The Big Build - Dumfries DIY SOS

Hello and welcome to DIY SOS,

coming to you from north of the border,

near Dumfries in Scotland.

We're here to help single mum, Sue,

a widow struggling with depression.

I think I just, sort of, disappeared into a black hole.

I couldn't think beyond the end of that day.

It just seemed too much to deal with.

Her house is fuelling Sue's illness.

My mum's quite a social person, normally, but it's kind of

hard to be sociable if you can't invite someone to your own house.

Her friends have asked for our help.

When we go home at night, we're happy to close the curtains

and sit down in our house, but Sue's never, ever been able to do that,

because she's never felt comfortable in her house for a long, long time.

This build will be as demanding as ever.

TOOLS WHIRR

-You're a man and a marvel!

-No problem.

But it has a unique flavour.

SHEEP BLEAT

-I want to do it, I want to do it.

-You're NOT going in the loft!

Proper job!

We've got just ten days to get this job finished.

The team are here, but if it's going to happen,

we're going to need an army - a Tartan Army.

PIPES A LAMENT

THEY ROAR

That's handy!

This is DIY SOS - The Big Build.

We're here to help Sue Roberts

and her daughters, Erin and Niamh.

Sue and her partner, Barry, had big dreams

when they put their perfect home - a place they could

entertain friends and raise their young family.

They moved in with plans of doing it up,

but shortly after,

Barry died of a sudden heart attack.

It was Christmas day 2003.

It was totally devastating for all of us.

We were completely in a state of shock.

I went into quite a deep depression and became quite unwell.

Erin became more upset as time went on. After a few months,

it finally dawned on her.

She was very pale and withdrawn.

There was a period we were really worried about

her mental health as well. She was only eight when it happened.

Niamh seemed less affected because she was quite a lot younger,

but she went very quiet for quite a period of time

and was quite withdrawn.

Sue was unable to shake her depression.

The GP didn't think I'd be able to go back to work,

and said that at most, at some point,

I may be able to hold down a part-time job.

But Sue is a single mum.

There's no-one else to provide for the family.

A full-time job as a manager of a national charity takes all

her energy. She has nothing left to tackle the house.

The kitchen remains cramped and damp.

The floors are bare and the shower a forbidding prospect.

The electrics are a hazard, the heating doesn't work

and Sue's had to turn the front room into a bedroom.

It's as if nothing goes right for Sue here.

It feels very exposed, there's nowhere quiet,

no privacy in there at all.

You wake up in the morning and see there's no light,

there's holes in the walls,

it's just a horrible environment to wake up in.

It's hard to motivate yourself to get out of bed

and start the day when that's what you've got to face.

Upstairs, the two girls have to share, thanks to a hole

in the ceiling of Niamh's room. For Erin,

it's just one more problem in a long list of them.

More space, for my sister to like,

enjoy having a wash, if you have a bath and that.

To invite more people round,

that kind of thing.

For mum to be a bit happy,

because she really hates the house as it is right now.

Sue has tried to deal with the problems.

She took out a loan to get a builder in, but even that went wrong.

He did most of the work.

He didn't complete it very well, he made the windows very small

and things like that, but he also left... he gutted the fireplace

and then just left it as a gaping hole in the wall and didn't finish that off.

Once he got his final payment, he just disappeared.

Things went from bad to worse.

A second attempt to tackle the house ended with more debt

and still no heating.

I wasn't in the best state of mind at the time.

I was feeling quite alone and not very good at being assertive,

chasing him up.

Eventually he disappeared and just left us in a mess.

As the house crumbles around her,

Sue finds it hard to keep herself together.

Making sure that the girls are happy and are fed well

and looked after well, is where I seem to spend most of my energy.

It's hard to spend much time on the house, but it does

constantly get you down. When I walk in from work in the evening,

I know it sounds awful, I don't look forward to coming home.

I look forward to being with my girls, but not to coming home.

It doesn't feel, really, like a home.

All Sue wants is what a lot of us take for granted.

I don't like the word normal, but I would like a normal house.

I would like a house where I feel that,

if someone knocks at the door, I don't feel panic.

It sounds silly, but if somebody knocks at the door, I think, "Oh, who's at the door?"

"Hope they don't need to come in," and whatever.

I just would love to be able to let people in,

feel happy about letting people in.

Just to have things like a table.

So we can have a family meal together.

They're quite simples things, but they just mean a huge amount.

Erm... Sorry.

SHE SOBS

It seems as if Christmas 2003 has stopped this family in its tracks.

Sue and the girls have already moved out, so I'm on my way to see them.

I was an adult when my dad died.

It was hard for me, but it must be much harder for the girls.

Do you guys chat about your dad very much?

Er, not really.

It might come up now and again,

but we kind of like, avoid the conversation, most of the time.

-Do you? Because it's painful, because it's difficult?

-Yeah, most of the time.

Also, I've kind of forgot some of it as well, cos it's been ages

since I thought about it.

If you find it difficult, I suppose, it's best to avoid it.

Yeah, just for, like, now and that, but you know.

I think he'd have been very proud of you, looking at you.

You're growing up into fine young women, don't you think?

Oh, he would be. Yeah, he would be really proud. Definitely. Definitely.

And this was the plan when you first bought the place,

that you and Barry were going to do the place up, weren't you?

He was going to help do some of the work in the house.

We knew it would be a long process, but we weren't worried

at the time, cos we just thought, "it'll happen when it happens."

Barry's death has undoubtedly cast a long shadow,

and with the girls off to school,

I'm free to talk in more detail with Sue

at the caravan where they're staying, while we do the build.

It's been quite a while, now. How long since Barry died?

It's eight years, yeah. Yeah, it's been quite a long while.

At the point that you knew we were coming to do this, how did it feel?

I know it sounds awful to say it, sounds really awful to say, but I presume good things won't happen.

Occasionally, when good things have happened, something bad's happened shortly afterwards.

And I know that's a bit fatalistic, but it's kind of...

That's what I think.

Then you start to think you don't deserve it, you know.

I'll probably get upset now, but...

Why wouldn't you deserve it? I don't understand that.

Just cos things have been bad for quite a long time.

-That means you DO deserve it, doesn't it? Surely?

-I don't know, probably, but...

I think my confidence is so low, it's hard to imagine.

Do you think, given that, that he

would've wanted you to put your life on hold for eight years?

No, no.

-And he wouldn't want the girls' lives to be in that situation either.

-No.

-Your man dying isn't your fault, it isn't...

-No.

This didn't happen to you because it's your fault.

No, I thought I should do more to help him, though.

But it was a heart attack, wasn't it?

I know, but he was overweight and he was drinking too much and things.

Well, I'm overweight and I drink too much. Lots of people are.

-You can't...

-I know, I know. It doesn't make sense.

You can't look back and change things then.

You know, life's what it is now.

And here's you fighting away for your girls,

-and that's where you are now, and that's the future.

-Yeah.

So, this change in the house, if we can get the house right,

is the final piece in the jigsaw, putting it behind you and moving on?

Yeah, it does, because I've had to clear out ten years' worth of stuff.

-How was that?

-Quite emotional.

There's lots of stuff of Barry's I had to say,

"I don't want to keep that any more. I don't need to keep that."

I threw loads of stuff out. It was fantastic.

So, the process of moving on and changing things around is definitely the right way to go.

Yeah, definitely, yeah.

And this will finally put the last thing in place,

where you guys will be able to have the family life that he would

have wanted you to have from the start.

Exactly. It would, yeah.

So it's quite a milestone, isn't it?

SHE SOBS I know, sorry!

Thank you.

If we're going to help change things around for Sue, Erin and Niamh, we need to get going.

This is Kenny, this is Steve.

And we're here to enjoy ourselves for ten days, ain't we, sausage?

CHAINSAW GROWLS

-This is a nice one, innit?

-Nice. Look, it's nice, this, innit?

For your type, not for my type.

Where's the street lighting, where's the cinema? Look, look at this.

It's just all ugly fields!

-HE INHALES DEEPLY

-There's no bits in the air.

-It's like, like there's nothing to chew on.

-It's pure, mate, it's pure.

That's what it says.

-Pretty, actually, innit? To be fair, looking around. Pretty.

-It's a lovely location.

Yep, shame we have to make such a mess of it!

But there are plenty of people to help us do it.

DRILL BLASTS

-Dougie!

-How are you, mate?

I understand you're coming from quite a distance?

I'm travelling from East Kilbride, which is just outside Glasgow.

-Every day.

-So how long is that taking you?

It's taking about just under an hour and a half, morning and night.

-That's a long way to go.

-Bit of a distance, but it's a good cause.

It's a nice community round here.

-Everybody seems really jolly and friendly.

-You're in Scotland.

-That's the difference?

-That's it!

'Yes, we are indeed in Scotland. I think Jules is in an episode of Taggart.'

-AS TAGGART:

-There's a murr-der.

It's a murr-der.

A murr-der.

-And we're all what?

-Doomed!

We're all doomed!

It's a small house, but the build is as ambitious as ever.

Our guest designer is Hannah Huggins.

She's getting noticed for her cutting edge work, but she knows what makes a home,

which is just what Sue and the girls need here, a home.

-This is all going to be opened up into a kitchen living area.

-OK.

What sort of style are you going with?

We are going down the kind of retro mixed with modern look.

The great thing about modern interiors,

if you do them well, you can mix old and modern and pick up on the character of the house.

So use the original doors, use the original staircase

and bring in some modern features.

-Look at that old thing!

-I know.

-Isn't that pretty?

We were hoping to reuse this, but there's a problem.

-We've got some missing drawers. Unfortunately, we can't reuse that.

-Can we not make a couple of drawers?

-It's not realistic to get the drawers remade.

-'Come on, Hannah!'

-OK, we'll see what we can do then.

-'That's better.'

The main challenge with this house is space. So that wall's coming down.

-This bathroom is going to be the bedroom.

-Yeah, the bathroom's going to be her bedroom

and a lovely big wardrobe for all her clothes and things here.

And out here, we've got a small extension going up,

which is going to be a bathroom with a bath in it.

They've never actually been able to have a bath in this house.

I was wondering, how do you have three women in the house

-and don't have a bath in the bathroom?

-It's quite a challenge!

Go on, hit it! Hit it!

Actually, what we need is someone to talk about people hitting it.

We're going to take the brickwork out, clean it out and use it.

The same there.

All the stuff that comes out of that wall and that wall can fill in...

Yes, recycle.

Recycle.

Yes, the bathroom extension will rise like a phoenix from the...rubble of the old walls.

-Try and save all these.

-If you look at them, they're almost falling out anyway. Where you can...

-That's a nice piece there.

-That is, yeah.

-Those ones are going to be handy for dressing up the outside.

-And these long pieces as well.

-That long piece will be lovely. That might sit underneath the sill.

-Right.

-All right, dropping down.

Dropping, dropping, dropping.

It's teamwork like this that will mean our plans for this house can take shape.

The big challenge with this build is space.

With the downstairs knocked through, Sue and her girls will be able to cook and eat together.

The extension we're adding may be small, but it will mean

there's room to create that all-important bathroom, leaving the back of the house free

for Sue to have a proper private bedroom.

She'll have French windows to bring the outside in

and we're creating a new side door to let the view into the living room.

In the garden, we're building a year round summer house,

which can be a guest room or I suspect the teenagers' hideaway of choice.

Upstairs, there's nothing structural needed, unless Billy gets carried away.

But new windows, insulation, heating and wiring throughout will transform this crowded house.

But we're a long way from that yet and things aren't quite harmonious.

Chris and Billy working together... Whose idea was that?

He's got a new toy, it's got teeth and it just chisels a nice groove.

So he's... All right, all right!

All right! I didn't want to see it!

-A lot of it is shot.

-It is now, using that!

When we came up here, we realised the walls were in good nick,

so all they need is a light sand, a light fill and a decorate.

But our little compact "bay-jou" electrician...

-Bijou!

-..has...other ideas.

Would you have him in your house? You wouldn't, would you?

To be fair, I have had him in my house, but not to do with the electrics.

I'd have this lot any day. The local trades are tremendous. Some give even more than we've asked for.

You attract a lot of people with this. This is very nice of you. Why have you decided to join in?

When the opportunity had arisen for us to help on the project,

we've got the staff available and it's been a pleasure for us

to do it, to help you out as well.

Economical with words, isn't he?

Right now, we need to get the foundations in for the bathroom.

All of these levels we're putting up,

we're back measuring to make sure

when it finally comes up to the finished level, that it runs flat through into the other room.

-What do you reckon?

-Good stuff.

That's spot on.

Spot on is absolutely right, as are these Scottish tradesmen doing Sue and the girls proud.

Jules is keeping himself busy, but is he making new friends?

-Who's working with you?

-Me, yer man...

-His name is?

HE MOUTHS

-Dougie. Dougie.

-That's Wee Dougie.

Why is it that you never...? Cos you often work with a team, by the end of the week,

you're best of mates, you're making tea for each other, but you never remember their names.

It's something... It's like numbers.

I'm useless with retaining numbers. I can't retain numbers, it's like I'm dyslexic,

and for some reason, I can't retain names.

-I was going to suggest you could number them. But that wouldn't help either.

-No.

What they're trying to do here is make a hole for the door without damaging the surround.

If you come this way and look at the outside, see how it's finished

with stone up and round and down, they had to tale the sill out

but it's been a delicate job to try and make sure it doesn't damage

this stone, or as you can see, very carefully doing it with this one, not to damage that stone there.

And then we take those two bits that we took out from another part

of the building and drop them in there and there to finish off

the doorway, otherwise it would look really weird, without having those.

There's a bit of thought going into this. Essentially, by being that careful, it's taking them

about three hours more than it should, just to knock the sill out. Patience is the key.

'The trades that have come to help seem to enjoy themselves, but these are gruelling 12-hour days,

'requiring a tremendous effort, which makes setbacks that much harder to bear.

'This is my setback face.'

-Actually it has to go in...

-It really has to go in tonight.

No question about it. That must be in tonight.

-That will be ready to start on tomorrow?

-Absolutely. It will be off tomorrow.

So we'll have to put some lights up and stay and get this in tonight.

That's not a great start to the first day, you asking everyone to work 8, 9, 10 o'clock.

-It's better that's done now and we lose the job at the end of the week.

-I suppose it has to be done then.

Have you got a wagon, can get a ton and a half in?

-It's already on the way.

-Right, great stuff.

-He's good, isn't he?

-Brilliant.

-Married into the family!

I don't think we've worked in a place more beautiful.

It is an incredible setting. Twinkling away there in the valley.

A lot of hard work. We are making a bit of a mess of it at the moment.

But it is going very well. We've had a successful day.

And they say the weather in Scotland can be terrible. It's wonderful!

They don't know what they're talking about.

'Day two and you can already see what this house can be.'

Lovely job!

-Is that what you want?

-Yeah! Thank you, Mark! That's fantastic.

-It's not me, it's these boys.

-Thanks, guys!

-When can that come down?

-Give them a minute! They've just put it in!

-They've only just put it in.

-Ten minutes.

-I'm cracking the whip!

Cracking the whip?!

She's turned up here, dressed like she's in Flashdance...

It's not Flashbuild!

This is good to see. The local college have brought along some apprentices to help with the build.

They'll learn practical skills and we can get the help we need.

Brilliant. Jules has decided to take one under his ample wing.

Have you ever played the saw before?

No. See the bend? Right? Look at that, thumb there, look. Thumb there.

Bend it into an S, right? HE PLAYS SAW

-Ah, it takes years!

-It does take years of...practice.

I can't get the hang of it.

HE PLAYS SAW

Have you ever thought about doing a plumbing course?

I'm not sure that's what these apprentices are here to learn.

Although we do believe apprentices are the future.

So how are your lads enjoying being out on this?

They're totally loving it. It's great.

They've actually got some real hands-on skills. Aye, they've really enjoyed it.

For all the classroom work that you do,

-it's always nice when they can get their hands on a proper building.

-Definitely.

They don't get the chance in college. They're only working on models and things like that.

This is giving them a chance to actually do real life building.

Thanks to them and our trades, we're transforming this building into a home for Sue and her daughters.

The house we hand back will be a far cry from the life they've grown used to.

I imagine it's difficult to imagine an ordinary everyday life, where things just fall into place.

Yeah, it makes you feel a bit of an oddity. You've not got a normal house.

I go to work and look normalish, but then you go back to this kind

of whole messy place and it feels as if you've got two lives, almost.

-You felt almost outcast because of it.

-Yeah, I do.

I feel a bit of a strange...

One of those strange old ladies that opens the door, "Yes, what do you want?"

Don't let people in. That's what I feel like. I don't even open the door fully cos my bed's in there.

Do you think an alternative would have been to just move into a different house, to just go away,

or do you love the house, no matter what's wrong with it?

-How do you feel about the house?

-I just love the house.

It's pretty much perfect, apart from what's inside it.

You get a nice view and really nice neighbours.

I go to school as well, so you just think, the location's perfect,

it's just what's inside the house that you can't...really...fix.

It's a good job we're here then. Part of our design is to reinstate the fireplace to give them

a warm heart at the centre of their home on cold winter nights.

Chris, explain what's going on.

We're going to take this out and by taking this out,

we've got to support this here.

We're going to take the bottom out and we've got some fixes in there to stabilise this brickwork,

then we're cutting a lintel, just to stabilise it all.

Thank you. With all this painstaking care and attention,

the side door's going to look great. If they ever finish it.

We've only got nine days, boys.

With work steaming full steam ahead, we're relying on one man

to make sure the kitchen is ready for the fitter by tomorrow. It's steamy Jules.

I'm asking you whether it's going to be finished by tomorrow.

-It will be at whatever stage it is.

-That's not good enough, is it?

I'm asking whether you're going to take on board.

-And I am prepared to offer you a reward.

-What's the reward then?

-What is it?

-A Scotch pie. Right, so here's the deal.

We need to have this finished by tomorrow night.

There's your little... You carry on. If you get it done, I have here...

..another one.

'Are you watching, Sir Alan Sugar? This is how you motivate people.'

Right, different grains, different bit.

'Look at this. The apprentices are getting a surprise bonus.

'Jimmy is giving them a lesson in how to make dressed stone for the new steps, with his bare hands.

'And a couple of tools. That's amazing.'

Two slab stones. All right, boys.

He's rightly chuffed with how that's turned out.

Sue's predicament was brought to our attention by two colleagues who work for her, Wendy and Morvern.

So I'm off to Dumfries to have a chat.

-So what's she like, as a person?

-She's fun.

She's just a good laugh, isn't she? Really good manager as well.

She's really supportive and gets involved.

She has loads of time for you.

It was you guys that wrote in to the show, originally.

Sue came in to work and her back porch had flooded.

It had been raining the night before. Her whole back porch was flooded.

Plus the water was coming through the ceiling and she was so, so upset.

-That was the day we decided enough was enough.

-So how does life change for her and the kids,

once the house is sorted out?

When we go home at night, we're happy to close our curtains

and sit down in our house, but Sue's never been able to do that

because she's never felt comfortable in her house.

When you walk into the house, you walk into her bedroom.

It would be nice for her and the girls to be able to go home,

cook together and sit down and have a family meal together.

That's not something you see every day.

Unless you live here, of course.

I wonder if any of this wool insulation came from those sheep outside.

What's so good about this then, eh? What's so good about it?

It's all made from British natural wool and anybody can install it.

I'm going to go up and do it.

It's very easy to install and it doesn't harm you.

You can wear any clothes.

-Don't tell him that. He'll be wearing a body stocking!

-A mankini!

'Yeah, boykini, more like! Now, Mark's getting over-excited.'

Stop it!

-I'm going in the loft.

-No, you're not going into the loft.

-I want to do it.

-You're not going in the loft!

Better get him out of the house before we disrupt the whole site.

So it's off to the local farm shop to help celebrate

the 16th birthday of Sue's daughter, Erin.

# Happy birthday to you

# Happy birthday to you

# Happy birthday, dear Erin

# Happy birthday to you. #

THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD

Make a wish!

Oh, fantastic!

You could have worn something a bit more colourful today.

If the weather's dull, just brighten yourself up and you feel bright.

-Why don't you wear bright things like that?

-Cos the weather's never dull in my little brain.

-Is it not?

No, it's always sunshine.

And strange whirly patterns.

The sun may be shining in Billy's brain, but the same cannot be said for here.

Rain is never welcome on a build. It won't stop us, but it can make it a lot harder than it needs to be.

He's come for the money shot. He'll be moaning about his back now.

All right, mate? Been swimming?

He'll be on about his backs now. Three bits of timber.

-How's your back?

-It's all right actually.

That was quite a good test. Up the hill with a bit of tree wood.

'Now, that's a better way to carry wood.'

It's amazing when you think about it.

I was helping mix up a concrete base last night and 24 hours later, we've got part of the extension.

Roof is going to go on top of that. It all comes in ready made bits.

It's an extraordinary way to build an extension quickly.

'It may be small, but it's perfectly formed,

'and this extension is going to make such a difference to living here.

'With the build well established, Hannah wants to show me her seat. No, really!'

-What have you got here, a cow?

-Nope. Right, so this is an Eames rocker.

It was designed by a husband and wife team, Charles and Ray Eames, in the '50s.

And it was just when plastics were coming in,

so it was actually revolutionary in its time.

To me, it looks beautiful, but often beautiful things aren't comfortable.

-Yes.

-But you sit in it and it just supports everything.

To be fair, it looks uncomfortable. But it's actually quite nice.

It's very sort of minimalist.

It is, but this is the look that Sue's going for.

This is a look that I love too.

So it's the first time we've ever used anything like this on DIY SOS.

It's an exciting moment. We're bringing some design classics into the house.

I think you're right. I think she'll love it.

I'm not sure I'd have it in my house, but I think she'll love it.

'Yeah, bit of old plastic though, really.'

Hannah's got a clear idea of the look she wants.

But she's determined to involve Sue in the choices she's making.

This is her home we're creating. Hannah wants to help things

return to normal for Sue after suffering from depression for so long.

Your style, Sue. Are you a traditional flowery sort of person?

-Or can we go modern?

-I'm completely not traditional flowery at all.

I quite like super modern culture.

Kind of... Don't know, quite retro. Edgy.

-I like things that are quite different.

-So you're happy for things to kind of clash, potentially?

-Quite happy for it to be just whatever comes my way.

-So you like colour. Not afraid of colour.

I'm not afraid of colour, no. I like lights and brightness.

What kind of colours do you like?

I love white walls and I like bright oranges and sort of retro pea greens.

OK, that's great cos I love all that too. Oh, good!

-So we're on the same wavelength there. That's fantastic.

-Yeah.

'Afraid of colour? Did someone once have an incident with an orange?'

And this is our answer to their difficulty with not having very much room in the house.

We're building what is essentially a summer house,

but outside, with an electric feed, it'll be fully insulated

and it's going to look out over this view.

What they're going to be looking at is this. Look at that. Isn't that just fabulous?

Who wouldn't want to sit there, daytime, winter, sunshine?

Gentleman, they say the sun shines on the righteous and it's doing it now!

'Listen to me. I sound like I'm in Braveheart!'

They can take our freedom, but they cannae take our monkey wrench.

Look at that!

-Nice.

-Beautiful!

Look at that.

A new day and another new challenge for Billy.

-Cos we've got the bed here, mum's having her...

-Enjoying yourself?

-I always do. It's lovely.

-You've been a little bit quiet. I just wondered why you're a bit quiet.

The first three or four days, till we broke the camel's back...

-Do you say "camel's back" up in Scotland?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Thanks for joining in.

-We've got camels in Scotland, yeah.

-Have you?

-Yeah.

-Camels?!

-Yeah, we've got camels.

-Where?

-They're wild here.

Make with a haggis.

-It's what haggis is made from.

-It's made with a haggis.

Haggis is made from sheep's stomach.

No, the sheep's stomach is what surrounds it, but the contents is made from camel meat.

'Can anyone smell burning rubber?'

Don't be silly!

-Yeah, you're right.

-There's no camels in Scotland!

They're native to Scotland.

Shut up!

-Jimmy!

-They're a wee bit furrier up here.

-Jimmy!

-They've got a thicker coat.

-Jimmy, do you have camels in Scotland?

-Yeah.

There you go.

-We've got lamas as well.

-Pardon?

-Llamas as well.

Llamas, there you go. Llamas and camels.

-CARRIES ON SHOUTING

-All right, shut up!

LAUGHTER DROWNS HIM OUT

If I didn't know Billy better, I'd think he was playing to the gallery.

In the living room, we've got more help than we could hope for.

Sue and the girls are getting a wood burner.

-I understand you've given us an exceptional deal.

-Yes.

-Do you want a man hug or not?

-Not a problem.

Thank you very much.

-What shall I make?

-Can you make an elephant?

Jules is a man of hidden depths, making insulation animals.

Excellent.

In such a close-knit community, it's important that no-one spills the beans,

and that includes the girls' school friends.

Girls, one question, have any of you driven past Niamh's house?

-I did, last night.

-Last night? Have you been asking them questions?

-Have you been asking them what your house looks like? Are you sure?

-She's sure.

Do you want to know or do you want to keep it as a surprise?

I don't know. I kind of want to know, but I don't at the same time.

-Do you want me to tell you about a tiny bit of it?

-Yeah.

Well, I'm not going to.

He's a tease, isn't he? She'll have to wait a few days yet.

-You've got a couple of plasterers in to help.

-Derek and Craig, they got here this morning.

-They're going to do the kitchen for us.

-Nice.

-He's very tall, that bloke.

-He is. How tall are you, Craig?

-6ft 7.

-Say that again.

-6ft 7.

6ft 7!

-Put your arms up in the air.

-I didn't think I was small.

'With people this big, it's like Gulliver's Travels.

'Of course, Gulliver went to see the land of the little people too.'

I wish you could smell this. It smells gorgeous!

It's cedar. Here it is, here. This here is so beautiful.

I've got a fair old honk on me, like,

but this is the most beautiful timber.

And what it'll do, it won't stay this colour,

it'll oxidise and it'll go slightly grey.

It'll look after itself and it'll just protect itself

from the weather because of its own natural oils and things. It's a really gorgeous timber.

That was another episode of Miller Sniffs Wood.

Jules has delivered on the kitchen preparations. He'll be expecting his reward.

-So, remember what I said to you yesterday?

-Yeah.

And the kitchen is finished. If you finished it in time...

The kitchen fitters are about to arrive.

-And you've managed to oversee it.

-Where is my cake, my pie?

-Your pie?

-Yeah.

-I'm awful sorry, I ate that.

-You ate my pie?

-Yeah.

I know I did promise to let you have the pie,

but I didn't think you'd finish, so I ate it.

My only reward was going to be a pie and you have eaten it.

Yeah. I'll get you another pie.

Oh, dear. With a kitchen like this, Sue and her daughters will finally

be able to cook and eat together.

Talking of eating,

some girls from down the lane have brought some sustenance.

Shortbread. It's still warm. Beautiful.

-Are you the girls that made that shortbread?

-Yes.

-Do you know what?

Christmas and birthdays my children, all they buy me is shortbread.

You get good and bad. That was the best.

Seriously. Thank you. No, it is, it's very good.

Mmm...

I love my job. This is, honestly, this is... I love it, honestly.

Fuelled by shortbread, Dougie is speeding through the tiling.

I think they've been needing a good bathroom for a long time, you know?

I didn't actually see the existing bathroom

so it was mostly updated, without a doubt, you know?

So this is going to make a big, big difference to them, you know?

The rain is just a way of life up here,

but with this home finish,

Sue and the girls will be warm and comfortable.

The neighbours can't believe the transformation that is underway.

Sue wasn't one to let you in the house.

She was always very friendly,

but you'd stay in the garden for a chat, you wouldn't go in.

But I did see the kitchen and realised when you went

to the front door, it was awkward

because it went straight into her bedroom.

I think it'll make a big difference.

The rain has made more mud, which is not ideal

when laying carpets.

We'll have to protect them before the decorators get here.

At least that's one thing we can rely on. With Mark Miller in charge,

we know all the people will turn up when they are needed.

He is in charge after all.

Lovely finish yesterday.

Floors down and all that. The house was doing really well.

And then, I come in this morning and we are very late on labour.

Which isn't a good thing.

We need decorators inside, we haven't got any decorators.

We've got to get this roof on here so the scaffolding can come down.

And we can get a soakaway fit to the back of the house.

We've got to get these flags laid here.

We've got to get this scrapped back

and we've got to get all the hardcore put in

to get this dried up. And this fence has to go in.

There is stacks to do and there is not enough people.

Well, it is difficult because we rely on people turning out

and whoever turns out does the work.

At least Wendy and Morvern, Sue's best friends from work

who I met earlier, are here to do what they can do to help.

I'm not sure what they can do to help. They're painting.

That's a good idea.

Well done, ladies, good thinking. Try and keep it on the walls.

SHE LAUGHS

THEY LAUGH

I didn't mean to do it!

How are we doing, ladies? A little bit of laughter.

This is a serious job. You are not supposed to paint your buddy.

You can't question this community's commitment,

everyone knows everyone.

My girlfriend dragged me down here.

So thank her for it than, huh?

The thing is we let her loose with a paintbrush in there

and I just found out she's a dreadful painter.

-She is.

-Oh, no!

Oh, no!

Right, I'll have a wee word with her inside.

You've been here for, sort of, five or six days so far,

doing bits and pieces, and now you're coming to the end of the job.

-Yeah.

-That's a lot of time to give someone.

As I say, when I heard Sue's situation and her girls' situation,

I was more than delighted to come along and help out.

It's going to benefit them for years to come.

Ah, the wood burner!

Once it's lit, Sue and the girls will be snug as bugs in rugs.

We can't fire it up because we don't have enough

carbon dinox...dinoxide?

Alarm thing yet. So we can't fire it up.

Try again. Hi.

We can fire her up at the moment

because we haven't got a carbon dinoxide thing on the ceiling.

-What are they called?

-Carbon monoxide alarm.

That's the word. I'll come again.

What is going on with the walk?

-What was that for?

-That was me coming in.

Why walk like John Wayne?

Cos he was a big geezer and he's professional.

And I'm a...bigger geezer.

I hope you're not thinking of lighting that up

because we haven't got a carbon dinoxide...

-What was it?

-Monoxide!

-Carbon minoxide?

-Monoxide.

-Monoxide. Alarm.

That's the word I was thinking of.

I hope you're not thinking of lighting that up at the moment.

We haven't got a carbon monoxide alarm fitted at the moment.

APPLAUSE

Simple, isn't it?

Yes, Billy, simple.

DANCE MUSIC

Dance along at home.

I am so sick of designers.

There is no design for the garden at all. Nobody has designed the garden.

So we're just going to have to make it up as we go along.

But you could do something.

Really not happy about this at this stage of the game, it's ridiculous.

You do it. Do something.

Nature abhors a vacuum and so does Mark, he is taking over everywhere.

Look, now he has taken a fence!

If we can get a garden centre or someone on board, and have some,

I don't know, trees or shrubs along this fence,

but leaving gaps where the doors are, where the big glass doors are,

so you're looking out onto this great view, you know?

I don't know. Just soften it all up a wee bit.

I went a bit designer there.

I don't know whether this isn't going to end up blocking us off.

I don't know if it's too early or late, it's a toss of a coin.

-Too early.

-It's too early, isn't it?

It's a nightmare.

Early or not, we have to deal with it.

Things are coming together very quickly now.

Inside, we've got proper decorators. The effort is phenomenal.

As Mark's discovering, people want to help

for a whole host of reasons, sometimes very personal ones.

I can relate a little bit.

You know, my dad passed away when I was 11,

so I know how difficult it was for my mum.

But, of course, Mum didn't have an illness.

And she didn't have a house in the condition this one was in.

-It is horrible, isn't it?

-It is.

-When you're young.

You think you've taken it on your shoulders.

-I lost my dad when I was 14.

-Did you?

-I sort of bounced through the whole thing.

-You can relate, as well.

-I feel quite strongly with this one, too.

-Yeah.

After all the effort, it's only

at this stage that we really get to see if Hannah's ideas are turning

this house into a home for Sue and the girls.

I can just see the look on his face. What do you think, Nick?

It's a big lamp for a small room, isn't it?

-We've got the height of the ceiling.

-That's true.

We wanted to exploit that

because it's not often in these cottages you get that.

It's like...it's like... one of those things dandelion heads.

-You know, the things you blow on.

-Yeah, dandelions. Two o'clock.

You can tell the time by blowing on them.

Hopefully, if you blow these, they'll stay exactly where they are.

-The door is going back.

-These are the upstairs doors.

-Beautiful.

Looking very lovely. We're liking that.

A bit of natural wood in the house.

Well oiled, I think. Took real skill to oil those.

Who oiled them? That'd be you, would it?

Talking of oily things, we haven't heard from Mark for a moment.

Can you actually turn it 180 degrees, right around on itself?

Yeah, he's becoming obsessed, isn't he?

The house is nearly ready, let's hope it provides the new start

that's needed for Sue, Niamh and Erin.

Do think this has been hard on your mum over the last few years?

Definitely, yeah.

My mum is quite a social person normally, but it's kind

of hard to be social if you can't invite someone to your own house,

kind of thing. Yeah, and it's just awfully...

My mum likes buildings and that and I guess she likes more open spaces.

-Sorry.

-That's OK.

I think you've got hugging duty on the end there.

You're going to have to do the hugging. You, um...

So, is this house, this change in this house,

most important for you guys or for your mum?

I think both of us, I guess. Like, maybe for different reasons.

For me and Niamh, so we can, like, invite friends over,

but for my mum, just so she feels more happy, I guess,

more happy about where she lives.

-Do think it has been a bit hard on her?

-Yeah.

They've been embarrassed.

Their wait is nearly over.

Tomorrow, we hand this house back.

Just nine days ago, this house was a dark,

depressing drain on the lives of Sue, Erin and Niamh.

Now, it's a bright, open home.

Gone is the cluttered, exposed bedroom.

In its place, a modern kitchen-diner.

This family can at last have their meals together.

We've knocked through to make a large, airy living area,

mixing the best of the traditional with modern design and colours.

New windows and insulation all round well help retain the warmth,

from the central heating and the new wood burner,

making this a cosy, comfortable cottage.

Upstairs, Erin has a room fit for a 16-year-old,

with built-in bed and a desk to do her animation.

Next door, the hole in the ceiling has been fixed

and we have created a cosy, natural feel for Niamh's bedroom.

Back downstairs,

we've added a small extension to create an all-important bathroom.

Mornings here will never be the same again.

There's new storage space

and a calming private bedroom for Sue.

Outside, we've added a drive, transformed the garden

and created a year-round summer house for use as a guest room

or a teenager's pad.

And everywhere we've made the most of the magnificent view.

From the summer house to Sue's bedroom to a new side entrance,

this cottage is now the home Sue dreamt of

when she and Barry bought it.

-Today is the day you turnover a new leaf, yes?

-It is, yes.

We hope we've given you the environment in which to do that.

-Are you ready?

-Yes, I think so. Yes.

-Open your eyes.

This is your new house.

-This is yours.

-That's incredible!

It's hard not to think of cliches, but it is totally like a dream.

You just sort of fantasize about somewhere you'd like to live.

It is absolutely incredible.

It's just spectacular.

I love these designs. Honestly, this is perfect.

This is just exactly the sort of things that I would buy

if I could have bought them.

I didn't expect to have anything as lovely as this.

I can't believe it, actually. It's amazing.

These colours are just perfect, the sort of colours I would choose.

Oh, my gosh, I didn't notice that door.

See? This is what I dreamed about doing, is doing the doors like this.

Yep.

-Erin's room.

-Wow.

Look at the bedspread. That's manga. She likes her manga.

Oh, gosh, so it is, yeah.

That's fantastic. She's going to absolutely love that.

Niamh's room.

That is beautiful.

I love that wallpaper. That is incredible.

It looks so... Because she likes all things nature.

What's out there?

There wasn't anything there before, just a wall.

I can't remember. I thought there was just a wall.

Open the door a second.

Oh, dear. How did that...? How is this...? Wow.

Goodness me, it just feels as if it shouldn't be here

because that's the wall.

-That is beautiful. Is that a radiator?

-Yeah. And a towel warmer.

-Is it?

-It does both things.

-Look at that.

Niamh's going to be over the moon to have a bath in here.

-Happy?

-I'm...

Beyond happy. I'm still stunned.

-Completely and utterly stunned.

-That's everything, is it?

No, I need to sleep somewhere.

-Oh, my goodness me.

-Your new room.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but it's...

I'm disorientated again. Can I look out the window?

That's the whole point. Why don't you sit

on your bed and look out at that view you'll be looking

-at every morning.

-Oh, my goodness me.

I can't... Honestly, it's amazing.

The rest of the house...

I feel it's all as a family.

That's why I feel quite upset, because this was for me

and it feels a bit...

Sorry.

I know everyone's...

Scooch over a bit, I'll give you a hug.

It's a new start.

Yeah. I can't feel depressed in this room, can I?

Cos it's a happy room, isn't it?

What happens in the future now?

How do things change?

The biggest thing personally for me

is I'm looking forward to coming home to the house.

I didn't used to want to come home.

I used to dread coming in the door because it was so miserable.

I'll be skipping off work early now.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-Slip out onto your new patio.

Oh, goodness.

Wow.

-Noticed that, have you?

-Yes, I certainly have noticed that.

I thought you might need a garden shed. Look through the windows.

-Oh, my goodness me. Honestly.

-Have a seat.

Genuinely, apart from having my two doors,

this is the best thing we could ever experience. It's bizarre.

It's really bizarre. It's amazing.

What do you think of your friends who wrote in for you?

What do I think of my friends?

I love them.

They've become friends.

They were my colleagues, now they've become my best friends.

I can't thank them enough, they've been amazing.

What about this community you live in?

I know. I tell you what, that is what has been fantastic.

Everybody, genuinely, in the street and in the shops,

people I don't know but I recognise them, you see them around,

have come up and said really nice things to me. And said,

"I'm really pleased for you. You really deserve it."

It has changed my thinking, Nick, in terms of the way I view myself.

It genuinely has changed my thinking.

I'm actually starting to think I'm not that bad, actually.

I can't wait for the girls to be in and just for them

to put their stuff about and make things and just be in the house

-and fill it full of ourselves again.

-What do think they'll make of it?

I think, if I'm shocked, they're going to be really, really shocked.

-You ready?

-Uh-huh.

-Open your eyes.

-It's good.

-It's definitely good, yeah.

Wow.

I didn't expect this.

Honestly, I don't know what to say.

-Whose is the best bedroom?

-Mine.

-Yours. Whose is the best bedroom?

-Mine.

-Good, so it's worked out. That's the beauty of design,

when you both think you got the best bedroom.

Wow!

What is your favourite thing in the whole house, do you think?

-My bedroom.

-Your bedroom?

-Yeah.

-You still think that's the best, do you?

-Yeah.

-What about you, Erin?

Probably the living room kitchen thing.

Because there's a lot more space here.

It's spectacular. Seriously spectacular.

It's a really nice mixture of the living room,

sort of open plan area being all funky and colourful and bright

and cheerful and then coming in here and it's really serene.

It's got everything you could possibly want.

Everything.

And now it's time for Sue

and her girls to meet the people who did all this work.

APPLAUSE

Oh, my word!

These are some of the team that have helped out.

There are a few that couldn't be back today.

They've done an amazing amount of work

in such a short time.

I wonder whether you might actually explain

to the guys who have been doing the work why this is

such a big deal.

We've had a house for a long time, but it has not been a home to us,

and this has made it into a home for us,

somewhere that's warm and safe,

somewhere that's bright and not depressing,

somewhere we can be together as a family.

It's just incredible.

I'm absolutely stunned. I can't thank everybody enough.

Everybody's been incredible. I can't believe all you helped.

It's just absolutely stunning. It's stunning, isn't it?

It's going to set me off. It's amazing.

You're looking at an amazing bunch of people.

On our behalf, on behalf of the team,

we get to travel around the country

and turn up in communities and ask for people's help,

but from our point of view, and from the team, it's amazing.

So, thank you very much. Thank you.

I tell you what, it's made me...

I've made so many friends through the process,

people who were my colleagues and are now my best buddies.

Everyone has been so kind and sweet towards us.

-Haven't they?

-Yeah.

-I'm going to get upset.

# It starts with an end. #

-It's good to see you back. Best wishes for you.

-Thank you.

It's absolutely beautiful.

It's beautiful. Thanks so much.

-I'm Lenny.

-Hi, Lenny.

-We paned your windows and your doors for you.

Is there enough white with splashes of colour in there for you?

What did you think? Do you love it?

It's stunning. I'm trying not to think about it.

-I'm John Brodsky and I've done your flooring.

-Oh, beautiful.

-It's amazing. Did you?

-Yep.

-It's spectacular.

-Hi, Sue.

I'm Dougie Taylor. I've tiled your bathroom.

We did all your electrics for you.

Listen, you're a lifesaver, you know how dangerous it was.

He made an awful lot of mess. Mud everywhere.

-Hey.

-Hi, there.

-Hi.

I helped clean and paint.

# In which you have basked

# You're tied to the mast. #

This job has made me think of something my dad used to say

to me many years ago.

I'm not sure I fully understood at the time.

He used to say, "You do the right thing not for a round of applause

"but because it is the right thing to do.

"And you do it whether anybody else is joining in or not."

We can see here,

there's a whole load of people that have done the right thing.

They've made such a change that two young girls now go forward

into their lives believing that it's not just an avalanche

of bad all the time, good things CAN happen.

Perhaps you know somebody who needs some help.

# Does it start with an end?

# Does it start with an end?

# Start with an end

# To all of the ends Of all the centuries

# Where born from the fall out breeze

# Bit parts in a role With the dust and the ghosts... #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd