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00:01Buying a home abroad is a big step to take.
00:04This is my piece of heaven now.
00:07But imagine taking that to a whole new level.
00:10I'm down! Amazing.
00:13The ghost villages of Europe are crying out for help.
00:17It's just like Battle of the Somme, innit?
00:19And a strong-willed few have answered their calls.
00:23Our whole world, our whole life and belongings are now in Ichaka.
00:27In this series...
00:29There's a real sense of history and you can feel it.
00:32We rediscover the settlement's time left behind.
00:36Like ten people living in the whole of Rabatana now.
00:39Where once it would have been thriving with schools and shops.
00:43And meet the intrepid Brits.
00:45Just trying to get this board in the hole without falling through.
00:49Who are trying to save them.
00:51It is more tricky than you imagine.
00:55But can they turn these crumbling villages?
00:58This is going to be a big crash.
01:02Into beautiful homes.
01:04This is no longer a ruin.
01:06It is now a chateau.
01:08And successful businesses.
01:09What are gorgeous.
01:13Or will it all prove to be...
01:15That was a close shave.
01:16...beyond their grasp.
01:18As it stands at the moment, in two years' time it might collapse.
01:21As they restore the past to build their future.
01:25The village has come back to life and that's exactly what we set out to do.
01:37Today...
01:37It's super thick this stuff isn't it?
01:40Excitement at a ghost village in Normandy.
01:42As a once abandoned cottage begins to wake from its slumber.
01:46The more that gets done, the more I get excited about the possibility of moving in.
01:51Elsewhere in Normandy...
01:53It's a bell buckle.
01:54I believe it's from the Napoleonic period.
01:57A village saviour unearths a treasure trove from the past.
02:01That was a lovely little find and that's definitely going to go in my man cave.
02:05And in northern Spain...
02:07Even the bottom part of the village is the after.
02:09Then this is the real before.
02:12We're back with a couple who having completed one part of their village,
02:16are moving on to an entirely new phase.
02:19This is dangerous to go into right now because the roof is collapsing.
02:22And if we don't do some controlled demolition in the next few months,
02:26then the walls will fall out as well.
02:38Over the centuries, the ghost settlements of Europe have had a front row seat
02:43for some of history's most pivotal moments.
02:46Through the course of their stewardship of these places,
02:49our saviours often feel a strong connection
02:51to what was, in many cases, a turbulent past.
02:57Located in northwest France,
02:58is the 17th century village of Le Hou.
03:03Falling into disrepair by the latter half of the 20th century,
03:07the village's chequered past is not lost on its current custodians,
03:11Louise and Paul, who purchased Le Hou in 2020.
03:19When this place was originally built, it was the Ancien Regime,
03:24kings on the throne, peasants in the countryside.
03:27Yeah, yeah.
03:28And it's been through a revolution, another revolution.
03:31Yeah.
03:32Um, Second World War, yeah, this was in the occupied zone.
03:35Yeah.
03:35Been through a lot, so...
03:37Yeah, it's been through a lot.
03:37It's nice to sort of...
03:38Yeah.
03:39...make it last, so...
03:40So it's nice for us inside, but outside it looks and feels
03:44like a proper French village.
03:49It's October, and builders Kelson and Stuart
03:52have completed the underpinning work on the walls of the old farmhouse,
03:56Louise and Paul's soon-to-be-forever home.
04:00This is looking great.
04:02It's brilliant.
04:04I defy these walls to fall down now.
04:07Although the unexpected and expensive extra work has delayed the project,
04:11everything is now back on track.
04:14The fact that they've now made the house safe is...
04:19Well, you know, I'm walking two feet above the ground, really,
04:22because it was such a worry.
04:25Words can't express how pleased I am that they've done it now.
04:28Now we know the house is not going to move anywhere,
04:33and no walls are going to fall down, which is brilliant.
04:40I can't believe the size of the rocks that are coming out of the floor here.
04:45It's amazing.
04:46Today, Kelson and Stuart are excavating the concrete floor of the farmhouse
04:50with an able assistant on wheelbarrow duty.
04:54Oh!
04:56That'd be me for the day.
04:59I can say I helped out.
05:01I've contributed.
05:03Phew!
05:03I need to go and have a lie down now.
05:07In the past, heat was generated by burning wood.
05:10But Louise and Paul want to bring the home into the 21st century
05:14by installing a more sustainable underfloor heating system.
05:18So, the builders need to dig deep.
05:29Whack!
05:34Oh, take that.
05:35It reminds me of, like, a bar of chocolate.
05:38It's just breaking up like a bar of chocolate.
05:51I will be really glad when this is totally out,
05:54because the only way we could get it out is with a small dig around a wheelbarrow.
05:59So, I was Mr Wheelbarrow today.
06:02So, yeah.
06:03I'm glad when it's done.
06:04Ha, ha, ha.
06:11Two months later, the underfloor heating and new concrete floor are down.
06:17Framing for partition walls has been installed, as have First Fix Electrics.
06:22I'm extremely happy with the rate of progress at the moment.
06:26And they've really done a lot of work up until now.
06:30They're cracking on with the inside.
06:33So, I couldn't be happier, really.
06:35I absolutely couldn't be happier.
06:39We're currently insulating the upstairs at the moment.
06:42So, we're putting in 200ml of insulation
06:45to keep it nice and toasty and warm.
06:48We've put these rails on,
06:49and we can fix the plasterboard to it then.
06:55Great stuff, isn't it?
06:56Look, wow.
06:57It all feels a lot warmer.
06:59That's amazing.
07:02It's super thick, this stuff, isn't it?
07:04Yeah, it's 200mm.
07:09It's funny, isn't it?
07:10Because the more that gets done,
07:11the more I get excited about the possibility of moving in.
07:14And now when I'm seeing, like, this stuff going in,
07:17and, you know, and the little, and the walls going in,
07:19and the electrical cables, I'm thinking,
07:21well, maybe it will be real.
07:24You know?
07:25Although the journey to get to this stage of the project
07:28hasn't been an easy one,
07:30for Louise and Paul,
07:31the dream of bringing this former farming hamlet
07:33back from the brink
07:34is finally within touching distance.
07:44In another part of Normandy,
07:47another English couple are also invested in restoring a once-lost village
07:51with a deep connection to the region's past.
07:54La Cloutière is a historic settlement thought to date back to the Middle Ages.
08:01I love the history here.
08:03I love the medieval stuff.
08:04And then even going back to the Viking stuff, which is Normandy.
08:07I love all that as well.
08:09So that was one of the big factors for us to move here.
08:13Originally from London,
08:14husband and wife Budo and Tracy are three years into the renovation
08:18of their historic village.
08:25We didn't want to be where it's too hot, Eva.
08:29Yeah.
08:29It's lovely if you're on holiday,
08:30but if you're doing a renovation and you're constantly in the heat,
08:34we'd be having a lot of sit-downs.
08:37A lot of siestas, as they say.
08:39A lot of siestas.
08:39Having cops a day and...
08:41We love the seasons, don't we?
08:43And we love seeing the changes, the winter snow, the summer heat.
08:48And the rain in between.
08:49And it's just a beautiful place to be, you know?
08:56It's August, and today marks the start of another new project.
09:01Budo is about to breathe new life into this very old and abandoned building.
09:06This is what we're up to.
09:08And believe it or not, this is a day's work we've done already.
09:11The earth was up to this here.
09:13While we're bringing it down,
09:15the reason is, is water is penetrating inside the building.
09:19This level that I'm standing on now
09:21is slightly below the inside level of the floor.
09:25But we wanted to pull this back
09:27so this building can start to breathe properly again,
09:30not sitting in water all the time.
09:32Why we're doing this is,
09:34this barn is a game-changer for us.
09:37I am a joiner, I'm a carpenter,
09:38and I work making things.
09:40I make windows, doors, staircases, kitchens, whatever it be.
09:43This is going to be my new workshop,
09:46and this will help me repair and rebuild the whole of the village.
09:51Because we're working out of a little room in the house at the moment,
09:53and it's really going to change things for me.
09:55I'm going to be able to move along a lot quicker.
09:57It's got a roof, it's got good walls.
09:59All the prettiness of it, if I need it, will come later.
10:05I'm going to be able to get a roof.
10:06Helping Budo is son James,
10:08a landscaping contractor who's out in France
10:10visiting his parents and enjoying a working holiday.
10:15Using heavy machinery certainly speeds things up.
10:32But it's not long before History Buff Budo
10:34spots some interesting artefacts hidden under the earth.
10:41Found some more pottery.
10:43We're seeing lots of shards coming up,
10:45but these more significant parts
10:47This looks definitely medieval.
10:50This looks like a leg of a pot.
10:52And then we found a bit of glass, a neck,
10:55but you can tell it's old
10:57because the top is not symmetrical.
11:00It's just roughly blown.
11:03And this is the sort of thing you find all around this village.
11:11These aren't Budo's first vines.
11:13He's been amassing quite the collection,
11:15painting a fascinating picture of La Cloutière's former life.
11:21We keep bringing up little items from the past.
11:24We've got some sort of a neck of a vessel,
11:29maybe a round pot of some sort.
11:32Looks quite old to me.
11:34A bit medieval looking.
11:36This one is a little cotter bell.
11:39Still got the pip in it.
11:41I looked into it and I believe it was made between 15 and 17 hundred.
11:48And it's still going today.
11:50And I found this in two halves, believe it or not.
11:52And what I believe that is,
11:53is a stopper for maybe a decant or for maybe wine or sherry.
12:02And then, what I like,
12:04because it's related to military,
12:06still investigating what it is,
12:08but we believe it's a belt buckle.
12:11I believe it's from the Napoleonic period.
12:16This armour, it is famous in France.
12:19This chest, breast armour they wear.
12:21But that was a lovely little find
12:23and that's definitely going to go in my man cape.
12:27And then, we're finding quite a lot of these.
12:29Loads of little sort of bottles.
12:32I like, you know, keeping things like this back
12:34because they give a bit of history to the village, if you like.
12:38And when you hold something like that,
12:40if that is a hundred years old or more,
12:43you know that someone else was holding it a long time ago.
12:46So, I don't know, it's just got a bit of nostalgia for me.
12:48You know, I like to keep old things.
12:50And because they're coming out of the ground not broken,
12:53they're worth keeping, you know.
12:56This area is full of history, you know.
12:58And to be part of that, you know, we're a part of that now,
13:01because we're putting our mark on this place.
13:04And when we find things, it's just respectful to keep them
13:07and just, you know, put them by.
13:09And just something I like about it, you know, history.
13:12Unearthing secrets of the past
13:14is part of the charm in restoring lost villages.
13:17And for Budo, it's definitely giving him the motivation
13:20to continue with his mission.
13:28Coming up...
13:29We've got a lot of good preparation
13:31and we've got people in place who are really good.
13:33Village saviours in Spain take a leap into the unknown.
13:37Have we managed and opened a restaurant before?
13:39No, but that's okay.
13:41While in France...
13:43I'm going to paint one of the walls here blue.
13:46Are you?
13:46Yes.
13:47Why?
13:47Because I want to.
13:48Louise and Paul's decorating visions are miles apart.
13:52It's not going to match the floor in.
13:53We'll see who wins the battle of colours in this room.
13:56Yeah, yeah.
14:08Purchasing one of the abandoned villages of Europe
14:11can be fraught with risks.
14:13Centuries-old crumbling structures
14:15are not the best place to put your life's savings,
14:18particularly if seeking a quick return on your investment.
14:22Nestled within the misty mountains of Galicia
14:24in the northwest of Spain
14:26lies the tiny village of La Brada.
14:31Once abandoned and left to crumble,
14:33large parts of it have now been lovingly revived.
14:39La Brada shows just what a ghost village can become.
14:45Good boy, well...
14:49For generations, farmers cultivated cereal crops
14:52and grazed cattle on these lands.
14:56But today, thanks to Ben and Susanna,
14:59its once-ruined structures have been transformed
15:01into a stunning contemporary bed-and-breakfast complex.
15:05All achieved without losing its historic charm.
15:14It is a responsibility.
15:16The village was all but abandoned when we first came here
15:20and it's just we're, let's say, saving it for the next generation.
15:23We're reforming it.
15:25But it's like you don't own these things.
15:27You just look after them for a generation
15:30and that's what we're doing.
15:34Ben, originally from Newcastle,
15:36and his Spanish wife Susanna
15:38began their journey with La Brada in 2008
15:41when they purchased and renovated
15:43a dilapidated farmhouse to use as a holiday home.
15:47Falling in love with the village,
15:49they then purchased more of the abandoned buildings
15:51and set to work breathing new life into them.
15:54It's been a challenge
15:56and we thought,
15:58is this the right thing to do, etc.
16:00Because we've done it bit by bit.
16:02We've done one building by one building,
16:05one floor by one floor,
16:07one brick by one brick.
16:08And be perseverant.
16:10It's as well attitude
16:11and really what it gives you all the strength to go on.
16:21We first met Ben and Susanna in 2023
16:24as they looked to expand their business,
16:26turning one of La Brada's previous ruins into a restaurant.
16:33The beauty, obviously, is this stone.
16:36So these are coming from houses in the area
16:39which are demolished or in ruins.
16:40But this is real,
16:41this is really a craft which doesn't exist anymore,
16:44like thatching roofs, I guess.
16:46The specialist nature of the stone craftwork
16:49meant the restaurant renovation fell behind schedule.
16:57Pushing back the chefs, etc.
17:01We can't hire them.
17:02Could take two or three weeks.
17:04But really, in September.
17:08There we go, so we'll miss Summer Peak.
17:10But we are where we are.
17:13Despite setbacks,
17:14they did finally manage to open
17:16but were only licensed to serve their B&B guests.
17:21We need to move on
17:23and the important thing is when we open,
17:25we are ready,
17:26everything is perfect.
17:28Always, always, we see the positive things out.
17:36It's now July in La Brada
17:38and with the stonework complete,
17:41Ben and Susanna have finally got permission
17:44to open the restaurant to the public.
17:46So we opened the restaurant
17:48at the beginning
17:50just for our guests for dinners.
17:53It's like opening the restaurant progressively
17:55and we are planning to open the restaurant
17:58to the public for lunches next week.
18:01They've hired head chef Noelia
18:03who has big ambitions.
18:08We have prepared a queso
18:11with one of our regional and local quesos
18:17which is the queso cebreiro.
18:19We respect the proximity and local product
18:24so in our dishes we always try to use
18:28the proximity product.
18:29That's why we always use the best products in the area.
18:37The restaurant has been a big investment
18:40and while they have experience
18:41hosting B&B guests,
18:43neither of them has ever run a restaurant before.
18:47I think we've got a lot of good preparation
18:50and we've got people in place
18:51who are really good and experienced
18:53and know what they're doing.
18:54If you've got a good team
18:55then things are going to work.
18:56We managed and opened a restaurant before.
18:58No.
18:59We're expecting teething problems
19:01but that's okay.
19:02We'll overcome them.
19:05The proof really will be in the pudding.
19:08Ben and Susanna's restaurant will need bookings
19:11if they're to see any kind of return on their investment.
19:21Back in France at the 300-year-old village of L'Eau.
19:25This is the last piece of studying and insulation
19:30to go in downstairs.
19:33There's light at the end of the tunnel.
19:34It's January
19:35and after four months hard work
19:37the farmhouse renovation project
19:39is edging ever closer to completion.
19:43We've got full insulation
19:45all the walls are straight inside.
19:49It's amazing.
19:50And this is where the kitchen will go.
19:52It's going to be black
19:54with gold handles.
19:56How posh am I?
19:59And it's going to have a marble effect worktop.
20:04So it will, I think it will be very modern
20:08but at the same time
20:09kind of in keeping with the surroundings.
20:13With the majority of the farmhouse
20:15now boarded and insulated
20:17Louise and Paul are keen to retain
20:19a feature fireplace wall
20:21as a nod to the building's past.
20:24The original fireplace
20:25would have provided much needed warmth
20:28against the harsh Normandy winters.
20:30The farming family who lived here
20:32would have kept it lit day and night
20:34to provide both heat
20:35and a means to feed themselves.
20:39At one time
20:40I think it would have had
20:41timber coming out
20:43to create the hood
20:45essentially
20:46over the top of the open fire.
20:47Yeah, yeah.
20:48But it's long gone.
20:50With only the stone supports
20:51for the original mantel remaining
20:53Builder Stewart
20:54has a plan for a replacement
20:56in keeping with the building's
20:58historic character.
21:02Because you're having a wood burner
21:04timber's not an option
21:04No, okay.
21:05It would be too close to the flue.
21:07Yeah, yeah.
21:07So I think what
21:09we've decided to do
21:10is to shutter this off
21:12and cast it in concrete
21:13Okay.
21:14Up to the ceiling
21:15Yeah.
21:16And then it comes to render it
21:17in the same colour
21:18as the pointing.
21:19So it will all blend in.
21:20So it will all blend in.
21:21Yeah, yeah.
21:21That would be lovely.
21:22I think that's the option
21:22we come up with.
21:23Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:24That would be lovely.
21:26Upstairs there's another room
21:28that's coming to life.
21:31So this is going to be my office.
21:33I'm a book person.
21:34So bookcases, bookcases,
21:37bookcases, bookcases
21:39probably filing cabinet
21:41My plan is desk
21:43probably under the window
21:45It's coming together nicely
21:46I mean it's actually going
21:48faster than I thought
21:49it would appear.
21:50All that's left to do now
21:52is choose a colour scheme.
21:55I'm going to paint
21:55one of the walls here blue.
21:57Are you?
21:57Yes.
21:59Why?
22:00Because I want to.
22:02Okay.
22:03It's not going to match
22:03the floor in?
22:04Light blue.
22:06It's not going to match
22:07the floor in?
22:09We'll see who wins
22:10the battle of colours
22:11in this room.
22:12Yeah, yeah.
22:12Well, no, it's up to you
22:13obviously.
22:14It's your room.
22:18The rate that it's come along
22:19is amazing really
22:20and this now
22:21it's all plastered
22:22it just is a completely
22:25different kettle of fish
22:26you know, it's amazing
22:27it looks like a modern
22:29home already inside.
22:30Study it and see it
22:31getting there.
22:32Bathroom it's going to get there.
22:34Yeah.
22:34Here, once the window's
22:36delivered
22:36that bit will get sorted
22:38and it won't take long.
22:39No.
22:40We need to get carpet in here.
22:41Yeah.
22:42Do you still want carpet?
22:42Yeah I do, yeah.
22:43Yeah.
22:44I still keep trying to talk
22:45Louisa's laminate but
22:46she wants carpet.
22:48I've already surrendered on
22:49this one.
22:50Yeah.
22:50In my professional life
22:51I've picked my battles
22:52I can fight
22:52that I can win.
22:54This one
22:55No.
22:55I'm not going to win it so
22:56No.
22:57Carpet.
23:04A month later and with a new
23:06staircase in place
23:07both floors of the farmhouse
23:09are finally connected.
23:12We were kind of limited
23:13with where to put the
23:14staircase because upstairs
23:16the roof immediately starts
23:20you know going into sort of
23:21like an apex situation
23:23so it had to come up in the middle
23:25otherwise there wouldn't have been
23:26headroom
23:28The way that it's fitted in with the
23:30plan discreetly
23:32and yet still looking a little bit
23:34countryfied and you know
23:37really pleased with it.
23:38We've got doors
23:39we've got a window
23:40we've even got a window sill
23:43It's amazing
23:44and seeing this you know
23:46it feels like
23:48we're almost ready to move in
23:50you know it really does
23:51it looks absolutely stunning
23:56Nearly five months
23:58since the renovation began
24:00the once abandoned farmhouse
24:02is slowly coming back to life
24:04and with decorating about to begin
24:06Louise and Paul can get
24:08their hands dirty
24:09helping push the project
24:10forward to finally being complete
24:18Coming up
24:19See him going backwards and forwards
24:21with a digger
24:22and he's tracking it
24:23and compacting it down
24:24An extra pair of hands
24:26helps Budo rattle through
24:27his to-do list
24:28Well where James is here
24:30we can flow
24:31and get things done very quickly
24:33While in Spain
24:34He's found a pipe
24:35and he's cut the pipe
24:37Ben and Susannah
24:38are keen that their renovations
24:40don't create
24:41a neighbourhood dispute
24:43But what we don't want
24:44is to find out
24:45that there's somebody
24:45down there in the valley
24:47who now doesn't have water
25:00Back in France
25:01at the historic farming settlement
25:03of La Cloutière
25:04it's August
25:05and Budo
25:06along with son James
25:07are excavating earth
25:09to help the walls of the village's
25:10medieval barn
25:11become moisture-free
25:13James being here
25:14just pushes me on
25:15days ahead
25:16because ordinarily
25:17if I was doing the digging
25:18I would have to stop the digger
25:20jump out
25:21start the tractor up
25:22move it into position
25:23and it just takes so long
25:26where where James is here
25:27we can flow
25:28and get things done
25:29very quickly
25:34Budo hopes the removal
25:35of centuries
25:36of accumulated soil
25:37will allow the building structure
25:39to dry out
25:41and Budo is ensuring
25:43nothing goes to waste
25:44using the earth
25:45to level the track
25:46that runs through the village
25:52The soil that's coming out there
25:54ordinarily
25:55you would normally
25:56say fill up a couple of skips
25:58and that would be towed away
26:00to a landfill
26:00and it's all energy
26:02wasting fuel
26:03we've got the land here
26:04to reuse the soil
26:05so nothing has to leave
26:07our village at all
26:08we'll make sure
26:09that it's used
26:11in the right way
26:11so we're using
26:12the subsoil
26:13if you like
26:14to bring up the land
26:18Helping Budo
26:19with this big project
26:20is his vintage tractor
26:23She's the same age as me
26:24so
26:25dare I say
26:26my age is
26:281965
26:29and this tractor
26:30was born then as well
26:33and she's been going
26:34all that time
26:34beautiful tractor
26:35four-wheel drive
26:37air-cooled engine
26:41She's a little bit temperamental
26:43but she's still going
26:44and if you maintain them
26:46and look after them
26:47like Tracy maintains
26:48and looks after me
26:49we keep going
26:52With a load of earth
26:53moved to the dirt track
26:54Budo needs to change
26:56the digger's bucket
26:57for its next job
26:59so this is an old-fashioned way
27:01of doing the digger
27:01because it's an old digger
27:02this is 20 years old
27:04this digger
27:04I'm just going to drop out
27:06this one first James
27:11Despite being semi-retired
27:13Budo's zest for rejuvenating
27:16the village
27:16never wavers
27:22Mum and Dad are very impressive
27:24what they do
27:25considering their age
27:26we're not going to say
27:27they're too old
27:28but they do a lot
27:29for how old they are
27:30We ain't spring chickens any more
27:32we ain't got time to sit around
27:33and whinge
27:34and moan about things
27:35we just get on
27:35They're very passionate about this
27:37and I'd love to see them succeed
27:39and we can all come out here
27:41enjoy it
27:42in a few summers time
27:43Yeah
27:44I'm glad you're here anyway
27:45Thank you
27:49The plan now
27:51is
27:52James is going to level off
27:53what I've put over here
27:54we're trying to build this up
27:56so he's going to level it off
27:58Yep
27:59We're lucky we got the machines
28:00to help us
28:02and then James' knowledge
28:03because he's really good
28:04at this sort of stuff
28:14This track would have been
28:15a vital artery
28:16when La Cloutière
28:17was a working farm
28:18aiding the movement
28:19of goods and produce
28:23The track would have been
28:25compacted and smooth
28:26by the constant movement
28:27of animal-drawn carts
28:31but today it just needs
28:32a helping hand
28:36So
28:36we've made light work of that
28:37with the digger
28:38we'll keep building on this
28:39see him going backwards and forwards
28:41with the digger
28:42and he's tracking it
28:43and compacting it down
28:44over 20 tonne there
28:45there's no cost
28:46we're reusing
28:48materials that are here
28:50and it's coming out really well
28:51I'm really happy with it so far
28:56We're happy with today
28:57aren't we James?
28:57Yes we are
28:58As long as he's happy
28:59we're happy
29:01While today has been a success
29:03restoring a building this old
29:05is never straightforward
29:07overgrown with ivy
29:08all sorts of hidden problems
29:10may still be lurking
29:17back in La Brada
29:18Back in La Brada
29:18in northern Spain
29:19it's November
29:20and Ben and Susana
29:22have finally opened
29:23their restaurant
29:24to the public
29:24This is good
29:26we are completely
29:27fully booked
29:28all the weekend
29:29so that helps
29:30that helps
29:31a lot
29:31and customer feedback
29:33is immediately positive
29:36I don't like the chase
29:37but this cave
29:38is incredible
29:39it's amazing
29:41A hillside village
29:43La Brada
29:43is set across
29:44two levels
29:45The lower village
29:46with the restaurant
29:47and B&B
29:48is now complete
29:49However
29:50further up the hillside
29:51lies another group
29:52of abandoned buildings
29:53all crying out
29:54to be saved
29:55This includes
29:57an old barn
29:58which Ben and Susana
29:59are keen to transform
30:00into luxury
30:01holiday accommodation
30:06So this is the
30:07romantic barn
30:09Fireplace in the middle
30:10A nice bed here
30:11We'll likely have a hot tub
30:13as well
30:13outside
30:14Nice bottle of wine
30:15sitting on the veranda there
30:17in the hot tub
30:18I mean
30:19Yeah
30:20What more do you want?
30:23As well as the barn renovation
30:25Ben and Susana
30:26have also earmarked
30:27another building
30:28in the upper village
30:29to become their dream home
30:32This is our place
30:33Might have seen
30:35better days
30:36but basically
30:37we have a vision for this
30:39If the bottom part of the village
30:40is the after
30:41then this is the real before
30:44This is dangerous to go into right now
30:46because the roof is collapsing
30:47and if we don't do some controlled demolition
30:50in the next few months
30:51of the roof
30:52then the walls will fall out as well
30:55and that would defeat the object
30:57a little bit
30:58With the drawings
31:00you can see the transformation
31:03and here as well
31:04we have a little piece of land
31:06for us to chill out
31:07to have our pockets with friends
31:10and have the sun when we have it
31:15The architectural heritage of their village
31:17is important to the couple
31:18which is why they're retaining
31:20and reusing as much as they can
31:22of the original construction
31:24These are the original doors
31:26made in chestnut
31:28so they are very heavy
31:30very good
31:31We were chatting already
31:33with our carpenter
31:34and he's going to restore them
31:37and we can reuse them
31:39It will be a beautiful door
31:41when it's finished
31:45But before any of the renovations
31:47can begin
31:47this upper part of the ancient village
31:50needs some vital infrastructure
31:52installed to bring it into the modern era
31:56Right now we're digging a trench
31:58from our water
32:02to the top part of the village
32:04the top part of the village
32:05doesn't have water
32:08Suddenly excavations
32:09are brought to a halt
32:12He's found a pipe
32:13and he's cut the pipe
32:15but what we don't want
32:16is to find out
32:17that there's somebody
32:19down there in the valley
32:20who now doesn't have water
32:22So the key question is
32:24whose pipe is that?
32:25and where was it going?
32:27Susana begins the detective work
32:29phoning a local contact
32:31to see if they can help solve
32:32the puzzle of the mystery pipe
32:35Susana is speaking to the son
32:37of Eleanor
32:38who used to live here
32:39He knows these mountains
32:40like the back of his hand
32:41etc.
32:41He knows where all the water fountains are
32:42water sources
32:43and he's just confirmed
32:44originally went to this house
32:48So it's all okay
32:50It's all good
32:51We didn't affect the water
32:53for our neighbours
32:54so that's perfect
32:55So good
32:56No, no bad news
33:00As the digger driver
33:01returns to the vital work
33:02of bringing utilities
33:03to the upper village
33:04the couple are excited
33:06by what this new chapter
33:08for Labrada will bring
33:09I mean we're very very close
33:11to putting this in place
33:13and once this is in place
33:15then we've basically got
33:16another 12 people
33:18would be able to stay
33:19in these accommodations
33:21so that makes the whole village
33:2340 people
33:26once we're full
33:27which would be every summer
33:29so that's good business
33:30for the restaurant
33:30and yeah
33:32we're so close
33:32so close
33:38Coming up
33:39The ivy
33:40it grows in between
33:41these joints
33:42and it pushes
33:43At La Cloutier
33:44Tracy and Budo
33:46go to war
33:46with mother nature
33:47Never ever
33:49let ivy grow
33:50in your house
33:50because it just causes
33:52so much damage
33:53While at Lou
33:54The only challenge is
33:56Louie doesn't like it
33:57if I drip
33:57Louise becomes
33:59a hard taskmaster
34:00I think it's a shame
34:02to mess it up
34:03by doing bad painting
34:05This is why I'm keeping an eye
34:20Back at the farming settlement
34:21of La Cloutier
34:22in Normandy
34:23it's September
34:24and Tracy and Budo's
34:26latest project
34:27breathing new life
34:28into the village's
34:28medieval barn
34:29moves on
34:30to the next stage
34:34will we get this tower built
34:35Yep
34:36let's go up on then
34:37we can start working on that ivy
34:38Yep
34:39because that's going to be
34:39a really big job isn't it
34:41trying to get that
34:42down for me
34:44It's going to take a bit of time
34:44While the ground
34:45around the barn
34:46has been lowered
34:46to stop water ingress
34:49ingress
34:49of a different sort
34:50is plaguing
34:51the structure's stonework
34:54Well the ivy's been there
34:55for a long time
34:56some of it's like this round
34:58and it's grown into the wall
35:00so we've got to be very delicate
35:01but before we get there
35:02we've got to go
35:03and build the scaffold first
35:04so
35:04That'll be fun
35:05One thing that sort of
35:06goes against for me
35:07is that I'm not very tall
35:09No but you cope well
35:11she's quite strong like
35:11so she's got some muscles
35:12I've trained her up well
35:13you know over the years
35:14she's been good
35:17you get two of them
35:18or one
35:19I'll take two
35:20With a lifetime
35:21in the building trade
35:22Budo not only has the knowledge
35:24he also has all the equipment
35:27using their own scaffolding
35:28is saving them a small fortune
35:33Right
35:34so this one's alive now
35:35right
35:35so it's standing
35:36freestanding
35:37Yeah
35:38You just want to put your hand
35:38on that for us
35:40So we're going to put another pole up
35:43These are heavy
35:50You okay to hold it?
35:51Cool
35:59As we whack them wedges in
36:01it locks it all up tight
36:05but we're semi-solid now
36:09While often mother nature
36:11can appear pretty
36:12she can also be
36:13incredibly destructive
36:17The ivy
36:18it's shoving the building around
36:19so it grows in between
36:21these joints
36:22and it pushes
36:22and eventually
36:23it'll just push this corner
36:25of that building over
36:25Never ever
36:27let ivy grow on your house
36:29because it just causes
36:30so much damage
36:33Working in tandem
36:34soon enough
36:35the scaffolding begins to rise
36:37to reach the highest parts
36:38of the barn
36:40Right
36:41Just push that post in a bit
36:42Tracy at the top
36:45You're carrying that
36:46like a pro
36:47I know
36:48Like a pro
36:49Gotta keep her going
36:52There we go
36:53That's that floor in now
36:54Lovely
36:55Do you know what?
36:56I could think of better things to do
36:58but you're nearly 60
37:01Despite all the hard work
37:03Tracy and Budo's passion
37:05for the history of their village
37:06is what drives them on
37:08So I've been doing a bit of investigation
37:10on this building
37:11The general size of it
37:13and the fact that it has
37:14a timber frame construction inside
37:17which would have been
37:18before the stone work came
37:20and the shape of the windows and doors
37:22I believe that this was the original house
37:24that this is the oldest part of this village
37:26It's been used as a barn
37:28but it's not got proper barn doors on it
37:30so big animals wouldn't have been able
37:32to come in and out of here
37:33Reminds me of
37:34you know
37:35the very early
37:36Viking buildings
37:37Going back to that time
37:38Normandy was a very Viking area
37:43The Vikings ruled this part of Normandy
37:45between the 9th and 11th centuries
37:48Typical Viking dwellings
37:50were wood or stone built structures
37:52with a turf or thatched roof
37:57Inside, Viking families
37:59originally from Scandinavia
38:00would have likely lived
38:01alongside their animals
38:05While the scaffolding has gone up quickly
38:07the removal of the ivy
38:09will be a far more delicate
38:10and time-consuming operation
38:14I'm just going to be very careful
38:16as I'm taking the ivy down
38:17because I just want the ivy to come off
38:20I don't want the stone as well
38:21It's going to be a slow and tedious job
38:23I don't want a couple of days of masonry work
38:25putting it all back together again
38:27Hopefully in six to eight weeks
38:28it'll be looking pretty
38:30It'll be looking pretty
38:30and working functionally
38:31as a workshop for me
38:33and I'll be in my element
38:39Two months later
38:40and progress is slow
38:44Taking this ivy off
38:45is so tedious
38:47because the trunks
38:48are really thick here
38:49but above here
38:51we have a lot of loose stones
38:53and Budo has to rebuild the wall
38:56so that we make the gable end very safe
39:00While the scaffold's up
39:02work can't continue inside the barn
39:04clearing everything
39:05so once we get this down
39:07then we can start doing the work inside
39:11As is often the case with ancient villages
39:13it's only when you peel back the layers
39:16that the scale of the work
39:17becomes truly clear
39:19It's clearly going to take some time
39:22to bring this latest building
39:23back to life
39:32Back at Laou in Normandy
39:34it's February
39:34and upstairs in the old farmhouse
39:37builder Kelton
39:38is plastering the walls and ceilings
39:41While downstairs
39:43Stuart is working on the restoration
39:45of the feature stone wall
39:46of the open plan living area
39:50So we've sandblasted it
39:51cleaned out all the joints
39:52the new mortar has been pumped in
39:55up to this level as you can see
39:56that's then been struck back
39:58with a trowel
39:59to push it fully into the joints
40:01now we've just got to wait for it to dry
40:04enough to be able to brush it back
40:07The new mantle is also now set in place
40:09above the fireplace
40:11creating a stunning feature wall
40:14The colour is just perfect
40:16Yes
40:16The colour is perfect
40:18And with the big feature stones
40:19it sets off very nicely
40:21Yeah, yeah
40:21I love the niche as well
40:23the way that's
40:24Yes
40:25It's looking amazing isn't it
40:32A month later
40:33and with the plastering complete upstairs
40:35Louise and Paul are painting their master bedroom
40:40We've undercoated all of the walls
40:43and I've done some snagging where there were drips and whatnot
40:46so it'll be nice a nice finish
40:49and the next thing is really to put the top coat of white on
40:52The only challenge is
40:53Louise a perfectionist when it comes to painting
40:55I am, yes
40:56And she doesn't like it if I drip
40:58so I'll get it pulled off
41:00Kelsin's plastering is perfect
41:02and so I think it's a shame
41:04to mess it up by doing bad painting
41:07so this is why I'm keeping an eye
41:13Can I just say just one thing?
41:15Depends what it is
41:17Well, where you've come down there and you've got that line
41:20Yes
41:20What you need to do is go horizontally
41:23and smooth that line
41:25The watch out is it gouges the plaster
41:27because the plaster is very sensitive
41:30No, that's fine
41:34We are so happy with how things are going
41:37I mean really it's amazing
41:39it's difficult to put into words really
41:41because we've waited so long
41:43because we did the sheets first
41:45we did the pool first
41:48everything, you know, for the business we did first
41:51and we've waited five years to do this
41:55and it's just amazing to think that we've come along so far
41:59that we're getting our lovely little house done
42:03which will be our forever home really
42:05so it's exciting, yeah
42:06super exciting
42:11With the old farmhouse lying empty since the 1960s
42:15it's lacking many modern amenities
42:17so today Stuart and Kelsen are back on site
42:22Luckily the sun's come out
42:25we've been able to come outside
42:26and continue with the excavations around the back
42:29the drain, land drainage
42:31we're now at the front
42:32putting the land drainage in at the front
42:34and then the next step will be dig a big hole
42:37to put the septic tank in
42:38hopefully there's no surprises
42:40there is an electric cable running across
42:42so we need to try and avoid that
42:45and I hope there's no big boulders
42:49Indoors, Louise and Paul are eager for the next phase
42:51of their large open plan living area to begin
43:00So we now have a proper floor
43:02been drying for the last two weeks
43:04Yeah, yeah
43:04and it needs another couple of weeks to dry
43:06before it can be tiled
43:08which is the next big project in here
43:10and we have a new fire ready to go in there
43:12that's sat outside in the plastic
43:14just waiting to go in
43:15Yeah
43:16so it's going to be lovely
43:20For Louise and Paul
43:21the journey to reach this point
43:23has had its ups and downs
43:25so as they approach the end point
43:27they can now begin to imagine their new life
43:31in a building that could have easily
43:33disappeared forever
43:35We're feeling great at the moment
43:37really positive
43:37because the guys have come on
43:40in leaps and bounds with the house
43:41and hopefully within a month
43:43we'll be able to move in
43:44which is amazing
43:45because you know
43:47it's going to have everything
43:49it's going to be the dream home
43:50so this is
43:51it's like all our Christmases basically
43:53Looking forward to being in there
43:55sitting down
43:56and going
43:57we haven't got any big jobs to do
43:59No, no
44:06Next time
44:07Louise and Paul's village restoration
44:09draws close to completion
44:11It's been five years
44:13I am itching to get in
44:15While elsewhere in Normandy
44:17Budo builds a kitchen by hand
44:20There we go
44:21And that's what we call a dovetail joint
44:23And in Spain
44:25Ben and Susanna begin a project
44:27to transform an ancient wreck
44:29into their forever home
44:31The first time we saw the village
44:33we saw the potential
44:34We're driven to complete this mission
44:37We've started
45:02We're driven to complete this mission
45:04how to buy a new became
45:08We've finished
45:08You'll stay with me
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