0:00:02 > 0:00:05House prices are going through the roof and with banks often refusing
0:00:05 > 0:00:11to lend, buying a home in the UK is an impossible dream for many of us.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14We just can't get a mortgage and around here the house prices are so high.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20But a few brave ordinary people are pursuing a radical solution to the problem.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25Come on, baby. Trying to build their own home from scratch.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28I haven't asked him whether he thinks I'm stupid or brave!
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Ground-breaking architect Piers Taylor and me, Kieran Long,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35are following six self-builders as they take on the biggest
0:00:35 > 0:00:40gamble of their lives. I haven't got any option.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42If you've got to do it, you've got to do it.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46We'll try to help them create the dream home they've longed for. Wow!
0:00:48 > 0:00:51They need to be clever with their cash and creative with design.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56So tell me what your reaction is to this. I'm quite surprised.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I'm quite liking it.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Or you can get the whole section of the plane as a ready-made
0:01:02 > 0:01:07bit of building. But each has their life savings at stake...
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Oh! What have they done? ..little or no experience...
0:01:11 > 0:01:15I've got some more drawings, actually. This is good as it gets.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19..and a budget of less than ?100,000 to spend.
0:01:19 > 0:01:25How much money have you got left? Let's see. But it won't be easy.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28No point in crying over a cardboard cottage.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35This time, unable to buy a house in their home county of Devon,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38a young newlywed couple attempt to build their own.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41We desperately need the house to start our family
0:01:41 > 0:01:43in our own space.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46They'll need ?95,000 for the build.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50How much money have you got? 60 grand, top whack.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54So there seems to be a problem there.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58If this couple fails to do this, it's sending out a message that
0:01:58 > 0:02:01good quality affordable housing is unachievable.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04But with so much pressure on them to succeed...
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Justin is getting very stroppy and obviously everything is my fault.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11..how will they cope when the build stops going to plan?
0:02:11 > 0:02:15It should be watertight but how has water managed to get in behind there?
0:02:30 > 0:02:33I'm heading to rural Devon to meet a young couple who are facing
0:02:33 > 0:02:37a kind of perennial problem for countryside communities.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41How can young people afford to stay in a place where they were born?
0:02:41 > 0:02:45In places like this, young people are simply priced out of the market
0:02:45 > 0:02:50by people owning holiday homes and money from outside these communities.
0:02:56 > 0:02:5824-year-old farm worker Justin
0:02:58 > 0:03:02and 22-year-old accountant Mary are Devon born and bred.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08It's what we know. It's why I would hate to live in a city, I'd hate to live in town.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12I just love living out in the country. Buzz, come by! Come by!
0:03:12 > 0:03:13Come by! Come by!
0:03:13 > 0:03:16They go in the garden up there and she's got prize roses
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and everything in there, so if they'd got in the garden up there,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21we would have been dead meat!
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Good boy, Buzz, good boy.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Both from local families, they've been together since school.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32They're engaged and have a date set for their wedding within a year.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34So they want to get out of rented accommodation
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and into a house of their own.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42We desperately need the house to start our family in our own space, just to be independent.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44This property is extremely important to us.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It's probably the most important thing we've ever done.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Can't wait to move in.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51Mary is desperate for babies!
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Don't say that! I just did!
0:03:57 > 0:03:59But money is tight.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Justin dreams of owning a farm one day
0:04:01 > 0:04:04but unpredictable contract jobs are all he currently has.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Mary is just starting out in a career in accountancy
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and her wage is the only guaranteed income they have.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15We wouldn't be able to build a house if I didn't have a
0:04:15 > 0:04:17full-time job as well because Justin is self-employed,
0:04:17 > 0:04:22so obviously his is very up and down and this is much more reliable.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28But the average house price in their part of Devon is about ?180,000.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32They are completely priced out of the market.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36We want to stay here and we want to keep working our own land
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and our own sheep and everything.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41You know, moving away wasn't really an option for us.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47But Justin and Mary have one chance to get what they want.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Justin inherited a plot of land after his mother died
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and has managed to get permission to build on it.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57They're taking advantage of a local affordable housing scheme
0:04:57 > 0:05:01but there are tight restrictions on size and resale.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04There's just no other way for people our age around here
0:05:04 > 0:05:07who want to stay here to do it,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11so, yeah, it seems to be the only way you can do it, really.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Mary's dad is an architect
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and has drawn up plans for a no-frills self-build home.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20He knows how important this project is.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25What is making this building so fascinating for me
0:05:25 > 0:05:29is can we make a building really, really cheap?
0:05:29 > 0:05:32The planning stipulates that the house can never be worth more
0:05:32 > 0:05:37than three and a half times the local average salary of around ?25,000.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41He hopes this can be built for just 95.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45It's going to need a great deal of free labour from Mary and Justin
0:05:45 > 0:05:48to hit the budget.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51But creating a beautiful home takes more than just hard graft
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and this is where they are real novices.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58I haven't got absolutely no clue with design.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03Just nice, neutral colours and things. Nothing too crazy.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Everything will just be simple and clean.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07That's how we'd like it, innit, really.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16This is the one shot at getting a home and with the foundations laid,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18I want to see what they've got planned.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22Hi there. Hello.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Hi, Mary. Hi. Hi. Hello, Kieran. Justin. Nice to meet you.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30This is all very exciting. Yeah, it is. It looks like a building site. Where are we standing now?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34This is our kitchen, dining room and living room.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38And then our prized possession in here will be the wood burner Um, this is...
0:06:38 > 0:06:41We love the wood burner, don't we, in the house we live in?
0:06:41 > 0:06:42So this will have a back boiler
0:06:42 > 0:06:45and it will sit back against the kitchen units.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49It's really in the heart of the space here. It's amazing. It's going to be the hearth of your home.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Yes. I'm really looking forward to on a cold winter's night, lying in front
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and a three-piece settee across there.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Looking at the rain hammering against that window with
0:06:58 > 0:07:00a wood burner about here. Perfect.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Working on farms, we've got unlimited access to wood, basically.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08It should be fairly cheap for us to run, really.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Justin and Bailey's home is simple and safe
0:07:10 > 0:07:14in terms of design but risks being somewhat uninspiring.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Planning stipulates it can only be 100 square metres and
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Mary's Dad has worked hard to create a very efficient two-bedroom house.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Downstairs, a central wood burner will minimise fuel costs
0:07:31 > 0:07:35by heating the entire home.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38The small kitchen divides off the main living area
0:07:38 > 0:07:43and a traditional heavy-set staircase leads to the second floor.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45There's a separate utility and shower downstairs which will
0:07:45 > 0:07:48prevent mud from being traipsed all over the house.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52The whole home is extremely functional
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and designed to keep costs down. So let's talk about numbers.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Let's talk about budget, because that's critical on this build.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03How much is this build going to cost to complete, first?
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Roughly guessing, John, Mary's Dad, the architect, has done a rough
0:08:07 > 0:08:12budget and he reckons between 90 and 95,000, everything, all in.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14How much money have you got?
0:08:14 > 0:08:18With everything all in, with everything we can sell off, like
0:08:18 > 0:08:22my tractor and different things, we've got about 60 grand, tops.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27But that is absolute top whack. So there seems to be a problem there.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30What are you going do about the rest of the money?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I think we are quite good at saving and I think that
0:08:33 > 0:08:37if we can get it watertight and then do it as and when we get money,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40um, I think we're going to be all right, you know.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Just for this initial getting it up and getting it going and
0:08:43 > 0:08:48getting us in, money is everything so it's just got to be cheap.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54They've saved hard but a ?30,000 shortfall
0:08:54 > 0:08:56is a bad place to start any build.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00I'm worried they may not even get a watertight shell.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04But this pair are desperate to settle here.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07We're in a bit of fairyland down here, probably,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09but we have worked hard to get where we are so
0:09:09 > 0:09:14I always think hard work pays off and hopefully, it will for us.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21With lack of experience, aspiration and money, I'm concerned they'll
0:09:21 > 0:09:25squander this one chance to create a beautiful, unique home for life.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33I'm on my way to meet award-winning architect Piers Taylor.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37He specialises in bringing aspirational design to affordable
0:09:37 > 0:09:41budgets and he knows that they'll only have one chance at this.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44This site is their dream site, this is where,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47if they could choose anywhere in the world, this is where they'd
0:09:47 > 0:09:49build a house, and that's such an amazing opportunity.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51The danger is it'll be six months' time,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53they will have built it and it'll be too late
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and then they realise it's a missed opportunity to make
0:09:55 > 0:09:58something that is the house of their dreams that makes them
0:09:58 > 0:10:00feel fantastic every time they go inside the door.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Clearly here, it's a sensible building.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06It's well designed, it's efficiently planned and that should be applauded.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09The thing now is to really get them to have fun,
0:10:09 > 0:10:10to get them to enjoy this.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14It looks like, at the moment, it's all slightly too sensible.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18There's a myriad of ways they could try to make their home feel
0:10:18 > 0:10:21individual without costing more.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I mean it might be as simple as doing something kind of interesting
0:10:24 > 0:10:27with the staircase cos it looks like it's got to be a, sort of,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29bespoke thing anyway so making something kind of beautiful
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and interesting with that.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35You know, there's a funny subdivision of an open-planned space.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39I think it would be better if this was just more open plan.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42One big challenge will be encouraging them to swap a
0:10:42 > 0:10:46traditional, heavy-set staircase for something far more simple and sleek.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Another is taking a less conventional approach
0:10:50 > 0:10:54to their kitchen and living area, to make the most of limited space.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Then raise their design aspirations and give them
0:10:59 > 0:11:01the confidence to make it their own.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04They need to understand that to be even slightly different
0:11:04 > 0:11:05isn't necessarily a bad thing.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07You know, they don't just need to conform.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13But we need to move fast. Justin and Mary's house is taking shape.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21The timber frame is arriving on site.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26By the time it's up, they'll have spent over half their ?60,000 savings
0:11:26 > 0:11:28but it'll be far from finished.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32When they say how much we've got to pay when the frame turns up,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I suddenly thought, "It's quite a lot of money."
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Mary's father is overseeing this stage of the project.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43He chose a timber frame over traditional masonry.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45We chose a timber frame because you know that the stuff that's
0:11:45 > 0:11:48been built in the factory has been built properly,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50you know that the insulation has been packed
0:11:50 > 0:11:53into all of the little voids and of course it's extremely eco, you know?
0:11:53 > 0:11:55It's got a good carbon footprint
0:11:55 > 0:11:57instead of using lots of concrete blocks.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I mean, it's a straightforward job but, yeah, they are relying on me
0:12:03 > 0:12:06to steer them through this and to get right.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12While their house takes shape,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15they're working flat out trying to pay for it.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Getting up at quarter to five and then milking
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and then by the time I've milked and fed the cows and then scraped up,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and we done silage last week as well, so that was midnight finishing.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31And Mary's not only holding down a full-time job,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34she's got to deal with the next thing on their list of priorities -
0:12:34 > 0:12:35the wedding.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40So, what's normal with the...erm... with the hog roast, then?
0:12:40 > 0:12:43People just sort of stand up and eat it? Yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46It's just hard to do everything, really, isn't it?
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Having to work and then come and do things like this
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and then Justin asking me questions about the house and everything.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's very difficult to keep up with everything.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01But Justin's been doing the house and so I've been
0:13:01 > 0:13:04focusing on the wedding, so it's not been too bad
0:13:04 > 0:13:05but we're both not sleeping,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Justin and I are both not sleeping very well
0:13:07 > 0:13:11because we've both got things going through our heads all the time.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15With so much to think about and all their money pressures,
0:13:15 > 0:13:20I'm worried they'll fail to create the magical home this young couple deserve.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25I want to prove that taking the easy option isn't the solution
0:13:25 > 0:13:29and that it IS possible to create something extraordinary,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31even on a tiny budget.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37The two most pressing challenges for the self-builder, really,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39are always limited funds - lack of money -
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and the pressure from planners
0:13:42 > 0:13:44to do just the same as everybody else does.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47You know, another bungalow in a street full of bungalows.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51But this is a house that shows with a bit of application and creativity,
0:13:51 > 0:13:52you don't have to do that.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Nestled on a typical suburban street in Hull,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05this property also had strict regulations on size
0:14:05 > 0:14:08but was pushed to the limits of what was possible.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12They've ended up with a home which feels unique.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17From the street, you'd never expect to find a double height space
0:14:17 > 0:14:20bathed in light from various different directions
0:14:20 > 0:14:22with a mezzanine in there,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24a grand bedroom that also looks out on the garden
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and I think it's really clever that they've carved this space
0:14:27 > 0:14:29out of a context that's just all bungalows,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31where they were told they had to do a single-storey dwelling.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34In fact, they've made something quite spectacular.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45This building cost around ?130,000 to build
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and that to me is fantastic value for what they've ended up with.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50And actually, they've got space for living in
0:14:50 > 0:14:52that's quite unique and is exactly what this client wanted,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55which is space for family, for grandchildren, for dinners,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58to welcome people into and also, to be connected to
0:14:58 > 0:15:01this lovely garden that they clearly take a lot of care over.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I just think, you know, for 130 grand it's just brilliant value.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Despite the low budget, their ambition was high.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09The owners invested time and imagination,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13rather than simply money, to find inexpensive materials and fittings.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17In a way it's kind of an obvious point in a modern looking
0:15:17 > 0:15:20building like this, but there are no doors on the ground floor,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22almost no internal doors at all.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26This panel system is highly insulated, it's highly efficient,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28it's not going to get cold and draughty in here -
0:15:28 > 0:15:30this is a modern building. Justin and Mary's is just the same.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32They're going for high levels of insulation -
0:15:32 > 0:15:34they don't need internal doors,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37especially in a building as small as they have.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43The staircase proves how a single feature can make an interior unique.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49After a quote of ?12,000 for an oak one,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53they built this for ?650 from railway sleepers.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58That adds a certain kind of handmade charm to this space,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01but it also has saved them a load of money.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03One of the stories of this building, I think,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06is about cutting down on trades in order to cut down on cost.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I think one really interesting stat about this place
0:16:12 > 0:16:15is that it's comparable to Justin and Mary's house
0:16:15 > 0:16:16in terms of its cost per square metre.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18I mean, that blew me away when I found out.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Although this is a bigger building and there are certain economies of scale,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25there's so much more to it than Justin and Mary's design right now -
0:16:25 > 0:16:27this amazing double height living space,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29these quite characterful bedrooms and so on.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Justin and Mary have always been worried of going for
0:16:32 > 0:16:33something fairly bog-standard.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Low-budget, smaller properties can be outstanding.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42We need to inspire Justin and Mary to be more ambitious.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48But it's a problem that has dominated the UK for years.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53This country has been wrecked by bad low-cost buildings.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55The key thing that we need to solve is how, as a nation,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59can we do low-cost things in an inventive and an interesting way?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03The lowest cost things are often the best design.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06So, you can buy a good low-cost car, you can
0:17:06 > 0:17:09buy a good low-cost camera, you can buy a good low-cost phone,
0:17:09 > 0:17:10you can buy a good low-cost anything
0:17:10 > 0:17:13but you can only buy a bad low-cost developer house.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I think that design really can radically change the way
0:17:19 > 0:17:23everyone lives, everyone, even the most lowest cost thing
0:17:23 > 0:17:26can be radically changed by really good design.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Piers is on his way to Devon to see if Justin and Mary are willing
0:17:31 > 0:17:35to take some risks to have something exceptional of their own.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Hi there. Hello. Hi, Justin. Piers. Hi, Mary. Hi.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43So, this is the house of your dreams? Yeah, it will be.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Tell me what it's going to be like. What's it going to look like?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49A house!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I think we're just trying to keep everything simple
0:17:51 > 0:17:53because that keeps the cost down.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56What would be great to hear is how your personalities,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00your lifestyle, your ambition for this is transforming this
0:18:00 > 0:18:01from just a house into your house.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04It would be nice to do it a bit different but I don't think
0:18:04 > 0:18:07we're ever going to be able to make it that much different and
0:18:07 > 0:18:11that much like any traditional sort of thing just because of cost.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Every bit of detail or anything nice costs a lot of money, doesn't it?
0:18:15 > 0:18:18You don't kind of think it's possible to do that on a budget?
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I'm the type of bloke, I suppose I go for the easy life a bit more,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24so what ever gets it at an affordable price,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27then that's the option I'll take, I suppose, isn't it?
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I'm no designer!
0:18:29 > 0:18:30So, let's go in.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Getting the frame up is a huge achievement,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37but their hard work starts here.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39We need to get them to realise
0:18:39 > 0:18:43it's a blank canvas they can do anything with.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So, tell me what's going on the wall?
0:18:46 > 0:18:48This presumably isn't the finish?
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Basically, plasterboard on that and skim
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and I don't know what colour the finish is going to be yet.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Magnolia... I don't know! Are you really going to paint it magnolia?
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Yeah, I was going to really paint it magnolia.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07But here, you're talking architrave, skirtings, plaster, magnolia,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10why all that stuff? It's your house, you can do anything you like.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11There's no rule book.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14You know, you could do the most amazing thing in the world
0:19:14 > 0:19:16that you really love here.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Most of it's just trying to keep it simple and cheap.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I would suggest, actually, buildings like this
0:19:22 > 0:19:25don't typically need skirting, certainly don't need cornices.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27So, magnolia doesn't need to be...
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I mean, magnolia is a kind of,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33it's the white sliced bread of the housing world.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Yeah, it would be good to see it...
0:19:35 > 0:19:38It's having an idea of how else to do it.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40All I know is magnolia, you know?
0:19:40 > 0:19:44If someone showed me something completely different,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48it's hard to imagine until you see it, isn't it? You know, it's...
0:19:48 > 0:19:50It sounds as if it could be really useful to take you to
0:19:50 > 0:19:54somewhere where somebody has done something a little bit different.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57You say, you know, about everyone on a housing estate
0:19:57 > 0:19:59does the same thing. Well, they do that because it works
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and it's cheap and it's effective and it stays there.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03I'm not sure that's true, actually.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06I think they do it because developers don't give them a choice.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08There's no issue with anyone else living here. It's for you.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12You know, your thing, your choices, your decisions right here.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Yeah. Definitely.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16THEY LAUGH NERVOUSLY
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Like others, Justin and Mary are overwhelmed
0:20:19 > 0:20:22by what they know rather than what they could have.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27What's good about this is that this is actually
0:20:27 > 0:20:30a really tangible solution to low-cost housing.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32There's a serious issue in this country at the moment
0:20:32 > 0:20:36that nobody knows how to build interesting low-cost housing,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40whereas this is a model that could be rolled out
0:20:40 > 0:20:44if you could find a way to effectively add personality to it.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49There's no greater reminder of the need to create a wonderful home
0:20:49 > 0:20:51than the arrival of their wedding day.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55BELLS RING
0:21:01 > 0:21:05With family and friends gathered, this is clearly where they belong.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21This is like the start of our lives together now,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25so get the house built and then that'll be us.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38While on honeymoon, the build moves forward.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43Between autumn showers, roofers get it closer to becoming watertight.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48But that eats up over ?7,000.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Their savings are disappearing fast.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54It's more important than ever we inspire the newlyweds
0:21:54 > 0:21:56to create the best possible home.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08This is Holly Barn in rural Norfolk.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Winner of the prestigious Manser Medal in 2006,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16it's one of Britain's most stunning homes.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Clearly, this house is bigger and it's far more expensive
0:22:22 > 0:22:25than their building, but undoubtedly in this building
0:22:25 > 0:22:28there are all sorts of things they can take back to their house -
0:22:28 > 0:22:30the little touches that will lift their building,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and I think it's those things that we've come here today to see.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36So, architect's daughter,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I've brought you to a prize-winning architect-designed house.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43You know, for its time, the best house in the United Kingdom.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44What do you think?
0:22:44 > 0:22:46My dad would be very jealous.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49I must admit, I'm not really bothered, but...
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Dad'll kill me for saying that!
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I guess it is the "not really that bothered" thing.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58You think that to do things different is going to mark you out as
0:22:58 > 0:22:59the kind of crazy woman in the village,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03who's going to live in a pink house or, you know...
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Yeah, yeah, I suppose so,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07but then it's easier if you're an architect,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09so you get excited about that.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I'm an accountant, I would get excited about, you know...
0:23:12 > 0:23:15That's kind of why I want to bring you here,
0:23:15 > 0:23:16really to provoke a reaction either way.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19You might hate it, you might love it,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21but to kind of see what you think about this.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25We want to convince them
0:23:25 > 0:23:28it IS worth the effort to work hard on the design.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33And worthwhile for anyone - architect, accountant or farmer.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Here, inexpensive paints and materials
0:23:37 > 0:23:40are used throughout the house.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Justin spots something he likes straight away.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47I like that, it's a good idea. Yeah. It's this acrylic sheet.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50We've got a void above our stairs and the spare room,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53there's not going to be much light in the spare room
0:23:53 > 0:23:57and I think that would be a really good idea to put above the void,
0:23:57 > 0:23:58into the spare room.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Really pleased that you like this and you want to do it,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04because it's different and it's unusual, it's simple,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06it's great for getting borrowed light in.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It's probably six quid or something.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Peers has a much bigger design alteration to suggest.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16One of the other things this house has is an open staircase.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19You don't necessarily need to do one just like this
0:24:19 > 0:24:23but you can see how much more spacious this makes this place feel.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Undoubtedly, it lets so much light through it.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26I'm not sure about the glass.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Yeah, you don't need to do glass - glass is expensive.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31But two straight stringers with some chunky boards
0:24:31 > 0:24:35with an upstand at the back is all you need, really.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39I think it's a very nice idea, having the open rises.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Mary says it's very impractical for kids.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46And also, we were going to have under stairs storage.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48You could have, for example, low storage.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Interestingly, they've got to be building reg compliant for babies,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56so this will have an opening that's no greater than 100mm
0:24:56 > 0:24:59so babies can't get through there.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00The primary thing, though,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03is to convince you to do something beautiful and amazing
0:25:03 > 0:25:06that is special and is yours and doesn't just default
0:25:06 > 0:25:08to the practical option of storage, you know?
0:25:08 > 0:25:11The staircase is the first thing you see when you come in,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13defines that big void right at the front of the house.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16You know, you've got to do something amazing.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Commitment? Yeah.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25His other bold idea is to improve their kitchen and dining area.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Opening this room up will improve the sense of space and light,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32which is exactly what they've done here.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42So, first of all, initial reaction?
0:25:42 > 0:25:45It's lovely, isn't it? Very open, lovely. Yeah.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51How about the island kitchen? Yeah, I like the idea of it.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I don't know how we can do it particularly in ours
0:25:54 > 0:25:55because of the wood burner.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57But the wood burner would just be on the end.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I think it would work well. Yeah? Yeah, I think it is workable.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02I think you really need to consider your kitchen,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05stop it sort of dividing up that room. Yeah.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08I like the table. I do like the modern look.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I don't like it because it's too modern. Mm.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13'So, I think Justin was the big surprise.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15'You know, farmers resist, kind of,'
0:26:15 > 0:26:17things that they see that they think might be a bit girly,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19you know, the interior design of the house,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22your physical environment, comfort, those kind of things,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24but Justin embraced that wholeheartedly.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27They could end up with something that was fantastic, you know,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30but I feel at the moment, Mary's slightly resisting that.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39But, having realised their home can be more than four walls and a roof,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41it may not even be that.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Five months after the build started, they are now weeks behind schedule.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50A bout of terrible weather has meant
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Justin's had to prioritise farming over building
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and there have been major consequences for the timber frame.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00How's water managed to get in behind there?
0:27:02 > 0:27:06It should be watertight but that's what we're up against.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11The house is soaked through.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Basically, the USB boards have blown inside,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17so it's created a swell,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20so when I put my board along the outside
0:27:20 > 0:27:22there's no air gap in between, so like there,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25there's a lovely air gap but on this one here
0:27:25 > 0:27:29and quite a few others along this side, there won't be no air gap
0:27:29 > 0:27:33and it'll create a damp spot in behind and eventually rot it out.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35The frame company is telling me that it's
0:27:35 > 0:27:39because it hasn't been covered up but the building inspector tells me
0:27:39 > 0:27:43that it should be watertight for at least 12 months.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46The weather has just been so atrocious down here again.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47We've had so much rain in the last six weeks.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51But it's just now annoying that the weather has come better now
0:27:51 > 0:27:55we can't crack on and do what we want to do because of this problem.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Until this problem is resolved, the build will remain at a standstill
0:28:00 > 0:28:03and things could get far more serious.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06We've paid like 30 grand for this, it's all our life savings that we've
0:28:06 > 0:28:09put into this, so I don't know how much money it's going to cost us.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11We just need the job done so we can move forward.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14So, there's no good us arguing about costs at the moment
0:28:14 > 0:28:18because if we argue about it it'll take a month, two months,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21three months down the line, so we just need to get the job done
0:28:21 > 0:28:24and worry about it after, really -
0:28:24 > 0:28:27argue it out after how much we're going to pay and not pay.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30I mean, we have had an incredible amount of rain
0:28:30 > 0:28:32in the last two or three months
0:28:32 > 0:28:36but that's not my fault as much as it's not the timber frame's fault.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40So, I don't know. We'll see.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44They began with barely enough money to build a watertight shell.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Massive additional costs now could result in them
0:28:47 > 0:28:49abandoning the project completely.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53If they can't complete this low-cost build,
0:28:53 > 0:28:55it sends out a grim message to others.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03A month later, I head to site.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12Thankfully, things have progressed.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Justin's started putting the next layer of cladding on,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17but I want to get the latest on his dealings
0:29:17 > 0:29:18with the timber frame company.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22They have been very good.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25They've come back and done the work and we haven't had a bill as of yet.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27What kind of numbers were they talking about?
0:29:27 > 0:29:30They didn't even give us a price but it would have been, I reckon,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32up to five grand, it would have been. Really?
0:29:32 > 0:29:35What affect would that have had if it had been a five grand bill?
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Well, it would've just delayed the build
0:29:37 > 0:29:39and probably made us go over our budget.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43I mean, it's a tight enough build anyway without adding extra costs in
0:29:43 > 0:29:44that you haven't catered for.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47You've put in a lot of work on a lot of fronts right now.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48Take me through your typical day.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51For example, today I got up at five,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55so I was out the door at like 20 to six and then milked 160 cows.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59Done that, and then me and my brother moved all our own sheep around
0:29:59 > 0:30:03and fed the sheep and moved some lambs, so it was about 11 o'clock.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05So then I had a quick bit of breakfast
0:30:05 > 0:30:09and then I'll spend all day here. Then I've got to milk again tonight.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12That'll be about half four tonight, I'll go back and milk again
0:30:12 > 0:30:14and then that'll take me to about eight o'clock
0:30:14 > 0:30:17and by then I'll be ready for a bath, can of beer, and bed.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19HE LAUGHS But you seem to love it.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Yeah, you either love it or hate it. I love it.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27I'd love my own farm, but can't afford one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35It's an astonishing but punishing schedule. I hope he can keep it up.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37At least his dad is rallying to help.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Father's on holiday, so he thought it was a good idea to get Father.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Cheap staff, you see.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50It's just as important for their families that this home works.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Does it annoy you that for young people in areas like this,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56it's hard to find a home and find a job?
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Yes, it is.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01When you've got people like Justin that want to go farming,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04it does upset you a little bit.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08What do you think is the effect on the communities you know around here
0:31:08 > 0:31:11when the young people have to go elsewhere to find work?
0:31:11 > 0:31:14It affects the schools and everything else.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18You know, if the youngsters aren't - like Justin and Mary -
0:31:18 > 0:31:21having a next generation to keep the schools going,
0:31:21 > 0:31:22then the schools close.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Because communities need their young couples. Of course they do.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29That is the thing. They want all the age groups to make it work.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32But before I leave,
0:31:32 > 0:31:35I want to know whether completing this dream is still a possibility.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39'How much of their initial ?60,000 is left?'
0:31:39 > 0:31:41Tell me how much of your budget is spent so far.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43We're up to about 60 grand at the minute.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46So all of their savings are gone.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Is it now your monthly money that you are trying to work with?
0:31:49 > 0:31:53It's now got to monthly money, yeah. It is just basically...
0:31:53 > 0:31:56So everything you have ever saved is in here now? It is, yeah.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Somehow, Justin is still smiling.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01But with hand-to-mouth finances,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04just progressing this build at all is in doubt.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10We'll have to work even harder to come up with affordable ideas
0:32:10 > 0:32:13to make their home special, starting with that staircase.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18The problem on plan is that a quarter of the ground floor
0:32:18 > 0:32:20of the building is taken up with a staircase.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24I think the staircase as planned is too complex. You know, there's
0:32:24 > 0:32:27newel posts and traditional bits of joinery shown,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30whereas it just needs to be a simple, open, chunky, timber thing.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31There isn't a big budget.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34It needs to be low-cost, needs to be appropriate,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36doesn't need to be overcomplicated or elaborate.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39So I think it is a question of actually simplifying.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41It would be really great to get them
0:32:41 > 0:32:43to really fall in love with the idea of making this
0:32:43 > 0:32:46beautiful bit of joinery in their house that actually transforms
0:32:46 > 0:32:50the way that you arrive and ascend through the building.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56But will Justin and Mary even entertain the idea of something different now?
0:32:56 > 0:32:59With Justin back at the cottage after the evening milking,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01they receive the designs.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05I don't hate it. No, I don't hate it.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08I like the wood, yeah, and I like the open staircase.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Yeah, it would be lovely to have an open staircase,
0:33:10 > 0:33:14but it's making everything else practical around it, isn't it?
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Yeah, yeah.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19I do like that. Yeah, I like that.
0:33:22 > 0:33:23'So, how are you getting on?'
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Yeah, we really like it. 'Oh, good, fantastic.'
0:33:26 > 0:33:31How much more does this sort of thing cost than a normal staircase?
0:33:31 > 0:33:35'If you had the staircase made up as you were showing,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37'it would've been close to 2,000.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41'So I would have thought that if you could get this built for 1,200, 1,500 quid,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45'including fitting, installation and the handrail,
0:33:45 > 0:33:47'then you would be doing well.'
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Yeah, yeah. OK, yeah, that doesn't sound too bad.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Justin and Mary have realised it is possible to bring something
0:33:54 > 0:33:57special into their home, even on their budget.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Over the next couple of months, against the odds,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Justin finally manages to get the house watertight.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10But he's also starting to look for his own
0:34:10 > 0:34:12improvements on the interior.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Reflecting on his trip to Holly Barn, today on site,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18he has become less farmer and more designer.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23It was really worthwhile seeing a building that was so simple
0:34:23 > 0:34:26but created so much room and space inside.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29And there are some ideas they are going to adopt.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34The acrylic was another thing, and we are going to use that idea.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Just over there.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39We will try and use that idea to make more light in the room.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44He's realising they can have more than four walls and a roof.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46But it's not easy.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Generally, people are older than me and Mary that are building houses,
0:34:50 > 0:34:54so they know definitely what they want and what style they want, where
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Mary and I sort of were, "Yeah, that would be all right, that'll do."
0:34:58 > 0:35:02But when we see stuff, we're like, "That's right for us."
0:35:06 > 0:35:10As the house progresses, Piers heads back to site.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14It will be the objects and ideas they bring to it next which could transform it
0:35:14 > 0:35:19from just a low-cost and efficient shell into Justin and Mary's home.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23This isn't just about keeping warm, keeping dry and keeping the weather
0:35:23 > 0:35:27out, it's about really getting them excited about their environment.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30These people are connected to this place like no other.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33They grew up here, yet at the moment, there is
0:35:33 > 0:35:34nothing in this that's them.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37It has been a box that was designed for them by someone else
0:35:37 > 0:35:41and everything about it is very good but quite bland.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43And I really need to find a way to get them
0:35:43 > 0:35:46to bring everything that connects them to this landscape
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and this place and this culture into this building.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57I'm on my way to see one way they could do it.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Reclaiming objects is a fashion that has snowballed in recent years.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06And this warehouse is a high-end example,
0:36:06 > 0:36:08created by an interior designer.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15It's full of well-sourced items that change hands for hundreds of pounds.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18But they do give a space a unique feeling that modern
0:36:18 > 0:36:20mass-manufactured ones do not.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23I think the reason we love a lot of these reclaimed things is quite
0:36:23 > 0:36:26simply that, you know, new stuff isn't built as well,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28isn't made of as beautiful materials.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32A lot of these older things are made of fantastic cast metals,
0:36:32 > 0:36:36and even in their distressed state, they can look rather beautiful.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39I think Justin and Mary need a bit of that, because they are going
0:36:39 > 0:36:43to have in their interior probably a world of plasterboard and paint.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47These French industrial lights can be
0:36:47 > 0:36:50bought for a couple of hundred pounds.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53But if you're clever, you can find them for far less than that.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59I mean, some of these reclaimed objects, this light,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02really utilitarian, completely trying to express a kind of
0:37:02 > 0:37:07functionality with this cast metal at its base and this lovely handle.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09But I think these things do have a material quality that we
0:37:09 > 0:37:13don't really find so much in contemporary design.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16You know, if you can find them cheap, it's great.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26This is just a good example of not letting good-quality
0:37:26 > 0:37:28old things go to waste.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31These are floorboards taken up from the bathroom of this apartment
0:37:31 > 0:37:34when they refurbished it and just simply made into shelves.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36There's something quite nice about them because
0:37:36 > 0:37:39they are exactly the same colour as the floor and they fit in.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Somehow, this language of brick and wood that is really evident
0:37:43 > 0:37:45in this old building is continued through these shelves.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47It is just a nice detail.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55What we have to take on board is that this kind of idea of reclaimed
0:37:55 > 0:37:58stuff, you know, does tell a kind of story of something authentic.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Justin and Mary have the chance to make something that is really authentic.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04Where they can find it is in their passion for farming,
0:38:04 > 0:38:07in their passion for landscape, in their sort of identity, which is
0:38:07 > 0:38:09so deeply tied to that area.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12And what they are doing is trying to make a place that really
0:38:12 > 0:38:13feels of Devon and of them.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19If handled well, reclaimed materials can bring
0:38:19 > 0:38:22a sense of history and authenticity to a place.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25The challenge for Justin and Mary is to do it cheaply.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Hi, Justin. Hello, Piers. How are you doing? Yeah, good, thank you.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Piers has come to meet Justin and has a plan.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44I've bought you a little present. A tractor seat? Absolutely, yeah.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47And what sort of tractor do you think that's from?
0:38:47 > 0:38:51A Massey 135 or International, I reckon, judging by the colour.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Massey 135, yeah. Congratulations, you've just won it. Thank you!
0:38:55 > 0:38:58What I'd like is to talk to you about incorporating seriously
0:38:58 > 0:39:01something like this into your house on a bigger scale than this.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05So you could make, for example, this fantastic bench, you know,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07out of these. Get a bit of steel welded up, bolt these on,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10get three of these. These are 30 quid each.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14I think this is a really good idea for just breakfast bar stools.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Two or three of these down that side would be really...
0:39:16 > 0:39:21It's just something a little bit quirky that isn't bog-standard,
0:39:21 > 0:39:22that no-one else would have.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Surprisingly, them seats, although they look uncomfortable,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28they are quite comfortable. They are. Absolutely.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Pressure on the budget means anything
0:39:32 > 0:39:34they can get for free will help.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38That search begins on Justin's dad's land next door.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41So what I was thinking is I would really like to persuade you to
0:39:41 > 0:39:43use this for your kitchen sink.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46It's huge! That's not a bad thing. PIERS LAUGHS
0:39:46 > 0:39:48It would take up half of the kitchen on its own!
0:39:48 > 0:39:51But how beautiful would it be sitting in front of your window,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54just on some blocks, with some wood going into it?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57I think it's a bit...overboard.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Any modification of found objects needs to be carried out safely
0:40:02 > 0:40:05and in accordance with any appropriate regulations.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09The free rustic trough may be a step too far for Justin.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Is this Mary coming? Oh, look, it's Mary.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15It's a timely arrival, but having been less than responsive
0:40:15 > 0:40:18to our ideas so far, what will she make of this one?
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Hi, Mary! Hi. How are you doing? Fine, thank you.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28You've come at a great time. What Justin has decided to do is...
0:40:28 > 0:40:32He's got this, which is a...? Massey Ferguson seat. Fantastic.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35I've brought this because I know you love tractors.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37So I brought him this seat, and what he's going to do is make
0:40:37 > 0:40:39a series of bar stools out of these things.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42So, Mary, I think you like things like this.
0:40:42 > 0:40:43Yeah, I do, yeah. Yeah.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Justin's dad, Justin's brother, Justin's uncles, all of them
0:40:46 > 0:40:49would know what tractor it's off. Yeah.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51And they would find that funny and quirky,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53so, yeah, I do like that idea.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Let's talk about the kitchen and this kind of thing.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Even if not this trough, something like this as your kitchen sink.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Yeah, I do like the idea of this maybe in the bathrooms,
0:41:04 > 0:41:05cos we need the little sinks.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07You can get the shallow troughs quite...
0:41:07 > 0:41:10I mean, they're at market every time we go there.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12But I think that would be easier to do.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19With Mary excited about more than magnolia for her interior,
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Piers wants an update on our more ambitious suggestions.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27So... Wow, look at this! So talk to me about the staircase.
0:41:27 > 0:41:28We went to look at Holly Barn
0:41:28 > 0:41:33and you liked the principle of the staircase, if not the material.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35So I then came back and I drew this staircase,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38e-mailed it to you, you had a look at it, you phoned me up,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41said you liked it, and I haven't heard from you since.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44So, what's happening?
0:41:44 > 0:41:50From that, I've had the carpenter out and he's now pricing it up.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53I like your quarter landings, I really like that idea.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56So he's pricing... He thinks there's room to put a quarter landing,
0:41:56 > 0:42:00quarter landing, and up. He hasn't come back with a price yet,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04but it's softwood risers and then oak side rails
0:42:04 > 0:42:08and possibly oak balustrades.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11But I don't know if that is going to look a bit overkill with oak.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14What I'm hearing is something that is quite heavy.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16I'm surprised you don't like big and heavy,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19because you're telling me about big, heavy, fat sinks and...
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Certain things, certain things, certain things.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25I mean, I think you probably won't like this idea,
0:42:25 > 0:42:26but agricultural merchants...
0:42:26 > 0:42:31Agricultural merchants sell fantastic galvanised steel or stainless
0:42:31 > 0:42:35steel rope, stainless steel wire and turnbuckles.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37And you can use that stuff for handrails and balustrades.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39I mean, I have done in my place.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43So you could put an oak balustrade and newel post
0:42:43 > 0:42:46and then below that just use stainless steel wire
0:42:46 > 0:42:49that you can zigzag in the infill pieces. Yeah.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51That can look fantastic and it's very, very cheap.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Much cheaper than getting...
0:42:53 > 0:42:56But then again, it's a little quirky thing, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00In the living area, the original plans had floor-to-ceiling
0:43:00 > 0:43:04cupboards dividing the kitchen from the living room.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Piers had hoped they'd change their mind.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11The way it's drawn at the moment is that these
0:43:11 > 0:43:15walls around the fireplace seem to take up quite a lot of space.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19And it is lovely seeing it as open as this. It feels really big.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23My worry is that if you put these walls in around this, it will seem...
0:43:23 > 0:43:26They're only going to be... Oh, they are? Perfect. Fantastic.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Yeah, it's going to be open. We changed from the architects. Sorry?
0:43:28 > 0:43:31With the flue rising. We changed from the architects. Yeah. Good!
0:43:33 > 0:43:36It's a bold choice, but with just their modest monthly wages
0:43:36 > 0:43:40now funding the build, life currently has few luxuries.
0:43:41 > 0:43:42Where's tea?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45SHE LAUGHS It's not ready yet.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48Having the cottage at the dairy at least means
0:43:48 > 0:43:51they won't have to pay rent until the house is ready.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Hopefully we can move from here right to the house.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57That's the plan, anyway.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59Depending on when the house is ready.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Hopefully, not unless we get kicked out before it.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04It's convenient,
0:44:04 > 0:44:09but Mary is desperate to be in her own place, adding her own touches.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13We can't paint any walls here or do anything, can we? So it's...
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Yeah, I'd like to make my own...
0:44:16 > 0:44:17Have my own stamp, so, yeah.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24But with hardly any spare cash, every item she buys has to count.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Piers has managed to get them to a local reclamation yard to
0:44:32 > 0:44:36encourage them to find character for their modern home.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39But it will take a creative leap on their part.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44When we came round the corner, I did hear Justin say,
0:44:44 > 0:44:46"I've already seen something I like."
0:44:46 > 0:44:48And that was this slate, which is here...
0:44:48 > 0:44:53which is beautiful, you need a hearth. This is pretty good value.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56We definitely need a slate hearth around the top of the bricks,
0:44:56 > 0:45:00around the fireplace, just to cap the top. So, yeah, we were...
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Well, we need that. That was our next thing, wasn't it?
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Do you like this bath? Yeah, I do.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13My parents have got one very similar and I like free-standing. Good.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Would expect they are very expensive, aren't they, to buy new.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19This one isn't. But this isn't, no. This is a bargain.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22How would you get, you know, rid of these sort of things?
0:45:22 > 0:45:26You can get stuff that fills enamel cracks. You can sand that back.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32What do you think of this sink?
0:45:32 > 0:45:33I think I'd like that sink.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35I mean, I'm in two frames - I like that
0:45:35 > 0:45:39but then I'm also thinking, like, is it too big to fit where we want it?
0:45:39 > 0:45:42I don't think it's too big for upstairs. In terms of design,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45this is the most practical sink I've seen for a long time. Yeah.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50But I do like that sink. Yeah, and I like the oval. Yeah.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57So, Mary, you also like these troughs? Yeah.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59You know, something like this is nice and deep
0:45:59 > 0:46:02and it is narrow enough to go in the downstairs bathroom.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04I just like that it is different.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06You know, no-one else would have that,
0:46:06 > 0:46:10and if it works, then I just think it looks great. Would be brilliant.
0:46:10 > 0:46:11You sound like me!
0:46:11 > 0:46:16This is my sales pitch and you're doing it, which is fantastic.
0:46:16 > 0:46:17And you get this, which is great.
0:46:19 > 0:46:20This trough in the middle...
0:46:20 > 0:46:23But the price has to be right to prove that individual
0:46:23 > 0:46:27items are cheaper than off-the-peg easy choices.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32So I think they like two pieces of slate, the bath, the sink
0:46:32 > 0:46:33and a trough.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35555.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38We would normally only be able to do 10% discount,
0:46:38 > 0:46:42which brings it down to around a nice, round 500 quid. Yeah.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46But I will knock another 40 quid off and do the whole deal for 460.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51It's still not cheap enough for Justin.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53450, we'll have the lot, innit?
0:46:53 > 0:46:56That's a rounder figure than 460. Yeah, yeah.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59I'm not going to fall out with you over ?10.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01Well done. Ideal. Good.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Good day out. Yeah, good.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10I think this has opened our eyes a lot more, actually,
0:47:10 > 0:47:13cos it was all well and good when Piers said, "You could do this."
0:47:13 > 0:47:16And you're thinking, "Well, I don't know if that's really practical."
0:47:16 > 0:47:20When you come to places like this, you can see that actually you can...
0:47:20 > 0:47:24Even if it's a reclaimed sink, it's still as good as a bought sink.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28Today has been amazing. I never thought we would get this far.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30It's been a real struggle, if I'm honest,
0:47:30 > 0:47:33so far, to really get them excited.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36And, in a way, I felt quite foolish at times pointing things out to them
0:47:36 > 0:47:38and trying to get them to buy in.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40And, as a last resort, I brought them here.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Actually, I could have just gone home.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46They have fallen in love with this place and gone home with a truckful of stuff.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49So it has really been transformative today.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56But an unexpected turn of events puts new pressure on Justin
0:47:56 > 0:47:58and Mary to finish their house.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04The farm where Justin is a tenant farmer has changed hands.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06They have lost the accommodation that came with the job
0:48:06 > 0:48:09and have had to move back into Mary's parents' home.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12I don't think anyone wants to live with their parents
0:48:12 > 0:48:13when they are over 20, do they, really?
0:48:13 > 0:48:16It's not what you want to be doing,
0:48:16 > 0:48:19so, yeah, especially when you're married.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Now we are here pretty much every night that we can be here.
0:48:22 > 0:48:27We're here, so get on as quick as we can, really.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31Ten months after they started, it's still far from finished.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35But there's never been more pressure to complete their home.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40Every spare hour now, we're sort of running here and trying to do a bit.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42We sort of could do with the house ASAP now, really.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46But on the other hand, we've still got to work on our money.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50I know Piers was saying he took five months off to do his self-build,
0:48:50 > 0:48:52but we just haven't got the funds to do that.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56I would love to, cos once you're into the job, it would be nice
0:48:56 > 0:48:58to stay and spend every day at the job.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02You know, it would be nice to, but we can't afford to.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06With their wages already spent this month,
0:49:06 > 0:49:09they can't afford to bring in any labour to help.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14The house is still a forest of stud partition walls, has no electrics
0:49:14 > 0:49:18or plumbing, and unsurprisingly, nerves are getting frayed.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20Finished with my hammer yet, Mar'?
0:49:20 > 0:49:23No. Still not? If you did this, it would be much quicker!
0:49:24 > 0:49:26You could do this.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28Justin is getting very tired with having to work
0:49:28 > 0:49:30and then come here at the same time.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Therefore, he gets very stroppy and obviously, everything is my fault.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40They've now got all the ideas they need to make their first home.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43But can Justin and Mary even get close to making it
0:49:43 > 0:49:45anything more than a building site?
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Justin and Mary, like many couples in rural Britain,
0:49:53 > 0:49:55faced the reality that they would never be able
0:49:55 > 0:49:58to afford a house in the area where they had grown up.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04With a wedding to plan, jobs to do, and a house to build,
0:50:04 > 0:50:06this was their one opportunity to create
0:50:06 > 0:50:09a unique home of their own in the area they loved.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21'14 months after they started,
0:50:21 > 0:50:25'Piers and I are making our final visit to the Devon countryside.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29'With their savings run dry and all the other delays,
0:50:29 > 0:50:31'they haven't quite moved in,
0:50:31 > 0:50:35'but we want to see how they feel about the house they've built.'
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Hi, there! Hi. Good to see you. How are you? Good, thank you.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Good to see you again. Look at this, you're finished! Yeah.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46The dream was for you guys to be able to stay here long-term
0:50:46 > 0:50:47in a place you love.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Yeah, I think we're going to stay here a long time.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Um, I am pregnant, so... Wow, that's great. Congratulations.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55Yeah, fantastic. Thank you. That's fantastic news.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58So the spare room will no longer be a spare room.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Does it make a difference to how you feel about this house?
0:51:01 > 0:51:03It's going to be the house where you bring up your child.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Definitely, it's very special.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08One of your interior design jobs is now a nursery. Yeah, which I love.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10I love that. Fantastic.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Can we see how far you've got inside? Yeah, let's go. Great.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20'There's still a long way to go,
0:51:20 > 0:51:24'but this low-cost home does feel special, lofty and unique.'
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Most small houses don't ever have a space this grand, do they?
0:51:34 > 0:51:37I think it's a feature of the house.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39When you get up on the ladder, you think,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41oh, yeah, you're only in a small house.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45Then you get up on the ladder and you look down and God, it is high!
0:51:45 > 0:51:48One thing that helps this hallway feel special is
0:51:48 > 0:51:51their choice of a lightweight staircase which will delight
0:51:51 > 0:51:53rather than dominate the space.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57You've changed the stairs. Which is fantastic.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Yeah, we were unsure whether we'd be able to do it cos of the space,
0:52:00 > 0:52:02but obviously, once the carpenters came in, they said,
0:52:02 > 0:52:04"Oh, yeah, no problem."
0:52:04 > 0:52:07But you haven't gone for the open risers here, have you?
0:52:07 > 0:52:11That was one of the things that changed once I got pregnant.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15We just thought it was so much easier with little ones going
0:52:15 > 0:52:18up and down the stairs to sort of have that extra bit of security.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20How much did this cost?
0:52:20 > 0:52:25It's roughly about ?1,000. For the whole thing? Yeah. That's fantastic.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28?1,000, and you transformed this entire space.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34This is a really nice open living space you have here.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36It is quite different to what I remember on the early drawings
0:52:36 > 0:52:39when it was going to be quite subdivided.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41I think the high-level cupboards would have been the killer.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44Walking into the kitchen would've been like walking into a cave.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46It would have been so enclosed.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49What you've done here is effectively what you did in the hallway -
0:52:49 > 0:52:51you've made this space seem much more generous.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Was it hard sometimes telling your dad what to do?
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Yeah, yeah, I suppose it is difficult, isn't it?
0:52:56 > 0:52:58It's not quite the same as if it was...
0:52:58 > 0:53:01Well, I suggest something and Mary is like, "Oh, God, can't
0:53:01 > 0:53:04"you just leave it alone?" I'm like, "Well, it is our house as well!"
0:53:06 > 0:53:08But this is still work in progress.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11Piers hopes they will keep making those brave decisions.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14What about the door? Are you going to put a door on here?
0:53:14 > 0:53:18Well, there's a bit of a debate, because the mother-in-law said -
0:53:18 > 0:53:22quite rightly, and I can understand - if someone comes to the door,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25you then let all your heat out through the front door.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28But this is a very well insulated house with a wood-burning stove here.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31I think this room is going to be too warm.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Another door less is another 100 quid that is in the pot, isn't it?
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Don't give me that! I don't believe this is just for the saving.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I think you really want that connection between those spaces
0:53:39 > 0:53:41and I think you put your foot down and tell your parents!
0:53:41 > 0:53:44I just don't see the point in having a door if it's not needed.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47Unless it needs closing, what's the point in having a door?
0:53:53 > 0:53:57I feel like I've thrown everything at you this last 12 months.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00I've taken you to the other end of the country to see amazing one-off
0:54:00 > 0:54:04houses, I've taken you to reclamation yards, all those kind of things.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06Tell me what that has been like.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Sometimes, an absolute pain in the ass.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13Yeah, I really enjoyed and appreciated going to Holly Barn.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15That really opened our eyes
0:54:15 > 0:54:18and I think, you know, this sort of stems from there.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24This building does prove that it is incredibly hard,
0:54:24 > 0:54:28unbelievably hard, to build really exceptional low-cost houses.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31But this is a good, solid low-cost house.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35That makes me feel incredibly proud to have been involved with
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Justin and Mary on this journey.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42With just monthly pay packets, it will be a few months yet
0:54:42 > 0:54:44until they finish the house.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46But I want to know what they have spent so far.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51We're up to about 66,000. Right.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54You know, obviously, the kitchen has been bought.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59It's only the bathrooms and the last little bit of labour, plastering.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03And then sort of the final fittings like carpets and doors and things.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06So I feel really optimistic that we will do it. Yeah.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08But then, to be honest, the last sort of year,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12we haven't had any sort of savings left.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16It's been that we've been earning it and spending it on the house.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19So, obviously, it has taken a lot longer but, at the end of it,
0:55:19 > 0:55:24we have no debts and we will be able to just move in
0:55:24 > 0:55:26and not have to worry about paying a mortgage or anything
0:55:26 > 0:55:29because we haven't had to borrow anything. That's extraordinary,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32though, to be in your early 20s and be mortgage-free.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35I mean, that's just fantastic. It must make you feel good.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38Yeah, it does. We're very lucky.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41No doubt we'll get a mortgage on a bit of land or something
0:55:41 > 0:55:45else instead, but in some ways, it has meant we are able to do that,
0:55:45 > 0:55:47which we wouldn't have been able to do.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52There's still a lot of work to do, but for the moment,
0:55:52 > 0:55:54there's a chance to celebrate with friends and family...
0:55:55 > 0:55:57Hello!
0:55:57 > 0:55:59..all of whom are thrilled that Justin and Mary
0:55:59 > 0:56:02have found a way to stay where they belong.
0:56:09 > 0:56:15For me, the relief of knowing my eldest daughter has got a house...
0:56:15 > 0:56:19I have always worried about what our children would do about housing,
0:56:19 > 0:56:20so that's very important.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23But the fact that it's also a beautiful house,
0:56:23 > 0:56:25yeah, it's really exciting.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Love it. Love it.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33It looked smaller to begin with,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36but now it's together, it's a nice house.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40And I'm sure that it'll last them for years. Hopefully.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42You know, a lot of worktops...
0:56:42 > 0:56:44Yeah, I mean, what they have proved here is that
0:56:44 > 0:56:48you can build yourself a really nice house, a nice sort of
0:56:48 > 0:56:52super-insulated eco-house, for less than ?100,000.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04But it's not just about getting a house for a minimal budget.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06This is about much more than that.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10They have solved a problem through their own resourcefulness,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13the time they put in, and that 66 grand that is
0:57:13 > 0:57:16really facing people across the country in rural communities.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20They found a way to stay in a place that means something really
0:57:20 > 0:57:23important to them. It's where their family's from and, you know, it is
0:57:23 > 0:57:25where they want to spend the rest of their life.
0:57:25 > 0:57:26And with a baby on the way, it is
0:57:26 > 0:57:29really exciting to feel that they've made a place under their own
0:57:29 > 0:57:32steam that is going to be that base for them for future generations too.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37It's us now, isn't it? It's where we live, it's where we're going to be.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39You know, that's ours.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55Earlier in the series, we followed the story of Ruth and Tony as
0:57:55 > 0:58:00they built a new farmhouse in the beautiful Shropshire countryside.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04In one scene, we saw Tony cutting into a gas cylinder.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07We want to remind viewers that the dismantling of gas cylinders
0:58:07 > 0:58:10in any way is dangerous and this should never be attempted.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16Are you planning to build the home of your dreams from scratch
0:58:16 > 0:58:19for less than ?100,000 or are even partway through?
0:58:21 > 0:58:24If so, we'd love to hear your story. Please visit...
0:58:33 > 0:58:36Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd