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00:0217 miles off Scotland's west coast
00:05lies the island of Mull
00:06and off the coast of Mull
00:08lies the much smaller island of Ulva
00:117 miles long and 2 miles wide
00:13there are no roads
00:15instead a maze of footpaths
00:17accessible only by ferry from Mull
00:22Once home to over 800 people
00:24today just 16 remain
00:26outnumbered by an abundance of wildlife
00:30At the centre of the island
00:32stands Ulva House
00:35an enchanting yet abandoned stately home
00:38waiting for something or someone to save it
00:48Today two intrepid Australians have arrived
00:52determined to bring Ulva House back to life
01:09They have left their former lives on Mull
01:12to pour their hearts and life savings
01:14into restoring it to its former glory
01:20Our vision for this is to be the grandest little hotel in the Hebrides
01:28Do you think that mould will just wash off?
01:31Strath
01:43We're home
01:45We're home
01:46Do you love it?
01:49Yes!
01:50I love it
01:52This is the lobby of our hotel
01:55Is that not wild?
01:57Yeah it is
01:57We've taken a massive punt
01:59we've put everything on the line to do it
02:02because we kind of believe
02:04that we can turn this into something special
02:07The alternative is that we're in an office doing 9 to 5
02:11and we know we don't want to do that
02:13Inside 27 rooms lie locked in a quiet war
02:17between grandeur and decay
02:19There's holes in the roof
02:20There's holes in the ceiling
02:22There's no water
02:23no power
02:23no heating
02:24Every inch of the house is covered in something
02:29But believe in the destination
02:31I do believe in the destination, Dal
02:33So just jump on
02:35Buckle up
02:36It's going to be a ride
02:39Years of neglect have left this listed masterpiece
02:42in a state of significant disrepair
02:45Banjo and Ro will need to simultaneously
02:48restore the crumbling structure of the building
02:50alongside orchestrating a grand interior
02:54The library
02:55Mmm
02:56Smell that
02:57Dan
02:57But also books
03:00And this room when a guest walks in
03:02needs to feel expensive
03:04Now it feels dank
03:05The drawing room will be transformed
03:08into an exotic orangery
03:10So this room I love
03:12It's a showstopper isn't it?
03:14Oh my
03:14Wow
03:15Oh my gosh
03:16There is mould growing everywhere
03:20On the other side of the building
03:22The beating heart of the house
03:24We'll have our farmhouse kitchen
03:26Our salamaria charcuterie
03:28And I've always wanted to do
03:29Cured meats
03:30Upstairs
03:31The luxurious guest bedrooms
03:33We'll get rid of the dead bird
03:34Yeah
03:35And ensuite bathroom
03:37This room is listed
03:38For what?
03:40Demolition?
03:41We'll have a spa
03:43Where you can get a seaweed wrap
03:45Like that's amazing
03:46This is boom art
03:48The plan is to transform
03:50Six key areas
03:51In a push to get the hotel
03:53Operational
03:54Before winter
03:55It's going to be decadent
03:58It's giving opulence
03:59It's giving grandeur
04:01The fires will be roaring
04:03The bedrooms are sumptuous
04:05And warm
04:05And there I am
04:07Ready to greet them
04:08Welcome to the Grand Island Hotel
04:18That is crumbling before us
04:21Sinking our money into this building
04:22Trying to save it
04:23Trying to etch a living out of it
04:25It's an unusual way to invest your money
04:26And then like
04:27At the end of the day
04:29You know
04:29This isn't even a house either
04:32We'll never own this
04:33In 2018
04:35The island made history
04:37Backed by the Scottish Land Fund
04:39The people of Mull and Ulver
04:41Came together to buy the island
04:43Ending centuries of private ownership
04:45Their mission was bold
04:47To breathe life back into the island
04:50And to shape their own future
04:51Now the island and its properties
04:54Are run by a charitable trust on Mull
04:59On the board
05:00There are six people
05:02We've got some crofters
05:04We've got some business people
05:05And we've got some retired people
05:07That's me
05:10Banjo and Ro
05:11I've got over house
05:12On a rent and repair lease
05:14So they don't pay any rent
05:15While they're doing the work
05:17Wait, we're not going to own this house
05:19We're renting it off the board
05:20So this is like
05:22The world's biggest rent-ovation
05:24Yeah
05:25I think it's a risk
05:27But the reward is too great not to try
05:29Since the community buyout
05:32Banjo and Ro
05:33Have been the only souls daring enough
05:35To tackle this formidable restoration
05:37For seven years
05:39The locals have observed
05:40Ulver house slowly rot
05:42Powerless to intervene
05:50My name's Rudy
05:51I'm the ferryman on the Isle of Ulver
05:53And I've lived here most of my life
05:55To see it laid empty for so long
05:57Has been a bit upsetting to see
06:00And from what I can see
06:02Banjo and Ro have enough energy
06:03To take it on
06:04So I'm really pleased for them
06:07The Trust had professional surveys done
06:10To renovate the house
06:12And the quotation was
06:13Two million pounds
06:14We've got 150,000 pounds
06:17Of our own money
06:18That's to live on
06:19To invest in this place
06:22Oh wow
06:22Yeah
06:27Actually no
06:28Change my mind
06:28I do think they're made
06:29With that kind of money
06:31Yeah
06:31Good luck to
06:33It's a massive job
06:35To take on for anybody
06:36And you have to be mad
06:37To think you can do it
06:41There's beyond
06:42No going back once this is signed
06:44It's a legal document
06:46Binding us
06:47To the responsibility
06:48Of that house
06:49For the next 25 years
06:51We're leasing the building
06:53For a reasonable price
06:55Because we're going to be
06:56Investing our own money
06:57Into repairing that building
06:58In addition to that
06:59Once we have an established business
07:01A percentage of the profit
07:02That we make
07:03Will then also
07:04Go back to the Trust
07:05Which will then in turn
07:06Go back to the Iron
07:06But I didn't know
07:07We had to
07:08Repair the roof
07:09Of course we've got to
07:10Repair the roof
07:11Replace all the chimney flushing
07:13Yeah
07:13Have you looked into septic tanks
07:15How much they are
07:16No
07:16I haven't
07:18Have you
07:19Husband
07:19Oh my gosh
07:20Please
07:26It's all the sewing room
07:28Okay stop
07:29I can't
07:30I can't
07:32It's a lot
07:33It is a lot
07:33It's a bit scary
07:34But we can look after it
07:36We can be custodians of it
07:37And then it can hand over
07:39To someone else
07:39That's history
07:40And I think that's important
07:41And I think it's
07:42A great thing that we're a part of
07:43Yeah
07:46It's got to be okay
07:47It's good
07:48It's great
07:48It's great
07:49It's great
07:51It's great
07:53It's good
07:55I love you
07:56I love you too
07:58With the paperwork signed
08:00Banjo and Ro can move in
08:02And the work can officially begin
08:04In a house with no heating
08:06Water
08:07Or electrics
08:08They've prioritised
08:10The library
08:13It's the kind of room
08:14That I've always dreamed of
08:16This is going to be magic
08:18Yeah no I think we should keep it simple
08:20No
08:22Like imagine if
08:23Michelangelo's boss said
08:25You know what
08:26Let's dial Levision back a bit
08:27I bet he didn't have a supportive partner either
08:30But honestly
08:31Am I
08:32Are you not there
08:33Imagine
08:33Whiskey
08:34Lift up
08:35And then a gorgeous big bar
08:37Statement
08:38Green marble top
08:39Okay I do
08:41I know you love
08:42Yeah yeah that's why you put that in there
08:44The library will be reborn in high gloss black
08:48Set against an earthy green lime wash on the walls
08:52At its heart
08:53A bold unapologetically theatrical bar
08:56Around it
08:57Mohair armchairs and vintage furnishings
09:00Will create a room where guests
09:02Will lose track of time
09:03And perhaps themselves over a wee dram
09:06The whiskey library
09:08I want to
09:10Put a high gloss
09:12Lacquer finish on it
09:14So it's almost like a mirror
09:15I'm talking shiny
09:17The only thing is
09:18If you do that high gloss
09:19Yeah
09:20Like
09:20Gloss shows up everything
09:22Because it's all bubbled and blistered
09:24Yeah so you will need to
09:26Sand that back
09:27To nothing
09:28So this can't have
09:30What?
09:30A speck of dust
09:31Or any bumps
09:32So to put the high gloss on
09:34It needs to be like day one new
09:36There's a lot
09:37And that's before I've even added all my furniture
09:40I need to pick fabric
09:42I need to reupholster all my lounges
09:44I need all the little
09:45I think we do have actually quite clear and defined roles
09:47I'm going to be head of manual labour
09:49And
09:50And building and construction
09:52Building and construction
09:53Waste management
09:54Electricity
09:55Water
09:55Yeah
09:56I'm the chief imagination officer
10:00Yeah
10:04While the plan is to transform rooms one by one
10:07Over the next few months
10:09The urgent structural issues with the house
10:11Must also be resolved
10:13It might be summer now
10:15But winter is coming
10:16There is an urgency to it
10:18Because the reality is
10:19It's about to get harsh
10:20And it's almost going to come to a grinding halt
10:22The insurance will be crippling
10:24If we can't get this house
10:26Wind and watertight
10:28Bottom line is
10:29The house needs to be wind and watertight by winter
10:34To make Ulva House wind, watertight and habitable
10:38Banjo and Roe must tackle the essentials
10:40They must repair the roof
10:42And replace any rotten windows
10:45Install a working plumbing system
10:48To reinstate running water
10:50And rewire the entire house
10:54Their first task is the electrics
10:56And luckily
10:57The island has its own resident electrician
11:02Who's also a local beer stoker
11:08Everything in the house will get wired back to here
11:10Yep
11:10And this will be the main hub
11:11Okay
11:12Heating electrics
11:13Gives you a proper plant room to function
11:15I don't want to put you on the spot
11:17How long do I reckon the job will take
11:19For the ground floor?
11:21Yeah
11:22But even if it's not
11:23Oh yeah
11:25Four weeks
11:26Why?
11:27For the going floor
11:28Like saw some money fly out the window
11:30Yeah yeah
11:31Well definitely flying out the window
11:38It's cold
11:40It's just cold at night though
11:42That wind is howling through those walls and windows
11:47Now might be a good time to talk about the budget
11:50Like the roles?
11:53I think it's kind of going up in smoke
11:56We're kind of hemorrhaging money
11:58We want to get the baseline stuff done
12:01But that's all hidden
12:02And then by the time
12:04You know
12:05It comes to make it look nice
12:07You've got no money
12:08We have to be so careful
12:10With every penny that flies out the door
12:13Yeah
12:14And I've bought a couple of new shirts
12:16A couple of new shirts?
12:18Well
12:19Oh
12:19I can't be walking around naked
12:22Everything that we can possibly do ourselves
12:26Needs to be done ourselves
12:27If we don't get this where it needs to be
12:30To be able to start generating some sort of income
12:33It's a dead end
12:34It's a bloody scary thought
12:40Definitely no more new shirts
12:49Banj wants some sort of like
12:51Glazy, polishy finish on this
12:53That's going to make it really, really shiny
12:54Problem with that
12:55Is any imperfections in the wood
12:57Is going to show up
12:58So the wood has to be smooth as glass
13:00We're going to sand all of this down
13:02Because we don't have power at the moment
13:04We're limited in how we do it
13:05So I've got
13:08Like old school hand sand
13:09Or I've got paint stripper
13:11So I'm going to test both
13:12And see which works
13:13Safety first
13:21Whatever this lacquer was
13:23That was previously on it
13:24Has like split and crackled
13:26But it's quite thick
13:27And what I don't want to do
13:28Is sand the wood
13:29Because I'm going to end up with these pockets
13:30And these divots
13:31I'm going to try the paint stripper
13:33I've never used it before
13:34Yada yada yada
13:35Apply a generous coat onto the surface
13:45Okay, it's been about an hour
13:46I don't know
13:47It looks like it's changed colour
13:48So I'm hoping that that's because it's come off
13:51Okay
13:53Oh my god
13:55Are you joking?
14:00That's bloody amazing
14:01That's a game changer
14:03I definitely didn't buy enough
14:06Like that didn't
14:07Yeah
14:12Originally built as the seat of the Laird
14:14The head of the Macquarie clan
14:16Who once owned the island
14:17Ulva House has been rebuilt over the centuries
14:20And its constant presence
14:22Has become a defining landmark
14:24Linking the island's past and future
14:27For a wee island
14:29Ulva has a whole lot of history
14:31And I really want to get a sense of that
14:33I've invited the local mime artist
14:36Historian and podcaster
14:38Alistair
14:39And his sidekick Andrina
14:40To record a little episode of their podcast
14:44The aim of this episode
14:45Is to explore the context and history of Ulva
14:48In relation to the world around it
14:50Were there any significant visitors
14:51That were associated with the Isle of Ulva at all?
14:54Well yes, of course
14:55Queen Victoria came here
14:56In the 1840s
14:58Captain Cook
14:59He discovered Australia
15:00And then we've got Sir Walter Scott
15:02Yes
15:02And he did a lot of sailing round here
15:04Well of course
15:05The island was the stronghold of the Macquaries
15:08So Lachlan Macquarie
15:09Born here in Ulva
15:10In the late 1700s
15:12Goes to Australia
15:14And is now regarded as the founding father of the country
15:20It's just crazy
15:22Like Lachlan Macquarie
15:24Set up my hometown in Australia
15:29And he came back
15:31In disgrace
15:32Well, I mean
15:34He did lose his money
15:35Loved to drink
15:36And married his cousin
15:38It's quite overwhelming
15:40How many people have passed through here
15:42Beatrix Potter holidayed on Ulva
15:44Wordsworth, Keats, Walter Scott
15:47They've all stepped foot on the island
15:49I want the hotel to feel like us
15:53But it has to feel like it's on Ulva
15:55Getting that balance right is tricky
16:03I like to build a room around the things that I find
16:06So I'll go to salvage yards, second hand shops
16:09And what I find will help me build the room
16:16Okay, I've got my eye on this
16:18When I'm searching for treasure
16:20I'm always trying to find something that I think belongs in a space
16:24I'm waiting to find that wow piece
16:26Yeah, I've got something you might be interested in
16:29Yeah
16:32So this is quite interesting
16:34It's a plan
16:36It's an old legal document of some kind
16:38And as you can see, it's Isle of Ulva
16:42Wow, that's beautiful
16:43So that's the old house
16:471771 to 1835
16:48Wow
16:49Oh, Colonel Macquarie of Ulva
16:52I lived in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere
16:55And he found that town
16:56Really?
16:57Yeah
16:57Wow
16:57Yeah
16:58So he travelled a long way from Ulva
17:02Yeah, he certainly did
17:03To get to the bush in Australia
17:05And so did you
17:06Yeah, exactly
17:07Gosh, that's a good looking piece of history
17:10Alright, we'll take this
17:11Good stuff
17:13Banjo has found that link to the island's past
17:16That he was looking for
17:17And through one of his contacts
17:19He has also secured a statement piece
17:22Which will truly transform the room
17:24Into the whiskey library of dreams
17:27Oh, that's beautiful
17:29And this is a beast
17:31That's pretty impractical
17:32But you know that feeling
17:34You've just got to have it
17:35I don't know if Roe will have that feeling
17:37I'm just gonna
17:38I'll get it back to Ulva Ferry
17:41My job's done
17:42Roe has to get it in the house
17:46You're not telling me you don't like this
17:48I love it
17:49What a beast
17:49It's a beast
17:50It's too big
17:52I just don't know
17:53I just
17:53You're not a visionary
17:55No, I'm a practical person
17:57Well, the window will just have to come off
17:59How did you even get it here?
18:02I drove it
18:03I picked it up
18:04I got it in the back of a truck with a bloke
18:07Well, you'll be getting it in the back of a boat
18:08In the back of a tractor
18:09In the back of a
18:10How are we even gonna get it up to the house?
18:12I'm just on the road buying little fluffy cushions
18:14No, I don't
18:15I'm making power moves here
18:16This was a bargain
18:17It was a beast
18:18I couldn't say no to it
18:19It's coming
18:20Why can't you just
18:21I just
18:22I know you don't mean it
18:23I just feel like sometimes you make things harder than the
18:25Like you add layers
18:28What have you got here or no?
18:30Just a little delivery
18:32I was not part of this decision-making process
18:35Doable
18:36We'll give it a go
18:37See?
18:39He's a yes man, Ray
18:40That's what we need more
18:41You're encouraging the behaviour, Rory
18:46Yeah, you got up this end
18:51What in hell?
18:52A wee bit more
18:55Here we go
18:56Hey, go down here, Rory
18:58I didn't think he'd get it on
19:00Let's see if we can get across first
19:12See, Brad?
19:25Speed
19:26Yeah, I know it's really bloody big
19:27Is it too big?
19:28Yeah, of course it's too big
19:29We have to take out a window
19:30Are you joking?
19:32Yeah
19:32Yeah
19:33Yeah
19:33Oi!
19:35You're a beauty
19:37Oh, thanks so much, gentlemen
19:38I've done it again
19:40Oh, shut up
19:42It's so annoying
19:45Because he's right
19:46That's perfect for the place
19:49Hey
19:49Hey
19:51I did it
19:52I did it
19:52Good job
20:10To balance that really shiny black gloss
20:14I need the room to feel a bit more grounded
20:17We need to bring it down to earth
20:20So I want to put this wash on the wall
20:22And Lydia is an incredible decorator
20:28She has got this gorgeous lime wash effect
20:32That's going to add a touch of romance to the space
20:35And this, if in doubt, go darker
20:37Darker
20:37Moodier
20:38Because this kind of
20:39It has to kind of talk to the black
20:41Richer
20:42Richer
20:43Warmer
20:43Richer and warmer
20:44Yeah
20:45Both of the things I wish I were
20:49So I'm just doing this in all directions
20:52So the texture's good for that lime wash look
20:55So you can roller it
20:57And I think you get a bit more out of the colour
21:00If you've got this kind of two-dimensional brush look
21:03It's going to create the mood that I want in that space
21:07I want it to kind of feel like you're under a canopy of trees
21:16I want to have the room finished for Ro
21:18Just because he just wants one room finished
21:21That he can just sit in and be clean and relax
21:25I don't want people to feel that we're just coming here
21:31And ripping the soul out of the place
21:32We're trying to bring the soul back into the building
21:37We're kind of custodians of this house
21:40So Anne, the president of the board
21:43She has all the books for the library
21:45She's going to come and deliver it
21:47And she's going to sit
21:49I'm nervous for her to see this
21:50Because she, you know, she kind of has trusted us
21:56As caretakers of this house
22:00And first thing I've done is paint the beloved library black
22:04So I'm a bit worried what she might think
22:06I'm desperate for their approval
22:13The library, newly restored, stands ready for Banjo's eclectic vintage furnishings
22:21Oh, my gillemots
22:23Oh, my marble side table
22:26Oh my gosh
22:28You'd kill me
22:31Do you like my pheasant?
22:33Um, no
22:35I wonder what grandpa's going to think of the pheasant
22:37He's not going to
22:38Oh, grandpa, uh-oh
22:42Elsewhere, the electricians have begun the daunting task of rewiring the property
22:47And a temporary generator breathes life into the library once more
22:52Brilliant, brilliant
22:56Wow
22:57What?
22:59Oh, that's lovely
23:00Nice
23:15I'm thinking Anne might think the library's going to be a lovely little subtle restoration job
23:21But it's a full-blown makeover
23:23So I don't know what she's going to make of it
23:27Hello
23:30This is the first time someone from the Trust or the island has actually come in
23:32And had a look at what we've been doing
23:34So it's a little bit nerve-wracking
23:38Let's keep an eye on the books, Banjo
23:40Because I don't want them to get damaged
23:43They're over a hundred years old, some of them
23:45Oh, really? Almost as old as you
23:47Oh, thank you
23:48Just kidding
23:52Come in
23:55Hi, Anne
23:57Hiya
23:57Hello, hello, hello
24:00Hello
24:16Oh, look at the fire
24:22Oh, it's gorgeous
24:25It is lovely
24:27And the lovely shiny black on the bookcases
24:30That is just so chic
24:36I mean, it's not exactly the library maybe you're expecting
24:41No, I mean, I was quite a surprise to see that
25:12I'm surprised, but not in a bad way
25:14The story
25:14Yeah
25:15Not only that they tell as a book
25:17But of what they say about the people who lived here in the past
25:21So these were here in the house before, so they're coming home
25:53Yeah, they are
25:55So we'll just have to wait and see
25:57We'll just have to wait and see
25:57Plan with a bit of drink first and getting in then
26:03That's the first step in opening the grandest little hotel in the Hebrides
26:11Okay, Rose, switch it on
26:13Okay, Rose, switch it on
26:16Switch the generator on
26:24Our new islanders have successfully completed their first room
26:29Secured a temporary source of power to the house
26:32And have begun to gain the trust of their new neighbours
26:35A new chapter of island life has officially begun
26:40Oh, how lovely
26:43Yeah, it is
26:46It feels like this is just a little haven amongst the chaos
26:51There's so much dust and noise all out there
26:56We've built a little sanctuary
26:58I'm exhausted
26:59I'm wrecked
27:00I think you did an amazing job
27:03I'm blown away
27:06But look at it
27:07It's just lovely
27:09Feels like the library this home always deserved
27:13You do a very good job of making something new feel like it's always been there
27:18And this is what this feels like
27:23No
27:26It's the generator
27:27That's the generator
27:28Has it got enough fuel?
27:29No
27:30Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild word
27:36It's hard to get by
27:38Just to fall to smile
27:42Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild word
27:48I'll always remember you
27:50Like a child, girl
27:53Oh, baby, it's a wild word
27:53Oh, baby, it's a wild word
27:58Oh, baby, it's a wild word
27:59Oh, baby, it's a wild word
27:59Oh, baby, it's a wild word
28:00Oh, baby, it's a wild word
28:00Gracias.
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