Farmhouse Conversion | Build A New Life In The Country | History Documentary | Reel Truth History

[Music] many people dread their commute to work but Glen Grayson's is worse than most after driving 250 miles a day on top of a demanding job there's no time for family life it's time for a big change he's moving to a new house in the rolling Derbyshire Dale's which is designed loving wife Jan wants to turn into their dream family home but with Glen far away at work Jan has left a lawn to juggle the pressures of motherhood with managing a huge project it's a steep dramatic road to her dream life I just hope it's hard to be with [Music] I've not met anyone as overworked is Glenn Grayson but heinous wife Jan have had enough of the long hours the stress in a daily commute at 250 miles they want a new life in a beautiful new home in an idyllic location but they'll have time to enjoy together with their young daughter and they're prepared to do anything to get it as general manager for a multi-million pound car windscreen company in Bedford Glen currently drives the 250 mile round-trip from his house in Chesterfield every day and he's been doing it for nearly 10 years currently a round trip can be at the absolute best three hours at the worst for now Jan has given up running her own promotions business to be a wife and mother but she feels Glenn's a stranger in his own home this just sums up our life he just left me a short message that's how we communicate because we haven't got time to actually ring each other during the day it's just really sad isn't it Glynn so busy he hardly sees his three year old daughter Lydia I feel trapped but the more I look at it and the more I start to clock up how many miles I've done in 10 years to escape their current life they have big plans they're leaving the modern estate in Chesterfield where they've lived since they married three years ago to move out to the heart of the Derbyshire countryside and this lovely old farmhouse just outside the village of Snell stone the property is only half an hour away from a new factory cleaners opening so the move will end his long commutes look at this it's fantastic isn't it when I came around the corner there and saw this little cottage you've got all the Vics brilliant doesn't it so as you come in the entrance Drive how you gonna change it we naturally felt that as you came into the driveway that this really was our main entrance that could could make a real statement with a big glass atrium and a big double staircase branching left and branching right right up into what will ultimately be our master bedroom they've got bucket loads of space as well as the farmhouse they got two cow sheds a pig reinstall house three bombs and four outbuildings plus two fields and an orchard Glenn and Jan have big plans for this house from the front this property appears modest in scale but when finished this is going to be one fabulously large country house the new entrance will be a large glass atrium the project will bring the barn and the farmhouse together as one big house on the top floor of the barn will be a huge master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and sauna over in the house for further bedrooms and a bathroom the ground floor of the house includes a dining room a large kitchen and the conservatory the airdrome hallway will give access to all areas of the house but the dual would be a vast 40 foot living room John has a keen eye for design and wants to put her stamp on their new home once the house and barn are finished the plan is to turn the outbuildings into an office for Jan and holiday nets to provide a second income it's a huge undertaking so how much did this thing cost you two arms and 17 legs and an English money how it is that well in excess of half a million as is how it is well in excess of five grand shorter 600 right 595 for a rack for a rec with huge potential it may have huge potential but at the moment it's completely uninhabitable it needs new electrics new plumbing a new roof walls have to be ripped down knocked through and rebuilt the list is endless and would come cheap their budget for this project is 250 thousand pounds it's now June and Glynn and Jan a whole birds have their home wind and water tight by Christmas Wow look at that this is gonna be your living room yes living room plus a bit that's a bit plus a lot yeah this is brilliant and above will be master bedroom the whole thing is our master bedroom Wow it's over 40 foot long yes we've always aspired to play ping pong across the Glen and John have taken out a massive lawn for this project to add to the pressure they haven't got planning permission for their design yet yes I was just exposed risk we've got but how would you feel about that I mean if that doesn't come through and the planners stopping as difficult as planners can be their dreams being compromised we think that's our rubber something exercised and from there we expected to flow straight into the project work I'm not so sure and to make things even harder their big move to the countryside coincides with Glen tackling a huge project at work setting up a new factory and getting production up and running at the exact same time as their ambitious building project that's the best time for you to be doing all of this no it's not and in the best laid plan we would never ever move but you don't get this chance very often the properties right the area's right we don't do it you're gonna look back on it and say I wish and how many people have gone through life saying I wish I'd done them we both agree that if we don't do it now we probably never will [Music] it was love at first sight when channeling Grayson saw this huge rundown farm and the Derbyshire Dale's they've made the brave decision to change their lives by buying it and move into the country to turn it into their dream home for Glen the move will end the long commute he currently faces day after day from Chesterfield to Bedford for Jan it's a chance for her to exercise her passion for design in an area she's fallen in love with it was like a rubber band effect we kept defaulting back here looking around this area is just totally unique I've always wanted to be part of not middle England but of the history I think this to me represents my ideal John's farmhouse is modest in style with small chimneys and plain white windows but inspired by houses in the village she wants to add more ornate features like tall chimneys and decorative woodwork just like this classic Snelson house well I love the complication and I love the Hansel and Gretel feel of it which is really what I would like so feels farm to have it's certainly got similar detailing if you see the finial and the again the decorated bargeboards I love all the wonderful different styles because you've got hints of Tudor you've got the eclectic variation of Georgian chimneys because they're huge and tall and upright so your aim is to make this very simple farmhouse into quite an ornate traditional Snelson building yes and my god is it a challenge John is clear about the design she's after but the plan is don't say it is just a rubber stamping exercise for now the house just sits there waiting for a decision Glynn is busier than ever at work in his frustration with the planners is growing the build is not being built at this point it's fairly obvious that the planners are not playing the game that we want they're being very official and they're playing it to their timescales so our anticipation of getting a preliminary sort of idea as to whether it would work or not work as a design it is now out of the window and we don't really know when we're going to get a decision he just adds to the frustration of not being able to do anything with a shell that is waiting crying out for people to work on so right now we're in limbo land even though planning permission hasn't come through they sell their house in Chesterfield to relieve some of their debt will import this house before he married Jan so once finished then you property will be their first proper home together and Jan is keen to start life afresh I'm so excited we're striving for our dream and with that much closer because we're out of both of our past lives now and that's fantastic it's a great feeling this is the ex-wife's curtain I think it's best rid for that start again the family have moved to a rented home near their farm it's costing them a thousand pounds a month in rent but even after selling Glen's house the lawn they took out to buy the farm is still a big headache because the farm was deemed uninhabitable they couldn't get a mortgage to buy it instead they had to get a bank loan at a much higher rate of interest weekly it's probably costing us about 700 pounds a week to do nothing and that's on interest and the rent that we're having to spend on this place as well really a week's delay is quite significant for us Jan's nervous about their finances so she's decided to sell some of her family heirlooms painting she's had since she was 16 that was one of my favorite artists very nice part of the sometimes group so if in my own little way I can generate a few thousand pounds to cover the rent on this place then that's how I see my job it's now mid-july and eight weeks after they put in their application Glenn and John are called to a meeting with the planning department the planner has a mass of objections to their design as expected the main issues revolve around Jan's plans for the exterior of the building weeks go by and with Glenn up to his neck at work in their dream homes still on hold the strain of their current situation is beginning to show there's no nice conversation there's no sort of oh what's on telly tonight darling oh just anything even mundane would be better than aggro and it just seems to be problems their biggest problem is their bank loan it runs out in October and it won't cover the cost of the bells Glen has haven't a search far and wide for a mortgage company prepared to give them cheaper money and more of it how are we at speed with the mortgage no we're not because the guys are looking around for various options I started to look at Norwich and Peter I found that they the website on which you apply was such a monumental task I was about an hour and a half into it and probably had three hours to go and just aborted it because it was such a lengthy process yeah because of course the clock's ticking and we've got what six weeks left before the bridging loan is pulled I'm not saying that doom and gloom but we we just must be aware that we have an October deadline that we should keep in the back of our minds the lawn was to buy the property and it gives them enough money to get the project started but they'll need a lot more to see it true if their finances don't get sorted soon that'll be the end of their dream I wish Glenn wasn't as busy as right now because if only he could concentrate on what I perceive is really important like get your backside out there and can we please try and get quotations in and potential mortgage lenders but he's so busy I mean he works from well the day before yesterday 4 o'clock in the morning till 9 o'clock at night I mean how the poor guy to do that [Music] in September after modify in their plans they hear from the planners they can't have the tall chimneys and there are issues with the wooden windows but the glass atrium has been approved and so has the timber detailing and jennifer has the planners allowed you to to do all the detailing that you wanted in this house your finials and quite ornate barge boards they can't say anything about the existing phone'll that as you can see is there and yeah well actually it's half on the ground and the barge boards as well we just basically wanted to replicate those on the dormer of the windows okay so that that timber detailing that are on the barge over the front door yeah they're exactly the same above on the windows on top right so do you think that this house based on the planning you've been given is going to achieve the village houses the look the village houses that you wanted I'm happy yes so finally the bill starts Glen has found reliable builders work begins with good old-fashioned demolition first thing to go is the area that will make up their glass atrium entrance hall to save money the project management role has fallen to Jan and with absolutely no experience she's about to face a huge building project at the same time as looking after her daughter livia title was changed it was kind of like a very slow and meandering punk-rock it hits like pogo sticking everywhere I just keep beaming like a Cheshire Cat because it's just finally starting to add to the challenge Helen and John are hoping to get the house wind and water tight by Christmas from day one John is the pressure right now I'm still rather daunted about the amount of work this that's needed I sort of look at that doorway and I think really I should be thinking what kind of lintel I want on top of that doorway oh my god I've got to go to here and I've got to do this and so everything that you look at you think I've I've got to do part of it and it's it's just multiplying up all the work that you've actually got to do John is going to struggle to cope with the project of this size project management is not as easy as you might think but the work carries on at a pace and in under a week the entire roof of the farmhouse is removed the place in the roof is their next priority then there's a long list of jobs that need doing just to get the farm watertight [Music] one of Jan's main jobs is sourcing materials and she's been out buying and on one of their precious Saturdays together Jan and Glenn are taking delivery of 4,000 reclaimed bricks so brick delivery we've been advised if you pardon the French that we have fasted sized bricks got the traditional two and three-quarter inch and 3/4 as opposed to three-inch so on that basis they're like rocking horse droppings read they are expensive you know where that come from yes Ilkeston their work you see we only really had after spending quite a number of hours walking around the yard and measuring every single brick believe me because there's also variations within the bricks in deaths you are now talking to the queen of Valley tiles and rich Taos John seems very laid back but the pressures are beginning to mount it is a stressful thing to do is no time in any building project is but when you take it on project management yourself it just compounds them not stress I won't deny the Taiping tearful and I've been in quite a few floods of tears just by the sheer pressure and the frustration of people not getting back to you and you know you've got sort of build a sort of on site saying well what we're going to do you know Anna and I'm sort of like trying to spin all these plates I mean this is an incredibly steep learning curve for me certainly over the next few weeks Jan gets her teeth into running the bill and can I have a kilo of three 75 mils galvanized clap for the big heads now it's up to John steam your window schedule why don't you need the wood for the curling right okay and we want a 12 to 12 foot to 13 pots and to 19th and they can be any size between nine by six or eight by eight is that right finding authentic period features for John's design is not easy and the builders are wedding a six and a quarter you do feel a bit stupid a woman in a man's world because if the building show the reclamation trade it's all announcer if I get called me Duke one more time or love or babe a spit so did you did you manage to get the anymore of the bricks I feel like I'm firefighting when actually I should be planning when the next fire is going to be lit it's four weeks into the build and Jan and Glyn are working hard to keep the dream on track and on top of the demands of running a project on this scale Jan has the wrench I've taken Lydia to nursery well let's see how it goes shall we for months now I've got to stop from mummy mode when I could really just burst out crying because I would hate anything to happen to Lydia and then I would move mountains for her and now I've got to get on with all the rest of the sh1t that's going down right now so I've just got it pushed myself I'll start again shoot myself down the next problem life for the Graysons is not easy and to make matters even worse the money is still not sorted out but have you got all the finances in place now no just about still a huge slice on bridge which is painful and so have you actually been digging into your savings to pay for the builders often dug into and they expended totally really yeah so you've run out of cash yeah just about so you need to get that mortgage in place yeah so how are you gonna pay the builders next week no I'm not paying the builders next week but by the end of next month you can get to see you've got a month deadline really I've got four weeks yeah four weeks end of October yeah well that will get difficult by then Glyn might be putting a brave face on it but he needs two hundred and fifty thousand pounds to complete this job otherwise the projects over John Anglin are up to their necks in this build and at work they've got a mountain to climb and they still don't have the money in place it's a massive challenge and I really hope they can get through it [Music] Chanin clean Grayson fell in love with a rundown farm in the heart of the Derbyshire Dale's they're proud owners of 12 acres seven outbuildings and a huge wrecked farmhouse which they're renovating at the same time as Glen has a big project at work getting a multi-million pound factory up and running I've done this this work slog now for eight years it's probably so difficult now to remember what life was like before I was doing it John is struggling to manage this beast of a building project we really didn't need that to happen it's the end of October and work is forging ahead on the build they stripped the roof off the large barn and now have to rebuild some of the exterior walls before they fix a new roof on really shoot so so the best price for 17-mile anywhere to write it down I'll just throw this right it's an enormous job and if that's not enough they're running out of money fast delays getting planning permission has meant that they don't have a mortgage and Flynn's trying desperately to negotiate the deal before his savings run out at the end of the month whilst Jan is juggling project management and motherhood we often Olivia mr. school are you looking forward to it No Oh mommy like concerned about their finances Jan has decided to put herself under even more pressure by reviving her or business producing corporate gifts to bring in some much-needed cash are you doing I've been chasing up the advent calendars and the desktop calendars and apparently the one I wrote binder has broken down again and as of yet I still don't have a production time dispatch finish I've received your email this morning and is there is there any way you can be a bit more specific as to the time because obviously I've got a two hundred twenty-five mile round-trip if I have to do it myself so it can't be tomorrow should be signing off on the window design project margin the large chocolates in this is not the most ideal place to conduct business but I just have to do it without earning money this can't happen and it's just sometimes I wonder whether we've bitten off more than we can chew financially because it is hard I make no illusions as to how expensive it is but I just hope it's not going to be worth it in the long run just keep laughing don't keep laughing Glenn and Jan are spending very little time together but when they are together things are not running smoothly this is really quite different because it's just how they constructed it we can actually keep that as a feature if we wanted to you know listen they know I'm worried about what John has taken on and whether all this stress is worth it can you still see the the dream of what this place is going to be like even when all the stress and chaos is happening in spite and despite everything that's going on the one thing that's holding us together and holding the marriage together as well because it is testing you know beyond a no illusion this is really hard work I think the dream hasn't faded it hasn't died and it's the one thing that's keeping everything together because you just come up here when things get too much I do actually come up here and look back look at the dream and think it's fantastic it is worth it all my emotions everything everything is into this build it's my aspirations my dreams my future and my past it's all one it really isn't just bricks and mortar it's everything by the beginning of November the builders have demolished the front bay of the house which they'll rebuild and they've started on the extension at the side to create a conservatory and games round with all this work going on I'm keen to know what's happening with the finances so I catch up with Glenn at his new factory my biggest worry is money because it's matheny it Mindy right now hadn't yet where did get quite hairy as we said that it was going to be touch and go as to whether the bank came up with a mortgage or Halifax the bank didn't and neither did Halifax and we actually got to about three days away from paying the labs oh yeah yeah we were we were so tight on paying the lives I don't think they realized how close they actually came to not getting paid so did you have any other option at that point apart from putting a 12-bore shot gun to my head and pulling the triggers no we were really up against it timewise we were totally and utterly screwed and I said well we started this this could be financial suicide and he almost wasn't Glen has not managed to convert his bank loan into a mortgage he has negotiated another lawn which will allow him to continue the bills but he still paying a lot in interest back on site the builders have moved inside the barn [Music] now they've got a concrete all the floors this enormous space will become a 44 living room [Music] outside the games room and conservatory are going up and the entire building has been repointed as busy as John is she still got her eye on the detail I'm being fussy now you know we're third fourth brick down does that look a bit ropey yeah the one that's inset yeah I'm sorry for being a pain but it looks quite real P and that one that set your head level that's got a big chunk out of it that one do you mind please the mortar was really quite significant for me because again I wanted everything to be true to how it should have been and looking at that now doesn't that look absolutely stunning there is there's no variation in color and that is exactly how the house would have looked when it was first built so I'm absolutely delighted but despite all the progress Glen and John have a very tight deadline to meet on this build because a holiday booked and paid for over a year ago is approaching fast they want to be window watertight before going away and just over a month [Music] but there's still a gaping hole where the glass atrium bridge in the barn and farm is supposed to be it's proven to be a major headache Glenn makes a rare visit to site to fill me in this is gonna be really that the best part of the building for you isn't it this glass atrium has been an absolute bane of my life hopefully it's going to be a stunning new entrance to the property it's where a bit of the old meets something very new and it's our attempt to try and get some real light into the place because it's quite dark and dingy due to the amount of glass in this short piece atrium Glenn and Jan are having problems getting the finalized design approved by building regulations until then the cost is unknown because to design a very minimal triple glazed glass linked by this to comply with the new regulations and that's the big problem the new regulations are so tight about heat gain and heat loss to do an argon filled glass unit which is this so very technical but it's very small king's ransom is that five king ransoms or about thirty kilograms it's getting more towards 30 king's ransom out then that's about 40% more than we anticipated that's quite phenomenal how much you guys have taken on you're one of the busiest man I've ever met and then setting up a brand new factory and getting it up with a collection level that you needed to you've moved house you're taking a building site and you've got everything going on it's incredible but it's not wise wise and Grayson do not go together in the same sentence it is not something you should take on board this was stupidity but it was a chance in a lifetime to do it once at the end of November the build starts to hit problems the roofing is just about finished but the final design on the 34 new windows has yet to be signed off in the cold weather slows building work John is desperately trying to keep the momentum going but there's an immense amount of work to do and by the beginning of December all hopes of getting the building watertight are over Glynn and John's critical deadline was to have all of this building wind and water tight by Christmas well the roofs not finished the windows on end the bad weather started to kick end and the builders aren't even on site is the build starting to wear you down a bit do you think you could say that yeah yes it's a it's probably a low point right now I just think it's a conspiracy theory and I think all all our contingencies are ganging up on those all at once my greatest fear now is that I'm not going to be around in a week from now this Christmas and then after Christmas we're going to be going on holiday is that wise well unfortunately yet again it was bought and paid for and as we'd just seen this place and we never thought for a second we'd actually buy this place and I think sometimes you just got to go and I think part of me thinks I need a break my Health's not brilliant I could really do with a change of climate but then I think one we can't afford it - I certainly can't afford the time and three who's going to be around here to pick out the important bits and to do the finishing touches [Music] with no plumbing no electrics no windows and still no sign of an atrium Glenn and John made the tough decision to close down the site whilst they're away when they return in February there's bad news about the glass atrium our biggest problem has been around getting the design of the atrium and it's just not worked we've just not worked at the end of the day we said we're not prepared to spend the amount of money that the guys are coming up with with tens of thousands it was way out of 40,000 pounds and we're just not prepared to spend 40,000 putting a roof over a set of stairs it's just not worth it so how much have you saved by not doing the glass atrium there on our original estimation 17,000 that's a big saving did you say yeah but it is a compromise in their design isn't it it is yes because I was quite excited about it at first you excited about the fantastic light and action and all that kind of thing but now the more I think about it we're actually being a little bit truer to the farm itself by going back to the original openings from the piggery work starts again with carpenters first fixing the inside of the old farmhouse and by mid-march the new air trim design is well underway [Music] and the 34 handmade or windows start going in [Music] and they're plaster boarding the 40-foot master bedroom and Jan seems to be in full control of the process do you think you hopefully for the first time really starting to enjoy the belt because you can see maybe not you've got to be joking I can honestly say you could offer me any job on this universe the one I would turn down instantly and I'd have a go at most things is project management I would never do that again hats off to them they're brilliant I couldn't do it for a living [Music] Glenn may have cut down his daily commute but he's got less free time than ever he's now starting to have big thoughts about his future with Avila spent any time together whatsoever it's been a nightmare but there's a reason for it and when you know there's a reason for it you put up with it it's been it's been awful I wouldn't recommend it from my point of view I've never ever got the work/life balance right we've got changing I'll go get my act together so well I'm gonna have to do something about oh really yep that's quite a big statement for you to make isn't it yeah how I do it is the different thing but yeah I'll make the change and the officers they're quite appeal to me so I certainly feel that I've got to be master of my own destiny in the future things are really shaping up foot Glen and Jan in Derbyshire what remains to be seen it's exactly how their new house and life will turn out [Music] Jan and clink Grayson want a better quality of life with their daughter Lydia they've moved to the heart of the Derbyshire Dale's and have been struggling to turn a derelict farm and barn into a family home while John's been on-site Glen's been stuck at work for the last 10 months Glen and John have been swamped by this huge project but they've dug deep and kept going and I'm looking forward to seeing if they've got the house they've always wanted the exterior of the building has gone through a major facelift what was once a ramshackle barn and farmhouse has been brought together as one lovely house which now boasts a welcoming courtyard and a brand-new main entrance [Music] anything changed but it's changed more than a bit so have you've done a lovely picture what do you think this is great what a stunning kitchen Oh sexy Big Freedia I've never had a big freezer before huge I know this is my favorite lure the whole house this detailing with that that and that it's absolutely perfect I love it if you thought so the way that the cupboards are all curved and then that Winston that will not let skip you have an obsessive on you I am when you talk about the best view in the house in the kitchen is after all the stress and all the worry that you've been to look at you you're glowing on you just so much happier there's a big smile on your face you are you glowing yeah John's hard work is clear the old run-down rooms on the ground floor of the farmhouse have been magically transformed the old reception room is now a study for Glenn with an impressive adjoining wine cellar there's a dining room where Jan's passion for antiques and either detail are fully on display upstairs in the farmhouse the bedrooms have been given the same attention for beautifully finished spaces and a lavish family bathroom the atrium that links the old farmhouse and the barn is not the modern glass structure they'd hoped for but they're happy just works yeah and if I'm really honest I think it works better now than he would have done before yeah I do into the barn the forty foot space on the ground floor has been converted into a massive living room there's something special like there I hate to change this building in the way that you have is it's quite amazing really above the living room in the barn is Glennon Chan's luxurious retreat what's beautiful about this room is that you've really kept all of the old materials absolutely perfect you must be thrilled we are this is our dream this is it this is what it's all been about this is surrounded by the countryside and this is building our future the once derelict farm now has a family-friendly fail but will Glenn have the time to enjoy it [Music] brilliant so the future a future new a new way of earning a living that's for sure for me anyway but what do you mean by that that's your working miles away from here stop correction what that's all changed because in the future I'll probably be self-employed hang a left were you trying to tell me about your packing and work what we call time on a 10-year arrangement and it's time to change life this is a massive change I know you've just packed in life that's it he's first now you know and I've got to change that there's gotta be a different emphasis the office block across there is probably where I'll be baseball well I'm sure it's fantastic I can a highly stressful job Glenn and Jan have been under immense financial pressure but they do now have the traditional mortgage and as well as working from home they have plans to turn another one of their barns into holiday Nets which will give them more income for the family the farm is more than just their perfect home it's the key to their future together I think we've come full-circle I think we've realized a dream it means about 60 steps up the quality of life ladder taken the decision to make a life change and move can be daunting but Glynn and John have shown that with passion belief and hard work anything is possible just look at what they've achieved this building and their lives have been completely transformed this really is the stuff of dreams [Music]

Channel: Banijay History

Views: 319,548

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 channel shows, history shows

Id: POFRj8dFyuQ

Length: 45min 33sec (2733 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 29 2019