From Barn to Home - Build A New Life in the Country - S04 EP5 - Real Estate

[Music] ex-ref fireman darren and fitness  instructor mel lived in norwich but the youngs   craved the peace and quiet of the countryside i  like free food they've bought these two derelict   barns there's definitely some work to do the grand  plan is to sell one to fund the others renovation   i love you know being woken up at seven o'clock in  the morning because i know that builders are here   and they're doing something give it some welly  but will this risky strategy threaten their dream   of living in the country every time we get knocked  back it makes us stronger and more stubborn this week i've come to meet a couple who have  lived and traveled all around the globe and   after years of spending time apart have decided  to put down their roots and build their dream home   here in the idyllic and picturesque norfolk broads 38 year old darren and 31 year old  mel young moved from the bustling   city of norwich to the quiet of the  countryside near the village of loddon   in an area popular with holiday  makers and the boating fraternity they've bought this former milking  parlor and annex both built in 1868   the buildings came with full planning  permission and cost 235 000 pounds mel and darren have already been living on  site for five months in a static caravan how did you end up in this rather wonderful 70s  caravan in the middle of the field it basically   goes back to when we weren't together really um  where while i was in the raf i liked obviously   open spaces with being in the raf i've spent  time in kuwait which is in the middle of nowhere   uh the falkland islands which is the middle  of nowhere melissa spent a year in australia   and so when we came across the barns it was a  chance basically to be in the middle of nowhere   so what's the the dream the long-term dream  of this project to have a lovely big lush   overgrown garden where daz and i can just  sit there relax very quiet stars in the sky   a glass of wine in your hand the end of the  day at the end of this project that's what   we want to be we are in a very quiet area the  locals make us feel welcome it's just brilliant   what made you suddenly go you know what we're just  gonna buy pretty much a wreck and make it into a   house i love barns the idea of a barn it's kind of  quite magical really it's beautiful with all the   natural beams and the history of them the space  and what you can do with them when we initially   looked at it we thought well why not sell the  annex the sale would then fund um the other barn   for our renovation but you're not out of the  woods yet are you because you've still got to sell   the barn to actually release the capital to do  any work whatsoever on the main bar yeah yeah   sure i mean uh the annex we have put it on  the market it's um on a guy price of 150 000 lovely little collection of buildings isn't it  really nice how are you going to get from this   to your finished house what's that what's the  way in which you're going to run a project   yeah well i'm going to be project  manager um as well as obviously working   my normal job our builder he's going to be  coming and doing most of the structural work   should we getting out of the road and have a  look around i'd like to just love to see inside so this is going to be the utility room that looks  good good size and this is going to be the dining   room that's enormous isn't it there's something  really lovely about those trusses there isn't on   that roof i really like them i like the way that  there's that lovely gap yeah it's continuous over   the top and normally the ridge plate sits on  top of it it doesn't know i think that's quite   unusual it's really nice you could feed the 5 000  in here well that's what we planned i've had a bet   to say that i will be cooking  christmas dinner in that kitchen   and certainly on this big table 100 pounds  you can take another one of those pets   definitely not 100 quid let's go  through the bedrooms is it in here guys it's big isn't it it's massive [Music] entering the barn at the double  height end mel and darren will   create a kitchen with a study on the first floor from there they want a utility  room next to the front door   which will lead into a long dining room and living  room then they will knock through into the next   section of the barn where they hope to build  a family bathroom [Music] three spare bedrooms   and finally a master bedroom with ensuite  mel wants the original beams to become   focal points throughout the barn and  overall she wants a rustic finish how much have you got to spend on it it's looking  as though we're going to need around about 120   000 minimum to make it what we want it to  be that's not including decorations or like   final fittings no no we've got to put a kitchen  in there we've got to put oh you've got to put   the kitchen on top of that yes and we've also  got to do um bathroom toilets and ensuite   so actually you're going to be looking at an  extra sort of 40 50 on top of that the guy   guide price is 150 so if the quote is 120 we've  got 30 grand to play with okay and you'll have   to do it for 30 grand even if you stop at 150  and don't do some of the bathrooms now yeah   i think 150 000 pounds is quite tight  because it's such a big space and it needs   such a lot of work you know in principle  darren and mel have been incredibly creative   in the way that they're going to fund this project  but there's risks to their strategy because   they've got two bars now and they don't sell  one then quite simply the economics just don't   stack up nothing is going to happen here i really  hope for their sakes that someone buys that barn city life didn't suit mel and darren young  they dreamt of open spaces and settling in   a quiet village community they've  bought two derelict cowboys with a   view to selling one to fund the renovation  of the other come on give it some welly   mel and darren work full time but darren  will be project managing the build   yeah i always do the heavy stuff you never do  anything because i'm the brains behind this no building work can commence  until the annex barn is under offer   potential buyers have been asked to submit sealed  bids and the highest offer will secure the sale i'm going down to mulberry state agents in loddon  which is the nearest village to where we are   to find out if we have received any sealed bids  and then open them up and see how much we've got   they need a minimum of a hundred and fifty  thousand pounds to completely finish the barn   so it's vital they get the right  price for the annex so here goes well the first one is in the sum of fifty thousand   okay which is low and obviously not what  you were looking for and the second one much better summit one five two six seven eight  yeah no that's really good yes the first offer   sort of shocked me slightly um i didn't i guess  people just put any offers in sometimes but   the second offer was was much better so really  delighted with that that's what we need [Music] with the highest offer accepted and  confident they will exchange quickly   mel and darren instruct their builders  to start first job stripping the roof as a project manager well i'm doing my 905 job and  going to work and being in touch with the builder   the architect seeing what they require me to get  it's very stressful it's just the workload just   totally doubled i've got to go to work hopefully  when i come back i'll say mostly roof off   darren may be project manager but he also  has a full-time job as a car park supervisor [Music] their builder bill is confident about the works  ahead is just about 12 or 14 weeks once we've   got the roof back on plain sailing to keep the  bills paid mel also works full-time as a personal   trainer at the local gym so you're going to be  working back the shoulders and the arms as well   after a long day at work mel and darren return  home to check on the state of their future home   it's wrecked and we've got some work to do  that's the bedroom oh god much rubbish there   is there's uh definitely some work to do ensuite  there wardrobe huge wardrobe that's my bit   that's going to be about the size  of it and that's your bit [Music] with the barn starting to take shape  and keen to meet the christmas deadline   darren's called in friend stuart to help dig  out the barn's concrete floors [Music] perfect [Music] [Music]   meanwhile mel attempts to knock down the wall  in the courtyard all right guys solid to go   in for christmas um i'm still pretty positive  we've got a hundred pound bed so we'll have to [Music]   wow it's just over two months since  the sale of the annex was agreed   but building work has completely grown to a halt we've had a bit of a disaster and basically  the person who was buying the barn   has had a few problems trying to get a mortgage   and with that it seems as though they're  going to be pulling out possibly of the buy there's a lot of frustration there because  obviously and we agreed to sale nine weeks ago and   without the completion of this sale and we've got  to seriously look elsewhere and where we're going   to get the money from [Music] it's frustrating  because there's nothing we can really do about it   i mean we've been in the caravan for seven months  um we've gone through a winter and we don't want   to do that again know we need the money obviously  as soon as possible we can't get rid of it   then we would have to well we'll be looking at  the situation of obviously selling everything   the agreed sale price was just over 152  000 pounds i remember the line here is the   boundary on this side but because of the uk wide  property slump it needs to be revalued before   going back on the market with a local estate agent  there are conditions about keeping the big doors   at the end sure i mean the only issue we have to  talk about obviously is the way the market's gone   and the prices there has been a reduction in price  as you well know in the area and in the market in   general um i think you've got to guide it now at  150 and be prepared to negotiate if a good buyer   comes along yeah i mean the thing is we we really  can't go below 150. it's really going to defeat   the object if we take you know anything lower than  150 really but nothing is selling quickly [Music]   with no guarantee of a sale mel and darren  also try selling the annex over the internet a unique opportunity to acquire  a detached brick-built barn with   full planning consent to convert  into a three-bedroom property okay yep let's do it [Music]   even with their financial problems  and the possibility of no build   mel and darren remain optimistic about the future   i don't think the dream has ever gone off track i  just think it's um it it's just been slowed down [Music] what i like about here is  that it's not touristy at all is it   if you think it's summer and it's a bit  chilly but it's hardly anyone here just   to live in the countryside and then you  got the coast 20 minutes down the road it's the height of summer and the uk property  market isn't showing any signs of recovery the   annex barn still hasn't sold but mel  and darren have been thrown a lifeline   options were bank loan remortgaging which  we didn't particularly want to do so i am i   called my dad he lent us initially was 13 uh  13 grand and he was able to lend us another   six and a half so all together 20. as soon as  we complete on the sale then he'll get paid back definitely this vital cash injection from  mel's dad means build their builder can   start work after a massive 14-week delay  and finally the roof can go back on that   first feeling of seeing the builder turn  up and start work it was a great feeling next those lovely beans get sandblasted to  take them back to their original color [Music]   we're actually coming home in an evening and we're  starting to see things happening it's gone well   it's gone good as i feared mel and darren's  high-risk strategy of funding their bills to   sell their other barn hasn't worked out they  still haven't sold it i'm quite worried i want   to find out what is going on i mean you've been  on a real roller coaster ride what's happened we   did go through a bit of sort of a few a few weeks  of is this really worth it because everything's   kind of kind of seemed to go against us you know  what we were trying to do but um we we had an   offer and that's for 137 000 so we've dropped 18  000 wow that's good that's painful isn't it yes it's good they've got an offer but  it's still a lot less than they need   to make the money stretch as far as possible  darren has split the build into three distinct   phases so tell me now these phases what exactly  is is each phase the first phase is obviously   this side of things and that will be bedrooms and  family bathroom and the living room as well and   then this bit from here through to here you will  have a dining room entrance hall utility room then   toilet that appears too i mean phase three is that  distinct one and a half story building at the end   yes well let's have a concern phase three  will consist of the kitchen and study   to further save money and create more space  they are also reducing the number of bedrooms   from four to three big changes aren't they huge  how long has he been on site he's been on site   a total of 20 days that is really fast yeah now  that things are moving very quickly it's nice to   come down every day and see things happening and  i think what we're doing now how this the speed of   it coming on the confidence is at full level again  so you're feeling pretty chipper despite the fact   you haven't com exchanged on the on the annex  i'm 90 confident that that's going to go ahead   it's good to see darren feeling optimistic but  i want to know how everything is affecting mel   is it a case that you know through adversity  you're you're growing more bonded with the   project with the building that is becoming more  a part of your heart as you put so much of your   heart and soul into it yeah yeah i feel a lot more  attached to it now um than you know i ever have   done and i wouldn't there's no way that i i would  think about you know trying to sell it or move on   i suppose i'm a more of a believer that if  if you really want something bad enough then   you know you can do it has it made your  relationship with darren stronger do you   think going through the adversity the tough  times that you've been through on this project   um yeah yeah we it it's also strained relationship  as well i mean i'm sure he won't mind you know   saying that it's with added pressures because  obviously we're both working full time   i think it really puts a strain on you in your  character as well it really challenges your   character to see you know how strong  you are when things go wrong [Music]   i think darren and mel have shown a real  strength of character so far but there's   still a long way to go on this build and until  they have the money from the sale of their barn   in their hands i think this project has a  real danger of folding and with it their dreams [Music] mel and darren young are trying to turn  this former cowshed into their dream home   by christmas i see the whole thing finished i see  it every day but their build has been beset with   financial problems the success of the project is  dependent on the sale of their annex barn so far   one buyer has pulled out but it's under offer for  the second time without the completion of this   sale we've got to seriously look elsewhere  and where we're going to get the money from luckily for mel and darren they've  been helped out by mel's father   he lent them some money to continue and bill  the builder is now making great progress laid   in the floors concrete floors and as you can  see we've formed all the bedrooms and ensuites but mel's dad's money is running out and  there's bad news from the estate agent we uh the   the couple of builders i think the developers  that were buying the annex have pulled out um   and yeah i was really just very disappointed  because we sort of got to the point where   we were actually moving forward  and things were starting to happen [Music] it is technical i've had a few sleepless  nights it has been a lot more stress and strain   and worry on me i was doing the project management  um i'm the type of person what a liar work at   night thinking about things what this means for  the builders is we've we've paid their money and   there's enough work possibly for another week once  that's done um we have no money left and to do anything it's back to square one for the second time mel  and darren have had a buyer pull out at the last   minute they now have a half completed building  and no money to finish it we're not talking people   that i mean if we stayed down then we'd never  get the project finished because you've just got   you've got to pick yourself up and carry on  and think about what you're going to do next   to begin by christmas i mean who knows our  only option is now to go back to the bank   and look at remortgage uh to try and free up some  more funds yeah fingers crossed toes and legs legs remortgaging was never part of the plan but  this is the only way to keep the build going   while waiting for news from the  bank and determined to remain   positive mel and darren sees the chance to get  involved with village life we've been really   fortunate in the fact that we've met you know  some really lovely people the fate is now open hello wow first customer thank you wizard one of the reasons we did move to village was was  to have kind of that sort of community feel that's   what we missed where we were before and it just  it feels just like we're you know we're part of it   that's always something important when you move  somewhere is to kind of feel that belong you know   especially in a small place like this i'm really  pleased with my flower stairs like this obviously   does mean a lot to us and it shadows the fact  that we have been having a lot of problems [Music]   i think this is the first place that well  especially what we're doing with the barn   you know felt that this this is where  we can build some roots green ticket   no name or number on the back 338 winter's approaching and finally mel  and darren have heard back from the bank   we had our property revalued um and the  bank of basically valued it at pretty   much what we we thought it would be um and  they've lent us 41 000 so we can carry on   the money may not finish the entire build  but it will mean phase one consisting of   the bedrooms and living room and phase two  the dining room can be completed [Music]   although bill the builder can resume work mel and  darren have decided to tackle more jobs themselves   to save money basically i measure up he cuts  it and then hopefully it slots in [Music]   it's a real long tedious rubbish process but  if we do it it saves about 600 quid [Music] [Music]   after a long day it's time for a  well-earned drink at their local pub   oh my how are you doing guys  all right yeah good thanks   you got harry with you i ain't sitting there  oh he's quiet for a change there we go [Music] with the additional funds from  the bank bill the builder can   concentrate on getting the barn habitable  and today it's finally watertight [Music]   we've got windows going in today nice  to see them going in to be honest [Music] trust me that dude waits for nothing it won't fool  but with these strong boys that's pretty good dad   beautiful it looks great to have the windows going  in it's uh actually makes it look like a house now yeah yeah it's going to be a good view anyway   so there's a whole village coming around i  am hungry so although we've been put back   a little while and there's still a chance  we'll be in before christmas yeah i know   we did get a bit of a setback but at  the end of the day we needed some luck with it all under control [Music]   good very nice there's just three weeks until christmas and  progress is good but the barn is far from finished   we've been in the caravan nearly 11 months now   and as much as i love camping and going on caravan  holidays it's it'd be nice to get into our house down the middle they're putting a  brave face on but it must be difficult   it must be difficult for them hopefully  uh for christmas coming out they   get into the festive spirit and all  and forget about the worries for a bit [Music] there may still be lots to  do but darren remains upbeat [Music]   thinking we've lived in a caravan  for a year i think living in   three quarters of advance downside better than  what we've been living in and so we'll be quite   happy to live here um it'll be luxury compared  to the caravan to be honest it's going to be   tight and we will definitely have christmas  dinner in here and without a doubt [Music] it's christmas day so what are you doing now   i am stirring the custard and cutting it up  ready for hours although they haven't moved   in mel and darren are at least having dinner in  the barn with family and friends not quite the   stage that we wanted it to be at christmas but  christmas tree's up and the presents are there [Music] with the festive breakover it's back to reality  and i'm keen to see how things have developed   hello hello wow what a transformation you've been  very busy haven't you yeah that's so far you must   be really pleased with progress yeah we are it's  there's been um lots of ups and downs and there   was a stage where nothing happened for a while  but you know where we've got now is it's really   good yeah but how was christmas you had a bet  didn't you about being in here the bet really   was that we'll be in and we'd have and we'd  actually cook christmas dinner in here so the   kitchen would have been done i think it was kind  of um a conference it was yeah it was a cover it   was a void a void bet but you know so when do  you think you'll actually move in the whole   point i think by the end of the month is to have  our the main bedroom our bedroom and the ensuite   completely finished well can i see the rest of  the house see how your bedroom and stuff come on i love the way the the trusses are kind of  contrast again oh painting this looks wonderful   i love the big slot entrance and these have come  up beautifully haven't they have you actually   managed to sell the barn yet no um it's going it's  going in an auction next month february [Music] right now mel and darren need all the  help they can get so i'll lend darren   a hand but that has to be down there doesn't  it yeah yeah that's about right isn't it yeah [Music]   beautiful look at that perfect do you have a feeling that there's  light at the end of the tunnel   and to be honest there's always been light at the  end of the tunnel it's just a case of how quickly   we get there but you've had some very dark  moments haven't you i mean you've had some   really tough times we've had some knockbacks and  this is a huge project for two people which have   never done anything like this before it's  taken over our lives even when i'm at   work i'm thinking about this it's urged me i  think um it's made me a little bit more wiser i think it's more likely matured me and settled   me down a bit because i want  to be in this place [Music]   this project has had financial troubles right from  the very beginning but then starting without all   the money in place was always going to be risky  and the financial crisis couldn't have come at a   worse time but the barn is really starting to look  like a home and i have to say i massively admire   darren and mel's determination to get it finished  and i only hope they can do that before the money   runs out with a combination of loans and credit  cards the budget now stands at 80 000 pounds   but finances are short again and  so far two sales on the annex have   fallen through now in a last ditch attempt  mel and darren are trying a public auction   basically our last chance um feeling  a little bit anxious obviously we   need to sell this to get on to the next stage  we've had well over 20 people looking at the   auction and so it is looking quite good if  everyone once been interested does turn up for mel and darren to finish the barn and pay  off some of their debts they need a minimum   of a hundred and twenty thousand pounds if  that figure isn't reached they won't sell it [Music] uh 158 000 [Music] [Music]   48 broad street i'm feeling pretty gutted to be honest i wanted  to i wanted it to sell but i actually just   with with what was happening before because  there's quite a lot of properties that weren't   selling so i just thought that's gonna you  know that was what was gonna happen to us   um it really got to near our reserve price  actually then kind of got a glimpse of hope   that it was gonna go but um it just  to be honest it doesn't surprise me   it's just something else that's kind of been put  in front of us [Music] three attempts and still   no one will buy that barn if it doesn't  sell soon it could cost them their dream [Music] when i first met darren and mel i had a very  simple and ingenious plan to get their dream   home buy two barns sell one use the money from  that to do up the other but what they didn't   count on was the recession the credit crunch and  so far they have failed to sell that barn however   through guts and determination they have  plowed on and finally they've moved in   a year ago this rundown cow  shed was on its last legs but it's now been transformed into  this unique three-bedroom home [Music] hello how are you doing well thanks how are you  yes this is this is nearly done isn't it almost   yeah it's a good feeling these trusses they're  beautiful i love the way they just float at the   top of the roof they don't touch the ceiling up  there that's really nice so what's it like when   you kind of wake up in here and walk around is it  kind of pinch yourself to remind you it's all real   i still i've i can't believe we live in a place  like this someone's going to come and go sorry   actually this isn't yours um  you can go back now where you   are where you going from go  back to your little caravan   um it's just i never thought that sort of two  people that you know don't earn a fortune we kind   of got sort of normal jobs and then we've  ended up with a fantastic house like this [Music]   so what is it that you love about it the  most it's just the space and the house   is what we've had in the past there's  been nothing like this and it's just   you can do things there's space to do  whatever you want sort of real sense   of achievement isn't it i think it's the  first i think the last couple of weeks of   actually the first time i've actually felt  that well done it looks fantastic [Music]   mel and darren have successfully managed to retain  many of the barn's original features the bi-fold   doors into the garden bring in lots of light too  making the barn feel airy and even more spacious i love the sense of space and the way you've  kept it all really open i think that works well   it definitely starting to feel very much like a  home it does yeah what about as a couple do you   think you've grown changed i think we've  learned more how to deal with each other   it doesn't break you then it certainly  makes you into a stronger couple and i think   anyone who tackled this it would do  because you have to work together the bedrooms have been simply  decorated so the eye is always   drawn to that impressive roof structure [Music] look at this lovely absolutely  lovely and totally finished yep   this is the one room which is 100 finished  the bedroom and the ensuite is finished [Music]   phase 3 consisting of the kitchen and study  remains untouched so they're still cooking in the   caravan for now but i'm stunned by what they've  achieved considering their financial woes [Music]   how much have you actually spent  we've come in around about just   under a hundred thousand so far to get where  we are today yes but that's without a kitchen   obviously without the the end bit being done yeah  that's pretty impressive i'd say we've been quite   sort of uh strict on ourselves on certain areas  but then being able to spend a little more you   know a little bit extravagance on other areas  [Music] their original budget for the whole   project was a hundred and fifty thousand pounds so  far mel and darren are on track with their costs   they've now spent a total of a hundred  thousand pounds on two-thirds of the property so clearly we can't talk about money and this  project and not mention the barn where is it   at now we sold it what sold it last week did  you yeah for what you needed more more yeah   yeah is it weird but is it really sold it's come  true has it really resolved yeah a deposit's   been paired and it's got to be completed  within 21 days the ninth available 127.   that's brilliant i can't believe it i know never  could we i can't believe it yeah oh that is such   good news well done you really deserve that  [Music] brilliant news i am so pleased for them   the money will pay off some of their debts and  let them finish the barn [Music] if you had your   time again do you think you would do anything  differently um i would definitely do it again yes we have come a long way there's been a  huge roller coaster but seeing what we've got   now and there's no way on god's earth i'd change  anything you've got to take a big risk especially   doing stuff like this and yes we've gone through  sometimes you know a few or a few nightmares but   you know look what we've got out of it [Music]   despite major financial challenges mel and  darren are well on their way to creating   a magnificent home and the sale  of their other barn is like the   cherry on top of the cake and it means that pretty  soon this whole place can be finished i think they   have shown an incredible sense of determination  and optimism they've never lost sight of their   goals they wanted a new life they've worked hard  for it and that hard work is starting to pay off next time will john furness  and harvey huckabee's dream   to open a campsite on a remote scottish island   ever come true we've gotta make mistakes we've  got to get it wrong and we've got to learn [Music] wow [Music]   you

Channel: Banijay Home and Garden

Views: 90,156

Keywords: architect george clarke, architect guidance, barn conversion, country living, countryside living, diy home, family home projects, george clarke, home makeover, home renovation, house restoration, interior design, property conversion, property development, real estate, rural life, rural renovation

Id: _Z5pbBx1O5g

Length: 44min 11sec (2651 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 04 2021