All language subtitles for Renovation.Nation.UK.S02E15.1080p.WEB-DL.H264-5Pr1N680K_[English] (SUBRIP)

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 knock-down 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
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...

Wow! 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 North Lincolnshire,
Lucy and Seb step up...

When we first viewed the house,

this staircase was, like, that
wow factor,

that centre point of the house.

..to tackle their crumbling
Victorian staircase.

There's nothing holding that
up, really, is there?

Well, it's dry rot, isn't it, there?
You can see.

Alan and Catherine cook up
an al-fresco living space...

We're adding our mark to it,
really,

and making it ours.

..for their enormous terrace
in Shropshire.

The whole space and the pathway down
to the drive

is about 600 square metres,
so it's huge.

And trouble in paradise for
Anouska and Greig...

I just don't understand why you
would not do that when

the whole room is
going to be matching.

..with some off-plan panelling in
their Cornish dream home.

Tell him to take all this out
and start again.

In the North Lincolnshire village
of Barrow-upon-Humber,

renovation duo Lucy and Seb are
recreating the interior

of a Grade II listed
Georgian farmhouse

that was left in ruins.

As you can see, I'm very excited.
SHE LAUGHS

Earlier this week,

Lucy and Seb began plastering
the upstairs walls

using traditional techniques...

..and found the toilet humour

in restoring salvaged fixtures in
the en suite.

I guess I didn't just buy a porcey
one.

Course he didn't.

Today, Seb and Lucy will be re-joined
by carpenter Steve,

to see if the Victorian-era
staircase can be saved.

When we first viewed the house,

this staircase was, like, that
wow factor.

I was like, "Oh, my gosh,
this staircase is amazing."

The sweepingness of it,
like, the arched window.

It's beautiful.
Like, the curved wall going around.

Like, it is that centre point of
the house.

Saving the staircase is not only
important to the couple

but to the people that are
familiar to

the house from its past,

including the previous owners, who
lived here until 2001.

They all say the same thing, like,

"Oh, my gosh, those stairs are
amazing.

"I remember those stairs,
they were so beautiful."

And now they're really pleased

that we're going to do as much as
we can

to make it look how it
looked before.

Whilst the house was abandoned
for 20 years,

with a severely leaking roof,

the staircase suffered extensive
water damage.

We are obviously just crossing our
fingers

that when Steve takes
a look at it, that it's not like,

"No, it's a write-off.

"We've got to completely rebuild it
from scratch,"

because that would be really sad.

Often seen as a reflection of
a carpenter's skills,

a curved staircase,
with no supports,

just like this one,

is widely considered
the most difficult

and expensive type of staircase
to construct.

There's nothing holding that
up, really, is there?

Well, it's dry rot, isn't it, there?
You can see. Yeah.

It's just been left to disintegrate,
basically.

Steve is there to assess whether
any of the rotten treads

can be saved and repaired,

or if he'll need to craft
an entirely new staircase.

That's what's happened.
Oh, that's gone.

That's another joist.

A new staircase would cost
a small fortune.

That's what we need to get back...
In. ..together...

..and then maybe put
a new piece inside,

to bond it together better.

We like to give you a challenge,
Steve. I'm sure I can sort it out.

Time for Steve's verdict.

We can do it there. Yes!

It's a huge relief for Lucy
and Seb

that the staircase can be restored,

but it's a steep challenge
for Steve.

Just another day on site.
SHE CHUCKLES

With the treads assessed,

Lucy brings out some surviving
pieces

of the original oak banister.

I'm trying to work out which bits
go where.

It's like a puzzle.

A very dusty puzzle.

We're talking to Steve, now, about
what we can do with this

because we want to keep this.

Steve needs to see if he can restore

the banister from these
broken remnants.

We're gonna try
and save the full thing, hopefully.

It'll have new pieces spliced
into it,

but we'll save what we can.

While the house was left empty,

the staircase was robbed of its
cast-iron spindles by thieves.

The newel was still here

because they couldn't rip it out,

and then we literally have
two spindles.

Luckily,
we have a full, intact one here.

Lucy and Seb
need to see if they can get

the spindles reproduced
to support the banister.

So, trying to be as true as we can
to the building.

So, it's a bit of guesswork.

And the guesswork doesn't
stop there.

We don't really know how much
the spindles are gonna cost,

I think there's 41 in total that we
need replicating.

We know we want cast iron,

and we know that we want them
to be what they were.

So, no, we don't have a budget
for it,

but we have to find the budget
for it.

Lucy and Seb now have some homework
to do,

to see whether replica spindles are
even possible,

before they know just how much more
budget they'll need to find.

On the stunning north coastline
of Cornwall,

above the fishing village
of Boscastle,

sits Penally House.

This Georgian beauty's first owner
was rumoured to be a smuggler.

Today, it's home to
a more law-abiding family -

interior designer Anouska,
design printer Greig

and their four teenagers.

With all the rooms in
the main house finished,

phase two of Anouska
and Greig's renovation

continues in the basement.

Onwards...downwards, really.
Down to the basement

which is a complete other project.

Earlier this week they completed
the basement cinema room...

It's worked out so much better

than I ever could have imagined it.

It's awesome.

..and a large guest bedroom

with plenty of Anouska's
trademark pizazz.

It's been really fun, actually,

experimenting in this room
and trying different things.

Today, Anouska and Greig are
clearing more of the basement...

The things you find in your
basement.

..to transform a storeroom into
a second guest bedroom.

Pretty much everything from upstairs

that didn't have
a home came to live down here,

so it's going to be a big job.

Ace cabinet maker John is back once
again to help.

We've got these gorgeous windows

so it's quite light down here.

There was something, obviously,
here.

So, what I would like
to do there is make that a feature

with a headboard
to go into that slot.

It's crying out for a feature. Yeah,
so headboard in there.

It'd be lovely to have
a freestanding bath like

the one in our master bedroom,
down here.

Does that mean that it will be a
single bed?

Cos you're restricted a bit on the
width there.

I know. I was hoping a double.

Greig's trusty tape measure will
soon find out.

That's 150.

150? Yeah. So, what's that in foot?

Already, you've got the lower
ceilings,

you've got limited daylight,

you've got walls that you can't
channel into.

Four foot six would be handy. Yeah,
yeah. Four foot six, easy.

Two, three, four, five, six.

I think it's more challenging, the
basement,

because you're up against loads of
potential problems.

And one of those problems has been
the realisation

they'd have to increase
the capacity of the boiler,

in order to provide enough water for
the basement rooms.

So, this tank is definitely not
going to be big enough

to serve the house if we're going to
be putting

two extra bedrooms downstairs
in the basement.

This is big enough for a
three-bedroom house...

..and we're six.

A bigger tank will need more room,

so the whole system will need to be
moved and rerouted to a new location.

A week later, and the space for the
basement guest bedroom

has been decluttered.

This feels exciting now. I was
nervous about this room,

but now it's clear it feels really
big.

An army of dehumidifiers are poised
to work around the clock

to get the walls dry enough for wood
panelling and paint.

So, we've been opening the windows,
but the Cornish weather this spring

is not really helping us,

because it's just raining every day.

In one corner of the room,

the stone is wet through and the
paint is flaking off.

So, this corner of the basement has
been really, really wet

and I think it's been getting wet
for some time.

And we think it's because the
downpipe

wasn't put back after it
was decorated outside,

so water's been pouring down into
this corner.

And because it's been painted and it
hasn't been properly treated

the paint has just become slimy
and absorbed all the water.

So, the first job, before we decide
what to do,

is to get all this paint off the
wall,

or as much paint as we can.

Getting this basement room dry is
going to be a challenge.

Today, fabric and finishing touches
feel a very long way off.

It is just falling away.

I think we've got quite a job on our
hands,

getting this all dried out down
here.

Coming up,

Alan and Catherine bring the indoors
outside at Oakhurst Hall...

Where are we going? Over here,
towards me.

..as they transform their
terrace into party central.

Oh. That's nice.
It's not very heavy.

Oh, hang on, I'll just get a grip.
Yeah, get a grip!

THEY LAUGH

And in Cornwall...

Quite a bit's gone pear-shaped in
this room.

..Anouska's push for perfection

drives Greig to distraction.

Do you prefer it when
I'm not here, Greig? Yeah.

In Shropshire,
on the English-Welsh border,

just outside Oswestry,
is Oakhurst Hall,

built in 1854.

The original owners were
Victorian railway industrialists,

but since then it's been
a girls boarding school

and commercial offices.

For the last four years it's been
owned by Alan,

an exhibition-graphics expert,

and Catherine, who runs the family
property development business.

Earlier this week,

we saw them finish off their
splendid sitting room,

as well as
their new house in town,

which they are hoping to sell,

to help fund further renovations at
the hall.

See where that yellow bag is?

We're going to line it all up along
this right-hand edge. Yep.

Alan and Catherine are a busy pair,

but they're beginning
to see that the end is in sight.

I think what gets us through is
seeing what we've achieved

and seeing the light at
the end of the tunnel

and seeing what life is
going to be like.

This time next year, hopefully,

we are beginning to live a little,
rather than just renovate.

Today,

they are still renovating -

specifically their outside terrace...

This looks gorgeous.

..hoping to connect the beautiful
interiors of Oakhurst Hall

to the grounds.

We've got to get this
terrace...nailed.

All paved, walls rendered,
lights fitted,

coping stones on.

I'm really looking forward
to sitting out here

in the morning and having my
breakfast and a cup of tea.

While Alan and Catherine are going
for a Mediterranean vibe

on the terrace,
when they first bought the hall,

this area was just bare ground.

And when it was first built,

the terrace was home to
a rather grand structure.

So, there used to be
a glasshouse

running right
the way across the back.

It wasn't here when we bought
the property,

but you can see the holes in
the wall that we

need to get restored next.

I think there was a small terrace,

nothing to the scale of this...

..but I think it's great,

you know, that we're adding our mark
to it, really,

and making it ours.

Making that mark begins with

the laying of 60 tonnes
of limestone pavers.

The team doing the work have
a massive job on their hands.

The whole space and the pathway down
to the drive

is about 600 square metres,

so it's huge,
and the guys are cracking on.

It already feels like
I am on holiday.

It's certainly barbecue weather,
isn't it?

ALAN LAUGHS

A few days later,
the pavers have all been laid.

The scale of the terrace is immense,

wrapping around two sides of
the hall.

With the slabs down,

Alan and Catherine plan
to create

distinct zones within
the space.

Wondering what's in this box
of goodies.

And this couple,
who don't do things by halves,

have pulled out all the stops
with a designer outdoor kitchen

that would make a celebrity chef
salivate.

Little pizza board.

BANG!

God, you can't wait,
can you? No.

Where are we going?
Over here, towards me.

DOG WHINES

With a barbecue
and a Japanese teppan-yaki grill,

plus sink and fridge,

the couple are excited
to start entertaining.

With the outdoor kitchen set up,
the following day,

Alan and Catherine take
a delivery of garden furniture.

Oh.

That's nice.

It's not very heavy.

Oh, hang on, I'll just get a grip.
Yeah, get a grip!

THEY LAUGH

First one in.

To ensure any future guests can
enjoy the space for longer,

Alan's also invested in some smart
patio heaters.

Invariably in England,
when you have a party or a barbecue,

by about eight o'clock
everybody's looking

for jumpers, aren't they?

Or going inside
and it kind of ends it,

so we're trying to pre-empt that,

and we'll all be snuggled round
these heaters.

In a matter of a few short
weeks,

Alan and Catherine's former mud bath

is on its way to becoming an elegant
entertaining space.

Looks good, doesn't it?
Going to have some fun out here.

ALAN LAUGHS

But before any fun can begin,

there are still
a number of tasks to complete.

The coping needs pointing,

the flowerpots need filling
and planting,

there's still some outside lighting
that needs finishing.

So, yeah, there's lots and lots of
finishing off to do

before it's actually finished.

In glorious Cornwall,

at 190-year-old Penally House...

ANOUSKA: Just be careful.

..Anouska and Greig are renovating
their basement,

creating the second
of two new bedrooms.

Oh, my gosh! It's amazing.

The room has been emptied
and measured up

for Anouska's feature bed
and bathtub,

and now she's moved on
to planning the colour scheme.

I'm thinking leopard print at
the moment and pink, obviously.

To go with the rest of the house.
Exactly.

That's gorgeous. If budget allows.

If not, leopard print headboard. OK.
That's fine.

Almost creates, almost
like a picture frame. Wow.

Today,

cabinet maker John is measuring up
the panelling,

and for Anouska,
the devil is always in the detail.

My thought, John,

was that we're going to have
the bath in the centre here... Yeah.

..with one panel behind it... OK.

..but I think we were going to do
one above and one below,

weren't we? Right.

And, then, have two smaller panels

which will contain the
wall lights... OK. ..either side.

Four weeks later,

thanks to some serious hard graft...

..Penally's seventh bedroom is
starting to come together.

I can't believe how much bigger this
room feels. Yeah.

And next door,

if guests prefer a shower to
a bath,

relocating the new, upgraded heating
system

has created space for an en suite.

So, now we've actually got a proper
guest bathroom

to facilitate these two bedrooms is
amazing.

Some compensation for the
budget-busting plumbing bill.

And, new boiler, darling, it's
super-efficient on the oil.

OK, so, long-term it's going to
save us money. Yeah, massive.

But, as renovators know,

there's always something ahead
waiting to trip you up.

Anouska's returned from a week away

and found changes have been made to
the panelling plan.

I just don't understand why you
would not do that

when the whole room is
going to be matching.

The centre panel behind the bath is
too wide,

which means the panels either
side won't be symmetrical.

Could we use that one on the other
side of the wall?

No. Why?

Don't get angry, I'm just... I'm
not, darling.

And it was all going so well!

We had to adapt this panel

because he did the measurement
before the plinth.

Tell him to take all this out and
start again.

Don't start again! No, no, no.
It's not worth the aggravation,

cos we're trying to make good with
something you're not happy with.

So, just take it all out

and tell him to make the panels
again.

Someone say something...

..please.

Quite a bit's gone pear-shaped in
this room,

but they decided to...make good
what was there

and then worry about these bits
after.

But, what I've discovered today is
that,

actually, if we go smaller on
the edges,

we're not going to fit the wall
lights in.

Greig and Omar will now try to
create new side panels

and remake the large centre panel
later.

That looks good.

HE SCOFFS

Could you just move out the way, so
I can just see it, please.

Why didn't you take more off the
top than the bottom?

Tell you what, why does it always
happen on a Friday?

Would you like a beer with your
sandwich?

We've had a really, really
productive week, darling.

It's cos I've not been here, that's
why it's been productive.

You've turned up, darling. You've
turned up and you've caused chaos.

HE SIGHS

Do you prefer it when I'm not here,
Grieg? Yeah.

Yeah. Annoying.

Ten steps backwards,

which is...really irritating, but
there you go.

With the panelling back on track,

Penally's final bedroom is one step
closer to completion.

Coming up...

..Lucy and Seb uncover the past...

Now the paint's off them, I like
them even more

and I definitely think

we've gone down the right path.

..to rebuild their Victorian
staircase...

You made the right choice.

LUCY LAUGHS

..Anouska and Greig add a decadent
touch to their guest room...

When I said to you, "Put a bath in
here,"

I thought you were just going
to laugh.

..to solve a practical problem.

We've had to raise up the bath onto
a plinth

just to hide all the kind of
gubbins underneath.

And in Shropshire...

I think we were a bit nervous to
start with, with the terrace

because we were like, "Oh, does that
go with a 169-year-old hall?"

..a chance to reflect on a job well
done.

I don't know how much input you have
in that.

CATHERINE LAUGHS
Oh, thanks for that one, Grandma.

In Barrow upon Humber,

Lucy and Seb are restoring
the sweeping staircase

in their
200-year-old Georgian property.

There's nothing is holding that up
really, is there?

Well, it's dry rot, isn't it, there?
You can see.

41 of the original iron spindles
were stolen

when Grove House was unoccupied.

I'm trying to work out which bits
go where.

It's like a puzzle,
a very dusty puzzle.

So, with reproducing the spindles

now at the top of their priority
list,

Lucy and Seb are visiting
to local metalworker John.

Hello. Hello.

So, you've brought me these two.

This looks like it's still got
the original stud in.

So that's the length that was.

This appears to be damaged in some
way.

It's missing a piece, isn't it?

We've got some parts missing off
the top of that.

If we can lose this bit,
because we don't have

a replica, unfortunately,
of what was there. OK.

John will be able to use
the two surviving spindles

to create a profile for the other 41,

but with so many layers
of old paint,

there's no knowing what is
actually underneath.

Ironwork got painted black when
Prince Albert died... Oh, right.

..in the Victorian times.

There were all sorts
of colours on ironwork,

there was yellows, reds, blues,

greens, but they've gone with white.

The important thing is
to get that profile.

Once that profile is made, it will
all look

the same when it comes out.

It will be one item when it comes
out as a new casting -

there'll be no joints in it. Yes.

So, yeah, we can have a go at that
now,

start cutting this end off.

Fab.

It's going to take some
precision craftsmanship

to rediscover the hidden beauty of
the original design,

and it starts with using
an open flame to remove

the old paintwork.

So, that went well.

I think it would be a mistake now to
go down a different path.

We've always said we're going to
be true to,

you know, the house and what was
there.

So, even though it's expensive,
it's the right choice, I think.

A week later,

having removed several layers
of old paint,

John now has a better idea of
the original design.

We've done some filling on that,

which is all... We've just done that
down with the grinder

to make sure there's no undercuts on
that one.

I've put some filler in here,
to get rid of this screw hole

which needs to be blanked off.

We've made an extension piece,

we're going to finish drilling
and tapping this,

weld that on and then put some
more filler round these

so it becomes that profile

and then we can trim the end
to length.

Returning the spindle
to its original shape

means it can be used as a template
to make the others.

And today,

Lucy and Seb are dropping in
to check on progress.

Hello. Hello. Now, then... How's it
going?

We're getting there, slowly.

I've got two spindles for you
to look at.

Amazing.

That's the one with
the clover-leaf end.

Oh, my gosh. Up to 950.

I've straightened all that out
that was a bit of a funny shape.

And they're keen
to see what John's uncovered.

It looks so different without
paint on. Yeah.

Yeah, the detail's come out, hasn't
it? Oh, yes.

I didn't really realise that
that was so square.

No. When it was painted it just
looked like...

A lump. Yeah.

It's quite amazing, really, how much
detail comes out

once you get the paint off.

Even, like, the finer detail on
these bits. Yeah.

Like, the little kind of petals.

Wooden spindles would have been just
a mistake.

I'm really, really pleased

and surprised, actually,
at what they look like.

Now the paint is off them, I like
them even more

and I definitely think we've gone
down the right path.

It's just beautiful, seeing it in
this state now.

Yeah, you made the right choice.

LUCY LAUGHS

All that's left now is for John to
get

the 41 spindles made at a foundry

and the stair rebuild can move
on up.

I'm pretty sure you can slide down
the banister, right?

LUCY LAUGHS

Couldn't have done that
with wooden ones, could we?

It's been six weeks since we last
made

a visit to Cornwall,

where the basement at
Penally House is almost complete.

Do you want to pull it all the way
in and then pull it back

because the fabric will be...

Well, that's it. That's where
the fabric's gonna be.

With the panelling now all fitted

to Anouska's exacting standards,
it's been painted,

and embellished
with leopard-print inserts.

And the damp walls have dried out
and been painted.

So today, it's time to get down to
the finer details...

Yeah, it's just that little
bit there, isn't it,

where we've got to paint? Yeah.

..which includes fitting
an alcove canopy for the bed

and a half-tester headboard,
making smart use of limited space.

Awesome.

And laying new flooring on
the raised platform for

the freestanding bath.

How do you know the angle
for herringbone?

Is it a set...? Well,
we are just going to go with 45.

So, if I draw a pencil mark a
minute... Yeah.

It may be typically theatrical,

in keeping with Anouska's style,

but the elevated bath is also
solving some practical problems.

So, under this plinth is all
the plumbing for the bath,

so we've had to raise up
the bath on to a plinth just

to hide all the kind
of gubbins underneath.

Anouska is using leftover
lengths of

the waterproof vinyl flooring she
used in the main house,

to cover the platform.

We are going to use this,

so that if anyone splashes in
the bath,

it's not going to soak through,
really.

So, today we are just working out
how it's going to look,

where the finish is going to be
and the pattern,

but I think that looks really good.

I'm really happy with that.

Three weeks later,

and Anouska and Greig have been
putting the finishing touches

to the basement renovation.

It's so nice that we get to enjoy
all of these rooms now.

Yeah. See all of our hard work
paid off.

When they bought Penally House,

this room was a damp
and dingy storage space.

It's now completely unrecognisable.

My gosh, the transformation is
ridiculous in this room, isn't it?

When you think how wet and... Damp.

I think we even had mould growing,
didn't we,

in some of the corners of this
room.

Now the corners are filled
with luxurious notes of gold,

velvet and faux fur,

with Anouska making great use
of her vintage fair

and auction finds.

I really wanted this to have
a bit of a boudoir,

sexy feel about it
and this has just been genius,

I mean, finding a bed
to fit inside that little alcove.

Yep, recycled bed - keeping
the whole old-meets-new again,

which is awesome.

Never knowingly understated,

Anouska has given this room
a little extra in

the shape of a freestanding bath
on its own plinth.

It's almost decadent.

When I said to you,

"Put a bath in here," I thought you
were just going to laugh,

and, actually, once again, you were,
like,

"Yeah, let's do it."
All these crazy ideas.

But this side of the room

wasn't without its challenges.

This is the panel which all went
wrong, which we had

a bit of fun and disagreement with.
ANOUSKA CHUCKLES

Frustrations of trying
to do things remotely.

But, do you know what? It's worked
out perfectly.

When you're lying in bed,
and this is your view

it's just so beautiful.

In order to create
the perfect basement boudoir,

Anouska and Greig were forced
to up-scale and relocate the plumbing

to the opposite end of
the basement,

which presented our creative couple
with the opportunity

to squeeze in a brand-new en suite.

This is like the added gift, like,
the added bonus

to the basement that we never,
ever expected.

Awesome.

Complete and finished. Can't
believe it.

What we going to do with ourselves?
ANOUSKA CHUCKLES

Careful what you wish for, Greig.

I'm sure Anouska will think
of something.

Back on the English-Welsh border,
at Oakhurst Hall,

Alan and Catherine's
Mediterranean-themed terrace

is nearing completion.

Today, Catherine is planting
a small herb garden using

a mix of vintage pots
to add character to the terrace.

As Alan is the chef in the family,

he's rather keen to have a
fresh supply of seasoning on hand.

Got all your herbs here, babes,

so when you ask for all your
rosemary and your oregano,

bit of sage, bit of mint.

Catherine never uses herbs,

because she just sticks the
fork through

the plastic bit on
the microwave dinner,

so I tend to cook a bit more.

You know what,
I can't do it all, can I?

So, there has to be some time that
he kicks in.

I'm, again, helping to make
Alan's life easier in the kitchen.

I'm going to shove
a load of water on there.

And to tie in with her new
rattan furniture,

Catherine's also sourced some
matching planters.

I've got a little bit of sprucing up
to do today.

I bought these lovely little
planters...

..to go on the side table.

These are white cyclamens,
one of my favourite outdoor plants.

This is what I love, I love
gardening.

There we go,
leave that for a bit,

see how that gets on.

Adding these final touches is

a long way from where they started.

A few months ago,

the terrace at Oakhurst Hall
was just

a lumpy strip of earth,
unloved and in need of some TLC.

In the past,
this space had been

an elegant example
of Victorian grandeur,

setting a challenge readily taken up
by Catherine,

using 60 tonnes of limestone slabs,

to create a terrace befitting this
magnificent hall.

And now it's all in place,

600 square metres of pristine patio,

the perfect space
to entertain friends and family.

From the sleek outdoor kitchen,
bursting with mod cons,

to the dining and relaxation areas,

the space flows seamlessly.

This is the terrace that
21st-century Oakhurst deserves.

With open views of the 16-acre
grounds in every direction,

Catherine and Alan can finally relax

and enjoy their surroundings.

Today, Catherine's mum Valerie

has joined them to christen
the terrace

and appreciate just how far they've
come

with such
a huge renovation project.

The terrace has turned out
just perfect for us.

I think we were a bit nervous
to start with, with the terrace

because it was beginning to look
quite Mediterranean, wasn't it?

Yeah. And we were like,

"Ooh, does that go with a
169-year-old hall?"

But, actually, it really does work.

It's sort
of brought a bit of new to the old

and it's mixed it up a little bit.

Gosh, when you think about
everything

that we've really achieved
this year in the hall,

it's incredible, isn't it?

It is. I'm quite amazed sometimes
at...

..Catherine's ability, anyway,
of putting it all together.

I don't know how much input you have
in that.

Oh, thanks for that one, Grandma.
THEY LAUGH

Well, I don't know.
He holds the tape measure.

No. It's very impressive,

considering she did it all
by herself, basically.

This is a great space out here,

so we want to have some cracking
parties here.

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

I think when we first bought
the hall we were like,

"Great! We've got a five-year plan,"

but we're now in year four

and we're nowhere near
the end of it,

but...it's a long journey

and I think you need to be prepared

for that when you're renovating
an old building,

but it's also an honour
and a luxury as well,

to be able to bring her back to
the way she was

for future generations.

Coming up...

..Lucy and Seb's staircase reno
comes together...

Do you want to stick to that height,
or do you want it a bit higher?

People are a bit taller nowadays,
aren't they?

..as their replica spindles find
a new home.

Might just have
to ram those studs into the end.

And a VIP guest in Cornwall...

Lovely to meet you.

..takes Anouska and Greig...

Popcorn, Fred? Thank you.

..on a trip down memory lane.

Ah, it's made me feel
quite emotional, actually.

In North Lincolnshire
at Grove House,

for Lucy and Seb's reno of
the staircase destroyed by thieves,

it's been one step forward...

We can do it there. Yes!

..and two steps back.

There is no budget.

Like, we don't really know how much
the spindles are going to cost.

I think there's 41 in total that
we need replicating.

But today's a good day for Lucy
and Seb,

as the original spindles have now
been reproduced.

So, we finally have our cast-iron
replica spindles back,

don't we, from the foundry. Yep.

The new spindles have already had
a base coat of paint,

and carpenter Steve is ready

to start fixing them into place.

We are finally going to have some
fitted today by Steve

and he's brought the handrail back
so that's exciting, isn't it?

We'll probably do
the top landing to begin with

and see how that goes.

Do you want to stick
to that height or do you want it

a bit higher? Maybe a bit higher.

Cos that's really low. People are a
bit taller nowadays, aren't they?

Yeah. We're a tall family, aren't
we?

They were all homunculuses back
then. It is quite low, isn't it?

The final cost for
the spindles was certainly steep.

Yeah, about 5,000.

Yep. Yes. Yeah.

BOTH TALK AT ONCE

Seb didn't want to spend
the money.

Well, you found the money to do it,
didn't you? So, yeah,

I found the money to do it.
I wasn't as willing to...

I just worked a few more hours.

It's putting back what was there
and it's not cutting corners.

You're still struggling with
the cost, aren't you?

I can see it in your eyes.

Eye-watering indeed.

With the first of
the new spindles in place...

Lovely, shall we see if we can slot
that on?

..Steve and Seb can fit
the first part of

the original banister.

Might have to just ram them studs
into the end.

Would need our stinger screw through
it.

But that'll be the effect.

Yeah, I think now, even those
are in,

it's quite... Yeah, it's easier to
picture sort of

the rest, you know, meandering down
there.

Yeah, I think it'll look really
classy.

The next morning, Seb
and Lucy are back...

So, this is where we're at with
the stairs.

Looking good.

..after Steve's been busy repairing
broken wooden stair treads.

A much better configuration, isn't
it,

with the alternating spindles? Yeah.

All we've ever known of
the stairs,

for the three years we've had
the house, is no spindles.

There's always just been a drop or,
like, holes in the stairs

and now, like,

you know, the holes are patched up

and it really does transform,
kind of like, that space.

It's going to be beautiful,
isn't it?

And the original handrail

is also receiving some long overdue
care and attention.

The saving grace is obviously that

the original handrail was left,

albeit in sort of three pieces,

but it's nice to be able
to put it back on.

It's got a few wears
and tears from the years,

but I think that's part of
the charm, isn't it?

It's part of the character. Yeah.

Imagine who's ran their hand down
this staircase and walked down.

But getting to this stage of
the stairwell renovation

has been quite the climb.

It was a really long process from,
like,

finding somebody
to do it in the first place

and then them all be cleaned up
to be sent off to a foundry.

With several key rooms now well on
their way

to being complete,

including their main bedroom
and en suite,

Lucy and Seb are slowly chipping
away

at this massive renovation
project,

but they're justifiably proud
of where they've got to.

So, the last six months

has probably progressed quite
rapidly, hasn't it?

Compared to the two
and half years before that,

would you say? Yes.

And though impatient, Lucy is
always keen

for the next challenge...

I mean, we're still very slow.Yeah.
LUCY LAUGHS

..they feel they are on
the right track...

All the decisions we are making,
like, we have agreed on

and we are really happy with, so
far,

so I'm really proud of us. Yeah,
I was going to say that, yeah.

Lucy and Seb are making Grove
House their future family home,

while respecting its past.

It's an honour, would you say?
Yeah. Is that the right word?

For our names to be in that list
of people that have lived here

and that have built it, renovated
it.

It's our time now to look after
the house

and preserve the house,

or bring the house back
to life in this case,

because of the...you know, the state
it was in.

And I hope that in, like, 150 years

someone else can look back
and be like,

"Oh, I wonder what they did to
the house?"

So, maybe we should leave
a little time capsule

in the attic of everything that
we've done, with pictures.

That would be really good, wouldn't
it?

Yeah, that's a nice idea.

In Cornwall,

it's a special day for Anouska
and Greig.

Good morning! Morning, morning.

The basement reno
of Penally House is now complete.

Anouska and Greig have stamped their
style on

an exquisite secret cinema room...

It does feel like an
underground gentlemen's club

which is the feel that we wanted
to create.

..two eccentrically eclectic
bedrooms...

I love this room.

It's pretty incredible.

..and a decidedly bijou bathroom.

This is like the added gift,

like the added bonus to
the basement.

For all our renovators,

the biggest treat
of restoring period homes

is discovering
the fascinating secrets

so many of them hold within
their walls.

Today, Anouska
and Greig are meeting

a very special guest from
Penally House's past,

who recently got in touch.

So, lovely to meet you.

Lovely to meet you at last.
Come down.

Come through and have a look.

As a child, Fred spent a memorable
summer here,

when his family rented the basement.

In 1969, we had a family holiday
here

and we rented the basement flat at
the time,

and I believe it was from a Lady
Baxter.

Lady Baxter was the owner of Penally
House for 35 years,

of whom very little is known.

I think she kept herself to herself,
didn't she, up here?

Yeah, I think so. Right. Yeah.

Though some details have faded over
the years,

Fred's keen to revisit
his time at Penally.

This is going to bring back some
memories for you.

Wow!

There are few photographic records
of Penally House...

This was my sister's bedroom.

Oh, you can go and look at your
sister's bedroom, now.

Might look a bit different. Oh, wow.

..but one particular memory comes
flooding back.

But, I know the window's different.
There were wooden shutters... Yeah.

OK. ..and my sisters used to do,
like,

puppet shows and things in the...

Aw! ..and use the curtains as... Oh,
right.

Brings back memories.

I'm sure there was a door here.

This was our bedroom.

Oh, it's gonna look very different,
this one, Fred.

I remember this as being quite dark,
so I'm not...

I'm pretty sure this would have been
panelled,

so I wouldn't be surprised

if the other bedroom was wood
panelled.

Wow!

It would have been because that's
why the stone

wasn't in a very good
state of repair,

if it all had been behind panels.

It seems that this is one historical
detail

that Anouska and Greig have
reinstated without knowing -

the panelled walls.

So, we've put panels on the two end
walls

for those reasons,
but to also allow air ventilation

behind it, just to keep the
circulation.

This hasn't had any habitat at all
for 35 years. No.

So, the reason the basement had wood
panelling over 50 years ago,

is the same reason it's been put back
in today.

It feels nice now that maybe

we've brought some of the old
history back.

So, yeah, the doorway's concealed.

So, you literally, Fred, just push
on that panel.

For Fred, this trip down memory lane

is full of surprises.

Oh, wow. That's cool.

ANOUSKA LAUGHS

Wow! This is our secret
cinema/theatre.

That's crazy.
FRED LAUGHS

This would have been the sitting
room

and dining area.

This wall wouldn't have been here,

so it was walking straight into
the... Yeah. ...flat, if you like.

You walked through and I think there
as a range along here

and there was a bread oven.

An oven in the corner.

It's still there, behind the door.

And a historical piece of the house
has been kept from Fred's childhood.

There was one bit we tried to
salvage, but, yeah, it's still...

There it is. When it was servants
quarters,

the cooks would have cooked for
upstairs...

Yeah. ..so, we were told that

that's where all the stoves would
have been. Yeah.

Fred has brought a gift for Anouska
and Greig,

home-cine footage of Penally House
from 1969.

Most of it is holiday footage, but
at the end of it we have a view of

the driveway up to Penally House.

What and we can watch that? Yeah.

It's the first piece of history

Anouska and Greig have of their
home's past.

Rig it up to the telly and use the
cinema seats. Yeah.

It'll be the first screening. The
premiere.

THEY LAUGH

Popcorn, Fred? Thank you.

Wow.

Then, this is the bit that you'll
like.

Oh, my gosh. Look! Oh, that's... Oh,
God.

Was that on the same pillar?

No. It was on the other side.
Left-hand pillar.

Oh, that's the wall, you see, in the
front. Yeah.

Thank you so much. Yeah, it's
awesome. It's so special.

And that's our only little bit of...

..history that we have, really, of
the house, isn't it? Yeah.

Have your brothers and sisters
watched it yet? Yeah.

Have they? Yeah, they were in tears.
Aw!

It's so lovely.

Aw! That's made me feel quite
emotional, actually.

That's amazing!

For Anouska and Greig, it seems that
despite the top-to-toe restoration,

there are still plenty of secrets yet
to be discovered at Penally House.

Next week...

It's something that we've been
looking forward to for a long time.

HE HUMS A FANFARE

..more renovators raring to go...

I'm quite sure a professional would
be laughing right now.

..breathe new life into precarious
properties.

I'm exhausted.

In Warwickshire, a dusty old
stable block is transformed.

I wanna get my camera out and start
taking photographs.

In Kent...

KIDS: Wow!

..an old attic becomes a fabulous
family movie room.

It's really, really cool.

And in West Yorkshire, a Victorian
villa is stripped bare...

John did prep me. It was like,

"We are going
to gut it and start again."

Subtitles by Red Bee Media