Build A New Life In The Country: 400-year-old Barn Conversion | Reel Truth History Documentary

for years IT consultant Adrian little has worked away from home often spending weeks at a time in Europe whilst his wife Denise has left to run family life single-handedly it's missing desperate so they're making a radical life change they've bought a stunning Suffolk farmhouse and ramshackle Garden Center which they plan to convert into a family-run jelly nursery and Mexican restaurant you don't know how successful it's gonna be you know we might find we're the only idiots that like Chili's more building experience no restaurant expertise and big plans to do all the renovation work themselves it's going to be a roller coaster I just want to get on and do it and you stand to that I'm in an hour and I can't bear this wreck with Denise is just a nightmare [Music] Adrian and Denise's dream is a simple one but one that many of us share they're desperate to get off life's treadmill work less hours and spend more quality time together as a family but to achieve this they're risking every penny they have to turn a rundown garden center with 11 acres of land into a family business and home I teach insulting Adrian and his wife Denise's new business is right on the doorstep of their stunning new country farmhouse home they plan to grow chilies in the old garden centers Polly tunnels and greenhouses and turn this dilapidated barn into a family-run Mexican restaurant and chilli shop why have you decided to make this move in your life life since the kids have been born it's just been daddy goes away from Monday to Friday so I'm just left to deal with the kids everyday things Polly's five years old now but when she was 18 months old the next one dad to me that for half our life I've been working away all week half of your kid's life you've been away yeah I haven't been around as a fan that just sunk in that I enlisted something gratia Denise and Adrian's plan to transform their lives by setting up and running a family business relies on a simple and sympathetic renovation of this 400 year old barn they want to remodel the restaurant front by replacing half the timber structure with picture windows inside they plan to build an entire new l-shaped mezzanine first-floor that will accommodate the extra diners they need to make the restaurant pay downstairs they will install an open-plan commercial kitchen which will look out onto the ground floor dining area where Denise and Adrian will eventually work [Music] so the big question is who's gonna be doing all of this work well we've had such a trouble finding finding builders that can work on time that we've decided to do all the work ourselves have you done any building work on the scale before no no more yeah yeah occasional we can biy this isn't an occasional DIY project I know it's a beautiful or building but look at the amount of work that needs to be done here to make this habitable all the tight with electrics and plumbing and no kitchens toilets and well we have it we have a thousand chilies growing at the moment and they're gonna be ready in the summer and and for us the key thing is to make sure that the barn is ready for the summer and and really the only way we can do that by doing it ourselves if Denise and Adrian had a team of builders on board I'd be confident they'd had their summer deadline but doing all the work and their own really worries me if I'm honest I'm also surprised to hear their invest in their entire future in chilies interesting but someone introduced me to different flavors in chilies and it was just take we're having to get hold of these you cannot get them in England so we thought ok we'll grow them ourselves and then other people can come and get them from us as well Denis and Adrian have paid four hundred and eighty thousand pounds for their home and garden center and have put aside sixty thousand pounds for the renovation but a large chunk of the money is borrowed and it's three hundred thousand three hundred thousand pound mortgage yeah Denis and Adrian's summer deadline is only five months away and I can't help wondering if they realize the enormity of what lies ahead it's incredible what you've taken on near the scale of the bill the scale of the business enterprise a massive life change for you as a family anyway I'm trying to juggle all of that particularly with the budget you've got it's is a there's a mammoth task one of the biggest reasons why we've got to do all the work is because of the time scale we've got a window to get it in in order that we can you know live the dream that we want to and have a think this year and if we miss if we miss like the gap for the summer then the whole hello loggers parbake then you have to start traveling the world again and not being home and family life's compromised again yeah [Music] I admire Adrian and Denise's determination to totally change their family life but with absolutely no experience of building or running a business and to put so much faith on their future into one tiny little plant well I'm not sure if this is an adventure that's just too ambitious or whether it's British eccentricity at its best [Music] Denis and Adrian Nuttall are bravely attempting to open a chili farm growing 150 varieties of chilies and a restaurant serving hot and spicy Mexican food I think is a bit of a mad hobby that's got out of control but it's all good fun sometimes you've got to take a risk in life and this is one of those times their dream is to run it as a family business so that Adrienne can stay at home and give up this demand an IT job where he has to spend long stretches of time away the family have got their work cut out they want their opening day to be in August when the Chili's are at their best but that only gives them five months to convert this 400 year old barn into a new business but I'm just clinging to the hope that it's gonna be all worthwhile and the kids are great and they're really into the plants and the seeds and seeing them all growing and everything which is really nice because if they hadn't have been an attorney with the kids happy Denise and Adrian can focus on the barn renovations worryingly they're planning to do all the work themselves even though they're only DIY experience is the odd bit of decorating we can't find a builder who was available immediately and therefore we have to sit and wait and fill already and we haven't got time to do that with the barn nothing more than a shell they're relying on the architects plans to guide them through meters would be Adrian decides his first job is to take out the redundant walls [Music] aaron has set himself a grueling schedule to supplement the sixty thousand pound budget he's taken on one last IT job for a Swiss company that have agreed he can be based at home he plans to work round the clock juggling the build with his IT commitments Denise's focus is the nursery she has the challenge of growing 3,000 chili plants has been easier for me with Asia and being at home though because I couldn't have dedicated all the time to just doing this and you know just fine just having him around it makes life a lot easier it's nice for me but for the kids you know they come out of school and daddys there it's like those just has never happened before [Music] in the barn Adrian's next job is to install underground pipe work for the restaurant toilets we have a new expert tool for doing this work which is metal dustpan which makes it takes out big scoops which is ideal now justice given I've got a hole in my [Music] this right we expected some delays a month into the build and the bond still looks a wreck ultimate son Adrian have achieved so far is to knock down some old walls dig drains for the toilets and start painting the green houses and to make matters a hundred times worse their architect the only professional involved in the project delivers bad news our architect came over and said that not working with contractors wasn't what they wanted to do so as we're doing a lot of the work ourselves then they didn't feel comfortable continuing with the project Adrian is now responsible for all the major structural decisions which Denis is less than happy with really nervous because I can see that then the roof is attached to the wall just nervous I can't help being nervous then go somewhere else with the Nace's a novel experience because we've done it before we actually used to work at a bank together a few years ago and that's how we met it was where she was in one department house in another and I think it should always stay that way having already lost their architect Denis and Adrian wisely decide to pay specialists to do the jobs they've been meant to attempt and in no time scaffolding is up and work starts on the first roof [Music] so how's it going then play again there we've got most of the inside structure out that you are still doing the majority of the work yourself although we're doing the lion's share of the work there are some specialist things that we need people to come in and do so you have realized that this is a difficult project very specialist sort of building and you can't do everything yourself at the end of the day we're gonna have hopefully people come in the general public coming in here so we can't afford to make mistakes I still sort of love to do yes yes but the work that's coming out it's gonna be big stuff so he's gonna he's gonna move us on quite quickly what about over here where you've got two windows pastoring all those bits and pieces that need to be done I mean that's you haven't even got this sort of Windham watertight yeah heavy just remind me when you're gonna be finished by again middle of August every fine what these guys have taken on here is just incredible they've got to do plumbing electrics install the whole new first floor do all the finishers tiling plaster boarding install the kitchen it's never-ending and they've got to do all that in three months meeting the deadline is looking increasingly unlikely and Denise and Adrian are feeling the pressure working and living together 24/7 has proven to be anything but the adil ik life they imagined hungry and I just I can't bear this like I just want to get on and do it having laid the underfloor heating there's just the small matter of testing that the system works I'll just go get my house it is the Glass House has got the hose in I don't know what hose is your on about but there's one in there agent what one sadducees I kind of hope we find it Denise you think rather than just being rude to me I haven't been boozing on news what is that I'm just telling you that we've got air in the greenhouse I wondered the ones on the real what should I go over this way shortish movies as the crow flies straight lines it does not reach what can bear this working with Denise is just a nightmare I did nearly quit last week I'd had an absolute enough we'd be at a massive Barney if I had anywhere to go I think had I gone it's so difficult I think the chocolate the agents so passionate about it but getting to sit down and actually you know to discuss things is so difficult he's um he's just like a man on a mission despite the squabbling this one thing Denise and Adrienne do agree on renovating the barn to an extremely high standard these sourced ancient reclaimed timber to support the restaurants first floor [Music] [Music] it's getting there that's pretty good that's pretty boy though you've got beautiful pieces of reclaimed timber here working hard on them if we putting the effort to find the oak yeah when it's cost a lot more money I was just about to say it's fantastic it takes a lot more time the the budget is increased quite dramatically like about 40 percent what we've done 60,000 pounds though close to 90 with the with the budget with all that all the materials because we're trying to do it with the proper material being passionate for materials is one thing in go custom ship but being bankrupt and skin there's another literally every every last penny pretty much is going into getting the barn done the work for the barn has been there building whereas before we were always holding back a bit of contingency to get the business up and running now is absolutely vital that we get money from the business with the build already thirty thousand pounds over budget and monthly payments to meet on a three hundred thousand pound mortgage the pressure is really mounting just how bad has it being over last I'd say it's been a really big roller coaster you know it we've had real highs and real lows some people would start a nursery some people might do bound conversions some people might try and run an internet business you know some people might not have a big house and nice gardens and we've just done everything and it's like oh my goodness what have we done but you've started yeah exactly you know you're in here you've got the space this Chili's growing everywhere I mean this place is the dream isn't it it is it is and when I walk in here it does lift me you know I just sort of think yes this is what we wanted to do you know when we came here on a damp dreary October day and saw this all empty and dingy and we could visualize you know it full of chilies [Music] what do you think the kids think of one of this putting them through it in that position I mean I think they have enough time of their lives I mean everybody keeps an ax they're so lucky but they don't appreciate it obviously being children and they've got such a great place you know that's a fun places to play and everything else they've got daddy at home and at the end of the day that's all they're bothered about we put up a couple of football girls just outside the car park by the barns have literally is five yards active on the children come home from school and they say you know come here we have a football and now sometimes I'm too busy but you know for five minutes we can run out there we can kick around and and it's just great you know it's just stolen moments that you know they're making the difference the whole thing just comes down to seeing the expression on the kids face you know when when Holly and Josh came out you know and they look bad and see what we're doing you know and they just have such a beaming smile on their face it's the sense that you know you don't have a 30 you know you just can't get away from it it's just that's it done do [Music] the bar now has plumbing heating and structure for the first floor but the relentless hours working on the build means agents neglectin is IT work and missing important deadlines Denise's life is no easier if you can cancel that order and then he'll bring along a list of what he actually needs to get she's juggling sourcing materials business running the nursery and the constant demands of family life [Music] with only two and a half months to their opening deadline Denise and Adrian received another blow there's a major problem with the restaurant staircase they'd hoped to buy a cheap off the peg one but instead building control or insisting on custom-made commercial stairs the staircase that they've said that I must have is gonna take four to six weeks to be specially made and it's gonna cost ten times the price it's gonna be about two and a half thousand pounds so the budget is just astronomically blown-out further for the stairs no tenfold and then rather than by the end of this week having the stairs into the mezzanine floor which we're currently fitting the floor joist to if you move for six weeks before we can possibly do that we were hoping to be open in the middle of August because that's when a lot of food would be available I think this is just gonna be the final straw with regards in our deadlines I don't know I'm just packing everything in the way when I the thing what was the point when we first came here and I think we're really unfreeze edged what was going to be involved in doing that bar to us not evening when you really look today it was like oh it had more walls it had a roof you know how difficult can it be I stupidly work [Music] [Music] Denis and Adrian Nuttall have hit rock bottom their dream of converting a Suffolk garden center into a chili nursery with its own Mexican restaurant and shop is a month behind schedule and 30,000 pounds of budget is what affecting the most physical point of view I mean you can you can keep going till you physically just can't anymore but is this the mental TARDIS because unless you walk around with a pen and paper in your hand all the time there's so many things you got to try and be thinking about I just feel so physically the mentally drained and I just feel that we're banging our heads against a brick wall every time we think we're taking a step forward you know take ten steps back because something else comes along and stops us from progressive as far as the deadline goes god knows whether will I achieve it or not won't be through the lack of trying put it that way that deadline to open the restaurant is just ten weeks away and they can't afford to miss it as the Chili's will be ready for harvest but already the farm is attracting attention their first customer has turned up out of the blue great for eating you can add them to any cooking you Chili's you just chop one of those up in Denise's knowledge of Chili's is impressive but when it comes to pricing she hasn't even thought about it okay yeah [Music] Denis and Adrian still have so much to do there's marketing the business and a restaurant menu to prepare but the barn is not yet even watertight there's no kitchen or toilets and the first floors hardly even begun which is crucial if they're to make the restaurant pay desperate to move the build on Denis has drafted in her dad Mike to help adrian is finding that there just aren't enough hours in the day to juggle everything inside doing my IT work this is the barn is still being worked on it's not waiting till the evening till I can help and that way you know we can get a closer to opening on time because the moment it's looking a bit scary as to whether were actually and I magnin they or not and like the build his IT work is also falling behind what suffers is the quality family time they'd hoped for somebody help me Adrian's not the only one struggling denise is neglecting the all-important Chile crop [Music] it's not free people the ones that haven't been caught oh so well that's what exists in each collection so the names of officer Li let's just sell some of this stuff [Music] nine weeks till opening night and I'm keen to see how Denise and Adrian are coping okay okay stressed today I'm okay couple days ago I wasn't okay I thought the other day I thought this um this whole experience has been like a roller coaster I thought no now it's been more extreme than that you just completely underestimate what you were taking on here I don't know I don't know if we underestimate I think what we both said what we accepted was that we're gonna give it a go you know we this is a dream this is what we've always wanted to do and we didn't know how it was going to go but we're both prepared to give it our all sometimes I just walk out at nighttime and I'll just sit you know on the wall and just look around and I just think I'd never want to give this up I love it here the controls on the pipe suing under the end of the round or meta means discover a lot of that's gone in so off the beams we've done the main floor joist yeah you started putting all the insulation in between the Timbers which is great nine weeks you've got to be open kitchens floors plasterboard finishings on the outside I mean you know there's still daylight another issue that we've had since you were here last time what's a building control of told us that because he's over 18 meters for some people to escape from the building and we had to us a second fire escape but why are all these surprises coming out now about building control why didn't all this happen before cures we're running the project without an architect but what it really shows is that you're right in at the deep end on a process that you don't completely understand deer don't understand at all let alone completely no idea whatsoever Denise and Adrian have put so much money and effort into their new life and business venture that I can't sit back and watch them miss their deadlines then you set yourself this deadline of finishing the barn in nine weeks now I don't you're gonna do it the only way that you're gonna meet that man week deadline is to get some help and I know it's hard to find people but can you not just get two or three guys who might not be experienced builders but just laborious cheap people just to lift things new things put things in place strip things pain thing some things stuff doesn't need a specialist if someone said to me I've got a team of three or four fairly decent experienced builders they're gonna turn then they can know and they're gonna turn that board around in nine weeks I've got that's a tall order I would you know I say you could probably do it but it's tough basically I need to get a plumber - from the toilet sinner Denise and Adrian take my advice and within days that bill starts to move at an astonishing pace we're here just for the wait sister get the place blasts water for them ready for the plasters as long as they don't put the floor on it's a bit tight to say the least we put 100 by hundred posts for floor two lintel with no architect to oversee the build each one's the only one that knows what's going on it's all in his head and he's so drawing nor any running this flurry of building activity gives Denise a chance to get back to the chiles it's you know it's a balancing act because you sort of feel well you need the the barn to be able to sort of set everything up and and get open but equally if we don't have any Chili's and there's really no point in being here [Music] opening night is looming and with the race on to get the restaurant finished it seems like every available builder in Suffolk is working on the barn and we've got the floor guys in today that are doing the tower floor we've got the kitchen fly no guy doing the editing the kitchen we've got the guest engineer doing the boiler in the kitchen and we've got password in the bathroom so with the build under control Denise and Adrian finally get time to concentrate on the commercial side of the restaurant with only three weeks to go they have no business plan and no menu but there is some good news have taken their telephone numbers just in case you need to call them and say fortunately there'll be someone to cook the food chef Edward halls I mean I had a career change about three years ago so I've only been a chef three years so the whole thing is a learning curve for me because I've never really done Mexican food per se he'd better get his head round Mexican recipes pretty quickly it's August and as predicted the chilies are ready for harvest [Music] but I know it was me [Music] you can just try it he uses everything see down take a snap no just take a little tiny back there [Music] Denise I'm Adrian now have just 14 days before their first hungry diners arrived morning you've got two weeks yeah two weeks 14 days from nightshift Gary it's sink or swim are you gonna sink are you gonna swim well we're working on swimming because we've already got something like 24 bookings every night yeah so we've got to got to be ready said I want to ring 24 people up and say Claire but you work out for two weeks now I know I know a few other issues there as well I'm not gonna be here what I have to get out systems on Monday a party on Sunday I'm leaving to get suits then you're not gonna be here tonight I said this is the new project manager for next week oh my god Adrienne's IT company couldn't have picked the worst time to recall him to Geneva Adrienne's has taught me the brilliant news that he's coming back to Switzerland it's great isn't it fantastic absolutely fantastic great timing couldn't have been better yeah we were that was a devastating blow on Friday I think that was like the final straw did put a bit of a downer on our weekend I must say what did you say to him when he told you it wasn't very much I could say I mean he didn't have any part of it you know he hit that's not down to him as down to the his employers we did discuss weather you know he basically says to them no he's not going to continue to work but that would have been pretty silly burn in mind that's what was funding all of this know what effect there's all of this happen on you and Adrienne do you think don't ask - no I'm askin no it's it's not good we've we've been at each other's throats I suppose because at the end of the day we're just both really stressed really tired and we're to take it out on each other because no one else to take it out on so um yeah it's been tough maybe actually him going away for a week might sort of be good break and maybe we'll be pleased to see each other when he comes back we might be laughing about it but this is serious Denis is now completely on her own she has to be project manager laborer chili farmer and full-time mum and she has to get the business open in just two weeks I don't know how she's gonna do it three air Monday morning and Adrienne's return to work in Switzerland Dawn's leaving - nice just 12 days to get everything ready for the grand opening was he saying that the morning stuff they weren't going to interfere with you is that what he was saying I need to get into the kitchen tomorrow we've got no void or nothing to run cables in this one's a big lumpy I have to paint it then you just made a dad that's much better that and this doubles selfie bit of shine and feel already annoy me so you'll cover that over with yeah brilliant each night Denise calls Adrian to update them enjoy don't turn up again today but they've showed me that they're gonna be here tomorrow so the floor hopefully I'll get on the floor I'll nip tight and go and get some door handles and stuff so they can get the doors down it's got issues though cuz he's getting a bit anxious because he still can't get in the kitchen kitchen guys I've still got to finish more stuff off all pile of plaster boards was ruined [Music] lovey - we speak to each other every night he must send me about 20 texts during the day as well have you thought of this are you doing this what's happening on that and then I and I send him one-word answers and he says despite all the bad news the staircase is finally installed it's late in the evening when Denis gets to the last job of the day watering the precious Chile crop I'm a bit stressful but the guys who had got unsightly the moment working really really hard everyone's like pulling together so I feel there is a glimmer of hope [Music] [Music] for the last five months Denis and Adrian Nuttall have been struggling to convert a suffer garden center into a chili farm and Mexican restaurant the last time I visited Denis and Adrian they were at their lowest point ever they were physically and emotionally drained and there was still a huge amount of work to do with time running out fast the big question is are they ready for their opening night good morning okay the glass is all in it's all painted roof is all done should we go inside have a look okay pull to this don't lead the way this is your place oh my god you like it I'm actually speechless it looks brilliant I can't believe it I can't I'm absolutely got species you've got all the glass in or the beams have been tidied up you've got the floor tiles down it's been painted what this couple have achieved is nothing short of a miracle with no architect or dedicated team of builders they've turned an empty shell into a beautiful restaurant [Music] this breeze block corridor has been transformed into a practical efficient kitchen its benefactors on fire I think we've sort of had the the worst time of our lives but also the best time of our lives you know it's just been a real mixture of emotions and a real roller coaster but we have finished never thought we would if we can do it and the staircase is in which is brilliant comply with building regulations when they bought the pond it had no electrics or plumbing let alone a first floor this is great they've cleverly created the additional dining space they desperately need but a pretty in spirit it's good to see it come out better than we expected how many people can you get a pair 8 18 up here and another 12 down there yeah and what about your relationship with each other because you were fighting like a dog working 24/7 on the build has been a roller coaster ride but at least the family are all together at home [Music] so you set out at the very beginning of all of this was quite a simple dream didn't use to completely transform your family life do you think you've done that yeah this is what it's all about family and the most important thing to to me certainly it's being at home family someone's getting quite emotional in the end but it looks lovely to say a song - same here and we've all that be able to sit down in the sunshine together you know because we've got those days that we don't have to be in the van to look up in the morning anymore and how do you see the future as a family now my aim is supposed to be quite normal you know for daddy to be here at tea time you know and and be here at nighttime when the kids wake up and they're crying or they've been ill or whatever you know for me not to be able to cope with it on my own and for him to sort of take part of it like hardship for hopefully touchwood a lifetime of happiness blissful happiness [Music] the not all's new life is just beginning their future all depends on the success of the restaurant in the end the renovation cost a hundred and ten thousand pounds double their original budget they've gambled everything on this eccentric dream - one hour in opening night and the Mexican restaurant is fully booked thank you they will know I'm pretty mr. Chile each one affected part of the mouth I must say the chili ice cream was really really excellent absolutely fine it'll be fine all along you know it'll be fire Andy [Music] next time growls move to the Lincolnshire countryside to downsize and live a mortgage-free life he's physically and mentally shattered in his worrying [Music]

Channel: Banijay History

Views: 138,148

Keywords: history, facts, interesting, documentary, history documentary, documentary history, history channel, ancient, world history, full documentary, top documentaries, documentaire, documental, documentary film, free documentary, full length documentaries, documentaries, factual, documentary full, history shows, history channel shows, restaurant, george clarke, chilli, suffolk, barn, barn conversion

Id: JrrV1XH0F2s

Length: 45min 15sec (2715 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 17 2020