Original subtitles

Here in the UK, we do love a period property...

I never dreamt I would own a castle.

For me it looks like a typical doll's house.

...from countryside houses...

It was everything you could dream of.

It was a palace.

...to timeless terraces...

I turned up and I thought, "Whoa, this is pretty cute."

...but beneath the grand facades...

Hopefully, the house won't fall down.

We'll see, will we.

...these historical homes are falling to bits.

Everyone told us to tear this building down.

All over the country, an army of renovators are snapping them

up at knockdown prices...

I think we should leave it like this.

It looks old-timely.

...then facing challenges of epic proportions.

I said all along to get a new build.

This series, we meet the brave new renovators...

We were looking for a bungalow with a shed.

...and return to our familiar band of determined dreamers...

Who else has got a chapel in their house?

...all risking everything...

I thought I had a good idea of what was needed.

I was quite wrong.

People think renovation is lovely, don't they?

HE LAUGHS

Oh, God. I'm trembling.

...to create the forever home of their dreams...

Oh, my God, it's so nice.

...brick by brick...

Whoa! This is amazing.

...room by room.

I'm still having my "pinch me" moment.

We're nowhere near finished, but it feels like a house now.

We are a renovation nation.

Today...

...in Cheshire,

we return to Matt and Charlotte's 228-year-old Georgian beauty,

showing worrying signs of ageing.

Looking at this you can see how it's all moved.

The timbers they've used aren't adequate at all.

We rejoin Graham and Jodie as their Neo-Palladian renovation

reveals a secret room that time forgot.

It's got 59 rooms and now we've got 60.

Yeah, we've got another room and I didn't pay for it.

It's free.

And in Cornwall,

has Sophie bitten off more than she can chew

with her dining-room restoration?

I'm going to be here in 2050.

In Cheshire, close to the market town of Northwich, stands

the Georgian, 14-roomed Hartford House.

Built over 200 years ago, it once boasted 13 acres of land,

servants quarters and a coach house.

But when the land was sold, the house was divided into three

separate properties and has remained that way since.

Until eventually the gorgeous Georgian fell from grace

and started to fall apart.

But in 2020, Matt, a supercar pimper, and his partner Charlotte,

who works for a tech company, saw its potential

as their forever family home.

It just feels like it's got that sense of grandeur

when you look at it.

Just the character.

It was really olde-worlde and a bit of a project really as well.

A bit of a project might be a bit of an understatement.

So desperately in need of renovation, Matt and Charlotte

snapped up the Georgian property for £490,000 at auction.

I was kind of shocked at how much work needed to be done, and I think

the more we got into it, the more we uncovered.

It is a major job,

but, yeah, we're just doing it.

Facing such a large scale project,

Matt and Charlotte's focus this year is to prioritise rooms

that will make family life more comfortable.

Oh, dear.

Earlier this week, Matt's DIY skills and Charlotte's creativity resulted

in a dream bedroom for their four-year-old daughter, Scarlett.

Is it amazing?

Now, they desperately want to get their unfinished family bathroom

across the finish line - a project that's been more like a marathon

than a sprint.

Welcome to the longest bathroom renovation in history.

I didn't think I were doing too bad.

We've only been at it, what? A year?

We started this room first.

We got sort of halfway through it, and then Charlotte decided

she wanted to get Scarlett's room done.

That was the most important thing, just because she was in a damp,

sort of horrible room. So, that's what we've done.

Now, it's all guns blazing on this place, isn't it?

So, in the time that you've been doing this renovation,

I've created a baby.

Having already taken the bathroom back to brick and with an eye

for aesthetics, engineer Matt has built new straight walls

and levelled out the floor.

And with just the plumbing and lighting to do, the promise

of a finished family bathroom is tantalisingly close.

The kind of vision and feel that we're going for is more

that high-end, luxury feel, but on a little less budget.

But first, it's back to basics.

For the last year, privacy in the bathroom

has been non-existent and so has a bathroom door.

We've got a door frame here, and we're going to be fitting

it in this, in this gap here.

So, what we've got here is, we've got a partition wall that I've made,

another wall that I've made,

and then we've got the brick of the house here.

So, the opening is actually wider than the door frame,

so I've got to position whereabouts I want it.

Matt's period home, with its crooked charm, is determined to make him

work for his vision of a bathroom with clean, straight lines.

So, frame is 5mm wider than the opening.

Erm, just take my time with it,

watch plenty of YouTube videos.

That is the way.

Yeah, so it's 70, so this does vary as well.

Slightly.

Worst case, you can buy a new door frame.

My door frame is longer than the height of this.

Matt is determined to make the new door frame fit...

The architrave...

...but the 228-year-old house is still resisting change.

If you look here now, it's overlapping.

Matt takes the drastic action of bending the plasterboard to join

up with the door trim.

If I crack the plaster... Well, that's what I don't want to happen.

Nothing ever goes straightforward

and it is because it's an old house.

With the plasterboard being teased out

in order to make the frame fit,

Matt secures it into its new position.

Fingers crossed we're on to a winner.

But will Charlotte be handing out an award for renovator of the year?

Oh! Look what Daddy's done to the wall.

Uh-oh. He's broken it.

You just painted that as well.

So, are we gonna have to have it replastered?

Or is it all right? No, luckily.

Hopefully everything's hidden.

So, you've had to break it? Yeah.

Has Daddy made a mess?

After a hard day's graft and still no door,

It's fair to say Matt is going to be engaged in the bathroom

just a little while longer.

So, I think I might try and get another fixing in here.

Over 100 miles north in the Cumbrian countryside

near the picturesque town of Penrith,

is the impressive grade II* listed Flass House.

Built in the 1850s in the Neo-Palladian style

by two business leaders in the opium trade,

in recent years, this 59-roomed beauty

has been broken into by urban explorers

and even used as a cannabis farm.

But in 2019, Graham, who runs a chain of hair salons, and his wife

Jodie bought Flass House at auction for just £460,000 and embarked

upon the long journey to make it their family home.

We bought it for less than most people buy a terraced house,

and I just aspired to be lord of the manor.

And now I'm the servant, slaving away, toiling away.

The fact this was derelict was just something

that we had to give up to get the house intact with the land.

This year, their main focus is restoring the former

Camellia House, a centrepiece iron-framed Victorian glasshouse

often installed as a display of wealth.

We've found in modern use, growing camellias

isn't really what we want to do today,

so we're going to put a swimming pool in.

Earlier this week, we saw the Camellia House begin

to take shape...

Yeah, so far, so good.

...as the new steel framework slotted into place.

Look.

Two months later, as work on the frame progresses...

I don't know if you've noticed,

it's muddy and it's sticky mud.

...Graham and contractor Derek are digging through the mud

to uncover as much of the original layout

of the Camellia House as possible.

The dogs and me are walking into the house and it's going

to cause a divorce, so that's why I'm shoving the mud out the way.

Graham and Jodie know Flass House once had a swimming pool,

and they have uncovered some of its outline, but they don't know

what else might be waiting to be unearthed.

You're on that back wall.

As the excavations continue...

You want me out of here, then, yeah?

...the modern machinery unearths an ancient secret.

An earlier peek revealed a two-metre-high vaulted room

running 100 feet below where the Camellia House once stood.

Got 59 rooms and now we've got 60.

Yeah, we've got another room and I didn't pay for it.

It's free.

Bought the house and met the last owner

and she said, "Flass may expose its secrets to you."

Well, I think we've found more than her.

We keep... If we keep digging, and then we find something else.

And it's... It's hard to understand what it was all for -

why they built a subterranean tunnel with curved walls

with candle holders and a vaulted ceiling,

because, architecturally, that's expensive to do.

So what I'm doing is just looking to see if I can find any curved

stones, because we've lost these and I want them back.

That's one, I think.

Oh, God. They're heavy.

With manpower alone being no match for the heavy stone,

Graham calls Derek and his digger to help retrieve it...

So, what he's trying to do is get the stone from there

around here and get it out.

A bit more if you can.

I bet some of them weigh three quarters to a tonne, each block.

Well, look at that one at the top we dug out.

You've got about four inches.

...but the space is too tight for the digger

to reach the stone and rubble lower down.

Stop, stop, stop.

I think we have to do it by hand.

This is gonna be back-breaking, isn't it?

It's never stopped raining since we started outside.

Just great, innit?

Someone's had a beer on the job.

Drinking on the job in the 1800s.

GRAHAM CHUCKLES

A few weeks later, and with the space cleared...

Have you seen this little alcove? Cut out or carved...

...Graham and Jodie can finally take a look inside the secret passageway.

Ooh.

More intrigue.

I think this is where the coke would slide down.

Look at that up there.

Flippin' heck.

Oh. That's amazing.

So, the coke chute... can be a little cute bar.

Come down and get your gin and tonic. Oh, it could.

I think either a gin and tonic room or a steam room.

We've been walking around this derelict structure for four

years, and there's all this underground.

But, it's not just that there's all this underground space,

it's built to an amazing standard.

The quality of the stone and the workmanship

is just phenomenal.

Once it's done up and sandblasted, it'll be an amazing space

to add to the new structure out there.

Sounds like a plan.

It's amazing.

Definitely do something with that.

With the unearthed pool to be reinstated

and the Camellia House still a building site,

Flass House continues to teach Graham and Jodie

that a renovation of this scale

will uncover many secrets.

and that one job will always lead to another.

Coming up, Sophie and Colin have their hands full

with their dining-room renovation...

It's been really difficult this summer to get everything done.

...and in Cheshire, Matt brings the house down, causing Charlotte

to have second thoughts...

I said all along to get a new build, then it's all done.

You can hear the baby in the background.

He's not happy.

In Cornwall, on the High Street of the town of Helston,

is this 250-year-old townhouse.

Behind its granite facade and original sash windows

is a history of huge local significance.

Once home to Lord Francis Godolphin,

his family's estate flourished in the 18th century,

with their leading role in Cornwall's mining of tin.

Honouring its grade II listing,

as well as giving it the urgent attention it needs,

are renovation duo Sophie and Colin.

I loved the fact that it was a townhouse.

I've never lived in a townhouse.

Colin's never lived in a townhouse.

We've certainly never lived in a house as old as this or listed,

and we both really love a challenge.

Earlier this week, their first challenge was a complete

sitting-room overhaul.

We just eat, sleep and breathe this house.

There's no respite, but when you see the room coming together

like this, it's actually,

"Yeah, I do enjoy it and it's worth it in the long run."

And it really was worth it.

We've done this. We did this.

Yep. We did this.

Next on their list is to transform what they think was originally

Lord Godolphin's library

into an elegant dining room.

I've heard some horror stories about wood chip.

This room is blessed with original panelling,

big sash windows,

and a door that leads out onto a balcony.

But when it comes to transforming the decor, there are a fair few

tricky jobs to do,

and today, Sophie is tackling one of the trickiest.

Woodchip wallpaper is my absolute favourite

to take off the walls.

It's a dream to come off -

not at all.

Woodchip wallpaper has been around for more than 100 years.

It's two layers of paper sandwiching a layer of wood fibre, making

it highly durable, but also a nightmare to remove.

I do also fully understand why they've done it,

because it's thick and it covers a multitude of sins, basically.

I don't actually know how much of this I'm going to be able

to take off.

But once the woodchip is off, designer Sophie can bring

her vision to life.

So, this is going to be our feature wall with the mural.

We're having quite a muted colour on the panelling and the woodwork.

I absolutely love wallpaper.

I love what it can bring to a room.

I absolutely love patterns.

Anything to do with nature, bringing the nature into the home,

in terms of colours and pattern.

It'll be good. It'll be good.

Once we get past the woodchip.

I'm going to be here in 2050.

Six weeks later, and with the woodchip removed, Sophie's plan

is to lighten the space by priming and painting every inch

of the wooden panelling.

But first, it needs a thorough sand

and Colin has taken a quick work break to lend a hand.

Noisy job done -

nothing left now, but to crack on with what looks like another

very long job.

Hopefully, we'll have it done

before Christmas so that we can actually sit down

and have a Christmas dinner in a nice place.

And whilst Colin continues to work from home with a ringside view,

Sophie's feeling the pressure to make some progress.

So, it's been really difficult this summer to get everything done,

whilst, you know, juggling the boys and family life.

We rarely switch off at the moment,

so it will be quite nice when, you know, we have some decent rooms

that we can start switching off of an evening

as opposed to just working all the time.

But with more painting and a statement feature wall to create,

Sophie and Colin won't be reaching for that off button any time soon.

320 miles north at Hartford House in Cheshire,

Matt and Charlotte are rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck

into the renovation of their family bathroom.

It's awkward.

It's our dream home. It's where we want to raise our children,

create special memories and stay in it, you know, forever.

And with the door finally being hung...

Took me a while, but it actually turned out really well.

...the bathroom is edging even closer to completion,

with just the plumbing and lighting left to do.

But just when a finished bathroom is looking within reach,

Hartford House has thrown Matt and Charlotte a curve ball.

We were making good progress,

then Matt decided that he wants to create a massive mess

and rip down all the ceiling on the landing.

So, now we've had to put the bathroom on hold

until God knows when.

We're back to having all the rooms in chaos.

Whilst working on the bathroom door frame, Matt spotted signs of severe

structural movement on the landing ceiling.

Looking at this, you can see how it's...

It's all moved.

With the ceiling in danger of collapse,

Matt has a plan to save their home.

The timbers they've used aren't adequate at all.

And we've got one long piece of timber that comes down here,

which you can see a bow in the ceiling, which is too thin,

to another timber here.

And it's just... It's just not strong enough.

From here is going to be doubled up

and have steel in it as well to make it stronger.

But, yeah, it is a big job.

Right. I'll try and get him settled, then

You crack on. Right. OK.

Thank you.

Not happy. Not happy at all.

That can go in there.

It's hard when you've got all these friends

with nice homes and you're like,

"Oh, come and look at our dump that we live in."

Looks great from the outside.

Well, we've stopped inviting people round now.

Yeah. We don't have people round any more.

CHARLOTTE STRAINS

There we go.

The pressure's now on to clear everything out

before Operation Destruction begins.

You can hear the baby in the background.

He's not happy.

With their renovation taking an unexpected turn,

emotions are running high.

I said all, all along to get a new build and then it's all done.

All you would have had to do is paint it.

Listen, shall we just get a new build, then?

You just look for things to do.

You'd be bored if you had a new build.

There's no turning back now,

as Matt begins to empty the loft, ready to pull

the whole ceiling down.

That wall needs to come out. It's just a plasterboard wall.

I need to try and get all the stuff I'm keeping over to that side

of the loft, because I'm going to put polythene up,

cover it all up after.

Floorboards need to come up.

So, yeah, I think it's time to get motoring on.

I think I'm nervous of the mess.

Obviously, you just worry about the impact that a small baby

breathing in dust and that kind of thing is going to have on his lungs.

So... I just feel like it's the house

that's never going to get finished.

With their house starting to look more like a building site than ever,

Charlotte packs up the kids and the dog

to stay with her brother for the weekend.

You did it. I didn't do that.

Daddy made the mess, didn't he? Yeah.

I'm always making mess, aren't I?

Be good. Hey, darling, are you going in?

Come on. This side.

Right. Are you going to look after Mummy for me? Yeah.

Good luck.

I'll send some pictures and videos, bore you to death later. Some good videos.

There's no time for a photo shoot, Matt.

Just the small matter of pulling down the entire ceiling

and rebuilding it from scratch before Charlotte can come home.

Coming up,

there's a trip down memory lane

at Graham and Jodie's Cumbrian renovation...

Come and show me what you remember of this in here?

Going back in time now, isn't it? Aye.

This is where they used to do the laundry.

...Matt and Charlotte's Cheshire renovation continues

down a path of destruction...

Everything is coated in like a thick layer of dust.

Yeah, you'd best do a good job with the Hoover, I think.

...and in Cornwall, Sophie and Colin hit a bump in the road.

We're just trying to decide on where's best to start.

There's still a lot of work in this room.

At Flass House in Cumbria,

work is ongoing to excavate what's left of an old swimming pool,

which Graham and Jodie plan to reinstate

under what will be their renovated Victorian Camellia House.

Give us a little lift there if you can.

I'm in. Right!

Hey, this is exciting. I hope.

On site today is local stonemason Alan.

I'm Graham. Pleased to meet you. Alan, is it?

Yeah, Alan. Thank you very much.

Graham's asked Alan to take a look at the limestone blocks

they've rescued from beneath the mud

to see whether they're suitable to be repurposed as flooring

for around the pool.

I'm hoping you can shed some light on whether or not we can split

these into flags and tiles.

Is that going to be feasible?

Yeah. That's feasible.

What... Can we polish them to a reasonable kind of...?

You could, yeah. I think it would go like a 400 grit

which is like a honed finish. OK.

So, it wouldn't be too skiddy. Cool.

Yeah, because you don't want it to be too rough,

but at the same time, it wants to look like a tile

rather than a rough flag.

Is that possible? Absolutely.

Yeah, you think it's doable?

British limestone can cost between £140 to £180

per square metre, so discovering a supply in abundance

is a valuable asset for Graham and Jodie.

They're what was with the house.

I don't think you would ever get them again that shape

because they're all hand tooled.

Yeah, and then that's how they would split it.

That was plugs and feathers.

So they would put a little drill hole in there and then...

I wondered what they were for!

And then you would put like... two steel feathers and then a plug,

a steel plug in the centre all the way down there.

And then they would just tap that with the hammer

and it would split as straight as a die. Yeah.

Alan's expertise isn't limited to the stone.

As a local lad,

he also has lots of fond memories of Flass House

from his childhood.

Early '80s. I used to stop down here

because my mum used to look after it.

Just look after the house... Look after the house

and if they were away, we used to come down and stay. Yeah.

And you swam in this pool... During the school holidays.

Been in that pool, yeah. It was a good pool.

Yeah. Well, it's gonna hopefully be back again.

It'd be nice to see it back. Yeah. It would. Yeah, yeah.

Time for Alan to inspect the other limestone blocks and choose one

to use as a sample.

Tell you what, they're good, though.

And they're nice stone, isn't it?

It is nice stone, Orton Scar, so we'll put these onto

the big circular saw.

We have a two-metre saw.

So, what it is, we'll take the bottom off.

Some of these will be level enough, so we'll just stand them

up on the wood and then take a front edge off.

And then we'll just cut 20 mm and then we'll polish them

with a 400 grit.

That was quick. Show me if you remember this, in here.

Satisfied that Alan's the man to turn the blocks

into his new Camellia House flooring...

Going back in time now, eh? Aye.

...Graham's keen to show off the progress they've made

inside Flass since Alan's visits 40 years ago.

This is where they used to do the laundry and stuff like that.

And as they head into the Grand Hall,

Alan spots something familiar.

That's the same stone as what we're going to cut.

That? Is that not marble? No. What's that?

That's... that's exactly the same. That's Orton Scar.

Is that what that is there? Yeah.

Why is it a different colour?

Because it's been polished. More... more polished.

There's no way you could get that like that is there?

Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. Wow.

Yeah.

Excited at the prospect of the new flooring outside matching

the beautiful, polished stone inside,

Graham gives Alan the go-ahead to take a sample of the limestone

away with him so he can work his magic.

So, are you hoping to do this whole area with it?

Yeah, all this. And around the swimming...

Around that and out where that lean to is.

And in an ideal world, if I could... outside there,

so you just walk out the doors.

We'll take a decent one and then you can see the sizes of them.

Yeah, brilliant. But it's the same stone as what's internal.

So... Yeah. Yeah.

Fantastic. I'll polish it up like that. That'll be amazing.

Yeah, yeah. Good stuff. That's just amazing.

Thank you so much. Brilliant.

It's a win for Graham

and just the boost he needs to press on with the rest of the job.

From construction... to destruction.

100 miles south at Hartford House in Cheshire...

Here, here, here!

...with the attic floorboards up

and Charlotte and the kids out of harm's way...

Hi, mate. Morning.

How are you doing? Good, thanks.

Come to help me out? Come to make some mess.

Yeah. LAUGHTER

Right, then. Let's have a look.

...Matt and his friend Ash are ready to remove the 228-year-old landing

ceiling, which showed signs of being structurally unsafe.

Right, Ash, you've got that timber out for us.

The floorboards are up, and I think we're ready to mask up

and get our hard hats on and start getting the ceiling down.

That's it. Yeah.

It gets frustrating, especially with two young children.

You know, there's constant amounts of dust.

Hoo-hoo!

I think you do have to just always have in the back of your mind,

this is your forever home.

It's probably best you're not around to see this, Charlotte.

It's horrific.

Good job.

With the dust settled - a bit -

Matt and Ash can start preparing the walls for the new beams

and joists, which will make the new ceiling secure.

We're currently pocketing holes in the wall where the timber

and the steel is going to sit in.

It'd be nice if we could have the three flitch beams

in for dinner time.

Flitch beams are two super-strong planks of wood sandwiched

around a steel plate, which will help support the floor.

That is bang-on flat.

I'm happy with that.

So that's where we need to be.

I'll probably drill the bracket first.

Yeah. Put the first couple of holes in together so it doesn't move.

Sounds good.

Matt and Ash now need to drill bolt holes, which will fix the brackets

to the steel plate.

Start with that. See how it goes.

Because there's a chance that it might not be able to get

through both sets of steel.

Go on, get some gear on there, mate.

Is it? Yeah. Yeah? It's good, that.

Are we straight? Yeah, yeah.

So far, so good?

The drill's snapped.

Might have been asking it a bit much.

We didn't do anything!

It's meant for steel. I took my time.

We used cutting fluid. What more do you want?

Credit to Matt. He's doing a lot of this off his own back, you know,

with no... very limited, really, previous experience.

So it is a steep learning curve for the two of us.

And I just have to be patient and kind of trust his judgment

on things, which I absolutely do, so...

Yes, what I will say is, Charlotte trusts me far too much.

THEY LAUGH

Three days later, the flitch beams and new joists are finally in.

Pfff!

That's not moving.

But the whole house is still a bombsite.

Obviously, everything is coated in like a thick layer of dust.

Yeah, he best do a good job with the Hoover, I think.

It's going to take a lot more than a dust and vacuum to clean

this lot up.

Right. I'm going to start my tidy-up.

Not a bad day's work.

As the fallout from the demolition continues, the family bathroom

is patiently waiting for Matt to pick up where he left off.

With Matt and Charlotte's renovation stalling,

300 miles away in Cornwall,

working on their reno during lunch hours and juggling

family life has meant progress has been slow on Sophie and Colin's

dining room. With the woodchip wallpaper off the walls,

there's still the priming to finish before the original wooden panelling

can be painted.

I would have liked to have a bit more done,

but then we have to be realistic.

Obviously with our jobs, well, that pays the bills. So we need to do

that rather than focus on this.

If I was able to take a year out and just focus on this place,

it'd be amazing.

But, financially, it's not viable.

With the priming still a long way to go,

Colin's keen to get sign-off on the layout of the wallpaper.

I'm just looking because the likes of that...

No, because then you get all of that.

Rather than a regular repeat pattern,

Sophie has chosen a mural-style wallpaper that comes

in a series of panels.

So this is the image that we're going from,

but we're just trying to decide on where's best to start.

Each of these sheets -

so, there's four sheets in total to make up the one section -

is part of the mural, so you can only put

them on... in that order.

So, this is sheet one, sheet two and then three, four, which makes

up that whole sequence of pattern here.

Yeah, I think it's going to work and it's going to look well.

So, with Colin back at the work-from-home desk, and the primer

on the panelling now dry, Sophie can't resist getting some paint

on the walls to see if the colour works.

This is an acrylic eggshell, which is for woodwork.

I have gone for quite a light neutral colour that works well

with the wallpaper.

It's looking all right, isn't it?

It looks like clotted cream.

Well, it is Cornwall, Sophie.

Quite hard to see when you're sat down amongst it.

But next to the wallpaper, the colour comes to life.

Oh!

Now you can see it.

That gives a better visual of what it's going to look

like, doesn't it? Yeah. That's good.

With the seal of approval, it's all coming together.

Just the small matter of getting that mural to line up perfectly.

It's just about taking your time and finesse.

So, patience is key.

Everything with this house is about patience.

Just a few weeks later, Sophie and Colin are edging closer

to a finished dining room, with more panelling freshly painted

and the wallpaper mural now hung beautifully on the fireplace wall.

It's come out really well, hasn't it?

Yeah, it is nice because when you actually come into the room,

you look at it, it's a real standout feature, isn't it?

I think Lord Godolphin would also approve of my choice

of wallpaper here.

I mean, obviously, it's a woodland mural,

but when you get closer and look, it's printed like a tapestry.

So it's really in-keeping to the house and

it's very calming, very relaxing.

And that's what we wanted - for a space to entertain.

And there will be plenty of room for entertaining

around their large traditional table - with a twist.

Space there for an ice bucket.

So when you take this away, fill that full of ice, put your drinks

and whatnot in there, so...

Or oysters, darling.

Yeah, right. SHE LAUGHS

But it's an entertaining table, isn't it?

Sit down. Have a meal together. Get the fire going.

It's just a nice space for everyone to be in.

Despite their best efforts, the demands of the renovation,

coupled with work commitments and busy home life, means there's

still a long list of jobs to tackle.

We've still got quite a lot to do in this room, haven't we?

Ceilings - we've got to fix all the cracks within the ceiling.

The architrave - we've got to fix all of that.

Sand the floor, stain the floor. Yeah.

So there's still a lot of work in this room, but I think once we get

the floor done, it'll transform the room anyway.

But despite their to-do list, Sophie and Colin are remaining optimistic.

The goal is to at least get this in a presentable state

for Christmas, so we can have a nice Christmas around the table in here,

and then the rest will be done when it's done.

Yeah. Just stand back a bit, take your time, finish it to the best

we can and then it'll be a room to show off.

Keep the faith, Sophie and Colin.

You'll be filling the ice bucket before you know it.

Coming up, a precious delivery for Graham and Jodie's Camellia House

requires a gentle touch.

Two ton of glass.

It's a fair chunk, innit, that?

Whilst Matt and Charlotte have to handle their next

job with care.

You'll have to stuff this bit in, Matt. I'm itching head to toe.

Oh, my God, the itch is horrendous.

In Cheshire,

having to pull down the ceiling to fix some unexpected structural

issues has inspired Matt to take on another huge job -

to transform the loft with a mezzanine floor.

Oh, it's heavy.

It's yet another setback in getting the bathroom finished, but Charlotte

is just about on board.

I don't really see how it was working because I hadn't seen

it in person.

Then when I came in and stood here and genuinely saw the idea

and how it would come together, I absolutely loved it and think

it could be like a real showpiece.

When completed, their loft conversion will be multifunctional.

Charlotte's going to have a little office there.

I've got a plan of a little sort of chilling area with a nice

sofa and TV.

As their two little ones,

Scarlett and Zayn, are with a baby-sitter,

it's all systems go.

With Matt having one last job to do with the joists he installed

that are now making the house structurally sound.

The only thing left to do for now is

angle-grind them down a bit, just take a bit of weight off them.

Next, Charlotte has to measure, cut and fit the insulation

in their newly created open-plan space.

Just beware - this stuff is horrible. Oh, it looks gross.

I tell you, you'll feel it. Just keep...

Just make sure you breathe.

Thanks, Matt.

Give me the best job here.

The mineral wool insulation is made from recycled glass bottles melted

down to form a fibre.

Alfie, it's like you after you've not been brushed.

Right. You know what you're doing with that now, don't you?

You'll have to stuff this bit in, Matt. I'm itching head to toe.

OK. Shall we...? I need to come down there and shake off.

I'll go and have a... Yeah.

Come get yourself outside for a minute.

Oh, my God, the itch is horrendous.

While Charlotte has an itch to scratch, caused by the coarse

fibres in the mineral wool, Matt completes the insulation.

Two hands on the drill. One on the back of the drill.

Spins off every time. That's enough.

As any renovator knows, one job can often lead to another.

And whilst Matt and Charlotte's bathroom is still on hold,

they have taken on major structural work, and in doing so have created

an impressive space that, when finished, will further

enhance their forever family home.

The 228-year-old ceiling has now been replaced with a mezzanine

floor, flooding the once darkened hallway with natural light.

Now we've got the light shines up from them doors up into the top.

Matt's reinstated new step treads while managing to keep some

of Hartford House's history.

Charlotte was determined to keep the old staircase up to the loft,

because it matches the one below, with the Georgian swirls

in the side of it.

And in the loft,

the custom cut glass fitted between newels, made of light timber

with polished brass brackets, give a sense of openness.

It looks amazing.

You know, he's worked really hard on this area.

I just think looking at it, you can tell how much work's

gone into it. It looks really good.

But you can see how it comes together now.

It just makes such a difference.

You know, this is such a gorgeous space.

It should be on show.

Whilst there might be many more weeks of plastering, flooring

and decorating, Charlotte can see the future.

I just want this really calm, peaceful space.

Almost like a little, you know, retreat in your house.

We're tailor-making this house to exactly how we want it.

When we moved in, we could have just lived in it as is.

It was a great family home, but I think Matt and I just knew

that it could be a spectacular family home.

And as for the bathroom, we'll be back with Matt and Charlotte

later this week to see if they finally get

it across the finish line.

Back in Cumbria, at Flass House,

it's been two weeks since Graham and Jodie finished digging out

the original pool in their Camellia House.

And today marks a huge leap forward for the project.

Squeezing through the gates, the first of several deliveries

of argon-filled glass units, ready to glaze the new

steel-framed glasshouse.

If you just pull up there.

Yeah. No worries.

This is a big moment.

It looks a bit nerve-racking now, doesn't it,

getting it up on the top.

But, yeah, it's really good.

I can't wait to see it go on. That'll really finish the place off.

Do you know what the weight in each pallet is, buddy?

The weight? Yeah. There'll be a couple of ton in each one.

Oh, will there?

Jodie's having to miss the install as she's unwell.

Two ton of glass.

It's a fair chunk, innit, that?

Though Graham is eager to learn another skill.

But even contractor Derek and joiner Craig are new to the high-tech

aluminium frame, which will hold the double glazed units together.

I'm feeling quite anxious today.

Um, it's not a regular, everyday thing.

I can cord up a sash window in, you know, half an hour, but a roof

like this takes a few weeks longer, as it's proven, unfortunately,

Using a piece of carpet to protect the glass...

I never had this bother building cowsheds.

...the cherry picker does the heavy lifting.

Did well there, mate.

Right, give it a lift.

By, this carpet was a good idea, wasn't it, of mine?

You're not a bad lad.

It's been a nightmare getting the glass up there.

Laid onto each timber joist, a rubber gasket helps hold the glass

panels in place before the aluminium frame is fastened to the wood,

ensuring a watertight seal.

It's tricky, isn't it?

I'm about two inch short.

Bring it back down. Let's go and read the instructions again.

Another thorough read of the instructions,

and an online video later...

Boy, God, it's going to be hot in this swimming pool.

It's going to be bloody hot, innit?

I think it'll fill it with tomatoes.

GRAHAM LAUGHS

The first unit is in place, and the upper section is gently

lifted into position...

Right.

Rest it down, Del.

...with Craig's suction handle ensuring a good grip.

I think that's tremendous, that.

I'm happy - it's coming together.

And now we've just got to keep repeating it 130, 140 times.

Four weeks later, with some more of the glass panels in place,

the weather is on the turn, slowing momentum on the installation.

Everything has been a challenge.

The rain has just slowed us down so, so much.

The glass would have been finished weeks ago, but you can't get up to

do it because you're slipping all over the place.

It's always bloody wet in Cumbria.

Nevertheless, the last six months have seen immense progress.

A bit forward if you can!

Drop it down a bit.

With the derelict remains of the original Camellia House now

well on their way to being brought back to life.

And work on ground level has continued, with a steel frame

for the glasshouse extension going up.

They're going to go all the way along there.

Unfortunately, we can't finish them off yet because we need machinery

to get in to spray the pool.

Once complete, it'll be the first time in 40 years that

Flass House has had a usable swimming pool.

We were worried it were too small,

but with my little body, that's a lot of lengths.

And the flooring for the whole room is now being cut at the stonemasons

from the original limestone flags.

Each one of these flags will make five new slates.

So, when it's all laid, it'll be all original-looking limestone flags,

originally to the house. Polished to look like marble, it will.

This huge space may have a long way to go, but in just six months,

Graham and Jodie's unfailing enthusiasm and passion for restoring

Flass have made an enormous difference

to the once dilapidated glasshouse.

It's not been an easy job.

One thing leads to another, and then we can tile

and we can render and we can finish it.

Yeah!

And the secret room discovered during the excavation of the pool

is already earmarked for a change of use.

I think the consensus with my wife being teetotal is to put a bar

down there, um, with teabags.

Not.

Yeah, we can't wait till next summer to, um, to get in the pool

and get swimming.

The children are already organising pool parties.

It'll take more than a bit of British weather to keep

this couple down.

With a clear plan and the drive to make it happen,

getting this epic project over the finish line will be another

chapter in this house's fascinating history, and we'll be back

with Graham and Jodie later in the week as they uncover

more incredible secrets of Flass House.

Next time...

This is where I want to scream!

...it's all hands on deck in South Wales...

It's busy, it's manic, but it's manageable.

...as Matthew and Michelle finally move into their farmhouse.

We're going to try and put this beast in again.

Let's go lower. Lower now. Keep going. You in, Richard?

Sophie and Colin...

BANGING Jesus!

...uncover hidden treasure in their 250-year-old

Cornwall townhouse.

Absolutely ridiculous to cover up something naturally beautiful

to the house.

And Graham and Jodie go to great lengths...

We're suspended 30, 40ft off the main grand hall.

...to restore their period property in Cumbria.

Ah! I can't just give up at this stage.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media