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00:01Every year, a new wave of dreamers pack up their lives and head for the sun.
00:06It just reminds me of the Wild West. It's just stunning.
00:08It's definitely very much different from a top-floor flat in Edinburgh.
00:11And we're joining them as their adventures begin across Europe.
00:16This is what we've been waiting for. It's beautiful.
00:18That's the Atlantic Ocean.
00:20This is where the work begins, mister.
00:22Playing the part...
00:25...of chateau owners in France...
00:27We've never done this before. We're making it up as we go along.
00:29...to launching fitness retreats in Bulgaria.
00:32Secret cards!
00:34But will their gamble pay off?
00:37Absolutely bonkers, but it's what we came for, yeah?
00:41Or will they fail to hit their target?
00:44Brexit has put the complications into overdrive.
00:48As they carve out, their new lives in the sun.
00:52I just still feel like I'm on holiday a little bit.
00:54It's not sunk in yet, but this is my actual home now.
00:58What a lovely place to live.
01:01Today, a family in France set out to turn a historic hotel into guest apartments.
01:07Yeah, it's nice to do something a bit different.
01:09Gives you some perspective.
01:11But can they save it before it comes crashing down?
01:14All new ceilings, all new plaster, all new windows, all new doors, new floors.
01:19Completely re-wired, completely re-planned.
01:21In Spain...
01:22Today, it's fly by the seat of my pants.
01:24...it's make or break for one couple launching a new yoga retreat.
01:28We do need to start making money.
01:30We've given up our life, our home, our belongings, our family.
01:35Whilst another couple's Spanish dream comes to fruition...
01:38Pepe, las fruta!
01:40But reality soon brings them back down to earth with a bump.
01:45We stood on the balcony and we thought, what have we done?
01:49The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in south-west France is a land of rolling vineyards and endless sunshine.
02:03A haven for those in search of the good life.
02:06And in the heart of the Dordogne, the town of Aimée has become so popular with some,
02:11it's earned the nickname Little Britain.
02:14Can I take another bag as well? Yeah, for the broccoli.
02:18And Craig and Emma from Hertfordshire are amongst these.
02:22Burnout from their jobs back in the UK, they felt something had to give.
02:28I was working in banking as a marketing director and Craig was managing big building projects.
02:34We were working really long hours and I was getting home at nine o'clock and subsequently got quite ill.
02:41We got rheumatoid arthritis and it really affected our lifestyle
02:45and we were looking for something that was going to be more relaxed, more of a work-life balance
02:51and somewhere great to bring the children up, really.
02:55For Craig, Emma and their two children, the medieval town of Aimée, with its thriving market and cafe culture,
03:02offers all that and much more.
03:05This now is one of my favourite things, a pop-out, sit down, have a coffee.
03:09I really like it. We never did this in the UK.
03:12And when Craig and Emma are finished with their popping out, they have a huge project on the go to keep them occupied.
03:19Just a stone's throw from the town's bustling market square.
03:23We bought the property that we're living in now and on a kind of a whim,
03:28we were looking at a quite dilapidated building in Aimée that was for sale for not a lot of money.
03:34It was a hotel once upon a time, going back a long, long way,
03:38and we were quite excited by the structure and the building and where it was.
03:42The condition of it, certainly not, but it kind of went from an idea,
03:47before we knew it, we were proud owners of the oldest hotel in Aimée.
03:52It's June 2024 in Aimée, and having paid just 48,000 euros for their three-storey property,
04:00the couple have been working on converting it into a holiday rental for the last three months.
04:06As we've taken stuff away, there's a lot of water damage.
04:09The building's been allowed to fall into disrepair, and once water gets in,
04:13of course, it's damaged very, very quickly.
04:16One area that suffered catastrophic damage was the back wall,
04:21leaving the entire structure in jeopardy.
04:25I actually had a phone call from the Pompiers one Friday night
04:29because a small section of it had fallen down that had shut the road.
04:32As we peel back all the layers, we find more problems,
04:35but with a couple more weeks, maybe, of demolition, and then, yeah, the fun stuff starts.
04:39While Emma works remotely in marketing to keep the income flowing,
04:44Craig's 30 years as a joiner and carpenter
04:47means he's perfectly placed to pull off this gargantuan challenge.
04:51This is the ground floor, so this is what's going to be, hopefully,
04:54our two-bedroom apartment.
04:56We've stripped it all back and exposed all the beams
04:58to see if we've got any problems.
04:59We've got a few that are going to need some attention.
05:01They're quite old and tired, so we'll be replacing those.
05:04Obviously, all new ceilings, all new plaster, all new windows, all new doors,
05:08new floors, completely re-wired, completely re-planned.
05:13OK, so now we're on the first floor.
05:15This is going to be the living area and kitchen for this apartment,
05:19which would be the apartment would be two floors.
05:21And then leading out onto what will be a terrace area,
05:25then we're going to have a bedroom with an ensuite
05:27and a small cloakroom for this floor.
05:29Second floor, we're going to have two bedrooms here.
05:32So those bedrooms will have a nice outlook across to the trees in the distance.
05:37When it's finished, Craig and Emma plan to have two separate rental apartments,
05:42which will sleep up to 14 guests in total.
05:45A pair of shoes.
05:47It's got to be a couple of hundred years old, I would have thought.
05:50I'd like to say we would be renting it for next summer,
05:52but with all the problems that we've uncovered over the past few weeks,
05:56I think that's unrealistic.
05:58It's probably going to be 2025, our first rentals.
06:04Despite the mammoth task ahead, Craig is taking it all in his stride.
06:10I think a lot of people were scared off by the amount of work they needed doing,
06:13but I like a challenge and it's going to be really exciting to put our own mark on it.
06:18We are feeling positive about it and we are keen to get on with it.
06:21On the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains,
06:29the Al Pajara are known for quaint whitewashed villages flanked by breathtaking scenery.
06:35An environment providing the perfect tonic for city dwellers
06:39looking to reconnect with the great outdoors,
06:42like Sharon and Bongo from Edinburgh.
06:45Lovely to walk up with the sound of the water and it's so green at the moment.
06:50Who came here for a hiking holiday 18 years ago and fell in love with the region.
06:55Just the people, the place, everything was sucking us back every year.
06:59We were coming more and more often.
07:01So we thought swap Scotland with rain and wind for Spain with sunshine and fresh air.
07:06The pair put down roots in Lanharon, charmingly referred to as the spa town of Andalusia.
07:13I don't think so.
07:15With endless lush mountain greenery,
07:18it provides the kind of outdoor lifestyle Sharon and Bongo found impossible to achieve back home.
07:24Literally, we can just walk out from our front door.
07:27We can hike in these beautiful mountains.
07:30We can go biking.
07:32There's horse riding.
07:34There's just so many things that you can do here.
07:36It's definitely very much different from a top floor flat in Edinburgh, that's for sure.
07:41The couple spent €280,000 on this two bedroom cortijo and have added a third bedroom to the space upstairs and also converted the lower floor into a two bedroom rental apartment.
07:55That's where we live and the guest accommodation is just down below.
07:59But this year, they're hoping to attract more visitors.
08:02When we got here, we were so busy just getting the apartment ready for rental.
08:07Now we've had a bit of a quieter time and we're like, right, that's it.
08:11Let's push it forward.
08:12Let's start to do what we actually really came out here to do.
08:14And this is build the retreat business, the bespoke holiday business, get people out to enjoy this beautiful area.
08:25Sharon, a trained yoga instructor, and Bongo, a skilled chef, have worked together before.
08:31But this will be their first time bringing their talents together to launch a series of all inclusive yoga and outdoor retreats.
08:39We met when we were working in hospitality together, eventually Shaz became my boss.
08:44And she still is, to be honest. So, you know.
08:48The couple have already poured £20,000 into their renovations.
08:52But with their funds having run dry, they need some income to complete their all-important yoga platform and get their retreats up and running.
09:03We do need to start making money. We've given up everything in the UK.
09:07We've given up our life, our home, our belongings, our family, everything to move here and build this business in Spain.
09:16So, yeah, it's gonna have to work.
09:18It's late March in the Alpajara, and whilst work on their yoga platform is on hold, Sharon and Bongo are trialling their first day retreat at a friend's home nearby.
09:35We're doing yoga, well, a mobility sort of yoga stretch practice to start off with at 10 o'clock in the morning.
09:42And then we've got a foraging walk, and then some lunch, and then we've also got a nice herbal workshop finishing off with a meditation.
09:50Today will be vital in helping them build their client base for the new business.
09:56OK, let's get this show on the road, huh?
10:00As Sharon prepares her class, local botanist Belen is outside foraging,
10:06and whatever she finds will soon appear on Chef Bongo's lunch menu.
10:11She's gonna bring down loads of goodies, and I'm just gonna ready, steady cook and see what I can make.
10:15It's gonna be amazing. Can't wait.
10:17Today it's, ooh, it's fly by the seat of my pants.
10:20Erm, it's, yeah, it's different.
10:22With Bongo standing by, it's Sharon's turn to get things started.
10:28Well, I just had a message, two cancellations, last minute.
10:31Never good, but hey, that's the way things go in the mountains.
10:34Gives everyone more space and everyone more food later on as well.
10:37It's always good.
10:39Thankfully, Sharon is undeterred by the morning's disappointment.
10:43And with her final guests having now arrived...
10:46OK, let's get started then.
10:49All that's left is to hope everything else falls into place today.
10:58Just 45 minutes south-east and tucked away in the sun-drenched hills of Andalusia,
11:04the village of Torvithcon is a peaceful pocket of rural life.
11:09With its maze of narrow streets and traditional whitewashed houses,
11:13the village remains unspoilt by mass tourism.
11:17Pick your vista, any one you like.
11:19It does lower your blood pressure, though, doesn't it, really, to be fair?
11:22Yeah, absolutely.
11:23Soon to be the latest additions to this laid-back hillside community
11:28are Ian and Bev from Lancashire.
11:30We drove up here one day last year along the road, saw the village,
11:35just fell in love with the village, completely fell in love with it, didn't we?
11:38Yeah.
11:39We then came up to look at the house and the house ticked all the boxes
11:43and so we thought about it for a couple of hours...
11:46Two seconds.
11:47Yeah, and then put an offer in and decided we're selling up in the UK
11:51and just moving lock, stock and barrel over to Spain.
11:58So we'll take it inside.
12:00Ian, an electrician, and Bev, who worked in child services back in the UK,
12:04found this five-bedroom property for just 56,500 euros.
12:10We wouldn't have the finances to get anywhere close to this in the UK.
12:13I doubt we could even find a place in the UK, irrespective of cost.
12:17That was as beautiful as this.
12:19Having been vacant for a while, the house is in some need of attention.
12:25But once it becomes theirs, Ian and Bev are ready to roll up their sleeves
12:30and start building a home, one floor at a time.
12:33This is our bedroom.
12:35With the bottom two floors becoming a space to live and host visiting family,
12:40the top floor will be a two-bedroom, one-bathroom holiday rental.
12:44We had a list of definites that we had to have.
12:47We needed to have a rental opportunity.
12:49Another key element was it had to have an outstanding view.
12:53We stood on this terrace for the first time.
12:55We didn't even have to speak to one another.
12:58We just looked at one of them.
12:59We just knew, yeah, this was the house we were going to go for.
13:02Ian and Bev planned to do most of the renovations themselves
13:06and aim to open their apartment for guests in just four months' time.
13:12You know, it won't tick everyone's boxes, but it's ticked ours.
13:14Yeah.
13:15And that's all it needed to tick.
13:17Yeah.
13:18It's late May, and while Ian and Bev wait for the purchase
13:22of their dream property in Spain to complete,
13:25they're back in Lancashire, packing up the contents
13:28of the two-bedroom terrace they've called home for the past nine years.
13:32All the grandkids.
13:34Oh, I didn't want to take them down because it makes everything look dead clean.
13:38Yeah, it makes the house look bare.
13:40No.
13:41I get excited and then I get, like, a sick feeling.
13:46Yeah, it's a mixture of anticipation and a little bit of anxiety too,
13:51just waiting for the green light to get over there.
13:55Although their old life may be packed away in boxes,
13:58they can't start their new one just yet.
14:01At the minute we're in limbo because there's just so many plates
14:05being spun at the same time.
14:07There's a lot of moving parts.
14:08There's the sale of this property, the purchase of the other property
14:11and right in amongst all of it is the visa application.
14:15Like many others, the couple are trying to navigate
14:18the increase in red tape since Brexit.
14:21Have you even got the visa numbers ready?
14:24Look.
14:25I've got it on my phone and I just, like, I want it every day.
14:29Ian and Bev have applied for a non-lucrative residence visa
14:33which allows them to live in Spain and receive an income
14:36from their apartment.
14:38But they don't know when or even if the visa will arrive.
14:43Worst case scenario is, for some reason,
14:47the sale of this property fall suit.
14:50But we're at the final stages of that.
14:52Now, I didn't really want to voice that.
14:54Why didn't you say that out loud?
14:56Because we really don't envisage that.
14:59That would leave us in real limbo because we may well get a visa
15:03and not be able to buy the property in Spain
15:07because it's all dependent on the sale of this property.
15:10And there are potential pitfalls at every turn.
15:14If this sale of the house goes through and we've not yet got our visa
15:18and our passport to return, we'll potentially be homeless.
15:21Until they have some answers, all Ian and Bev can do is plough on,
15:26hoping all their loose ends get neatly wrapped up in time.
15:31Coming up...
15:35Get a little pinch and just try it.
15:37Can Chef Bongo pull off his foraged feast?
15:40Normally, I just get to make a menu and please people
15:42with whatever I'm going to cook, but today's different, yeah.
15:45And Ian and Bev's Spanish adventure stalls...
15:47We had 24 hours to leave our property.
15:50..when their journey takes an unexpected detour.
15:53I had to phone and say, can we come up?
15:55Because we've got nowhere else to go.
16:05In the Spanish hills at Sharon and Bongo's day retreat...
16:09Just the last two circles on the right-hand side.
16:12Sharon is easing her clients into the day with a relaxing mobility class.
16:17Really, really nice. I was quite tired
16:19and I wasn't sure what the yoga class was going to be,
16:22what kind of level of strength and it was really chilled and lovely
16:27and I feel really nice now, just what I needed.
16:29The group's next activity is foraging
16:32and with over 12 years of experience, local botanist Belen
16:36is leading the group looking for ingredients
16:39to put to good use in Bongo's kitchen.
16:42Normally, I just get to make a menu and please people
16:45with whatever I'm going to cook, but today's different, yeah.
16:47A little bit more challenging, but I'm sure she'll come from the hills
16:50with some goodies that we need to use.
16:52Oh, yeah. Okay.
16:53This area is teeming with plenty of rich pickings for cooking,
16:57but it's vital that expert botanist Belen checks what's safe before eating.
17:03This is called Cardo Mariano, milk thistle.
17:06It's an edible plant.
17:08Okay. Aha.
17:09So here we go with one of the beautiful leaves.
17:12It's very tender.
17:13You could cook the heads and drink this like a tea
17:15and get a little pinch each of you and just try it.
17:18It's good, yeah. I can feel it detoxing me already.
17:28While the group continues their foraging adventure,
17:31Sharon carries back a selection of goodies for Bongo.
17:34Everyone will be coming back soon.
17:37Awesome stuff.
17:39Fantastic. How are you getting on?
17:41Erm, I'm getting on.
17:44It's looking amazing so far.
17:46We're getting there.
17:47Well, that's cool. Always in good hands with Bongo.
17:49Sharon and Bongo are relying on events like today's
17:53to help build their following in Spain,
17:55so the pressure is on for Bongo's menu to deliver.
17:59Wow, look at the salads. They look amazing.
18:03So I think some of these salads
18:05seem to be with some of the foraged herbs
18:07that we have looked at today already.
18:10And with the hungry foragers
18:12and some final goodies from Belen having just arrived...
18:17I'll try a little bit of the garden veg
18:20for salad or to decorate some plates.
18:23It's edible, of course. Yeah.
18:25It's delicious.
18:27Bongo's locally foraged vegetarian menu is served.
18:32I think everyone just start helping themselves.
18:37Absolutely beautiful.
18:38There are plants that I walk past every day on my own land
18:42and on walks with the dogs.
18:44I thought I knew one or two.
18:46I was wrong.
18:47So everything was new and exciting.
18:49They've sunk it in half an hour.
18:51It's like, how hungry are you lot?
18:57Following a hearty lunch, the group settled down to a balm-making masterclass with Belen.
19:03We're going to make today a balm made out of two plantas.
19:07One we have met in the world before in the foraging wall is Calendula.
19:12After heating all of the ingredients, the balms are poured into individual pots.
19:17And while they set, it's Sharon's turn to lead the group into their final activity of the day.
19:22And I'll just give everyone a moment to get themselves into a position.
19:25But it's just a chance at the end of the day to just check in and breathe.
19:30After one final wind down, it's time to say goodbye to Sharon and Bongo's guests.
19:35We learned a lot, we enjoyed, we ate, we laughed, we walked.
19:43It was just a brilliant day.
19:45Everything was just great, like much, even better than I'd hoped.
19:49Really good, really good.
19:50No catastrophes.
19:51Yes.
19:52It's all good.
19:53Today's trial run has served as a taste of what's to come when Sharon and Bongo finally get their yoga platform complete
20:03and start hosting regular retreats in their own home.
20:07Patata.
20:08Patata.
20:09Patata.
20:18It's late June, and while others are basking in the Mediterranean sun, Ian and Bev's Spanish dream has yet to take off.
20:25And the couple now find themselves even further away, living with Bev's parents on the southwest coast of Scotland.
20:32Bev's mum and dad fortunately pulled us up on our hour of need.
20:39Otherwise you'd be homeless.
20:41The sale of their Lancashire home has now gone through, but without the house or the visa to move to Spain,
20:47the couple found themselves in a difficult situation.
20:51We had 24 hours to leave our property once the property transferred.
20:57I had to phone and say, can we come up, because we've got nowhere else to go.
21:02That's probably the most beautiful place to be homeless, isn't it?
21:08Yeah.
21:09They've moved bedrooms to accommodate us, so no matter how much they like us being here, we are slightly inconveniencing them.
21:16Not that they say that.
21:18No, they did not say that.
21:19But just as everything had stalled, Ian received some news.
21:24We completed on the property yesterday in Spain, got notification late on in the day.
21:30And then just a little time after, I received a text from the visa application company saying our passports are on the way to us.
21:40Now, further inquiries have led me to believe that the passport contains the visas.
21:46So...
21:47Eek!
21:48So, fingers crossed, within the next couple of days, the visas will arrive and we'll be free to get on the road and get over to Spain.
22:01I think it's just because it's the confirmation that we're doing what we've always dreamed.
22:06But you're so proud of it for so long.
22:08The realisation that there's no going back.
22:10No going back.
22:11Yeah, there's no going back.
22:12At all.
22:13I'm no good with goodbyes, so I just want to say to people, see you later and go.
22:17Yeah.
22:18I don't like any fuss or anything like that.
22:20It'll have to be hasta luego.
22:26If their visa arrives as anticipated, Ian and Bev could be setting off to southern Spain in a couple of days' time.
22:33All our life's possessions are in here now.
22:36These are the sentimental things that are coming with us.
22:39Like the grandkids' pictures.
22:40And there are two other precious belongings that will be doing the 1800-mile car journey with them.
22:46They're Bedlington Terriers Dottie and Stewie.
22:49So we can't have them stuck in the car for too long, so we'll have to stop, give them a good walk, back in the car so we can tweet and go.
22:56Yeah.
22:57We're quite flexible because we don't have to be anywhere for a set time. We're just going to drive until we feel tired through France.
23:03After six months, a house sale, two job resignations and a leap into the unknown, reality is beginning to sink in for Ian and Bev.
23:13I feel like I don't even know what the house looks like now.
23:17The old house now.
23:18No, the new house.
23:19Oh, the new house.
23:20Yeah, it's been so long. January was the last time we saw it.
23:23And it's taken so long for the process.
23:26I can't remember what it was we fell in love with, so we need to get back out there so we can remember why we've come to the part of the world that we've come to.
23:35With so much riding on their move to Spain, it's not surprising emotions are high.
23:40Trepidation.
23:41Yeah.
23:42Nervousness.
23:43Nervous, yeah.
23:44Excitement.
23:45Yeah, all of that.
23:46All of it, yeah.
23:47And, erm, not the bottle of wine won't sort out.
24:00Coming up, yet more surprises at Craig and Emma's hotel.
24:04I mean, that's holding up the first floor.
24:06But can he fix their structural issues before the whole project comes tumbling down?
24:11You can see a crack has appeared here.
24:13It's nowhere near safe enough.
24:15Meanwhile, another fracture is threatening to shake things up for Sharon and Bongo.
24:19I think if we left this crack, then we could actually have serious leakage, which would mean that we couldn't rent the apartment anymore.
24:34It's September, back in the town of Aimee, and whilst Emma holds down her day job, Craig has been working hard to transform their abandoned hotel into modern holiday apartments.
24:47The problem is, it looks like the floor is on that.
24:52Yeah.
24:53So there's...
24:54But do we really want to be putting concrete blocks when there's gaps like that?
25:00While the couple had hoped to have finished all the demolition by now, peeling back the layers of this centuries-old property has unearthed even more problems.
25:11Yeah.
25:12Let's see, cos it must be bearing on that wall this time.
25:15I mean, that's holding up the floor, the first floor.
25:19There and there.
25:20Yeah.
25:21But that's not suitable.
25:22I mean, this wall's been here probably for about 800 years.
25:25All right, well, let's...
25:26Shall we cut the flooring up?
25:27Yeah, have a look.
25:28Have a look.
25:29And then...
25:30And then...
25:31And then go from there.
25:33That's annoying.
25:34That's really annoying.
25:36The building from where we stand going up, I'd probably guess four or five hundred years old in parts.
25:42I would say that the foundations, according to the person we purchased it from, were put in beginning of the 13th century.
25:48So we've got to put some strength back into the building.
25:51There's a basement here, an ancient basement, but it's only for half of the building.
25:55This half is concreted with the dirt underneath it, but here, going from the back of the building to the front, is an old stone wall, I'd guess.
26:03I can't see, but I'd guess it's probably about half a metre wide.
26:07And that goes down, so that's nice and strong, been there forever.
26:09So we want to use that to help support up on this floor and then up through the building.
26:14So I want to try and make sure everything's sound, putting a bit more new concrete in and maybe still could be the difference between the structure being really good or just being not great.
26:22Craig has plans in place to improve the structural integrity of the property, through the middle of the building to the rear where the wall has collapsed.
26:32This is not looking great.
26:34But yet again, structural issues have been revealed.
26:38We need to sort this out. You can see a crack has appeared here.
26:41This opening would not have originally been here. There was a wall there.
26:44These timbers are holding this. This wall's not doing anything. Nowhere near safe enough.
26:50I think it's going to be easier to support it temporarily, chop this out and build a new wall in, which will then also be going down onto the original foundations.
27:04Fortunately, Craig has amassed a team of experienced tradesmen to help bring the centuries-old hotel back to life.
27:11I'm really lucky with the guys I've got. They've all been doing it a long time. You can trust them. All you've got to do is point them to the job that needs doing and the job gets done.
27:21And it's not just skilled tradesmen working today. As it's the school summer holidays, Craig's daughter is also on site.
27:29Emily, yeah, she's here. She's got two days left before she goes to school. So she thought she'd come in today and help for the day, give her pocket money and lots of free snacks.
27:39While Craig's team are busy demolishing the crumbling walls of an old extension to the rear of the property, Craig is concentrating on shoring up what remains of the back wall.
27:50We've decided that we need to support this beam. So we have put some steel props underneath going down to the ground floor.
28:00And then from there, we have more steel props in the basement coming from a concrete floor up.
28:06We've then put this in. This is to allow us to not the wall out underneath and this beam will stay where it is.
28:13And then we can build up a new wall and then that will support this once we've done that.
28:18So this is a temporary structure to hold the roof in place while we do the work underneath it.
28:25Craig and Emma have a healthy £200,000 budget for their renovations, but unexpected structural problems are already testing this.
28:35As costs mount and the structure is laid bare, the couple have little choice but to press on.
28:41If they have any chance of seeing a return on their investment.
28:46It's obviously been a hodgepodge over the years. The building's been messed around with.
28:51You don't have structural engineers in the same way that you do in England.
28:54It's very much reliant on the builder. I have to, in theory, if I sell the property within ten years,
28:59I have to stand by the structure of the property myself.
29:03We don't intend to sell it. If we do, we need to make sure I can sleep at night if I've sold it.
29:08LAUGHTER
29:14It's late March in the Al Pajara, and after a promising start trialling their new yoga retreats,
29:21a heavy downfall has pulled Sharon and Bongo's energies in another direction.
29:27The plan for today is to try and fill in the cracks in the terrace so that we can make it waterproof.
29:33Because we painted it all in the summer because we had rain last year and we got some leakage into the apartment below.
29:39Thought we'd waterproofed it and then the mountain moves as it does.
29:43We got more cracks in the terrace and now we have to do it all over again.
29:46Sharon and Bongo's downstairs accommodation is a vital source of income and also a key part of their retreat plans.
29:54So to prevent any further damage and keep repair costs to a minimum, Chef Bongo is rolling up his sleeves.
30:02I don't know anything. I'm a chef from a fifth floor flat in Edinburgh, I've got no clue what I'm doing.
30:09I think if we left this crack then we could actually have serious leakage, which would mean that we couldn't rent the apartment anymore.
30:15So hopefully doing this small repair will make everything okay.
30:19Thankfully, friendly neighbour Sean has dropped in to set Bongo off with his repairs.
30:29So you know that's got a consistency of toothpaste?
30:32Yeah, that's good.
30:34But it's not only the mortar's consistency that brings toothpaste to mind.
30:39So we just went to the almacen and in our pigeon Spanish went and said,
30:42Oh, we're looking for the thing that our neighbour used to fill the alberca that we need for our terrace.
30:46And I think they kind of understood us and gave us the right stuff, but it seems to be white.
30:50So I think we might have a big white stripe on our terrace, but at least it'll be waterproof.
30:54So maybe we can make it a feature. You never know.
30:57With the mixture ready, Bongo uses a trowel to work it into the problem area.
31:03It looks like Bongo's doing a very good job there. I think he's a natural.
31:07I think it's quite like pastry work. Yeah. You know, putting the icing on cake.
31:13But with Sharon now moving behind tracing the crack, it soon becomes apparent it's much bigger than they thought.
31:20I think it seems to go up here.
31:22You just want me to work harder, eh?
31:24And then down here, and then we need to go up here, and then down here a little bit.
31:29We're going to disappear into the sea at this, right?
31:32Ah!
31:34Whilst Sharon and Bongo wait for the mortar to set upstairs,
31:38they head out to take a look at another casualty from the recent bout of bad weather.
31:43So we had a lot of rain, obviously it leaked into the pool pump room,
31:46and now we find that when we switch on the pump,
31:50it kind of makes this really funny err noise, and I think it's gone a bit rusty.
31:54They're all on, so we're ready to go.
31:56Look at this. He knows what he's doing now.
31:59Yeah, we're on. It's a salt pool.
32:03The isotopes there gently mix with the salt and the water to produce a very natural chlorine,
32:09and when the pH is too high, this releases an acid into it,
32:15which reduces the pH so you don't poison your customers, which is always a good thing.
32:20There you go.
32:22The little kind of black wheel there is meant to go round, but at the moment it doesn't.
32:27We really need to get this fixed as soon as possible.
32:29It says in all our bookings that the pool is open by May,
32:32and realistically we had the pool open by the end of April last year
32:35because the weather was so good.
32:37We've got a month maximum because it's April tomorrow.
32:40Realistically, I would say we have a couple of weeks,
32:43because if we have clients coming and the weather starts to get good,
32:46they're going to want to use the pool.
32:48Calling out a specialist to fix the pump is another unexpected cost and delay for Sharon and Bongo.
32:56But there is some good news today.
32:59We've made the Nile. It's ginormous.
33:03We need to build some sort of 3D Egypt off it with some pyramids.
33:09It may have left an unsightly mark, but the couple are now confident the leak on the terrace is sealed.
33:15The apartment is the most important thing for us, really, because, you know, that's our rental, that's our income.
33:21So if everything's slightly less than perfect for our own terrace, then that's how we have to live just now.
33:27I think we just have to go with this and then just see what we can do.
33:30Maybe we make it into a feature. Maybe I find some grey paint. We'll see what happens.
33:36Apartment secure, there's just time for a quick tidy up before downing tools after another busy day.
33:42We're done. First stage done.
33:49Coming up...
33:51Hotel. Después otro bar. Esto. Enfrente.
33:55Excelente, gracias.
33:56Ian and Bev battle with a language barrier.
33:59Did you get any of that?
34:01Yeah, yeah. It's just amazing what hand gestures and nod and get you.
34:06While Craig and Emma go head-to-head with the elements...
34:09This is the first time we've had a lot of water. I think I've got a full-time job here.
34:13..to keep their centuries-old hotel still standing.
34:17It's proving near impossible. We're getting absolutely soaked.
34:20It's late September back over in France at Craig and Emma's property.
34:35What I would do is notch it round. Yeah, a bit, that. Just by five mil or whatever.
34:40So when you fill up, it'll naturally just sink a little bit.
34:42With structural work to this former hotel ongoing, today Emma is spending a day off work, lending a hand with the demolition clear-up.
34:51Oh, hopefully this isn't overloaded.
34:54And also taking the opportunity to check up on the progress of their project, transforming the building into two holiday rental apartments.
35:03I haven't been over that much. I've been really busy with work.
35:06It's great to see it already taking shape and getting some ideas about what it's going to look like.
35:11Exciting times, really.
35:13Over the last couple of weeks, Craig and his team have worked on improving the building's structural integrity.
35:22We're putting a steel through from the front to the back of the building to take the bounce out of the floor.
35:27When you stand on the second floor, there's a bit of movement in the floor.
35:30It's not ideal. We want it to be more solid.
35:33The main issue that we had was the structure on the back of the building.
35:38There wasn't much of it.
35:40We put quite a lot of concrete in, reinforcement, tied everything in, and put some very substantial timbers in.
35:46So the majority of the structure on the back is actually timber-framed now.
35:51We've put in about €2,500 worth of timber.
35:56On the list for the next couple of weeks is to get the structure complete.
36:01So, finish the outside wall and get a membrane on it to keep the rain out.
36:06Sadly, the rain's come a little bit sooner than we'd like.
36:11Despite the conditions, Craig pushes on in an attempt to finish the new frame.
36:16But eventually, he's forced to admit defeat.
36:21It's getting too much rain here.
36:23We're trying to build the wall, but as you can see, it's proving near impossible.
36:28We're getting absolutely soaked.
36:31The pub sounded like a good idea at the moment. It's too early.
36:34And with the rain turning heavy, water also starts to become a problem downstairs.
36:43This is the first time we've had a lot of water.
36:45And we can see now, there's a slight slope and it's coming straight down.
36:49I've got a full-time job here.
36:51The building is still a long way from welcoming guests, but Emma already has plenty of ideas on how to finish the space.
37:01We've got to put all the character back in. There was nothing here. It was ripped out. You can see all the 1970s wallpaper.
37:09There was a lovely original staircase, but it was so rotten.
37:12And by the time we bought the property, it had completely collapsed and it was just not salvageable at all.
37:19So, we've got to put that character back into it.
37:22We've just got to get it done and start earning some income from it, really.
37:25We've got to be so careful not to overload the trailer, especially as these are quite heavy.
37:38It's nice to do something a bit different. Gives you some perspective.
37:43At least it's not cold. It's wet, but you'll soon dry off.
37:49Despite Emma's optimistic outlook, Craig eventually decides to call it a day.
37:55Rain stopped play today. All the materials we had were to do the external wall and it's still raining and all the rain is pouring down off the roof, all over the scaffold and we're just getting absolutely soaked.
38:07Once we get the back closed in, we will be starting on stud work. Internal walls will be going in.
38:14We're going to be knocking out holes in the floors where the staircase is going to come up through. So, we'll be a busy week next week.
38:20The demolition and structural work may be slow and painstaking, but there's no way around it.
38:27With so much already invested and the internal refit finally in sight, pushing through this stage is vital if the property's ever to become a viable source of income.
38:37It's nice to see the project develop. It's exciting times. It's really starting to take shape now.
38:43It's July in the small mountainside town of Tovithcon.
38:54Just like that. All go.
38:56And six long months after first setting eyes on this five-bedroom traditional Spanish townhouse, Ian and Bev can finally call it home.
39:06Since we got here, the wife won't let me stop for five minutes, so we've been here seven days and we've already got builders in knocking things down, so...
39:15With their visa now approved, the couple have wasted no time getting to work after the initial shock of saying goodbye to their life back home.
39:24We got into the house, we looked at each other and we both saw us and we wanted to cry. Even the dogs looked upset.
39:34And we stood on the balcony and we thought, what have we done?
39:37I kept saying, I think I want to go home. Yeah.
39:40And you were saying, don't say, don't say that now, don't say that.
39:43But I was feeling the same and I thought, I don't want to confirm Bev's fears.
39:47I say, I want to go home too, because we might have got in the car and just gone home and we had nothing to go home to.
39:54So we got through the first 24 hours. We bumped into the neighbours.
39:57Bumped into the neighbours who were English and they were lovely and they reassured us that it's completely normal to feel anxious and worried and concerned
40:05about the enormity of the thing that you've done.
40:09Turning this tired home into two self-contained apartments is no small task.
40:15And despite a few wobbles early on, Ian and Bev have found their stride.
40:20I've been up at five o'clock every morning.
40:22So just pottering around, getting stuff done.
40:25You've been up at six, haven't you? Or half six, seven?
40:28Yeah, I get up a little later and then she kicks me out of bed and says you've got to go home.
40:32Yeah. Because you can only get stuff done in the morning because it's that warm.
40:37While the couple planned to complete most of the work themselves, they've called in local builders to deal with one big job,
40:44removing an old fireplace from the kitchen and the chimney above it.
40:49Salida del pueblo.
40:50Salida del pueblo.
40:51Salida del pueblo.
40:52Salida del pueblo.
40:53Hotel.
40:54Hotel.
40:55Después otro bar.
40:56Esto.
40:57Enfrente.
40:58Excelente.
40:59Gracias.
41:00Did you get any of that?
41:01Yeah, yeah.
41:02He was telling us it was the builder's yard at the bottom.
41:04Oh, right.
41:05OK.
41:06It's amazing what hand gestures and nod them get you.
41:10We are going to learn Spanish because you feel stupid really.
41:14Because they're trying their best to communicate with you and you're trying your best to communicate with them.
41:18So that is on my list of things to do sooner rather than later.
41:23With most of Torvitcon's 620 residents being Spanish, learning the language will be essential.
41:32But for now, it hasn't got in the way of making a few friends nearby.
41:37Pepe, las fruta.
41:40Muchas gracias.
41:43Yesterday our neighbours from next door have a little farm and they just knocked on and brought us a full box
41:52of freshly picked vegetables and fruit from their farm and just handed them to us.
41:57It reminds me of when we were kids in the 70s.
42:00When everyone knew the neighbours.
42:02And the dogs roamed the streets.
42:03Everyone kicked the dogs out of a day.
42:05Yeah.
42:08With their building work well underway, Ian and Bev are currently staying in the upper level of the house.
42:15So this is the lounge or I think they call it a salon in Spain, which doesn't need an awful lot of work doing.
42:21We've already painted it.
42:23Under the terms of Ian and Bev's NLV or non-lucrative visa, they aren't allowed to get paid jobs in Spain.
42:31This is the second of the two bedrooms.
42:34However, they are allowed to turn the top floor of their house into a self-catering apartment to bring in some income.
42:41We've got the kitchen, which is going to be updated, but I am going to keep it old style Spanish.
42:52Traditional.
42:53Yeah.
42:54This is the bathroom, which is really basic. We've got no hot water.
42:57With summer in full swing, Ian and Bev are managing for now.
43:01But as the heat peaks, the builders down tools.
43:05Are you finito now or?
43:07Mañana.
43:08Mañana, tomorrow.
43:09Mañana.
43:10Mañana, bye-bye.
43:11Bev and Ian have set aside a budget of £18,000 in order to create their two apartments.
43:18Do you want to sit and check the workouts to do?
43:20And that includes replacing bathrooms, kitchens and redecorating.
43:25Let's have a look.
43:27That looks...oh, that looks...I've got extra space now. Look.
43:31Oh, yes.
43:32They have cut out for me and put the flexible conduit in for me cabling.
43:37So that's...that's a job I don't have to do.
43:39Oh, isn't that good?
43:40Yeah, that's brilliant.
43:42With downstairs taking shape, there's still plenty to do upstairs to get their holiday let guest ready.
43:49And with plans to open for business in just two months' time, Ian and Bev are quietly confident.
43:55So as long as we do something every day, I feel I can relax in the evening and then have a little drink on the terrace.
44:02Which is what we come for.
44:04Which is what we come for, yeah.
44:06We've never done this in England, have we?
44:08No, never did in 25 years.
44:10Never just sat out and relaxed and not worried about tomorrow, had we?
44:13No.
44:19Next time.
44:20Mmm.
44:21Sharon and Bongo add some spice to the Spanish mountains with their new takeaway business.
44:27These arrived without the lids.
44:29So I've got to make a cardboard cutout of lids.
44:32Fantastic.
44:33Craig and Emma can see some light at the end of the tunnel.
44:37Good to see the view, finally, because it's been covered up for so long.
44:41And the race is on for Ian and Bev to clear out their rundown townhouse ready for the summer season.
44:47We've got an old oven that doesn't work and I forgot to load it up.
44:51That was the one thing we needed gone.
44:53To be fair, you...
44:54Ah, don't be blaming me.
44:56Ah, don't be blaming me.
45:24Ah, don't be blaming me.
45:25.
45:26Ah.
45:27Ah, don't be worry, man.
45:28Ah, can we be blaming you?
45:31Ah, don't be.
45:32Ah-a-ha.
45:33Ah, don't be blaming you.
45:34Christ.
45:35Ah.
45:36AhY!
45:37AhY!
45:38AhY!
45:39AhY.
45:40AhY!
45:41Oh, AhY!
45:42AhY!
45:43AhY!
45:44AhY!
45:46AhY!
45:48AhY!
45:49AhY!
45:50AhY!
45:51AhY!
45:52AhY!
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