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, won't 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's 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.

This week, remnants of the past...

It looks fantastic, doesn't it? Yeah.

..in a Victorian mansion in Northumberland.

No matter what, it was gonna be repaired and put back.

In a Cumbrian manor house...

Everyone told us to tear this building down.

And here we are now, putting up lampshades.

..we're back with Ben and Paul,

as their renovation moves to its next phase.

God, it's so nice!

And at a derelict castle in Scotland...

It is no degrees in here today.

..we rejoin Tracey and Rob.

Who else has got a chapel in their house?

Recreating history from decades of rubble.

I'm just worried that I'm not gonna do it right.

In the historic county of Northumberland,

a stone's throw from Hadrian's Wall,

in the small town of Haltwhistle,

stands Greystonedale.

An impressive nine-bedroomed Victorian villa,

built in 1880 for a wealthy family,

who employed locals in their varnish factory.

With an imposing double-fronted exterior,

it would once have been the smartest home for miles around.

But, left abandoned for decades,

many original interior features were ransacked or vandalised.

But in 2022, Joanne, a retired palliative care nurse,

and Geoff, a retired aircraft engineer,

saw Greystonedale was up for sale.

We were looking for a bungalow with a shed.

And a little... Maybe a little bit of decorating to do. Yeah.

Considering that the only DIY I'd really done

was fit a bathroom. Yeah. Uh...

This is slightly different to fitting a bathroom.

Despite the decay, Greystonedale captivated the couple,

and they're determined to save the building.

Get them cemented in, that's that done.

And then we can go on and do the above, can't we?

Joanne and Geoff paid just £300,000 for this huge house,

and the blank canvas of 1.2 acres of garden,

and started their new life as owners

of what they call their mini stately home.

I go and sit on a chair outside in the garden,

and I look at the house and I think, "Oh, my goodness, it's mine!"

Once fully renovated, a house this size

could be worth as much as three times what they've paid.

But with no running water, rotten floorboards, and a leaky roof,

the dream home isn't quite ready to move into.

Nice little break. Mmm.

At first it was quite... Cute. It was quite cute. And fun.

How amazing is it gonna be when we've got running water?

With a sink. And a kitchen.

We've had some good meals off this little stove.

We haven't done a Sunday roast,

that's the only thing we haven't done.

After a long, cold winter in the caravan,

Joanne and Geoff have an epic journey ahead

to return Greystonedale to its full potential.

And as any renovator knows, the trick is to prioritise.

I'm looking forward to it all getting finished.

So this year they'll focus on creating

a comfy bedroom for themselves

and an annexe to rent out and generate income.

But first their pride and joy, the impressive sitting room,

which houses a rare example of Victorian design.

This is the main house living room.

Beautiful fire.

Gorgeous mahogany floor.

It's absolutely beautiful, I love it, it's me favourite room.

The room is crying out for help,

crumbling and neglected.

The couple have big plans to create a showpiece fireplace,

but the real star of this reno will be the ceiling.

This is a Lincrusta ceiling,

which has been made for this all by hand.

So it's a total one off.

Using plasterwork in houses dates back more than 9,000 years,

but it was the Victorians who really went to town with fancy designs.

The Lincrusta is the Victorians version of bling.

The fancier your ceiling,

the fancier the plasterwork in your house,

the richer you were.

They can't find another one like it, so they are very rare.

So we have to save them.

My vision for this room is high Victoriana,

and possibly looking very similar to what it did in the 1880s/1890s.

And they're planning to do it all without buying anything new.

I'm 100% Mrs Recycler.

I try my hardest to have everything as second-hand or recycled.

Everyone loves a bargain,

but it seems their charity shop finds are getting in the way of progress.

Why have you got all this junk in the way, Geoffery?

You bought them.

First up, move the room's cast-iron radiators,

a great find from a local salvage yard.

We spend all our lives tidying up.

The plasterer's coming this afternoon

to have a look at the repairs to the ceiling.

Uh, so we're just making a bit of room for them.

With the second-hand settees moved,

the sitting room is finally clear.

And plasterer, Tony, can begin phase one of this epic reno,

repairing the water damage and plastering,

before the experts move in to reinstate the impressive ceiling.

It's looking really good.

Fantastic.

Just coming back to life.

Things are happening now.

I can't stop smiling.

150 miles north, at the heart of the stunning Perthshire countryside,

sit the familiar turrets of Culdees Castle.

Built in 1810 by the Drummond Clan,

the 200-year-old castle once boasted more than 60 rooms over 5 floors.

But over the centuries the castle fell into decay

and ended up on the Buildings at Risk Register.

We're back with Rob, an IT consultant,

and Tracey, an events manager,

who fell in love with the romance of owning a castle.

I'm Scottish. Who wouldn't want to live in a castle?

It's got turrets and castle-ettes and it's got beautiful pink stone.

I just wanted to look after it, I think.

Four years ago they bought the castle, a seven-bed manor house,

and 22 acres of land for £730,000.

Safe in the knowledge this unique property

will be worth several times the purchase price, once restored.

Their incredible renovation journey began.

Move out the way, Rob.

Two years ago, Culdees was an empty shell,

with rubble masking its once beautiful features.

You can't do what we do without willing to get your hands dirty.

But the castle needed to earn its keep.

Got about six feet.

No, I haven't. Pay attention.

So Tracey and Rob worked around the clock,

renovating the castle courtyard and adjoining rooms

into a catering kitchen,

a whisky snug

and a cloakroom...

I am super proud just now of how amazing it looks in here.

..to host weddings and events.

I pronounce you to be husband and wife.

With love in the air...

SHE LAUGHS Did you put that in there?Yeah.

..Rob was inspired to make a proposal of his own.

Oh, my God.

Oh, I love you.

Love you too.

It's now December at Culdees...

Oh!

I wonder if it's a bit warmer in here?

I don't think so.

..and Tracey and Rob's own wedding countdown has begun.

Take another day off.

Only 243 weeks?

Days, darling.

We've also got weddings booked

for the four consecutive weekends after ours. Yeah.

I am genuinely having sleepless nights about this already.

With their nuptials creeping ever closer,

Tracey and Rob have set themselves another huge challenge.

It's freezing in here.

To open up a previously closed area of the castle

as a spectacular wedding venue...

Six months ago, the rubble was up as high as the top of that.

..with a separate bridal salon and a sumptuous honeymoon suite.

It is about slowly, room by room,

starting to reclaim the building back.

It is a slow process.

But up yet more stairs, the focus for this year,

the room where, in just under eight months,

Rob and Tracey will take their vows.

Who else has got a chapel in their house?

The chapel was built in the 1860s for private family worship,

and Rob and Tracey will be the first couple ever to get married here.

We've had a little practice run of where the aisle is going to be

and where the chairs are gonna be, haven't we? Yeah, escape route.

Escape... SHE LAUGHS

You proposed.

We need people to walk into here and go,

"Oh my God, I wanna get married in there. It's so beautiful."

Plans include new stained-glass windows

and for the ceiling, Tracey's going all Michelangelo.

I just fancy having a very flamboyant,

wallpapered ceiling in here.

A bit like the Sistine Chapel, but Culdees style.

Culdees' Sistine Chapel. LAUGHING: Yeah.

During the reno, Rob is still having to work to pay the bills,

while Tracey now plans to run Culdees as a venue full time,

once it's finished.

Until then, she's flat out on the reno,

including sifting through rubble

to rescue hundreds of original floor tiles.

It's a massive jigsaw puzzle.

Saying, "I do," seems a long way off.

Oh, God.

Coming up,

in Cumbria, time is ticking for Ben and Paul...

There's like, currently 110 things on the snagging list.

..as they get closer to opening to guests.

And I love it, it's one of my favourite bits of the whole house.

And in Northumberland, Joanne's bargain hunting...

Oh, I love haggling. I absolutely love haggling.

..delivers an unexpected treasure.

And I beat them down to £400.

In Northumberland,

renovations to Joanne and Geoff's sitting room are gathering momentum.

Victorian homes were made to breathe. No damp in this property.

Plasterer, Tony, has been cracking on with phase one.

Right, I do believe that's us done for our first coat.

And now the water-damaged ceiling is patched,

the cracked walls are repaired with traditional lime plaster.

You could slap that on the wall in there, could ya?

That's what I'm going to do. Yeah.

It's too expensive to waste, that stuff.

Until the experts arrive to restore the period detail,

the couple are moving on to the next job,

Joanne's latest purchase.

Absolutely love haggling.

I'm an expert haggler.

And for the focal point of their new design,

Joanne's played hardball to bag a bargain.

This is me bargain fireplace.

So I went to a salvage yard and he had one,

but it was all... It's in pieces.

And he said I can have it for £500, but I beat him down to £400,

and he even delivered it for free.

They do say you get what you pay for,

and Joanne's bargain marble fire surround

comes free with a fun challenge.

Well, it's in pieces.

Not necessarily broken pieces, but we've got a little bit of a jigsaw.

Instructions not included.

That's a...

That is a bit of a puzzle.

Geoff was an engineer

and he likes to do everything properly, in a sequence. I work...

And I'm, like, airy-fairy.

The beating heart of every Victorian home was a roaring fire.

But only wealthy homes had a marble surround,

so this jigsaw is well worth the effort.

Oh, no. Try it the other way round.

Woohoo! See you're better at jigsaws than me.

Some people would have looked at this fireplace

and chucked it in the skip.

Shall we have a cup of tea to celebrate? Why not? I think so.

Four weeks later, the lime-plastering repairs are all done.

So today, Tony's taking a break from the walls

to have a go at the marble jigsaw.

Bonding and strengthening the 30 pieces

to create the grand fire surround.

But he needs something strong enough to reinforce the whole structure,

and salvage savvy Joanne has just the thing outside.

There's the triangle ridge tiles.

Is that not perfect?

So that'll be the face of the fire, and that'll be the side.

Obviously, with your marble down, it just gives it its strength.

Um, yeah, that's perfect.

It's a small step towards the dream fire surround,

but still a huge challenge ahead for Tony.

I wish it was as easy as just click of the finger,

but it... Unfortunately, it's not.

You've gotta build it up stage by stage.

Looks like Tony will be stuck with this job for some time.

In the neighbouring county of Cumbria, in stunning scenery,

stands this gorgeous 22-room Georgian-style manor house.

Built in 1862 for a silk merchant,

its grand pillared entrance and symmetrical layout

tell a story of elegance and wealth.

Fast forward to 2020,

this once beautiful building was showing its age.

Clues to its fascinating past were close to being lost forever.

But then West End star, Ben, and his partner, property developer, Paul,

took a huge leap of faith.

If we knew that... What we know now, there's no way we'd have done it.

Yeah, it would be too scary. It'd be too scary.

Ben and Paul bought the hall for £355,000.

Then bought the four acres of ground separately

and set about breathing new life into this 160-year-old beauty.

From this point, we've literally got mountains to climb with this place.

Endless long days of hard graft...

I think it's going to take a lot longer than I expected.

..almost broke them.

There are days when, you know,

you feel like you would happily hand the keys back

to the person you bought it from.

But soon their efforts began to pay off.

THEY LAUGH

The best transformation ever.

Yeah, it's ba... I feel like I wanna cry.

CHUCKLING

Wow!

Creating jaw dropping transformations.

It definitely feels like home now.

And now...

..after almost two years of graft,

Ben and Paul are moving to the next phase of their plan,

to open up the hall to guests.

Our business concept for the house

is that it's a high-end luxury holiday home.

This house owes us because we've put a lot into it.

So it's about time it gave a little bit back. Yeah.

With Ben between theatre gigs and Paul juggling his projects

to dedicate time to their reno,

they're perfectly placed to push ahead.

And with weekend guests booked in, in just a few weeks time,

every one of the 22 rooms must meet Ben and Paul's exacting standards.

We've got a long, long snagging list... Yeah.

..and there's, like, currently 110 things on the snagging list,

and we're trying to knock things off each day.

Today, they're starting in the orangery,

where the builders are still working hard.

Two years ago, they almost pulled the Victorian orangery down

because of decades of rot.

I just couldn't just knock something so beautiful down.

But today the revamped balcony is being decked...

..and a new outdoor bath offers the ultimate in luxury.

It's one of my favourite bits of the whole house.

Downstairs, Ben and Paul's task

is to finish off their new self-service cocktail bar...

..and it's a masterclass in recycling.

The whole bar was just things we had left over.

These are the old skirting boards that we had run out,

that matched the whole of the house.

These are the old tiles from the kitchen.

These pyramided oak panels

were actually what we took out of the front door

when we replaced the front door with glass.

The copper sink is an old jam pan with brass handles,

and we just think it fits so perfectly.

And the finishing touches are some second-hand velvet lampshades.

Right, so, we're gonna put these, basically,

on all of these lights.

Or Paul is.

Everyone told us to tear this building down.

And here we are now putting up lampshades, so...

Time to throw some light on things.

Ready? Yes.

Pendants.Woohoo! CHUCKLING

Oh, it feels so proper. It does feel proper.

Oh, my God, it's so nice!

We never, ever imagined that we would own a place like this.

Um, and we still have to pinch ourselves, you know,

when we come down the stairs, um, in our scraggy dressing gowns,

that it's actually ours.

Let's hope there are nicer dressing gowns

ready for the guests when they arrive.

While Ben and Paul prepare to play host,

140 miles north in central Scotland, at Culdees Castle,

Rob and Tracey are battling through freezing winter temperatures...

It's no degrees in here today. No degrees.

..to finish the castle's Victorian chapel,

where they'll be married in just eight months.

We can't make do. It has to be right.

Over the last year, the walls of Culdees' very own chapel

have been rebuilt, the ceiling repaired

and now Tracey's painstakingly piecing together

a tiled section of flooring where she and Rob, and many couples after,

will take their vows.

This is my mammoth winter task.

It's a true labour of love.

Restoring a classic piece of Victorian style

common in churches across the country.

All these buckets full of the tiles,

which have just randomly been hooked out of the rubble,

chucked in a bucket.

Tracey now has to work out where each tile goes.

And with just a remnant of surviving floor

and a grainy old photograph for help.

So, this is my pattern.

Right.

Like, at the minute it doesn't make any flipping sense at all.

Where do they go?

So, I think that bit...

..is that bit.

Tracey, that's gonna take you forever.

OK, so, that one there.

After three months of long winter nights...

OK.

Welcome to my chapel.

..Tracey has finally worked out the old tile pattern.

I have no idea what it's gonna look like up there,

but it'll be really cool to stand on there and get married

and know that I've done all of that.

That's pretty cool.

Right here goes.

It's time to stick the first tile on the floor.

This is a key feature in the room.

For Tracey, it's a big moment.

I'm just worried that I'm not gonna do it right.

Oh, look at that!

As piece by piece, the castle is slowly coming back together.

Coming up,

Ben and Paul pull out all the stops.

It's always exciting when big things arrive,

cos big things make big differences.

But the work is never ending.

We are now servants to this house. Definitely. Yeah.

While Joanne and Geoff's showpiece ceiling...

What we've got here, is like a jelly mould.

..comes back to life.

I've waited so long to see this.

It looks fantastic, doesn't it? Yeah.

In Haltwhistle.

Joanne and Geoff are starting to think

about the decor of their sitting room.

Think the original room was pink. Somebody's told us that.

And with decisions being made on paint colours...

Well, these are possibly the options. That is um,

a Sulking Room Pink, it's called.

I think I might want a little bit lighter on that colour.

..Joanne is turning her attention to the wallpaper.

Um... I love them both. Well, you know...

I think there's more going on on that one

with the birds and the flowers. Mmm.

Joanne wants to stick with the period feel,

choosing a heavy, embossed paper to tie in with the ceiling,

and she thinks she has found the perfect one.

Geoffery doesn't get to make a lot of decisions

and I think it should be Geoffery's choice.

Well, I do prefer this one. There.

OK, we'll get that ordered, then.

A couple of days later, plaster restorer, George, is back

to repair the ornate sitting room ceiling.

Wow! I've waited so long to see this.

It looks... It looks fantastic. Now I know what's been missing.

For Victorian homes, mass production made these decorative features

affordable for the first time.

Some designs are now increasingly rare,

so George has delved into the manufacturers archive

to recreate the missing pattern.

He's also brought a silicone mould of the same design

to make extra pieces on site.

The, sort of, simplified version of what we've got here

is like a jelly mould of the ceiling.

The ceiling shows years of water damage.

So today's plan is to make several small pieces fit together.

But for expert George, it's all in a day's work.

So, it's a matter of

getting the mixers going and keeping them going,

and filling it in, because this is starting to set continuously.

It don't stop. Once you start, you've gotta keep going.

When the plaster of Paris mix is dry,

each section of the mould will be carefully fitted into place

on the ceiling.

But during their research into restoring the ceilings,

Joanne and Geoff made an exciting discovery.

The rose and thistle pattern in the kitchen is so rare

that the original manufacturers, Lincrusta,

think it might be the only one in existence.

I mean, it was literally months away from being demolished.

You've saved some of our historical built heritage.

That could have been lost forever.

I feel in awe.

The find is so important

that George is taking a mould of the pattern using specialist silicone,

and the mould will be added to Lincrusta's historical archive.

While the kitchen mould dries,

back in the living room, George can prep the ceiling

where the new pieces will be installed.

Super excited!

And just 90 minutes later,

the new pieces are dry and ready to be revealed.

This is what we get from the...

From the mould. Wow! Wow!

New part of the ceiling.

Thought the whole lot was gonna come down.

Now it's gonna be put back to its original beauty.

With a new section ready to go up,

Joanne can hardly contain her excitement.

This is the big moment.

Can I hold it like that?

You got it? Yeah?

Yeah. Right into a joist.

Gone on well, I'm happy.

I'm over the moon.

Absolutely over the moon, I love it.

This is the thing I fell in love with the most.

And I always said I was gonna, no matter what,

it was gonna be repaired and put back.

I wanna cry.

It's beautiful.

A few weeks later, with the ceiling repairs almost finished,

work on Joanne's £400 bargain marble fire surround

has taken a huge step forward.

To you.

To me.

Right, down there.

Oh, my God.

Wow! I love it.

That is fantastic.

I wanna cry with tears of happiness now.

Oh, it looks amazing. It does.

After months of hard graft, the sitting room of Greystonedale

is finally returning to its original Victorian splendour.

150 miles away, at Culdees Castle in Scotland,

the pressure is on to finish the chapel

in time for Tracey and Rob's wedding.

Perfectionist.

I don't want it to just be done.

I want it to be magnificent.

So, it's keep calm and carry on at Culdees.

Lots gone on in here in the last week or so.

All the filling's done, all the sanding's done.

Still got the mouldings to go on the panelling.

Church window shaped mirrors are going up

to bring in extra light.

And outside, Rob and Tracey's mums, and Tracey's daughters...

Where do you want the bulbs? Put them in anywhere.

..are doing their bit to create a riot of colour in the castle garden.

I'm just so proud of what they've achieved,

the two of them together.

They've put their life on hold, if you like, to do the castle.

Today, Rob and Tracey want to give mum, Margaret,

a peek at their work in progress.

She's not seen the chapel since renovations began.

No.

So come in.

Oh, my goodness!

Oh, my goodness!

What do you think?

Oh, it's absolutely beautiful.

Margaret's blown away.

Exactly the reaction they'll look for from future wedding parties.

How on earth did you do it?

I don't know.

It's all too much for Rob.

Moments like this make it all worthwhile.

I think what gets me is that. The arch?

EMOTIONALLY: I don't understand why, but it's...

..it's that.

Can you think of all the people that have been in here over the years

and that has been there?

They've seen it just as I'm seeing it.

While Margaret catches her breath,

140 miles south of Culdees, in Cumbria...

Go on, Paul!

Just give it a big yank.

Theatre star, Ben, and his renovator partner, Paul,

are preparing to open their 22-room Georgian manor house to guests.

I think I'm gonna drag Sally across the garden.

Go on.

Ugh, there you go. Yes.

Oh, a beautiful bonny girl.

Oh, my God.

Their focus is to get to the bottom of their huge snagging list

in time for their guests to arrive.

And with a renovation project of this scale,

the list never seems to get any smaller.

I think we've just become accustomed to the fact

that there is always gonna be jobs to do.

We are now servants to this house.

Um, definitely. Yeah.

Today's job is all about the outside spaces.

From the early days, where this was just a tarmac car park outside,

it just felt so, like, the house just didn't deserve

to be surrounded by tarmac.

They've already divided the grounds into different zones,

all aimed at giving their guests a luxury experience.

We've got, like, our Jacuzzi area,

we've got our fire pit area,

and it's been dead exciting creating all of that.

And who wouldn't want a dip in a big brass Jacuzzi?

We've got an outdoor shower.

This is the tray, so you just stand on here and...

And look at the view.

..and look at the view.

But none of this is getting that snagging list done.

To achieve maximum wow factor when guests arrive,

Paul has ordered 60 laurel plants

to enhance the grand sweeping driveway.

This is an exciting delivery,

and we've gone for quite large plants

because you, obviously, get that instant impact.

It means we get almost an immediate hedge.

That's a lorra lorra laurel.

It's always exciting when big things arrive,

cos big things make big differences.

Thanks to a bad back, Ben is exempt from the heavy lifting.

I'll just watch.

Oh, my God.

Only 59 more to go.

I hope you're not gonna count them all down, Ben.

He's itching to put one where he wants them.

Oh, God.

Just a few more then.

At this rate, the guests will be here before this job gets done.

A few weeks later, with the exterior looking glorious,

Ben and Paul are still fine-tuning the interior.

Today, they're giving the 46 original brass door plates

a good old-fashioned polish with a soft cloth

and a bit of elbow grease.

It is very satisfying.

It's quite nice seeing the tarnish come off, isn't it?

Yeah.

Hopefully we're, you know, doing a good job

in keeping it in good condition.

If we can just carry on doing what we're doing,

hopefully it'll last a long time.

I'm quite excited to get these done. Yeah.

Oh, my God, it just looks so much more fresh.

Shiny.

I mean, how many more have we got to do, though?

20... 22 more doors, or something.

So 44. 44 more door plates. Why is it never ending?

I'm sure your guests will appreciate it, Paul.

With everything polished to a high shine,

they'll be hoping for five-star reviews

when their weekend guests arrive.

Coming up,

celebrations all round as Joanne and Geoff's sitting room transformation

is complete.

It's like a sleeping giant.

It's coming alive again.

And Tracey's efforts in Culdees Chapel...

I'm sure there's no brides out there

that's grouting their own chapel floor.

..slot perfectly into place.

Everybody thought I was crazy

when I was getting all the tiles together.

Back in Perthshire, at Culdees Castle,

Spring is in the air.

Rob's away on business, leaving Tracey holding the fort.

Well... Castle.

But with the deadline looming for her summer wedding...

..instead of choosing her gown, Tracey's under pressure

to finish the first stage of her chapel refurb.

We'll carry on and we will work our butts off,

and we'll put in as much effort as we can.

Protected from dust, under plywood boards,

is the new platform of reclaimed tiles,

which kept Tracey busy all winter.

Oh!

Today, joiner, Steve, is edging the tiled panel with pieces of oak.

I've been waiting ages for Steve to put this on,

cos it really is finishing touches to my floor.

And Tracey's filling in some gaps at the edge of the tiles with grout.

I'm sure there's no brides out there

that's grouting their own chapel floor.

I like to think of this whole renovation

as my bridal boot camp, though.

Perhaps I should start that as a thing.

Come and volunteer in the castle.

Get fit and skinny before your wedding.

I think I'll stick with a spa day, Tracey.

After a long day in her bridal boot camp,

it's time for Tracey to take the boards off the tiles

and give them a good sweep.

This is just a little cleanup.

It still needs me on my hands and knees

with a little bit of wire wool and then a polish.

The summer wedding season at Culdees Castle is just three months away.

So far, the first phase of this chapel renovation

is going to plan.

A year ago, Culdees' east wing was full of rubble.

Tracey and Rob have cleared hundreds of barrow-loads of debris,

removing decades of neglect with their bare hands.

Windows, once thick with dust and cobwebs,

are now simply spectacular.

With plentiful natural light guiding the eye

to what has to be the centrepiece of this whole room.

Tracey's meticulously restored Victorian tiled floor.

That looks great.

This has been my baby from the outset.

Everybody thought I was crazy

when I was getting all the tiles together.

Proving everyone wrong, Tracey's put this part of the castle

back together, piece by piece.

I did that, I worked that out. I worked out the pattern.

Weeks that took me, to put that together.

It's a shame Rob's not here, but also it's quite nice.

That'll give me the opportunity to get in here

and make some massive, massive impacts.

And then he'll cry when he comes in.

He may be away for work today,

but in a few months time, Rob and Tracey will be right here

exchanging their wedding vows.

Quite excited to be able to stand up there on my wedding day

knowing that I put that there.

It's quite cool.

Restoring a piece of history

to become a part of many couples' weddings is quite the legacy.

And that will be there for another few hundred years.

So I'm quite proud of that.

150 miles south, in Northumberland,

Greystonedale is a hive of activity.

Joanne's ornate wallpaper is being hung.

It looks fab.

I thought it was gonna be too much, but it's amazing.

The fire surround is getting a touch up.

A little bit of pizazz, just make it look nice.

And the finishing touches are being added.

Bargain of the century.

Finally, after five months of painstaking precision,

it's the day Joanne and Geoff have been waiting for.

When they bought this 140-year-old house,

the formal sitting room's original features had been stripped out,

walls crumbling, and once ornate ceilings ravaged by water and time.

But now...

..it's unrecognisable.

Newly varnished floorboards, soft furnishings

and Joanne's unique design touches

bring her Victoriana dream to life.

The deeply ornate wallpaper provides texture and detail.

The carefully reinstated ceiling

is almost exactly as it would have been in the 1800s.

With new pieces of plasterwork blending seamlessly with the old.

For Geoff and Joanne, it's a dream come true.

Can you believe we've done it?

Turned out great, hasn't it?

A thousand times better than I ever imagined.

Ceiling's come out amazing.

It's all done, and it's styled and it's beautiful.

We just need to connect the radiators. That's it. Yeah.

Everything in the room just fits so perfect.

Taking centre stage, Joanne's bargain marble fireplace,

the cracks and chips carefully blended away.

I mean, you've got to look really close

to see where the repairs are.

I know there's chunks out, but the cracks themselves,

you can't tell because of the marbling effect.

But it is... It's turned out really good, hasn't it?

Yeah.

It's been stuck together with tears.

It has.

And saving money on the fire surround

has made the big £2,500 spend on repairing the ceiling

a little easier to swallow.

This has taken the biggest chunk of the budget.

It is so rare.

I want this to be the showstopper room, and it is.

And nothing says showstopper like pink,

which Joanne has chosen to paint on every surface.

It's the absolute perfect colour I imagined.

It's like, the same as, like, a fondant cake,

and that's what I wanted it to look.

I still smile, coming up the road, to think this is our house.

I think it's getting more... It's coming more alive.

After each week passes, the house is sort of waking up.

It's been... It's like a sleeping giant. It's coming alive again.

And it's nice to see it brighten up.

I absolutely love it. I can't stop smiling.

I think it's far better than I even dreamed. Yeah.

I fell in love with it when I walked through the door,

but I never imagined it would turn out like this. No.

It's like going away and staying in a hotel. Yeah.

It's going and staying in a nice room, innit?

Do you feel like we've got imposter syndrome

and we shouldn't really be here? We shouldn't.

It just doesn't seem right for. It's a bit too posh for us, isn't it?

We walk in here... Come in here, and it's like, "Where are we?"

And then you walk back out the door, "Ah, that's...

"..that bit of the house is ours, not this bit."

So it's...it's strange.

It's gonna take a little while to get used to, innit?

That's it, now. We've got one room complete.

Then we can focus on the next room

and just do the room and get that one finished,

and then move on to the next room and get that finished.

Our team of renovators push forward with their epic projects.

In Scotland, Tracey and Rob take wallpapering to new heights.

Love this blue. It's perfect.

Really, really love it.

I just wanna get the room finished now.

Joanne and Geoff find a hidden treasure ripe for recycling.

We saw this lintel, but we didn't know what was behind

until we pulled the other boards off.

In Cumbria, the imminent arrival of some special guests...

Yeah, it feels like quite a lot of pressure actually.

..sends Ben and Paul into overdrive.

I just want her to like it as much as I do, I think.

And a first-time buyer in Suffolk

falls for the charms of a Victorian terrace.

I immediately had that feeling like, "I could do something with this."