Thu, Oct 5, 2006
Architect George Clarke offers advice to a married couple relocating to Ireland, where they plan to live a mortgage-free, self-sufficient existence with their daughter. With a budget of £14,000 to renovate a derelict house that has been empty for more than 30 years, they expect to move into their new home within four months.
Thu, Oct 12, 2006
Architect George Clarke lends his expertise to couple Adrian and Denise Nuttall, who have invested their money in a run-down garden centre and a 400-year-old barn and farmhouse in the Suffolk countryside. The pair plan to open a chilli farm, shop and restaurant on the site, but things take a drastic turn for the worse just one month into the project.
Thu, Oct 26, 2006
John Rowell and his wife Carol are tired of city life and an expensive mortgage and decide to downsize to the Lincolnshire countryside with daughter Sophie hoping to live mortgage free. They are moving from Nottingham to Holbeach in Lincolnshire where they plan to convert and extend a derelict 1870s chapel into a three-bedroom home, build a block of stables for Carol and Sophie's horses and extend the stabling to open an equestrian livery business, all within a budget of £90,000. Will they manage to complete their dream project despite running out of funds and having difficulties with planning laws which could put a stop to their commercial plans.
Thu, Dec 7, 2006
George Clarke meets Jez and Laura, who want to leave London behind for the coast. After waiting three years to fulfil the requirements of the local planning authority they can finally begin work on their dream home - a beach house in Worthing. The couple refuse to compromise when it comes to cost and materials, and as summer approaches must pull out all the stops to complete the project.
Thu, Dec 14, 2006
George Clarke meets a couple who have given up their jobs and the hectic pace of life in Sheffield. They plan to convert a 100-year-old tin church on the Isle of Seil into a small B&B within eight months and with a limited budget of just £70,000. The architect is more than a little sceptical, but the pair are determined to complete the project without taking on a loan.
Thu, Dec 21, 2006
George Clarke meets Andrew and Anona, who have spent two years planning a move to the Pembrokeshire coast. The couple intend to open a pair of luxury holiday cottages to provide enough money to save the 160-acre family farm, which Anona's parents are finding difficult to keep afloat, but the age of the buildings poses a problem to the renovations.
Thu, Dec 28, 2006
George Clarke meets Frank and Alice from Cambridge who decide to move to rural Croatia, planning to convert a dilapidated stone house and its idyllic surroundings into a nature retreat with six log cabins for guests. While things seem to go well at first, difficulties with the local authorities, the language barrier, and a divining rod soon cause problems for the project.