All language subtitles for Renovation.Nation.UK.S02E20.1080p.WEB-DL.H264-W0M847s_[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.

LOUD CRASH

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'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.

Today in Warwickshire...

..ceilings are down
and floorboards up,

as Andrew and Mandy uncover
hidden treasure from the past.

SHE GASPS
It's there! Look.

Uh, speechless, actually.

In New Brighton...

You're going to put
your end down now.

..Sally and Steve
bring the indoors outside

as they build a cosy garden room.

It's like a little house.

It's just going to look fab.

And in Truro...

It feels a bit cashmere-y,

and it throws the light
back really nicely.

..Drew gets creative with textiles
to create a touch of luxury

in his guest bedroom.

Every couple of centimetres,
just pop your staple gun there.

In rural Warwickshire,

the Georgian grandeur of Dunsmore
Hall has been part of the landscape

here for well over 200 years.

Over time, extensions and changes
have seen this former farmhouse

grow into the impressive site
it is today.

Childhood sweethearts Andrew and
Mandy have spent the last two years

fearlessly unpicking decades
of decay to restore this beauty.

So the surprises are when there's
nothing... Nothing wrong. Yes.

..that needs repairing.

Nothing surprises us now,

apart from if there's nothing wrong.

Earlier this week, we saw the couple
turn an old stable block

into a smart photography studio

and install a weather vane to adorn
the peak of their stable's cupola.

Today, Andrew and Mandy
are continuing a treasure hunt

which began two years ago,

when Andrew made a discovery
underneath a bedroom floor.

So I think I've found a piece
of the coving or cornice,

and I've never actually seen it,

I've just seen a shadow of it.

And...you can see
the moulding there,

it's got the gold edging.

Oh, that's what I was looking for.

That is genuinely an exciting find.

These remarkable remnants
of the past would have once

made up the elegant cornicing
in the drawing room below.

Since that find, Andrew and Mandy
have discovered damp

coming up from underneath
the drawing room, from a cellar.

When we went down,
it's just full of rubbish.

It's blocking up the air vents,
which is encouraging the damp

to sort of come up the walls.

But as with the decorative ceiling,

further investigations took a back
seat while other jobs were completed.

It's April 2023, and excitement
is in the air as Andrew and Mandy

are finally ready to investigate
the hidden secrets

of their drawing room.

This is our drawing room,

and last week, we were sat in it
watching TV at the end of the day,

and now it's stripped,
ready to be excavated down,

and also have the ceiling
taken down,

so goodness knows what else
we might find.

We're hoping as we take
this one down,

it doesn't dislodge
the ceiling above,

which would then
pull the cornicing down with it.

That's my fear.

With the home scaffolding tower,
ladder,

and all the safety gear they can
muster...

So any...

SHE LAUGHS: I've just put my hat on,
it's full of dust!

..Mandy's tasked with cutting
an exploratory hole.

SAW BUZZES

And after a quick safety check
for electrical wires...

So that's completely clear?
Yeah.

..the first chunk of ceiling
can come down.

Yeah, I did hit the joist.

Finally, two years since they first
found a piece of period coving,

Andrew and Mandy can have a proper
look above the suspended ceiling,

and it's certainly
been worth the wait.

SHE GASPS
It's there!

Look, all the way
above the fireplace.

I'm sorry, I should have waited.

Wow. It's very cracked,
but it's still there.

That's all I can see,
that's all I'm tall enough for.

Uh, speechless, actually.

We just revealed something that's
not been seen for a long time.

Right, I'll leave that there,
and then you can have a look.

Wow.

It's probably one of the most
exciting finds

we've found in the house.
Yes. Definitely.

The excitement levels, not to
mention the levels of dust and dirt,

are sure to crank up a further notch,
once the entire ceiling is removed.

Who knows what they might
uncover next?

130 miles away in north-west England,
in the town of New Brighton,

lies Clifton,
a grand Victorian villa.

An 18-room property set over three
floors, it was a virtual ruin,

in need of desperate,
life-saving intervention.

Luckily, it was snapped up
for the bargain price of £250,000

by builder Steve and teacher Sally.

Five years into the project,
Steve has already single-handedly

transformed several of the rooms
since they bought the property.

I'm very much a part of Clifton now.

I've saved the house from its demise

because it was in
such a terrible state everywhere.

Erm, yes, it was daunting,
but we are making great progress.

That progress was evident
earlier this week

when we saw Steve and Sally
renovate their butler's pantry,

transforming it into a stunning,
functional space,

as well as creating
a downstairs shower room.

Today, Steve's next project
is down the side of the house,

where he is creating
a sheltered outdoor area.

We are hoping to sit under there
during the summer

and it be a nice space.

We're going to try and not make it
like a brand-new eyesore.

It's got to somehow fit.

So that's the challenge,
and we love a challenge here.

So today, we're going to see
if we can try and get an idea

of what we're about to construct
here.

So we've got a nice
safe scaffold here.

And if I look at the possible pitch,
it's coming through here somewhere.

If I just grab one of
my spirit levels,

and I'll give you some idea
of the pitch.

Something like that, as an idea.

DOG BARKS

So straight away,
that looks pretty good.

So I've already got
a picture in my mind,

the roof is in this area,

I want to have a skylight
of some sort in the centre,

and that will be nice
to sit under there,

and it'll be a fabulous space.

Over the next two weeks, Steve sets
to work and builds the frame.

Unlike the previous jobs
in the house, when Steve has used

recycled wood from his store
to keep costs low,

here he's forked out cash
for new timber.

Ultimately, he's still saving
a small fortune.

In today's market,

if somebody was to come in and do
something bespoke like this,

I don't know, five or six grand,
maybe?

I think for £1,000,
we'd have done the whole thing.

And with that saving,

Steve has splashed the cash
to add to his builder's tool belt.

That's my newest thing.

That is an array of different bits.

That's a brand-new purchase.

He loves his tool belt.
His tool belt goes everywhere.

Even when we go out sometimes,
the tool belt is still on.

But essential, absolutely essential.

Most people think it's rather
strange that actually,

when we've got as many rooms
as we've got,

why are we building another one
outside?

But being outside, relaxing
outside, is really important to us.

Right.

Steve often works solo,

but some jobs can't be done
without another pair of hands.

Yeah, look, you're going to
put your end down now.

This is exactly the way
it's going on the roof.

Let me jump up. Right,
now we're going to bring it to me.

This panel has been cut to fit on top
of the newly constructed frame.

Do you want me to go up
the other side?

Like yesterday?
And we just both go on?

No, look, what I want to do is lift
it up onto this scaffoldry. Right.

So I can lift it from here,
just drop it onto there. That's it.

Right, and then we're just going to
lean it against the roof.

That's all right,
it won't go anywhere.

So then we're going to lift it
as it is,

and it should just slide
straight up. Slide.

So ready?
Yeah.

Happy?
Yep.

Right, start sliding.

And again.
Let me just get that edge over.

Right, and slide again.

And then up goes the second piece.

Then we've just got to pick it up.

This will be lighter than the other
side, because there's less of it.

Up we go.

And then carry on pushing.

Wait a minute, and then we've got to
wiggle it this way.

Up...and on.

DOG BARKS

Next up, it's the frame
for the roof light.

Can you go that way safely
all right?

All right, so let's go up.

Ready? From the bottom.
Yep.

OK, put that past the...

Let's get past there,

like that. So keep pushing.

Want to go a bit further.

Ooh, it's looking good, babe.

You think so? Yeah, yeah.
It's not quite square, babe,

this bottom bit. I think I've
got to go... That's it.

HE SIGHS

So that's really, really good, eh?

Oh, yeah, cool, babe.

It's like a little house.

Yeah, well, that's how
I pictured it.

I pictured it as a cosy area.
No, it will be.

It's working.
From a distance, it works.

It's just going to look fab.

With felt to fit
as well as glass for the roof light,

it won't be long until this space is
ready for some alfresco entertaining.

Coming up -

in Truro,
Drew finds the perfect place

for one of his oversized
collectables...

The conch shell was a find from
Harrods display department.

..setting the tone
for his guest room.

We've gone very pearlized in here.

In Warwickshire...

I'm a little bit exhausted.

..Andrew and Mandy's
cellar excavation

unearths some puzzling finds.

We've got a steering column,
and now we've got a headlight.

And in New Brighton,
an old dress hidden in the attic

brings out the detective in Sally.

Who knows which period of history
it's come from?

But obviously somebody
who lived in the house,

or maybe worked in the house.

In Cornwall, south-west England,
close to the heart of Truro

lies Castle Lodge, a Grade II-listed
end terrace, purchased for £450,000

by fashion and interior designer Drew
and his partner Stu, a gardener.

As an interiors expert, Drew has a
vast collection of decorative pieces,

some of which will furnish
this new home.

Finally, I get to empty my three
storage units in Marble Arch.

I'm quite a sort of
collector-decorator,

if there is such a term,

but it's given us a great
opportunity to bring those elements

and certain pieces
into our own home,

so that's quite a fun part
to carry on.

Nowhere is that more apparent
than in this bedroom,

one of the four in the property.

Each bedroom has got
a different language.

We've gone very pearlized,
very calming bedroom space in here.

The conch shell was a find
from Harrods display department.

They used to have it
in the windows in the 1970s.

So where do you put it?

It's finally found its space here
as a canopy for the bed.

The shell has been securely attached
to the wall using hidden clamps.

With wallpapering and carpeting
complete,

today former fashion designer Drew
is in his element,

creating a cosy window seat.

This is really durable.

It's not a nubuck,
but it is an upholstery fabric,

and I've used it on curtains before
as well.

And, um, really, I mean,

it's not going to get too much
wear and tear in a bedroom,

but it's a really nice finish,

it's very soft,
feels a bit cashmere-y,

and it throws the light back
really nicely.

So this is a good sturdy 20mm ply,

and then sponge cut,
but only to here,

because this actually fits under the
window there, to keep it in place.

And then this is
a little wadding wrap.

All we do is staple gun.

So every couple of centimetres,
just pop your staple gun there.

And really, this is so simple
and straightforward,

really anybody can do it.

Even me.
HE CHUCKLES

One window seat!

Let's put it in situ.

Great. There we go.

Good, we're ready for curtains.

I'm using the same fabric that's
on the canopy here, which is, um...

..it's just a satinette...

..but I find the sheen on it
is absolutely right

in combo with the wallpaper.

And it's just been lined with
a very simple cotton lining.

OK. Now, then, how is the length?

HE WHISTLES

Not bad!

And that...

..kind of completes
the window seating area.

Such nice light through the window.

If you fancy just chilling
in your bedroom for a while,

taking a nice book, you've got your
lamp, somewhere to put your tea.

Good.

And with avid collector Drew
keen to next give the space

an accessorising flourish,

it won't be much longer
before guests are able to stay.

280 miles away in Warwickshire,
at the sprawling Dunsmore Hall...

I think you need to do that side
as well.

..Andrew and Mandy are removing
the suspended ceiling

in the drawing room.

We spent most of today up on ladders
or scaffold towers,

hacking away at the ceiling,
covered in dust,

and I don't think we've taken
enough time

to actually stand back
and really look at it.

No matter when it was done,
it's very pretty. Yeah.

For Andrew and Mandy, uncovering
the 250-year-old decorative coving

feels like finding hidden treasure.

LOUD CRASH

That is a good day's work.

And the coving, where it's in situ,

is way better than
I thought it would be.

A week later, the drawing room is
looking very different.

They've lifted floorboards to help
illuminate the cellar below.

Outside...

If you're down in the cellar,
it's preferable to wear a hard hat

because there's lots of joists.

Today, Mandy is briefing friends
and family,

here to help excavate
the mountains of rubbish

causing damp to rise into
the drawing room above.

We're also trying to keep anything
to one side that's interesting,

just so we can look at it later.

If you find any gold, that's our's.
You can keep any bones you find.

LAUGHS: They're free.

But if there's one thing Mandy's
learned during this renovation,

it's the importance of having the
right labour-saving tool for the job.

Today, that's a portable
conveyor belt.

Right, obviously you can't
put anything too tall on it.

SHE LAUGHS

And once in place,
it makes short work

of bringing out the first round
of rubble.

Time to swap over.
Yeah.

Today's a real family affair,

as the couple's two sons, Josh
and Isaac, and Andrew's dad, Bob,

are also getting stuck in.

Yes, in my younger days, I might
have been able to get down there.

THEY LAUGH

Wahey! Good effort, sir.

By tea-break, it's evident
there's a lot more to shift

than everyone thought.

Filled a skip. I've now realised
that there's probably,

I don't know, 20 skips-worth
of rubbish down there.

Andrew's a bit under the weather,
so that means I'm in charge today.

That's nothing new, though.
SHE LAUGHS

As the morning ticks by,

the piles of unearthed items
just keep growing...

..though some of the finds
are more puzzling than others.

I'm a little bit exhausted.

Dad jokes.

Looks like a brand-new Ford part.

There's the rest of the exhaust.
Maybe we can fix it.

We've almost got a complete car now.

We've got, uh, apparently
we've got the manifold bit,

we have the steering,

something to do with
steering column,

and now we've got a headlight,

and I think there's a number plate
somewhere,

and then I'll list it on eBay
if anyone's interested.

Yeah, can you stand back?

But that's not all they found
under the house.

Just as Andrew is feeling better
and re-joins the team,

the rubble and earth are giving way
to mud and water,

the source of their damp problems.

It's not deep enough
for the sump pump to work,

so we've resorted to a wet vacuum,

a vacuum that will suck up water.

And that's, uh, that's what we've
got at the bottom of our cellar.

It's filling up again, is it?

After six hours,
the large skip is full,

and there's almost enough
to fill a second.

We were hoping for a pot of gold,
and we got a vintage car.

Maybe if we get rid of
all the water,

there might be some gold
at the bottom.

They may not have found any treasure,

but they have got to the root
of their damp problem.

And once the cellar is fully cleared
and dried out,

the couple can begin to
put the drawing room back together.

130 miles away in New Brighton
lies Clifton,

the grand Victorian villa
under renovation by Sally and Steve.

Steve is in the process
of constructing a garden room

down the side of the house.

He's pleased with the progress
so far.

Yeah, we're motoring along now.

We were able to finish the boarding,
then I had to waterproof it.

So we got it weathered,

and then I've got to do
some lead work around the skylight,

then of course a little bit
of guttering.

We're getting a little patio heater,

so even in the winter,
if we want to sit out here, we can.

So we know it's going to work, and
we're really excited to have this.

Sally too is excited
by a mysterious red dress,

which Steve found concealed
in the loft space of the house.

Who knows which period of history
it's come from?

But obviously somebody who lived
in the house,

maybe worked in the house.

Feels strange to find something
like it,

but it would be nice to kind of
picture a face with it.

Sally has discovered that previous
residents of Clifton in the early

20th century had a servant called
Anna from Chile in South America.

With it likely a servant
would have lived in an attic room,

Sally thinks this could be
Anna's dress.

Sally's taking the dress to Sudley
House Museum in nearby Liverpool

to see if the curator of costumes
and textiles

can shed any light on its origin.

So we're really looking forward
to finding a little bit

about the history of the dress,

which period of history
it came from,

and maybe a little bit more facts

and see if we can link into
who it would belong to.

Hi, Pauline. Hi, Sally. Hi, nice to
meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you.

Thank you so much for doing this
for us today.

Oh, that's fine.

So what have you got to show me?

So this is the little dress
that we found in our loft.

Oh, interesting.

Well, it's not in great condition,
is it, first of all?

SALLY LAUGHS
No.

Yeah, it's obviously been
very moth-eaten,

but, um, it's an interesting one.

It's made of wool, first of all,
you can tell that right away.

That's why it's been attacked
by a moth,

because they love anything
natural fibre. Yeah.

So in terms of the date
of the dress,

the construction tells me
a few things.

First of all, the neckline,

this kind of what you call
a sweetheart neckline,

and these covered buttons, again,
they're very typical of the period

between 1910 and 1920.

So you could buy ready-made
clothes at this point, um,

which would be largely machined,

but this one is definitely
all handmade.

And the fact that it's very patched
and you can see all these, you know,

obvious patches under the arms,

it does tell you that
it's probably someone

who's not got that much money,

so they're making sure that they get
the maximum use out of their clothes

and keeping them going.
So round about that period,

living in the house was a family,
and they had a Chilean servant.

It would certainly fit in
with the sort of

social, economic level
of a servant... OK.

..in terms of the make of the
dress, the fabric it's made from.

It's a document, isn't it?
It's an object from the past,

which tells us about
the people of the past.

It gives us an indication of the way
people lived,

what their attitudes were, even,
you know, about make do and mend,

even before that was...
Yeah, definitely.

..before that was a wartime thing.

Wow, that's a lot of information
to take in. It's amazing.

Absolutely amazing.
Well, it's very interesting,

and thanks for showing it
to me today.

It's, um, it's a historic document
in its own right, isn't it, really?

Yeah, definitely.

So thank you so much.
You're welcome.

Back at the house,

and Sally's keen to report back
on her findings to Steve.

So...really lovely lady,

met a lovely lady... Right.
..called Pauline.

She said that it was definitely
somebody from the lower classes.

It's the fabric that gives it away.

Super exciting,
because it means that

we probably can say that,
as best fit as possible,

that it probably belonged to
the Chilean servant Anna.

Oh, fabulous.
So, yeah, that's it.

Yeah, brilliant job. Yeah, it was
good. Really excellent. Very good.

All right. All right, I'll carry on.
See you later. See you in a bit.

All right, bye.

The joy of renovating old houses

is that sometimes you get a chance
to explore the past

and imagine the lives of those
who came before,

in this case,
Anna with the red dress.

Coming up -

in Warwickshire,
Mandy explores her empty cellar

now the junk has been dumped.

There's still a lot of mud
that we need to try and scrape up

to finish getting rid of the damp.

And in New Brighton,
Sally and seaside scavenger Steve

display their finds in their
almost finished garden room.

If something comes floating
towards me like this oar did,

straight out of the sea,
I see it as a gift.

Back in Warwickshire,
at Dunsmore Hall, it's now five weeks

since Andrew and Mandy excavated
the rubble and rubbish

from the cellar underneath
their Georgian drawing room.

With the space having had time
to dry out,

Mandy is keen to explore and learn
more about the history

of their 250-year-old building.

So that's the drain that we found.

It's like a silt drain.

When the water gets above the pipe,
the water will go down the hole,

and then the silt should stay
around the edge,

and the floor's designed to slope
this way into all these channels.

If you'd never been down here,

you would have absolutely no idea
of how full it once was.

We know that these walls
actually went all the way up,

because the markings are there,
so they were like little rooms.

In Georgian times, the cellar
would have likely been used

as a cool storage for wine and food,

often behind a locked entrance
to which only the owner,

or his most trusted staff,
would have a key.

There's still a lot of mud
that we need to try and scrape up

to finish getting rid of the damp.

Thanks to the piles of rubbish,
the damp was creeping upwards

from the cellar
into the living space.

Now the cellar's clear
and the water's drained,

Mandy's hoping they've stopped
the damp for good.

Before, you could smell the damp
in the room above all the time.

Now you can't, so it's already
starting to make a difference.

Four weeks later,
Andrew and Mandy are back upstairs

in the drawing room...

..and have arranged a visit from Lee,
a plaster moulding specialist.

They're hoping he will
be able to tell them

whether the decorative cornicing
they've uncovered can be restored.

Took all the plasterboard off
and went, "Wow."

LEE CHUCKLES
You weren't expecting to find this?

Not quite to the extent it was.

So we have a box of bits
that were all along...

And that was this section?
That was this section here.

Do you want to go for something new,

or you definitely want to put back
kind of was there?

That's what we're asking you.

We try to retain as much
of the historic...

Retain those original features?
Yep. Yeah.

To work out the size of the job
and the potential costs,

Lee makes a straight cut
into the cornicing.

SAW BUZZES

Into the cut goes a piece of card,

onto which Lee traces the profile
of the plasterwork...

Do you feel like
you need to whisper?

HE LAUGHS

..giving him a shape to work with
on the computer back at the office.

This is the basis for the template,
so we can use these older sections,

and that then helps us bring
together the full kind of

profile of the cornice.

Would there have been
a particular style?

Would you, like, have chosen
from a catalogue?

"I want this style." Or would it
have been completely bespoke?

When you've got a bare brick wall,
you could, in theory,

back in the day, have any profile
that you wanted, any design. Right.

I've never seen anything painted
quite like this before,

with the kind of the hand detail
on that.

On that straight line is
incredible, really.

OK. I'll get some initial costings
and stuff together for you. Yes.

Whatever kind of works,
you know, best for you.

A few more measurements
to help with his sums,

and Lee can head off to formulate
a plan for the damaged cornicing.

With the prospect
of two options from Lee,

to save or replace the cornicing,

only a cuppa can help Andrew
and Mandy think it all through.

It would be nice that there's some
part of the story still there,

because if we had the whole lot
took out, it would just look like

we'd gone and just put some
coving up to make it look posh.

You mean like the bedroom?
Like the bedroom.

130 miles away in New Brighton,
at Clifton,

Steve and Sally are putting
the finishing touches

to their garden room.

Can I sweep it
before we do anything else?

If you give it a good old sweep.

The past few days has seen Steve put
the guttering in for the roof line

and do the lead work
around the skylight,

so the roof is now watertight...

Hello, it's the milkman coming.
SHE LAUGHS

..which means they can now decorate
the space and make it their own.

That is the bizarrest thing,
isn't it? Love it.

It is, it's so quirky, though.

Everything that we are hoping
to put in here has come from

little charity shops from around
wherever we've been over the summer.

Yeah, interesting things.
Little interesting things that...

Well, interesting to us for sure.

Steve is most pleased
with the pieces he has salvaged

from the River Mersey
right on their doorstep.

If something comes floating
towards me, like this oar did,

straight out of the sea,
I see it as a gift.

It's like,
"Wow, look at this thing."

DRILL WHIRS

With just a few more adjustments...

Fiddly, fiddly.

Fiddly-foos.

..Steve and Sally's garden room
is ready to be christened.

No, it does look lovely.

It's a lovely space.

It just feels so homely.

I think it looks like
an outdoor room.

When they bought the house
five years ago,

this space was a wild overgrown mess.

Where we're standing now,
when we first bought the property,

it just had a pile of rubbish
in the corner,

and all the way along here
was a raised bed leading up to it,

with huge, just gnarly old bushes.

We just didn't use this area at all.

Today it's a cosy canopied retreat
from the main house.

We've transformed it into a homely
space where you can come outside,

because we do love outdoor living,
you know, rain or shine.

It's an opportunity to get
out of the house,

because obviously
you're constantly looking

at what you should and could
be doing. Yep.

So it's a nice place to come
and move away from that. Yep.

So I think that's,
you know, mindset wise,

I think it's a really important
space for us.

It's a good place to hide, too.
Yeah.

We can hide out here, and they'll
be like, "Where's Mum and Dad?"

You're going to need a better
hiding spot than this, Steve.

It's the last plate.

Well...
How about this?

All right?
It looks lovely.

Oh, shall we have a cheers?

Cheers. Well done, Steve.
Hey. Cheers, nice job, guys.

Cheers. Well done, everyone.

Hello, puppy. Cheers. Cheers.

The last six months has seen
Clifton reach renovation milestones.

We're starting to do
lovely projects now,

which is no longer
saving the building.

It's adding things to the building,

so this last six months certainly
has been a real joy for me.

With the butler's pantry
fully restored

to become a stunning,
functional space...

..the downstairs bathroom finished
and now a very modern wet room,

Steve has largely recycled
and repurposed materials

for all his renovations
and done all the work himself,

with Sally helping when not at work,

all of which means
costs have been kept incredibly low.

For me, it's like that continual
journey of changing a building

into a home, because every room
that we finish and we complete

and you're putting your mark on it,
it just makes it our home even more.

Completing the outdoor space
brings to an end an important part

of Sally and Steve's
renovation journey.

I've said, because of my age now,
this could be the last job I ever do

throughout my 50 years
of being in building.

It all feels very profound,

every section I finish,
it could be the last section I do.

So that, for me, it's actually
quite an emotional thing.

You know, and you're building
a beautiful home for us all,

so I'm really proud
of you for what you've achieved,

so really well done, babs.
Beauty. Well done.

Coming up - in Warwickshire...

Hold on, I'm standing on a hole.

..demolition proves a little
unpredictable for Andrew and Mandy.

LOUD CRASH

MUFFLED: That was dramatic.

And in Truro...

Oh, yay!

..friends and neighbours gather
with Drew and Stu to celebrate

the end of their renovation.

Everyone's just been
so welcoming and generous.

To our new friends
and to the city of Truro!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Back in Warwickshire,
at Dunsmore Hall...

Oh! Trapped my trousers in the...
SHE LAUGHS

..in the trap door.

..Andrew and Mandy are making
fabulous progress with the renovation

of their Georgian drawing room.

Can I have the crowbar-y thing
as well?

Oh, that's better.

CRASH
Oh!

Having removed the false ceiling
above,

revealing original period cornicing,

and cleared the cellar below to
resolve a damp issue,

they can finally get to work
on the room itself.

Today, Andrew and Mandy
are dismantling the timber frame

which supported the
suspended ceiling.

I love the way you're
standing directly underneath

the bit that could fall down.

Of all the places you could stand.

With a little persuasion,
the first timber comes out nicely...

Hold on, I'm standing on a hole.

..but the next piece of wood isn't
coming out without making a mark.

LOUD CRASH

MUFFLED: Wow.

That was dramatic.

Oh, well,
can't do anything about it.

Meanwhile, Mandy begins stripping
a waterproof tanking barrier

from the wall. With the cellar
cleared and drained of water,

the decades-old water
ingress protector

is thankfully now redundant.

It's like cardboard that's
been soaked in bitumen.

Half an hour later,
the first wall is cleared,

allowing the bricks to breathe
for the first time in four decades.

MUFFLED: There we are.

One wall down, two to go.

I'm glad that's done,
because hopefully that bodes well

for the rest coming off.

We've removed the 1980s
to take it back to the 1880s.

Two weeks later,
with the strip-out complete,

Andrew and Mandy can finally
see the potential

of their centrepiece drawing room.

This room's once elegant original
features had been hidden away

for decades. But now, with Andrew
and Mandy's careful restoration

under way, a tantalising
taste of the room's glorious past

is visible once more.

There may be a long way to go,
but the couple's groundwork

has proven that this drawing room's
golden age is yet to begin.

As much as everything else
in the house,

we particularly want to be
respectful of this room. Yeah.

Although it doesn't look like it...

Yes, it doesn't look like it
at the moment.

It's going to take us longer
than we originally estimated.

The guy that was going to restore
the coving for us had to pull out.

That means that we don't have anyone
to restore the coving.

The hold-up in proceedings
is giving them the chance to reflect

on just how far they've come.

There you go.
Lovely, thank you.

Having turned one stable
into a photography studio,

and restored the roof of another,

not to mention the
drawing room renovation,

progress this year
has been impressive.

Yes, we've made good progress.

It's stripped out, it's dry,
which was one of the main things.

It was so cold.
The walls were so damp.

I'm really, really happy
with what we found with the cornice.

It's a proper bit of history
that's a bit more elegant

than just the other social history
we've found around the house.

It will be done,
it's just when it will be done.

And I'm quite excited with
what we're going to end up with.

For Andrew, his abiding memory
of working in this room

will be the day spent
emptying the cellar,

with all the extra pairs of hands
who came to help out.

And you'd got, was it 14 people?

15 people?
At least that.

Friends and family
to come and help us,

and I'd been hit with a migraine.

I felt rotten, not just because
I was feeling ill,

but because I knew lots of people
had come to help us out.

And I eventually dragged myself
downstairs,

and I was almost in tears.

I said, "All these people..."
I'm getting emotional now.

And she said, "But that's
what friends and family are for."

VOICE CRACKS: That's what underlined
that day for me.

It was a great day.

A room full of history,

in which these new custodians are
already creating their own memories,

is well on the way to being
everything Andrew and Mandy desired.

It would be nice if it's done
properly, then hopefully

it will all still be here
in another 150 years.

And it'll look fantastic.
SHE LAUGHS

In your opinion.
SHE LAUGHS AGAIN

You've got to dream sometimes.
You've got to dream, haven't you?

Yeah.

Another pair dreaming of fantastic
finishes are Drew and Stu

in their Regency villa in Truro,
Cornwall, where work is

drawing to a close at their
Grade II-listed Castle Lodge.

Just towards this door a little bit.

Drew has already cast
his interior design wand

over much of the property...

Ta-dah!

..from the grand entrance and hall,
and its dusty palazzo vibe,

to the show-stopping
downstairs cloakroom...

So I've gone with tortoiseshell
acrylic sheets from Italy.

It's a little bit of fun.
It's a little bit of theatre.

..to an unused upstairs office,

now a twin room with a
refurbished safe as a talking point,

not to mention
the stunning sitting room-diner.

It's been a tough journey,
hasn't it, getting here?

Oh, it feels amazing to be finally
having our feet up

and enjoying what our achievements
have been.

Today, they're inviting friends
old and new

to take in the wonder
of the renovation.

I want to give other people an
opportunity to experience the house,

and I'd love to see
what people think.

But there's one room not quite ready
for the grand opening -

the guest bedroom,
home to the massive conch shell,

and where Drew has created
a smart window seat.

He still has some trademark
"Drew" flourishes

to add before it's fully finished.

There we go. There's always a final
bit of tweaking going on.

And I think this sweet little
seascape suits the room.

Drawer space is always handy,

and we've got a nice little spot.
Perhaps a lamp.

And I picked this up.
It's a big lump of crystal,

but I love dressing the rooms
at the end.

That's the best bit, isn't it?

When Drew and Stu took on
this property two years ago,

their aim was to give it
a personality all of its own.

And in their final room
to be finished...

..they have more than delivered.

This, to me,
is the more serene room,

and it was very much led
by the conch shell.

The shell originally came from
the Harrods display department,

where it was part of its
window dressing in the 1970s.

The tones have obviously
influenced the colour,

the schematic planning of this room,

and it's all in very, very soft
slightly oyster colours

to work with the whole vibe
of the shell.

I'd love to wake up in this room,
overlooking the garden,

hearing the river running
at the bottom of the garden.

It gives a real sense
of, um, yeah, serenity.

And as friends and neighbours gather,

everyone is rather suitably
impressed...

Ladies.

..especially Alfie,
one of Drew's crack team

who helped pull off this
incredible transformation.

It's been memorable, and I will...
Yeah, no, I've had a lot of fun.

It's been very, very good.

What a lovely big board.

Oh, why thank you.
HE CHUCKLES

I feel accomplished with
what we've achieved. Good.

Drew is in his element,
showing his guests around.

This is the winner.

When this comes out,
those drop down either end.

It's fun, isn't it?

Come on, then, you two.

Yeah, the chap was on it for,
like, three hours...

MAKES BUZZING NOISES
..with his angle grinder.

BELL RINGS

With Truro's town crier
as a guest of honour,

it's only fitting
he formally opens Castle Lodge.

Oyez! Oyez!

Good evening, everyone,
and welcome to Castle Lodge

here in the heart of
the city of Truro.

This building was designed
by architect Philip Sambell,

and now it's handed over
to Drew and Stu.

Well done to the both of you.

Thank you, Lionel.

Thank you, Truro!

SINGS: For he's a jolly good fellow

ALL SING: For he's a jolly good
fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow,

and so say all of us!

Do you know? It's so nice to have
everybody here that's been

helping us, and all the new friends
that we've made in Truro, huh?

Yeah, we've got a great crew
behind us.

They've just brought such
a great vibe with them as well.

Yeah, we love this city
and the people.

I mean, everyone's just been
so welcoming and generous.

To our new friends,
and to the city of Truro.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

In this series, we've met
the most extraordinary renovators.

Oh, look at you!

Oh, you're so proud of yourself.

Some learnt on the job...

Oh, yeah. That's a good technique,
isn't it?

..but all were laser-focused...

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

..turning damp and
crumbling wrecks...

I like to make an entrance.

..into beautiful and welcoming homes.

Looks absolutely amazing.

Looking good.

SHE GASPS

Oh, wow.

Even when times were tough...

I'm exhausted.

SCREAMS: This is where
I want to scream!

..they kept forging forwards...

Agh!

I can't just give up at this stage.

..injecting new life...

It's just crazy, the transformation.
It's lovely.

..and celebrating
every finished room.

It's a little bit of fun.

It's a little bit of theatre.

Wow, this is our bathroom!

SHE GASPS
Whoa!

We truly are a renovation nation.

I am the happiest man alive.
Oh!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media