight off his mind really than...
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Well, I think it's a weight off both of their minds, isn't it, really,
0:25:25 > 0:25:31but I think Mike is worried if anything happens to him what he's going to leave Lynn with.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35That's the biggest... I think for him to be able to be positive
0:25:35 > 0:25:40and fight the battle, he's got to be at rest, mentally at rest.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44So, no matter how hard the conditions, we'll keep going.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48We'll just keep chipping away and hoping things improve.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Only they don't. They get worse.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55The weather was looking lovely and it's just gone absolutely bananas.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59And this all happened about an hour ago and it's lying really thick and fast.
0:25:59 > 0:26:06We've got to get all the deliveries, all the plasterers, all the joiners, all the tools up here tomorrow.
0:26:06 > 0:26:12We need them here tomorrow if we've got any chance of completing this job.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Hello there.
0:26:15 > 0:26:16Hello?
0:26:19 > 0:26:22You can't make it tomorrow?
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Two plasterers down.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25Snowed in already.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28It might be better in the morning.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38This is probably the most monumental catastrophe that happened all week since we've been here.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42We are stuck outside the tea shed.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45The key and the lock have frozen.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50We've got an urn in there bubbling away.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55They've put the urn on a timer switch so I think it's definitely worked this morning.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Looks like a small fire.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Forget the snow, forget the ice,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- we can't get in and get a cup of tea.- We can.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Thank you very much.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16- All right, strike that. - Nothing else matters.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21This isn't the biggest crisis we've had all week. Thank you, Nina.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25It's funny with the British. Put a cup of tea inside them, they can take on the world.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29And despite the freezing conditions, we've got 20 trades here today. 20!
0:27:29 > 0:27:34Though they haven't had an easy time getting here, to be fair.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35I heard you had a bit of a run-in?
0:27:35 > 0:27:39I was coming down the hill and I put it into first gear cos it's
0:27:39 > 0:27:42started sliding, so I just went into the side.
0:27:42 > 0:27:48Stopped, got out, and then that the car behind me come down, crashed straight into me.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49Wrote my car off.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52But you were all right.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56That's what counts. It's only a bit of metal on four wheels.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58And so he walked here to lend us a hand.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Chris has got a football team's worth of help today.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03Back through the rain.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Morning, gentlemen. Thank you very much for turning up.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15We've got two days to make it OK. Go for it. Thank you very much.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Hardly Henry V, was it? Anyway, better get mixing.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23We've got more than 5,000 square feet of walls to plaster.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25It's lovely.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30Downstairs the living space has been opened up in both the front room and the kitchen.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Upstairs there are now two bedrooms, one bathroom
0:28:36 > 0:28:40and an enormous hallway all in need of pink stuff on the walls.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Chris will do it with his team.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48But next door in Alyson's house, Mark's found the latest victim of the weather.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53There's no water. We could do with that working.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57If we can't mix plasters and stuff, this could be a bit of a disaster.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00There is a spring, apparently,
0:29:00 > 0:29:04which is used to feed the animals and chickens.
0:29:04 > 0:29:05RUNNING WATER
0:29:05 > 0:29:07I hear water.
0:29:07 > 0:29:08Running water.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Oh, look! There you go.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14So that hasn't frozen up. We have to mix up with the spring water.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- That's hilarious. - It's not that funny.
0:29:17 > 0:29:23In fact, it's not funny at all. Do you know how many buckets of water we're going to have to collect?
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Hundreds!
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Well, it will be fresh. It might just have a bit of cow manure,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32a few dead rats maybe. All that will be in it, but it will be fine.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Just make sure you wash your hands before you have something to eat.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Er, what's he going to wash his hands with, Jules?
0:29:39 > 0:29:41I'm working with idiots, really!
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Luckily, a shed load of more sensible builders are here to help
0:29:44 > 0:29:49and we're hoping we're doing the house the way Mike would have if he hadn't have got ill.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54That's the thing about Mike cos he's been a builder or his life, built houses for everybody else,
0:29:54 > 0:30:00including his daughter and son-in-law, and he's just got to the point where, after all
0:30:00 > 0:30:04the years of promising, he's finally going to do up his own place. Starts on it then he's struck down.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06He's built for all these people all his life.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Just wants to give something back to his missus, who's put up
0:30:09 > 0:30:13with him never being there, always working on other people's property.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Makes you think about your about own place. You know, getting stuff done for yourself.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19All right, mate, ease up. The missus will be watching this.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Well, that's what I'm saying. Claire, have a word.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Yeah, no, I must get round to that, skimming that ceiling.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Well, I've been building for 30 years.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33It's nice to give somebody something that's life-changing.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Why not give a couple of days? It's for a great cause.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40I hope he's happy with what we've done today.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43This is Vicky from the electricians' company.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45- Yes. That's right.- Providing all the electricians, yeah?
0:30:45 > 0:30:48- Yes, we have, yeah. We only live in the next village down.- Oh, do you?
0:30:48 > 0:30:54- Yeah.- Cos you've had a load of guys in here working really hard already. So why did you decide to join in?
0:30:54 > 0:30:58Every now and again you get an opportunity to step forward, Nick, and help somebody.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02We obviously heard about the situation these people were in
0:31:02 > 0:31:05- and we wanted to make a difference to their lives.- Thank you.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08- I feel like I should give you a hug. - OK.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10She smells nicer than most builders, you see.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Also, nice to see the house turning pink.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19How many plasterers does it take to plaster a cottage in just two days?
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Exactly the number we've got in here, because you couldn't fit another one in.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30The plastering is done.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40I'm a few miles away in Aberystwyth, to pick up Lynn from the school where works as a dinner lady.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44And I'm learning some practical Welsh whilst I'm here.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Hang on, can we broadcast that?
0:31:46 > 0:31:48No, no.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50How's it hanging?
0:31:50 > 0:31:52LAUGHTER
0:31:52 > 0:31:57- All right, actually, thanks very much.- Are you sure?
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Do you want me to check?
0:31:59 > 0:32:02They're very rude, aren't they? I think they've outdone me.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10Lynn spends all her time looking after Mike, her daughter and her dogs
0:32:10 > 0:32:14and she's had to do all that without a proper home for the past two years.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17How do you function day to day in conditions like that?
0:32:17 > 0:32:19How do you get by?
0:32:19 > 0:32:20You learn to live with it.
0:32:20 > 0:32:26I've lived with a tarpaulin and plastic bags on the roof with buckets catching the water.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30You just learn to live with it.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34I'm that sort of person that I can cope with most things.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38You do get down, but you soon pick yourself back up.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Have you thought that maybe taking on all these stray dogs,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43and giving them a home, might just be one thing too many?
0:32:43 > 0:32:45No, cos they are what keep me going.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49I think if I hadn't got the dogs I'd have probably given up by now.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Something you can turn to. You can just say, I'm going out.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Say to one, two, three of them, come on, we're going,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and go off for a walk up the mountain and lose yourself.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02So, looking forward, what do you see?
0:33:02 > 0:33:07If we get the house finished for you and you have a house
0:33:07 > 0:33:12with walls, floors, ceilings, electrics, heating, plumbing, things you haven't had -
0:33:12 > 0:33:14how would life change?
0:33:16 > 0:33:19I'll be running around like an idiot!
0:33:19 > 0:33:22I don't know. It'll be brilliant to think
0:33:22 > 0:33:25that it's done.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27And with Mike's illness, for him?
0:33:27 > 0:33:31It will make a difference for him, I'm sure it will.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36The fact that he will have a bedroom and somewhere proper to sleep instead of behind that sheet.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41- Maybe this is where your luck changes.- Maybe.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43Don't think of that.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Just wait and see what happens.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53Sometimes you look at people and think they deserve a change of luck.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55We need to make this happen.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02We've got four days left and there's a Welsh mountain to climb.
0:34:02 > 0:34:09And as if there wasn't enough to do in the house, Mark has lined up more work outside.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12We've got the digger here, dig a hole in the ground there so we can pour a concrete pad.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15We are going to build a set of dog kennels on it.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18It's just a little bit something extra because Lynn has got a lot of
0:34:18 > 0:34:22rescue dogs she looks after and puts a lot of energy into.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25It's a pastime, something nice for her to do.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27It's not just any kennels, is it?
0:34:27 > 0:34:31It's a nine-dog, five-star, heated doggy hotel.
0:34:31 > 0:34:32The ground is frozen solid.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36That should be all right, a two-and-a-half ton digger should be able to cut through that all right.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40- Yeah, as soon as they can unlock the digger.- The lock has frozen.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Don't worry - order some concrete for the kennel base then.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47So basically all the ready-mix companies
0:34:47 > 0:34:50are frozen and they can't mix concrete.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Oh, for God's sake, it's all frozen!
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Don't worry, at least we can start digging out the foundations.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01That's not good, is it?
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Plan B, Mark?
0:35:05 > 0:35:07That's hard, isn't it?
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Usually, that would chomp through that.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Inside the house it's a little bit warmer.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16We've crammed it with heaters to dry all that plaster out.
0:35:16 > 0:35:23The plaster has gone off incredibly well overnight, despite being minus eight last night.
0:35:25 > 0:35:26What a result.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33And our very own Billy's adding some hot air - just don't give him anything to light.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37This is a multi-fuel stove, so you can use coal or wood.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Are they really economical?
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Yeah, they are very efficient.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Most wood-burning stoves, they start at about 65% up to about 83% efficient.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50- So really it's an updated open fire, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:35:50 > 0:35:57On an open fire every £100 worth of fuel you'd put on there, £85 of that goes straight up the chimney.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58- Whereas these...- It comes out.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02You get about 20% from the chimney.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- Does every house have to have one of these?- No.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Assuming Billy doesn't burn it down, and despite everything the weather
0:36:09 > 0:36:12has thrown at us this week, we've got the shell of a house.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14Now we are looking for the filling.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17- Morning, fellas, have you got a kitchen for me? - We certainly have.- Yeah!
0:36:19 > 0:36:24- Big excitement! Big excitement! - Big '70s dance as well.- It's starting to get a bit concerning.
0:36:24 > 0:36:30Despite the fact we are making ridiculously good progress, we have still only got... Where are we today?
0:36:30 > 0:36:35Tuesday... Three days before we need to start getting furniture in.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39What's she talking about - there's hardly anything left to do!
0:36:39 > 0:36:41All you've got to do is paint and decorate everything.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Put skirting boards and doors into every room.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47We've got to fit the whole kitchen in three days.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Oh, yeah, and we've got to fill in the old front door
0:36:49 > 0:36:52using original stone, so you can't see where it joins.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56But on the upside we've made a breakthrough with the kennels.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59These problems with the frost and stuff and not being able
0:36:59 > 0:37:03to get any concrete, I spoke to the kennel people and they said they are quite happy that we lay it on flags.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06- We just make a level surface for them.- Yeah.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Hardcore it. Blind it with sand.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11- Drop the flag straight on to it. They're happy.- Cool.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16But like everything on this job, it's two steps forward, one step back.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19You see, the sand we need for the kennels isn't looking very sandy.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Rock solid. And it's not because it's stone,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27it's just sand that's frozen and we can't break it up.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28On you go. Thanks.
0:37:31 > 0:37:37We've got to collect the four tonnes of hard core we need from half a mile away.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41The dogs had better like these kennels - it's turning into a marathon job!
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Everywhere else we are making real progress.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49At the front of the house the guys have turned up to fit the new window.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Look at the stonework around the side, it's really clever.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Look at the window here, they've got the stonework, the stonework is the same round here.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59They've cut it off here, look, so it goes into the stonework and it looks exactly the same.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01You'd never know there had been a door here.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04Craftsmanship that is. It's a beautiful job all over the house.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10I'll get some floorboards in.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13So the floor is going in and we are starting to get a bit of paint on the walls.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17This is the bit I love. Pulling it back, pulling it back.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20He is available for pantomime, you know.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Only one of these guys is actually a decorator.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25With the weather so bad, the local community is
0:38:25 > 0:38:29rallying to help, and we've got an amazing mix of people in here.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Look at all our decorators.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33And the local postman.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Hello, mate. How are you?
0:38:35 > 0:38:37- Not too bad.- What's your name?- Hugh.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42Hugh came to deliver letters yesterday and realised what we were up to, so he volunteered.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43I notice you've got the old
0:38:43 > 0:38:46B Team T-shirt. The other team.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48When did you get this?
0:38:48 > 0:38:52In 2002 they came round to my father's house. I thought, what goes around comes around.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54I've got a day off today,
0:38:54 > 0:38:55so here I am.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01It's a great thing for anybody who's in Mike's situation to have something done for him.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03I think it's brilliant.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07We've all come today to help Mike and his family.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14How come we've got you guys in here, how come you have volunteered?
0:39:14 > 0:39:18We both work for the National Trust and fair do's to the National Trust,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22they let us come for four days, five days?
0:39:22 > 0:39:24That's really lovely, thanks, guys.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26That's fantastic.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28This is the skirting board factory in here as well.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32160 metres of skirting board in this house.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35As you can see, we've got a production line. Alan over there.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- All right?- Yeah, 140 metres to go!
0:39:39 > 0:39:45The kitchen fitter is doing a stellar job all by himself. I just wanted to give you...
0:39:45 > 0:39:47- On behalf of the whole team, give you a group hug.- Aw.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58I tell you what's been rough, it's been a rough few days, but it is starting to look the part now.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Once you've got all the wet trays done and someone is starting to
0:40:02 > 0:40:05build a kitchen, it's starting to look like a house, isn't it?
0:40:05 > 0:40:09It has definitely got that feeling of home about it, hasn't it? And the finishing line, which is good.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12We are not there yet, though.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16That pad for the kennel is taking forever.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18But these guys really know how to work.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22Jules is dotting the i's and crossing the t's on the new stairs,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25which is surprising, because he can't spell!
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Explain what you are doing, cos that's really nice.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Instead of filling it, what you do...
0:40:30 > 0:40:31When you drill the hole,
0:40:31 > 0:40:37you drill out a little crack-sized wooden plug, pop in...
0:40:37 > 0:40:40Tap that in, let it go off for a bit.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Knock the tops off, plane it and sand it.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46So what it looks like, although you've used wooden screws
0:40:46 > 0:40:47to screw the top piece of wood in,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50- what it looks like is that you've dowelled it in.- Yes.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52And you can get...
0:40:52 > 0:40:55When you buy your drill bit you can...
0:40:55 > 0:40:58That makes the hole that you put your screw into,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00you can buy an attachment that it goes on to,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03which you can then drill into the wood and it will drill you a little hole.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07- I'll show you the little block of plugs.- Pop one out,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10- there's your plug. - Do you want that as a memento?
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Can I keep that?
0:41:12 > 0:41:17I'll put it on the mantelpiece in a glass display case.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20That was like a proper tip, wasn't it?
0:41:20 > 0:41:24But enough of this, there's still tons to do and we are going to have to plug away into the night.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28It's unbelievably dark out in the Welsh countryside here.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32It's minus five, minus six now, but
0:41:32 > 0:41:39the team are still here in the freezing cold, in the dark, and they've all but finished this.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43This lady normally works in a lovely warm, comfortable showroom.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47She's now out in the freezing cold. You must be cold now.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- Are you not?- I'm hot.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52It's a different world really, isn't it?
0:41:52 > 0:41:54They breed a different type of person out here.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- Tougher.- Tougher?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59- So you are basically saying we are all a bunch of softies. - Yeah.- Thanks very much.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03It's going to be a heck of a day tomorrow.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05We've got 24 hours to finish this whole house.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Morning. Look at this - the pad for the kennels is finished.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19The guys were out here in the freezing cold last night,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21freezing their bits off, but they've got it finished.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25And we've had another break - the weather is a positively tropical five degrees this morning.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30The heat is on in the house, too, cos this needs to be finished today.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34- Cue the designer. - Finally, finally - wallpapering day!
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Only about three days late. So wallpapering!
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Which wall are you doing, Julia?
0:42:39 > 0:42:43This is our absolutely beautiful wallpaper in here.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45This is Mike's bedroom.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48Pay attention, here comes the science bit.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52When you've got quite a strong pattern, having one feature wall is really good idea.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Where you've got either a very warm colour or a very saturated colour or
0:42:56 > 0:43:01a busy pattern, when you put that on one surface it has the effect of bringing that surface towards you.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05So if you've got a slightly sort of difficult-shaped room, you can use it
0:43:05 > 0:43:09to reproportion or to draw attention to that one space in the room.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11So it's quite a good little trick, that.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Not just a pretty gorgeous face, our Julia.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19The kennel's arrived by the way, but that leaves us with a canine conundrum.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22I've been all round the house and all round the building site, I can't
0:43:22 > 0:43:24- find Mark Miller any where.- I don't know where he is.- Do you not?- No.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26I've been looking for you, you fool!
0:43:26 > 0:43:30Trying to find out which way we're going to point it. I say we ought to point the entrance up that way.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32We've just been talking about it.
0:43:32 > 0:43:37We made the pad five metres this way, so that the dogs had a view.
0:43:39 > 0:43:40So the dogs had a view?
0:43:40 > 0:43:43- Yeah.- Dogs don't care about a view!
0:43:43 > 0:43:46You'd actually sacrifice the warmth for the sake of the view, would you?
0:43:46 > 0:43:48- Listen. If it's cold... - And to be fair, you're an idiot.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51Some of these dogs are quite intelligent.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55Honest to God, if I woke up in the morning and I saw that, I'd be such a happy puppy.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59Is this the right shape, the pad that we've done, to point it in that direction?
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- It is, yes.- Then ignore him, he's talking rubbish. Point it in that direction, if you don't mind.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05Yeah? Well, you're a lot bigger than him, so I'd probably go with you.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08- Yeah, but he's nastier. - Yeah, that doesn't worry me. - Does it not?- No.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11- You ever seen a Jack Russell have a go at an Alsatian?- No.
0:44:11 > 0:44:12HE ROARS
0:44:12 > 0:44:13Very similar.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17So while the kennel goes up,
0:44:17 > 0:44:21inside the house the uphill battle has turned into a downhill sprint.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Look at this room, all papered out. Carpet already down.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28Pretty much ready.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33That's posh, that, isn't it? Posh cleaners.
0:44:33 > 0:44:39We're just grateful these guys turn up and stick with us, because we could never do it on our own.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42- Never.- Thank you very much for all your work.- No problem.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Little Welsh army, they are.
0:44:44 > 0:44:50And because of them, we've got a house to give back to a couple that richly deserve it.
0:44:56 > 0:45:01Ten days ago, this house was a wreck and a burden on Mike and Lynn.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Just when they should have been focusing on getting Mike better
0:45:04 > 0:45:09from his brain tumour, they were trapped in a nightmare, with no way out.
0:45:09 > 0:45:15Our lives are on hold because we're getting to the age where really we should be slowing down,
0:45:15 > 0:45:19and it'd just be lovely to have a nice home.
0:45:21 > 0:45:26Nobody's ever done anything for us in all the years we've been together,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29and to actually have somebody come in
0:45:29 > 0:45:33and do, you know, work that I should be doing,
0:45:33 > 0:45:38I know I can't do it, but even so, it's...
0:45:38 > 0:45:40It just doesn't seem real.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47It was almost the job too far for the DIY SOS team.
0:45:49 > 0:45:54If we can't get materials up here, you know, and we can't get the trades here,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56we can only do half the job, can't we?
0:45:57 > 0:46:02But with some incredible and selfless help from the community of Aberystwyth...
0:46:02 > 0:46:05and a lot of Welsh determination...
0:46:07 > 0:46:11..this house has been turned into a haven of peace for Mike and Lynn.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16The living room space has been doubled.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22Julia's created a relaxing and calm room, with tranquil colours,
0:46:22 > 0:46:26and given them a touch of home, using Lynn's own antique furniture.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32Gone is the hallway where Mike was sleeping.
0:46:32 > 0:46:37Now it's a place where he and Lynn can entertain and unwind.
0:46:45 > 0:46:51The kitchen has been transformed from dark and dingy, to bright and new.
0:46:51 > 0:46:56The soft, sunny colours hark to the beautiful Welsh countryside,
0:46:56 > 0:47:00and the room has been opened into the new welcoming day room.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09We've given them a stable door, so Lynn can have the kitchen to herself,
0:47:09 > 0:47:11while the dogs curl up by the real wood fire.
0:47:16 > 0:47:22The gloomy 1960s bathroom is gone, replaced with a modern and practical shower room.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32Upstairs, we have taken an empty space under the rafters,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35and made a luxurious, serene bathroom.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41A peaceful place, to soak away the troubles of the day.
0:47:41 > 0:47:46We've made a sumptuous and cosy bedroom for Lynn, a lavish and inviting room
0:47:46 > 0:47:51where she can shut the door and be as girly as she likes.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54And still have a space for one of her beloved dogs.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Mike's finally got his own bedroom,
0:48:00 > 0:48:02a masculine and peaceful space.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Julia's brought Mike's love of nature inside,
0:48:08 > 0:48:13and he's got somewhere he can completely relax and focus on getting better.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17And Lynn's four-legged friends haven't been left out.
0:48:17 > 0:48:22They've got a weather-proof, heated kennel to come home to.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28This house is now a place where Mike and Lynn can focus
0:48:28 > 0:48:32on being happy together and look forward to the future.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36What do you hope for?
0:48:36 > 0:48:40A living room that's proper.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43One big room, that's what we was after.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46Right. Well, we hope we've given you
0:48:46 > 0:48:49what you had in your mind's eye and you hoped for.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Open your eyes.
0:48:53 > 0:48:54Oh, my God!
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Flipping heck! Look at that mirror!
0:49:00 > 0:49:02(Oh, look at the logs!)
0:49:05 > 0:49:08(Oh, isn't it lovely?)
0:49:08 > 0:49:10- Don't seem the same room, does it?- No.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13- Oh!- And it's warm in here.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15The fire's going. Oh, my God!
0:49:15 > 0:49:18- It was... Was it what you sort of envisaged?- Oh, yeah.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Better. And I love the colour.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24- It's just too much, isn't it? - Oh, look.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27SHE SOBS
0:49:29 > 0:49:32It's lovely.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34I love that mirror.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36Where did you find that mirror?
0:49:36 > 0:49:39- It's beautiful. - Well, that's Julia's genius.
0:49:39 > 0:49:40Oh, it's lovely, that is.
0:49:44 > 0:49:45Oh, and my pictures are up.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Oh, my gum!
0:49:47 > 0:49:52As a builder yourself, you'd have been a little bit worried about what we were going to do with the place.
0:49:52 > 0:49:53Have we done all right?
0:49:53 > 0:49:55Exceptional.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59Absolutely couldn't ask for anything more.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03No. Even I couldn't have got it up to this standard.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07I'm so glad that front door's gone.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11- Doesn't that look fantastic, now that three window aspect along that side?- Brilliant, yeah.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14It's a fantastic room, isn't it. Isn't it the most wonderful room?
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Blinking lovely!
0:50:17 > 0:50:19So you're happy with this, are you?
0:50:19 > 0:50:24- More than happy! - So if we'd come here and sorted this out for you, just this...
0:50:24 > 0:50:26- That would have been... - That'd have been... I could have,
0:50:26 > 0:50:31yes, because I could have gone out there, done it and then come back into normality in here, couldn't I?
0:50:31 > 0:50:35Yeah? Well, there is a little bathroom, because you wanted a bathroom downstairs, didn't you?
0:50:35 > 0:50:38- Mmm.- Little bathroom downstairs. You were really worried about the state of the bathroom.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43Oh, God, it was awful. Oh! Flipping heck, Michael!
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Look at that! Oh, isn't it lovely?
0:50:50 > 0:50:52Happy with it?
0:50:52 > 0:50:56- Yeah.- Downstairs loo, lamps, basin and a beautiful shower.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Doesn't look like the same place, does it?
0:51:00 > 0:51:02But we haven't stopped there.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05Here we go. You don't have to keep your eyes closed.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Go on. Have a look.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Oh, my God.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Oh, my giddy aunt.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17Oh. It's a different oven!
0:51:18 > 0:51:20Yeah, I thought you'd notice.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Oh, Michael, it's lovely.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26A beautiful sink, where you can, if you're standing at the sink you can look out over the view.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28No draught.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32Plenty of storage space, plenty of work space.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35New hob, new extractor, new oven.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39- They all work?- Of course.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43Oh, isn't it lovely?
0:51:43 > 0:51:45- You like it.- Yeah, love the colour.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50Oh, somebody's taken all the time to sand these beams down.
0:51:50 > 0:51:55Yeah. Hey, listen, you remember the other thing that you said, you wanted to make sure there was...
0:51:55 > 0:51:56Dog free! Look, and I've got a dog...
0:51:56 > 0:52:00So you can lock that while you're doing the cooking and just keep the dogs in there, if you want.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04They're banned from here! They're banned. I think they're banned from everywhere!
0:52:04 > 0:52:09- Oh, my gum.- And do you remember when you said, when we were in here on that first day when I came up here,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13when the snow was coming down, and I chatted to you in here and you said that you wanted
0:52:13 > 0:52:17- a middle wall taking down, because it's going to look beautiful looking back.- Yeah.
0:52:17 > 0:52:18What do you think of the view now?
0:52:18 > 0:52:20I think it does.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22I don't think you could get better.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25I mean, you've been waiting such a long time for this, haven't you?
0:52:25 > 0:52:27Oh, yeah. Yeah.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31It's been a good few years since we,
0:52:31 > 0:52:32since we started this.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36- It's lovely.- What's it like to be stood here in it now?
0:52:36 > 0:52:38As though it's not ours!
0:52:38 > 0:52:40It's a bit overwhelming, to be honest.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45You know, I knew we would get something nice, but not as...
0:52:47 > 0:52:49..not as nice as what it is now.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52This is what you expect to see on the TV.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57It's not what you expect to see in your own house!
0:52:57 > 0:53:00See this thing on my right?
0:53:00 > 0:53:02- Yeah, that's the TV!- Yeah!
0:53:02 > 0:53:07I'm sorry, but I've just cocked it all up, I know that!
0:53:07 > 0:53:10No, not at all, it's perfectly fine!
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- I'm glad you like it, I'm really glad you like it.- It's beautiful.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- Shall we take a look upstairs, then?- Yeah.- Come on.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Do you want to lead ahead?
0:53:20 > 0:53:22It's beautiful.
0:53:26 > 0:53:27Look at that for a bath!
0:53:29 > 0:53:32- It's lovely. - That's what you call a bath.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36So, space is tight upstairs, so what we decided to do is
0:53:36 > 0:53:40go with a bath upstairs, you've got the shower downstairs.
0:53:40 > 0:53:41Isn't it lovely?
0:53:44 > 0:53:47- And Lynn, this is your room. - Oh, my God!
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Flipping heck, I can't wait to get in here!
0:53:55 > 0:53:57I can't wait to get in it!
0:53:57 > 0:53:58Two weeks on a lilo!
0:53:58 > 0:54:00A warm bed!
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Oh, it's beautiful.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05And the wallpaper. I love it.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07It's hot in here!
0:54:07 > 0:54:10I shall have to turn the radiator off, I'm not used to heat!
0:54:10 > 0:54:12So has Julia got this right for you?
0:54:12 > 0:54:15She has got it right, definitely.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17- A bit of decadence for you. - Oh, yeah.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Oh, it's lovely.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21It's so warm in here.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Do you want to come and see yours?
0:54:23 > 0:54:27- Do you want to stay here, do you want to come and see his?- I want to see his, what they've done.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35You've got the fish tank!
0:54:35 > 0:54:38- I'm lost for words!- Really?
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Yeah. I really am.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46I'm basically speechless.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49So, as a builder yourself, you'll know
0:54:49 > 0:54:51what it's taken to do this.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53In ten days, oh, yeah.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57We can't thank them enough, we really can't.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00What they've done for us here...
0:55:02 > 0:55:05..it's beyond our belief, anyway.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08There's one last person to show.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11It was daughter Alison who wrote to us for help.
0:55:11 > 0:55:12Wow.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17It's amazing.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22Even I'm speechless, and that doesn't happen very often, I can tell you now, Nick!
0:55:22 > 0:55:24It doesn't happen at all!
0:55:24 > 0:55:27I don't know what to say. I just don't know what to say.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30It's just out of this world.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Just seriously for a moment, I know that you were very worried about the future
0:55:34 > 0:55:36for Lynn, weren't you?
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Has this put your mind to rest?
0:55:39 > 0:55:41- Yes.- Takes the pressure off a bit, don't it?
0:55:41 > 0:55:43Takes the pressure off a hell of a lot.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50Right, one last thing. Mind yourself on the muddy floor.
0:55:50 > 0:55:51Have a look up.
0:55:55 > 0:55:56Oh, look! Real kennels for them!
0:55:58 > 0:56:02- Brilliant! And they can't dig their way out either!- No!
0:56:02 > 0:56:05They're lovely.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Some of the people that have been here for the last ten days,
0:56:08 > 0:56:11working themselves to death in freezing conditions,
0:56:11 > 0:56:12are currently freezing out the front.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15- Would you like to come and say hello?- Yes!- Yeah?- Yeah!- Come on.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17This is absolutely fantastic.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:30 > 0:56:32- Thank you ever so much! - You're welcome.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35It's been the most amazing response from this lot.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Thank you ever so much.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40It's not like a house now, it's a proper home.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42SHE SOBS
0:56:44 > 0:56:47She's lived in a barn, basically, for the last 18 months.
0:56:47 > 0:56:52As I said before, it was all because of us that they were in the mess they were in,
0:56:52 > 0:56:58so that's why it's so important that she's got a house now she can live in.
0:56:58 > 0:57:03You may or may not know that Mike is a builder himself, and has done many homes over the years
0:57:03 > 0:57:06for many people, so what do you think of what the guys have done?
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Can't thank you enough.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11Absolutely brilliant.
0:57:11 > 0:57:16Couldn't have done better myself, let's put it that way!
0:57:18 > 0:57:20APPLAUSE
0:57:25 > 0:57:29I can't believe what you've all done for us.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33I never expected it to be a house, to ever get done. I didn't.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37This man here, John, oh, man,
0:57:37 > 0:57:40he's been an absolute trooper, he's been here right from day one.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44And he's taught me how to plaster walls as well, no less!
0:57:44 > 0:57:47- Ooh!- There you go! - So if I find a wonky one...!
0:57:47 > 0:57:52- It wasn't me, no!- I'll know who to blame then, won't I?!
0:57:52 > 0:57:56You're welcome. I'm really happy for you.
0:57:56 > 0:57:57Fantastic.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02- Welcome home.- Thank you. It's lovely, thank you.
0:58:04 > 0:58:08I helped lay the pavements outside the kennels.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10Brilliant, thank you ever so much!
0:58:10 > 0:58:12I love my kennels!
0:58:13 > 0:58:15I'm all right, Mam, yeah.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20We arrived in a blizzard and we've ended, at least metaphorically, in the sunshine.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23When we arrived and saw this house in the middle of nowhere,
0:58:23 > 0:58:25we thought, "Where's the community here to help out?"
0:58:25 > 0:58:27They are here, tucked away in the valleys
0:58:27 > 0:58:31and hills and round the corners, and they all came out to help.
0:58:31 > 0:58:32Proper working-class heroes.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34Warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it?
0:58:34 > 0:58:36Even in this weather.
0:58:49 > 0:58:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd