Isle of Harris Campsite - Build A New Life in the Country - S04 EP6 - Real Estate

[Music] partners john furness and  harvey huckabee have moved lock   stock and barrel from leeds to one of  the uk's most spectacular landscapes   wow incredible top of the world the couple want  to realize an unlikely dream to run their very own   campsite look at the campers we'll kick them out  and we'll move in oh [ __ ] armed with little cash   no expertise but a lot of ingenuity they're hoping  for a miracle will this be history in the making   or a total disaster we're positive  but we're also [ __ ] ourselves [Music]   paradise now you could be forgiven for thinking  i'm on a tropical island but in fact i'm in the   outer hebrides and i'm here to meet a couple  who have swapped the hectic city life pubs   and clubs for the remote solitude  of this beautiful scottish island 48 year old harvey huckabee and  his 43 year old partner john furnas   have moved 500 miles from leeds to the isle of  harris one of north west scotland's western isles boasting unspoiled beaches  impressive mountain ranges   and an almost lunar landscape paris is home  to just under two thousand inhabitants [Music]   the island is fast becoming a tourist hot spot  a reduction in ferry prices and a recent vote   for national park status means more people than  ever are visiting this unique location [Music]   had you actually ever been to harris before  both john knives have been coming to hebrews   and the west niles for years in the holidays  ourselves brought harvey up a few years ago   and he was screaming at me that he wanted  to go to spain north that's not true that's what i said and he went north in february i  think i had an image of not scotland but certainly   of of the west niles have it been you know this  place way way way out beyond where it was cold   all of the time yeah as we can see so i  hit it's just not the case you know we   might as well be in the mediterranean  or you know the caribbean that's more   kind of more natural than living in the city  and going to work nine to five every day and   we wanted something else and i think we're almost  touching it now so part of the change is actually   a different pace of life well but i had my  hairdressing salons and john was working in social   work as a drugs worker and in my twenties i found  that's challenging and interesting and exciting   and quite a bit of this move has been about  john ly looking at what challenges is now and   what what's going to satisfy us um in our in  our later years if you like and your dotage is   their challenge takes me to the island's east  coast where they want to start their new business   venture they've spent 133 000 pounds cash on a  13-acre croft complete with two cattle buyers   once used for storing animal feed an old croft  house and a 160 year old hebridean black house   a traditional housing type once common  throughout the highlands and islands of scotland   wow that is beautiful look at that roof you must  have been so excited when you first came in here   oh gobsmacked it's extraordinary so tell me what  is the history of this building weaver's used it   so the famous harris tweed has been knocked out  and handling collecting the lichens and stuff and   making dies for me this building's got mystical  quality and i think that's what we all look for   when we go on holiday we're going to get away  and this feels like you've got away somewhere john and harvey was set up home in the two-bedroom  croft house but their grand plan is to open a   campsite business the two run down cattle  buyers will be turned into guest facilities   a modern sauna with exposed stone walls in  one and a shower block with mod cons next door on their 13 acres driftwood pathways  will lead to private pictures for campers   the money spinner lies by the lock an original  hebridean black house will be sympathetically   converted into a self-catering  lodge let out year round [Music]   it's a highly ambitious project especially when  they've set a deadline to be open by next easter   how did you find it on the internet and i  found john at work getting on the internet   have a look at this one we both said  wow yeah absolutely a very fast sale   yeah so we bought it without seeing it  yeah which is was that nerve wracking [Music]   this isn't something i would recommend and  only time will tell if their gamble will pay   off the sale of their home in leeds paid for  the site leaving john and harvey mortgage free   although they're living off a small pot  of savings there's a lot of renovation   work ahead so i wonder how they're going to pay  for it and we're going to get a business loan   and finance it through that  which was for 80 000 pounds   so you need to borrow money to finance the  campsite yes that's right yeah the difficulties   is because what we have here is a craft to  simplify that because it's very complicated   is we are tenants of the land how it works from  the bank's point of view our properties sat on   land that we don't own so therefore we can't  achieve them alone on something that isn't ours   so they have a system that's called decrofting  you knew all of this before you bought yes we did until it's decrofted john and harvey  don't actually own the title to their land   and that's a major problem although john  and harvey have put their application for   decrofting in until that paperwork is complete  the bank will not lend them any money with their   dream business hinging on getting that loan my  only hope is that it all goes according to plan [Applause] [Music]   partners harvey and john have ditched jobs  as a hairdresser and social worker in leeds   and moved to the isle of harris in scotland  with a dream of opening a campsite it's really   daunting is this there's so much to do and  it's so big and we've never done it before   they plan to turn the two old cattle buyers into  a shower block and sauna they're 13 acres into   an attractive site for campers and transform this  hebridean black house into a self-catering lodge   we've gotta make mistakes we've gotta  get it wrong and we've gotta learn now this is a fantastic example of a black house  and that's the traditional housing type for the   highlands and the islands and they've been built  like this for centuries and to really understand   how it would have worked you've got to imagine  what it would have been like in here over a long   hard winter you would have had an extended  family you would have had the grandparents   the parents and the kids all in here with their  animals in order to survive the long hard winters   the building needed to be insulated so what they  do is they use heavy thatch up here keeps out the   water keeps it insulated and they just hold  it down with this fishing net whatever they   can find to stop it blowing off what's so clever  about these buildings is that they're made using   only local materials local stone local heather and  then even the mortar in between the stones is made   from cooking up the seashells which you can get  down on the beaches they're so simple they're so   functional and to me this building is a triumph  of ingenuity and incredibly beautiful [Music]   the first job is repointing the walls the  mortar and the stone work needs replacing   it's quite quite challenging actually it's  like being an archaeologist or something   i feel quite privileged to be doing  it renovating something so old   john and harvey have a small pot of savings  to live off but plan to cover the renovation   cost with an 80 grand loan until this comes  through they'll be doing the work themselves   it's a hell of a lot of work is this but you  know slowly slowly catch your monkey [Music]   oh [ __ ] this black house is 160 years  old as well as getting it watertight it   also needs electricity what we've had to do is  dig all the channels for the electricity board   and basically electricity board's going to come  along this morning and they're going to run the   cable through through the pipe we're laying  now which goes straight into the back house   you see that blue line yeah don't pull it  just help us through if you can ready yeah go yeah okay bit more oh god well it's starting to push  it so you're getting somewhere   i know yeah i can feel it i'm  just saying sweetie [Music]   i've got old of it i'm just going to  get rid of walter here now go out there naughty boy i do quite a lot of it i do a lot of  the heavier stuff um like moving stone i moved 30   tons of stone the other week harvey's not a very  good lifter but it does does help out when when   he can harvey's most pressing concern is money  good morning ladies harvey from downing harris   john and harvey are tenants of their land not  owners and the bank have requested their land as   decrofted or legally signed over to them before  it agrees to a loan of 80 000 pounds it's been   four weeks since they sent off their application  i'm sort of in a situation now where this is sort   of really holding ourselves up and holding the  project up we have certainly done everything we   can do to make things move along i keep getting on  the phone and speaking to people and communicating   but we will keep going until things  work out and we will work them out [Music] a month later and they're still waiting but john  and harvey have stretched their savings to some   paint for their new home you know when the my  favorites always have a detached house yeah   and we gather detached house but my other dream  was to have a white detached house yeah a nice   white house in scotland's fantastic brilliant  dream so another 15 hours of paintings ago   next they start clearing the 13-acre  site in preparation for campers   this is brilliant i thought there  was only going to be two of you   they've also enlisted the help of some local  islanders to get rid of an unwanted guest   she's a particularly stroppy sheep is this  one um and in fact she's about to scratch   about i think about 45 quids worth of bedding  plants and shrubs florence go find the sheep   to the other end of the craft i feel like  julian cruz on the sound of music [Music]   she's really big no no no no no go up up she'll headbutt you john don't what are you doing   nope 45 pounds worth of badging plants  go on go on quick yay [Applause]   thank you very much thank you [Music] we haven't got the paperwork through yet  the sheep may have gone but 15 weeks after   putting in their d-crofting application they  still haven't heard back from the authorities   until the decrafting is stamped off we  can't release the deeds from the house   until the deeds are released from the  house we can't achieve them alone [Music] it's a case of sitting and  waiting and sitting and waiting as if this wasn't enough of a burden john and  harvey are down to the last of their savings   there is nothing left over from the sale of  our property in england um and there are not   savings in the bank presently recycling there  has not been one single day where we haven't   had a conversation about money yeah they're just  about right it just rules our life at the moment [Applause]   four weeks later as a last resort  to generate some much needed income   harvey's come up with a plan despite vowing  never to manage a hair salon again a local shop   has become available and he's decided to rent it  with my last salon there wasn't a balance between   free time and work time but i  can't see how that can happen here   so yeah no that's good i'm not happy about it  i'll put it into i pretty i've got my head around   it um yeah that's yeah it's not what i came  here to do but i'm perfectly happy to do this right life doesn't always happen in the way that  you plan things and yeah the plans are changing   but we've got to adapt with things john it's  not even covering that side which side that side   push it up so it's flat on the bottom  flat on the bottom of what the other side   i don't understand what it mean is it covering  both sides yeah it's holding bloody hard yes that's what i was worried about  yeah not getting over the other end [Music] what do you think yeah your  diy my design i'm pleased with harvey tied to the salon john's plowing  his efforts into growing vegetables to sell   to the campers next spring i wonder about  this one productive you know we can grow   garlic here and you know if a line like that can  make us 50 quid that's that's worth a couple of   you know a couple of days work really nice  as a time disappears when you do this stuff   i wonder i'm doing this and i look  around and go wow top of the world harvey you're a genius thank you do you feel happy  with that oh absolutely yes oh yes yeah the salons   entirely took it over it's definitely very popular  see i live in the other end of harrison i've   heard some of the girls that work with me that  have been to harvey that are extremely pleased not only is the salon busy john and harvey  are also starting to form solid friendships   on the island [Music] john and harvey  have actually settled here incredibly   well um they have a next-door neighbor who's  an absolute sweetie and she said to me that she   really would have liked lady living next door  to her but she was quite happy with harvey   so i thought that was an accolade  from a hebridean lady [Music]   six months from meeting their easter deadline  i'm worried john and harvey should be halfway   through their build but everything still hinges  on the d crofting paperwork being signed off   so they can get the 80 grand loan  they need that must be so frustrating   yeah really daunting you don't know what the  outcome is and things take so long it's quite a   deadline you've got there a lot of work to do yeah  a lot of work to do yeah and the pressure's still   there to get it together so it's really a bit  frightening if you if you don't get the money it's   not going to happen is it how are you finding  life up here in general i mean you moved from   the center of leeds to almost well do i say  the middle of nowhere i'm really enjoying it   actually i've really settled in here i like  it i'm discovering new plants and birds and   rocks and yeah that's fantastic what about the  local community you're a gay couple moving to a   fairly isolated community how's that being  initially we're a little bit and we thought   we'll be okay hey let's go for it we introduced  ourselves as a couple straight away and people   i'm sure some people didn't like it but they  really responded to the honesty of that people   are very straight up here and very supportive  so the community is kind of behind us actually   the money may be hanging in the balance but at  least the efforts to settle here are proving   successful [Music] salon ten years ago i  said i'd never have another salon exactly   you were so adamant i know it's it's worked  out really well so it's been really convenient   well i'd really like a bit of a bit of a  trim a bit of a smart mark what do you reckon   let's have a look do you do you put  things in your hair when you shampoo so how do you feel now that to an extent your  focus is moved away from the craft and the project   there it's quite a great time it couldn't have  time better we you know we have to have an income   it's not um we're not living in la la land or  fantasy island you know we we've still got to   eat you know we've still got to pay the bills how  are you feeling about the spring deadline it will   happen you say that with a steely determination  i'm determined it will happen charlie you   will come the sun will be shining and we'll be  welcoming our first guests into the black house   and everything's gonna look good it's all gonna  be all right and you're absolutely sure of that   i'm as sure of that as i am but when i show  you the back of your head in five minutes   you'll say oh fantastic garvey  i better leave you generative [Music] bye strange the way life works out harvey swore  that he would never have another salon and yet   here we are and here berdine has actually  thrown the boys a real lifeline but until   they have that cash in their bank account i don't  think the success of this project is guaranteed john and harvey are nine months into their  dream of opening a brand new campsite   on the isle of harris john and myself have  been camping for years but we would like to   mix a semi-wild camping sort of atmosphere  with really nice quality facilities [Music]   theirs will be the second campsite on the  island they want to convert an old black   house into a self-catering lodge turn two  cattle buyers into a shower block and sauna   and create pathways and pictures for tents  and their deadline is just around the corner believe it or not there's  just a few months until easter   when tourists will start arriving on the  island for the critical summer season   the last time i saw john and harvey  they were still waiting for their   business loan and a long way from welcoming  tourists so i wonder how they're getting on so tell me guys what has happened with the  business loan well what we have managed to do   last year was we've gone through the whole process  of decrofting the decrofting has been approved um   then we got a letter from the solicitor informing  us that the owner of the proft has died and until   they appoint a new executor the decrafting cannot  be stamped off so at this moment in time we're   in limbo so you went all the way through this  process of decrafting last year the guy is about   to sign it and he kills over and now you've got  to wait all for all of that legal hurley burley   to settle down before you can get your money if  for both of us it's been this huge disappointment   it's a nightmare they won't get a loan if the  decrafting isn't signed off but john and harvey   are determined to open putting the black house  renovations on hold they'll focus on the basics   so putting paths in getting water supplies in  getting a roof on the buyer we're intending to   convert one of the buyers into the shower blocks  for camping how are you gonna pay for these works   um through the hairdressing  and a lot of imagination   really getting a campsite open on a shoestring  budget will be tough prioritizing what will   become the shower block john's focusing  on a new roof for the buyer [Music]   his plan to use local heather as the  thatch that i'm looking for got to be   strong really strong and supple and able to  cope with the weather and last a long time   it's one of the island's oldest  building traditions and it's free   some of it's too thick some of it's too  bushy [Music] some of it's brilliant   the only drawback is time the best heather  grows on a steep hillside a 10 minute drive away   it may not sound like much but with 70  odd car journeys to and from their side   plus the picking and climbing it's a laborious  task [Music] get bunches ready for me to   put on yeah and a bunch like that the art of  thatching is usually the preserve of specialists   i got in touch with the header thatcher who's  sort of reinvented heather thatching in scotland   and they really kindly took me over  and i was working for them for a week   yes i know how much heather i need now  which is a lot of heather there's numbers of   techniques to do it i'm just using cable ties  because um it was the cheapest way to do it   traditionally they use screws and wire it's almost  like a living room so you've got to maintain   it you got to get the moss out of it and look  after it little this isn't it [Music] thank you [Music] yeah once complete the roof should last around 20  years it's amazing to think that this technique   dates back thousands of years eggs but it's not  just me that appreciates the traditional approach nearest neighbor morag morrison was born on harris  and has strong ties to john and harvey's croft   so this one more actually mum that's my mom  yes this is that's my dad john morrison yes   it was us john mason building houses and  he uh he was actually actually helped work   yes i guess it was morag's father who built  john and harvey's croft house over 80 years ago   we've had lots of people in  that house it's been left   got a holiday home and then people were coming  and staying for a few years from moving on   now morag's one of the few remaining  inhabitants who remembers the old ways   completely changed the world recognition  the way of life here since i was young it's very hard to live from a croft  you have to work very hard but   john's worked very hard on the searching  and everything and harvey's got his business   so they're very industrious  hope this succeed [Music] as wild atlantic winds hit harris the buyer's  thatch for the shower block still isn't finished   despite the weather i decide to lend a hand right  right so you can see how i've put it on the cable   ties is that a traditional method oh yeah cable  size yeah so just get it on quite evenly and   pointing down there's always sort of growing a  curve same terrier quite thick as well [Music] touching touch and fetching so you'll  then cut this all back will you not too   much just to get it flat and looking neat  we want the sort of lord of the rings look   i can't wait to see it when it's finished yeah  yeah i duck out either nearly there now what   was it a foot and a half ago yeah with a bit of  luck the bias thatch will be complete in a week   still awaiting news on the bank loan but  determined to be open for the summer the boys have   hired builders to renovate the buyer's interior at  a cost of six thousand pounds how are you going to   pay for that it's going to be financed through the  shop really my um magic shop with its magic tool   that pays for everything um and some things are  going to go into overdrafts how crucial for your   financial situation is getting this campsite  up and open for the start of the season   it's really crucial um we've with everything  we have we've invested in here and we now need   to start getting some return it's not going to  be out the vision we had but we'll be getting   most of the way there i think you have got a  lot to do by the start of the tourist season   there's a hell of a lot to do he's got to remain  positive and battle on with it so yeah it's   crucial it happens financially financially  but it's crucial it happens for john and me   well good luck good luck thank you it dig gravel it's a bit messier on top i'll take the crown a  good lot shorter yeah so that's sort of messy two   weeks later john's finished thatching and is now  building a bridge to cover ditches on the land   once more using free materials you  just gotta use what's available here   and it seems telegraph pearls we have an  abundance so we might as well use them what pleases me most is seeing builders on site   starting the conversion of one  of the buyers into a shower block they need to install walls drainage two showers  and a toilet amazingly they haven't been paid a   penny yet yeah we just had to be really  upfront with the with the builders about   lack of money um it's kind of a scottish  way they respond to that really well   and they're prepared to do this  job when the money's not in place   salt of the earth actually at least folks  great that's it guys very good very good   yeah it's looking good yeah yeah i can  actually see it now coming together yeah   it's good to see psychologically nothing's  happening it's good for your mental health [Music]   john and harvey plan to pay the builders  the six grand bill as soon as they have the   funds still worrying about the moment but  it's um yes something's happening [Music] putting their money troubles aside at least for  now john and harvey hit the local village pub   out of the croft i deserve this it's been a hard  day yeah it's nice to come out   and have a drink and unwind a bit after  working quite a lot yeah well deserved very close the peak tourist season is imminent with their  budget stretched to the limit john and harvey   are forced to find imaginative ways to make  this project happen probably always actually   no i really like that they've managed to find  a tourism website offering free business links   our website's had over a thousand  hits in just the last three weeks   um we've had we've been having  enquiries from all over europe on site john's working hard to stream their 13  acres [Music] and in the buyer progress let's   get that on objections up the harris builders have  installed drainage and started putting up walls little pieces of the jigsaw are fitting together   at last we're out of the woods yet but i am  starting to see sunlight through the trees   at this moment unsure of when we're going to be  paid that you know we have assurances from harvard   that won't be an issue the community spirit on the  island extends to a benevolent neighbour as well a nice bottle of merlot i think  that's what these things cost there's an entire season's worth of revenue  at stake but will this last ditch superhuman   effort to get this campsite open be enough  it needs to work it needs to earn someone to   take a bit of pressure off harvey the season's  upon us now we need to get campers in [Music]   a year ago john and harvey took the biggest gamble  of their lives they sold virtually everything they   owned in order to move to this beautiful remote  scottish island to find a simpler way of life and   to fund this change in their lifestyle they wanted  to open a campsite now behind me is one of the   ferries that arrive here every day in the summer  packed full of tourists looking for a place to   stay and the big question is have john and harvey  finally got their campsite open ready for business harvey johnny the flag's up does  that mean you're open we're open yeah camping we have arrived brilliant yeah  absolutely john and harvey's huge effort   to tame the 13-acre terrain has worked it  actually feels like a welcoming campsite the garlic the garlic's really happy even  john's vegetable patch is coming along well i have to say it really looks lovely  and i know how much work there is keeping   a plot like this in shape it's enormous  you've been stripping for a month non-stop   i call him six-pack john is that because  of the beers or because of the stuff   i don't need a gym membership here one of the  things i really like about it is it's it's very   low key it's very understated but nicely done is  that something that you've really been trying to   to achieve yeah absolutely yeah it almost has a  retreat feel um and that's the type of atmosphere   we'd like to create for visitors staying here  is you know it's a place to come and get away   from everything and i think we're achieving it  actually have you had any feedback from people yet   yes we have um we have a little visitors book  and people have been saying really nice things um   including things like this has been the  highlight of my holiday on the hebrides currently john and harvey can  offer up to five pictures a night   once it's an officially licensed campsite  that will become a lot more [Music]   i'm dying to see for myself what amenities  are on offer in the old cattle buyer [Music]   look at this what a transformation it's not bad  is it i can i can bring people down and show   people around and feel good about it and go yeah  here's your facilities and these are very nice   campsite showers aren't they yep this is the  best clothes i've ever seen that's fantastic   so who's done all the little decorative touches it's my little bit of fun and i've got got to the  fun bit he calls cheeks the bit i enjoy um so yeah   that's that's your word for the ecosystem it  is it's the word of the month anyway yeah we're   going for the incarceration i think that's a  fair term damn site nicer than we've got in our house [Applause] [Music] the full renovation  of the black house remains on hold   but its log-burning stove and reclaimed  furnishings will be a cozy bonus for campers [Music]   such a beautiful building it really  is the jewel in the crown isn't it   yeah it's just a really really nice  space being and quite honestly we   probably spent more time down here now  than what we do up at the house [Music]   john and harvey spent 133 grand cash to  purchase the buildings and land at the outset   so i'm keen to find out just how  their finances stack up right now we spent up to scratch approximately six thousand  pounds because that's a that's a very small you   know relatively small amount of money to spend  to get a business up and running really it is   but we've begged borrowed and recycled really so  like the heather's free there's free telegraph   polls by the side of the road are free so have you  actually found the sixth grand to get the build   done the finance is mainly coming from the salon  the the salons just built and built and built   i'm getting a clientele from you know different  islands now and really yeah yeah helicoptered in   no but i've planted more from u.s and things like  that um we've not paid the bill in entirety yet   there's enough going through to keep everyone  happy yeah it's only when the decrofting process   is completed and john and harvey received the  deeds to their land that they'll be able to borrow   the extra money they need then they can pay the  builders in full and invest in the future of their   project [Music] gonna get a sauna for one of the  buyers uh get developing this building here put   up a polytunnel so i can grow things and sell some  stuff as well so your proper modern day crafters   we're trying to make a go of this craft and  make it into a running business that can support   us yeah absolutely do you think eventually the  camping business can replace the salon not in the   immediate future um and actually i'm  quite enjoying my salon here actually it's   it's okay it's not taking over my life  but even if we only manage five couples   a night um that will give us a hundred pounds a  night that'll give us 700 pounds a week um we'll   be having little campers you might so very yeah  that's a pretty healthy income what three or four   months a year 700 quid a week that's pretty good  maybe there'll be a third campsite on the island [Music] when you were living in leeds i imagine you  you must have had an idea of what this new life   was going to be like has it lived up to those  expectations yes i still have to pinch myself   actually it's you know it's quite amazing to move  from a busy road to a location that we now live in   this is this is my dream how you doing if  i ever think to myself oh i could do with a   night out clubbing then when i think about where  i want to wake up um it's here we've got a much   better lifestyle with nature and doing new  things and getting challenged in different   ways and there's ups and downs and it's it's  brilliant do you think that living up here   you've actually become more accepting of not  knowing exactly what's around the corner yes   it's been a rocky road something happens  uh you can't afford something so you have   to think of another solution and it develops  into something else and sometimes that can be   that can be better and more interesting than  what you started off with it's yeah it's great   it's a really good roller coaster i feel much  wealthier in lots of ways without having any cash   given what the boys have been through this year  and the way they've had to adapt i have no doubt   that their business in this magical place will be  a success their dreams might not have always gone   to plan but somehow in some way they've made it  work they might not have much money but they do   have an incredibly rich and sustainable new  life and that is an inspiration to us all [Music]   next time can scott nicholas and rachel  owen transform this crumbling georgian   rectory into their dream home in just three months   if they come back with ridiculous costs on  this it's not going to happen is it [Music] yyyyyyyyy [Music] wow [Music]   you

Channel: Banijay Home and Garden

Views: 47,916

Keywords: architect george clarke, architect guidance, country living, countryside living, diy home, family home projects, george clarke, hebrides, home makeover, home renovation, house restoration, interior design, isle of harris campsite, property conversion, property development, real estate, rural life, rural renovation, scottish campsite opening

Id: w4fw6z0NlV8

Length: 44min 8sec (2648 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 11 2021