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A New Life in the Sun - Season 11 - Episode 31
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00:01Every year, a new wave of dreamers pack up their lives and head for the sun.
00:05It 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.
00:15This 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 of chateau owners in France.
00:27We've never done this before. We're making it up as we go along.
00:29To 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 feel like I'm on holiday a little bit.
00:55It's not sunk in yet, but this is my actual home now.
00:58What a lovely place to live.
01:00Today, more Brits roll up their sleeves to realise their dreams.
01:05Yay!
01:07A yoga lover from London hopes to run peaceful retreats in Portugal.
01:11I put everything into this.
01:13You know, all my life savings is right here.
01:17But her road to inner peace is paved with potholes.
01:20I had one quote for 22,000 euros.
01:24That's like my whole budget.
01:26Fitness fanatics from Kettering build a boot camp in Bulgaria.
01:30It's a good view there of the peak today.
01:33Oh, God.
01:34But being ready for guests tests more than their stamina.
01:37I will cover them, love. I will cover them.
01:39Yeah, because they'll probably look a bit of an eyesore otherwise, wouldn't they, love?
01:44And motorcycle lovers from Plymouth chase a new adventure.
01:48But turning a fixer-upper into a biker's B&B is no easy ride.
01:53Anna's grandmother used to say, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
02:07Since Brexit, Portugal continues to rank as one of the most popular destinations for relocating Brits.
02:14Drawn by sunshine, space and simpler visa routes, more than 45,000 now call it home.
02:26For screenwriter and yoga teacher Ronnie, it was the chance of a slower pace of life that lured her from
02:32the big city.
02:34London is meetings and activities and culture and here it's just peace.
02:42I'm just at the stage of my life where that's what I want and I find it very attractive.
02:48With a dream of running writing and yoga retreats, Ronnie stumbled across a listing for a large property near Caldas
02:55da Raiña and hopped on a plane.
02:58I saw the house and I went all in.
03:00And it's the perfect place for a retreat, which is what I always wanted.
03:03This is actually more than I thought that I'd be able to get.
03:07It really is idyllic.
03:10The property covers an acre with two separate apartments in the main house, a small annex, a yurt, a pool
03:19and a resident cat.
03:22But while it certainly is idyllic, the surveys revealed quite a bit of work to be done.
03:29Life is a gamble and this is definitely a gamble.
03:32Like, I put everything into this.
03:34You know, all my life savings is right here.
03:38I had to stop talking about it because I've been talking about it kind of on and off like 20
03:42years.
03:43This is my dream.
03:46It's April.
03:47Was it steep like this before?
03:49I can't remember it being that steep.
03:51Not at all.
03:52And Ronnie's brought her sister Goldie to take another look at the property.
03:56That bit has got...
03:57That's got worse.
03:59Her purchase was finalised in December, but an unusually rainy winter has meant the property has taken on some damage.
04:07All of this needs to be repaired.
04:10Oh, wow!
04:11It's getting worse.
04:12It's actually deteriorated quite a lot since I saw it in April.
04:16Last year in April, a year ago, it wasn't this bad.
04:20The house is perched on a slope and a long drive leads down to the gardens from the road.
04:26We need to find a way to level this floor.
04:29It's a trap, isn't it?
04:29Why has it become so slippery now?
04:31It's moss and there's been raining and stuff, so it needs to be scrubbed down.
04:34This is like skateboarding.
04:36Yeah.
04:36Please stop.
04:38I'm going down like this.
04:42Ronnie's architect has already identified a problem with the tiling around the pool.
04:48Is this where the pool is leaking?
04:49Yeah.
04:50I've just seen water just come down.
04:52Yeah, the pool's leaking.
04:53It's here.
04:54Because they haven't sealed it.
04:55Yeah, yes.
04:56This is worse than before.
04:57This is much worse than before.
05:00Under the pool deck, there's a small storage room.
05:04Wow, that's even got worse.
05:06Oh, my God.
05:07This wall is completely damp now.
05:10Oh, my God.
05:11I haven't liked that before.
05:12That's proper mould.
05:14OK, this is a shock.
05:15It is a shock.
05:16There's water dripping here.
05:17There's water dripping here.
05:18There's water dripping here.
05:19There's water externally.
05:20Oh, my God.
05:20And there's water here.
05:22So it's almost like this should be a priority.
05:25I think this is a priority.
05:26Yeah.
05:26Yeah.
05:27But the priorities are stacking up.
05:32Right, so this is where there's a bit of structural work to be done.
05:37So really, there should have been another pillar there.
05:40But they didn't.
05:41They just rested it on the rock.
05:43So we're going to have to put an additional pillar in here.
05:46That's also a priority.
05:49And then there's a new leak.
05:52I can't remember where.
05:52Yes, there.
05:53Is it there, dropping down?
05:54With all leaks leading to the pool deck, it's time to see the culprit itself.
06:00It's all along there, all along there, yeah.
06:03And all along there and all along there.
06:05Oh, right.
06:05It's not been tiled properly.
06:07This is the worst, this one.
06:09Ronnie's architect is pretty sure the pool itself is sound,
06:13but she already has a plan if it isn't.
06:16Me getting on the plane and going back to London.
06:20Put my feet up and forget it ever happened.
06:24The property also needs a new septic tank, air conditioning,
06:29insulation, as well as some surface level improvements.
06:34I think the painting is probably the most obvious thing.
06:37All of the white.
06:38All the white.
06:39All the walls.
06:40But the quotes are just ridiculous.
06:42I had one quote for 22,000 euros.
06:45That's, like, my whole budget.
06:48That's what I know.
06:49My whole budget.
06:50Mmm.
06:51Why am I moving here?
06:53Why am I moving here?
06:55She's also on a tight schedule.
06:58The previous owner took some summer bookings,
07:01but to honour them, Ronnie needs a tourist licence.
07:04I have to get the septic tank done.
07:06I have to get the council to come and inspect the work.
07:09Mm-hm.
07:09Then I get the tourist licence.
07:11In Portugal, that could take a month.
07:12That could take a year.
07:13I've got provisional bookings for August.
07:15So, at the very latest, July.
07:19That'll be cutting it fine.
07:21Yeah, really cutting it fine.
07:23But, yeah, fingers crossed.
07:29In the rolling heart of the Haute Vienne in central France,
07:34life moves gently,
07:36where ancient castles overlook a landscape unchanged by time.
07:40It's crammed with quiet charm, timeless beauty,
07:44and miles and miles of open roads.
07:51When long-time motorcyclists, Pete and Anna,
07:54felt a need to step up a gear,
07:56they came here to chase a new adventure.
08:01We had always...
08:03We'd always loved France, hadn't we?
08:04Especially for motorcyclists.
08:06You really do kind of get addicted to it,
08:08and it gets in your blood.
08:10And we were kind of looking to come across
08:12and look to move to France at some point.
08:14Then we had the opportunity.
08:16Mm-hm.
08:17Sometimes you've just got to do things.
08:18Yeah, sometimes you've just got to go,
08:20what the heck?
08:21Scary as it is.
08:22Yeah.
08:23It's otherwise...
08:23And we've got the attitude of,
08:26you only regret what you didn't do.
08:28Yes.
08:30They swapped a three-bed semi in Plymouth
08:32for a five-bedroom house in the market town of Chalu,
08:36and intend to offer bed and breakfast and motorbiking holidays.
08:40A bold direction for the former truck driver and office manager.
08:47This is completely new to us.
08:49Yes.
08:50I did study tourism at university many years ago,
08:52but this is a completely different world now.
08:55Mm-hm.
08:56So, yeah, we just...
08:57We want to make it...
08:58We want to make the place nice for the guests.
09:00You know, we want the place to be a nice and pleasant place
09:03for people to come, and hopefully they'll come back.
09:06With the old property completely in need of renovation,
09:09the pair have set themselves an ambitious deadline
09:12to open in time for the tourist season.
09:15This year, we'd like to be fully booked by the end of the season.
09:17Yes.
09:18Yeah, just as many bookings as possible,
09:21and just be able to pay the bills and feed us.
09:25It's February, and work has started to bring the old property back to life.
09:30The two guest bedrooms are all in need of TLC,
09:34including fixing the ancient windows which have suffered years of neglect.
09:38Just sorting out these windows.
09:41They were a bit of a mess.
09:43We've had to put new putty in.
09:45Well, Anna's put new putty in.
09:47Um...
09:48Taken off a lot of the paintwork.
09:50Unfortunately, they've been left for a couple of decades, we think.
09:53They were quite horrible, to be honest.
09:56Just a final clean-up.
09:58Get the gloss round the edges.
10:00Clean up the last bit of the windows.
10:01We need to refit, which is good,
10:03because it's very drafty in that room with no windows.
10:05Yeah.
10:06Especially in the weather at the moment,
10:07because it's cold.
10:08Right.
10:08You're all sorted.
10:09I'm sorted.
10:10I can go paint the kitchen.
10:11You can go paint the kitchen.
10:13Until the house is liveable,
10:15the couple are staying with Pete's mum ten minutes down the road.
10:19But the priority is getting it guest-ready.
10:22And for Pete...
10:24That means the pink paintwork in the kitchen has to go.
10:27It's taking three coats at the moment, this pink.
10:30And the way the wallpaper is textured,
10:34it's like in a V section,
10:37so you've got to go with diagonals to it.
10:39We just want to sort of get it covered.
10:42And then I can start putting on the other coats later on when it's dried.
10:47We just want it looking a little bit better,
10:49because if guests do see in,
10:50the last thing they want to look in is see a hideous kitchen.
10:52It's going to make you think of it.
10:53Hang on a minute.
10:54What's for breakfast?
10:56The tourist season in the region picks up at Easter.
11:00And to succeed this year,
11:03Pete and Anna need to be ready to capitalise on it.
11:06We've got a website running already.
11:08Again, there's no photographs of the inside yet,
11:12so we've got to get that sorted out.
11:14That's the main thing.
11:15Get interior photographs.
11:17Get some more people in.
11:20With limited funds,
11:22they need to open their doors to start generating an income soon.
11:26Money and time may be tight,
11:28but for Pete and Anna,
11:30this is where the next chapter begins.
11:33It's an adventure.
11:34Life's an adventure, isn't it?
11:35It's got to be done.
11:36You know?
11:37There's no point sitting in an armchair
11:38moaning about something.
11:39Just go out there and do it.
11:40And get away from the rat race and all that horrible stuff.
11:44And yeah,
11:45get out and live your life.
11:46And that's what we want.
11:47We want an adventure.
11:48Whatever happens, happens.
11:50We'll deal with it.
11:55Starting over abroad doesn't have to cost a fortune,
11:59and Bulgaria is an affordable option for many Brits
12:03looking for a fresh start.
12:05An average three-bed house here costs under €40,000,
12:09and for those prepared to take on renovation, even less.
12:14It's a good view there at the peak today.
12:16Yeah.
12:17In the mountains.
12:17It's nice and clear.
12:18For Northamptonshire fitness instructor Frankie
12:21and her husband Mark,
12:23it was a family holiday which first introduced them
12:26to this country's rural charms.
12:29We had young kids and we wanted a winter sports trip.
12:33The requirements were a short transfer time and a budget destination.
12:38And we both fell in love with Bulgaria.
12:41I thought you were going to say each other.
12:44Again.
12:47They loved it so much they bought a holiday home in the peaceful village of Relyovo in the foothills of
12:53the Rilla Mountains.
12:54You can see Masala, which is the tallest peak in the Balkans, so the views here are fantastic.
13:00They paid around £55,000 for this six-bed, four-bathroomed mountain home.
13:07Now the kids have flown the nest, they've decided to bite the bullet and make the move permanent.
13:13It's always been part of the plan to enjoy the next stage of our life in a country where the
13:22pace is slower.
13:24Yeah, we've been working towards it for a long time.
13:26I feel like in England there's always pressure on you to work more.
13:30Where I feel like here, you can completely decompress from that.
13:34The plan is to host fitness retreats.
13:37They've already trialled them with Frankie's UK clients and the guest rooms are ready to go.
13:43So this is the top floor of the house and we have two guest bedrooms up here and one bathroom,
13:49with a bath which is a little bit more unusual for a Bulgarian house.
13:54But in less than a month's time, this becomes their full-time business.
14:00Oh, it's so much better now, it's not too hot.
14:02With visas approved, they'll be saying goodbye to Kettering and working together for the first time ever.
14:10We do work quite differently.
14:12I would best describe our subtle differences as completely the opposite of each other.
14:17We tend to arrive at the same end goal via a completely different path.
14:22But we both have the same aligned goals, so I think as long as we get there in the end,
14:27with what we're trying to achieve, then it's all good.
14:31Absolutely.
14:34It's May.
14:35Chucky milk, pet minute.
14:37OK?
14:38Mola.
14:39And with Frankie back in the UK preparing for the move, Mark and his friend Liam have flown out to
14:45get started,
14:46building a new fitness platform ready for their first retreat.
14:52So this is going to be like a multi-purpose area basically, where we can train, we can have yoga,
14:58eventually it will have a cover over it, a roof of some description.
15:03As a floor fitter by trade, levelling out the hardcore base ready for the concrete pour is well within Mark's
15:09wheelhouse.
15:11You make that arm bad, you know.
15:12And before long, the first stage of the process is done.
15:16I'm pleased with that.
15:17But delays with materials has meant the job won't be finished today.
15:23We would have liked to have got the concrete poured this trip, but we have an issue with the concrete
15:28factory in the local town,
15:29so we're going to leave it now until we come back in two weeks.
15:32We have about three weeks between then and the first set of guests arriving to get the base poured
15:37and to get it dry enough to be able to use for the summer.
15:42Time to report this news to the boss back home.
15:46Hey!
15:47There you are.
15:49Hi, how are you doing?
15:50We've got all the hardcore in now, we've got quite a nice level.
15:53That looks really good.
15:55I just hope the concrete comes so it dries in time.
15:58The concrete will come, but not until we come back.
16:01It will be fine.
16:02And while he's being honest...
16:04I will warn you, we've got the old concrete and the old ironwork that's been put there
16:10and these slabs are really too heavy to lift, so they're going to have to stay there and we'll cover
16:15it or something.
16:16Yeah, because they'll probably look a bit of an eyesore otherwise, won't they love?
16:21I will cover them love, I will cover them.
16:24Bye.
16:24Happy wife, happy life.
16:25Exactly.
16:26Bye darling.
16:27Ciao, love you.
16:29For today at least, his pal Liam is happy with his work.
16:33Good job there my man.
16:34Nice one, cheers.
16:35But the hard graft is only just beginning.
16:39Tomorrow Mark is returning to the UK and when he and Frankie return, this will be their new life for
16:46good.
16:46Nice and level?
16:48Yeah.
16:48Wow.
16:50Level-ish.
16:55Coming up...
16:56If I was 20 years younger I'd be doing this myself.
16:58Big bills for Ronnie call for some money saving DIY.
17:02Should we start a new business?
17:03We can fix any leak.
17:07And Pete and Anna count the cost of their big French adventure.
17:10We were last paid December 2023.
17:15We've got no money.
17:25In Portugal, Ronnie is channelling positive vibes.
17:31Look, we've done quite a lot already, innit?
17:33It's good.
17:34Four days after her arrival, she's wasting no time in getting stuck into the work needed to turn her tired
17:41villa into a yoga retreat.
17:43To open up the roof?
17:45Yeah.
17:45Her first big expense is getting a team in to insulate the roof.
17:50If I was 20 years younger I'd be doing this myself.
17:52Save myself a packet.
17:53Yeah.
17:54Yeah.
17:55But she and sister Goldie haven't been shirking the DIY.
18:00Right, okay.
18:01Let's see what's happening.
18:02Yeah.
18:03One of their priorities was stopping the water running into the concrete foundations from the unsealed tiles.
18:10Yesterday we came up with this concoction of...
18:14Master plan.
18:15Master plan.
18:17They're hoping the plastic will block off the water's access point and let it dry out.
18:22And then when we've got a surety that there's a couple of good days...
18:25Yeah, and then we can properly seal it.
18:28They've also added some waterproof tape to the tiles at the edge of the terrace.
18:33But it wasn't an easy job.
18:36So when we went through with the tool there was grass underneath this.
18:40We actually dug out a pile.
18:42Oh yeah, it's true.
18:43Look at this pile.
18:44Yeah.
18:44All of that was inside the tiles.
18:47Yeah.
18:48It's unbelievable.
18:49But the question is, did it work?
18:51Oh, it's not dripping.
18:53Yeah.
18:53This was sopping wet and this was dripping.
18:56So what we did I think worked.
18:57Should we start a new business?
18:59We can fix any leak.
19:01Oh.
19:05The next day there's more good news.
19:08The insulators have finished their work.
19:11Everyone said to me that if you're getting a house in Portugal there's so much humidity and damp.
19:16There's no point painting and doing all this stuff and putting in heating when 30% of it is going
19:23to go right through the roof.
19:25I've turned into a humidity nerd.
19:29I never knew so much about humidity until I came to Portugal.
19:32And she's already feeling the difference upstairs.
19:35Job worth doing if you've got good humidity, good clean air.
19:40You know, it makes quite a difference.
19:42But the house isn't done surprising Ronnie yet.
19:45Is that a jet wash?
19:46Oh my gosh.
19:48That is a jet wash.
19:50This is incredible.
19:51I didn't know that this was here before.
19:52This is nuts.
19:54Exactly what she needs to get a start on some of the cleaning.
19:58Do I have a hose pipe?
20:01Oh, okay.
20:03Honestly, it's like I've not been paying attention at this house.
20:06All it needs is a little power.
20:08They have plugs in weird places.
20:11Oh!
20:14Hold on.
20:17Right, so this is off.
20:19Right, okay.
20:20Right, yeah, that made me jump.
20:22After one more false start.
20:24Oh!
20:26Oops.
20:27Ronnie's in business.
20:29Oh my gosh.
20:33Oh!
20:35Oh!
20:36I hate to say it, but...
20:38I could get into this.
20:42When faced with an uphill battle, often small wins can make all the difference.
20:48I think I'm going to jet wash everything that can be jet washed.
20:51That and the restorative power of a jet washer.
20:54It's kind of satisfying, you know.
20:57There's a long road to go before this crumbling villa finds its zen.
21:01But for today at least, Ronnie has found some peace in a little bit of progress.
21:07It's been a really good day.
21:09It feels not as overwhelming as it did.
21:12It feels like I'm navigating all of these difficult things.
21:15I feel like I'm on the right path.
21:25I feel like I'm going to go.
21:42I feel like I'm going to go.
21:44around and there is a lot to do it's all the little jobs like the painting and the
21:48sanding and things but I think was Anna's grandmother used to say the only
21:52way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time so we've got it we just literally
21:57even though we don't feel it today we just keep cracking on and keep going
22:00that deadlines looming this has to be done three times the size of their UK
22:06semi but just half the price the property was definitely a bargain but
22:11every job reveals another waiting in the wings obviously I put some masking tape
22:16on masked off where I was going to paint but on closer inspection I've just seen
22:20that there's like a layer of grease muck I don't know on the worktop nasty grease
22:28film that needs taking off so clean and now scrape that and take off this masking
22:35tape just to clean everything up
22:39and I think that's the thing you can't think of it as being a fairly simple job
22:44because as soon as you start doing it it throws something else at you
22:47but it's an old French house so what do you expect
22:54on the plus side the kitchen walls are gradually losing their pink tinge
22:59and their first guest room is starting to take shape this one is one of the double bedrooms it's
23:06called Tamar which is a river that runs between Devon and Cornwall we still got to
23:10you know go back to our roots as it were double not on suite most of our guests were expecting
23:16to be
23:16French or Belgian or Dutch or something like that and they don't really worry about being on
23:21suite they don't mind sharing a bathroom but we got one and a half bathrooms anyway I think this is
23:26our favorite room so far
23:28while their guests might be happy to share facilities some facilities to share might be useful
23:35in here we have the bathroom at the moment the bathroom is still a way off completion
23:42this one will be ready this time next week hopefully this shouldn't be too much now my mate will come
23:49back finish it off for me please
23:52Pete and Anna need all the free help they can get as time isn't the only thing in short supply
24:00building stuff over here is very expensive you've got to be real careful we've got no money we were last
24:08paid
24:10oh my last pay slip would have been December 2023 that's the last bit of money we've had coming in
24:21literally all our money is in this so that's that's what we've got to look out for and that's why
24:26we've
24:27got to get some guests and get some money with a fresh income stream critical the plan is to open
24:33their doors to paying guests by mid-march in a month's time but to focus their attention they've
24:39put pressure on an already tight deadline first two weeks of March we've got Anna's mum and our
24:46friend coming over but there are guinea pigs so we need the rooms ready for them within the next two
24:52weeks both double bedrooms I think will be ready am I being optimistic no they'll be ready I convinced
25:00myself they will be ready coming up I love you too emotions run high as Mark and Frankie say farewell
25:11to the UK starting to feel nervous but we know that we've only got to worry about Bulgaria and not
25:16our
25:17life here and in Portugal Ronnie's on a wild poop chase I can't believe we're waiting to see what comes
25:26out of the toilet I did not envisage this when I moved to Portugal it's May back in the UK
25:39okay
25:40we're gonna step back and then we're just gonna go into a few nice Romanian deadlifts squeezing your bum
25:47tight in your core and with just a few days left until the move to Bulgaria good girl personal
25:55trainer Frankie is winding up her client sessions at the local gym good job it is sad it's been nine
26:06years here that I've loved and we've had some gym members here probably for as long as I've been here
26:11so
26:12they're sort of part of a family in a community as well so it is really sad and I love
26:16my job it's
26:16not like I'm leaving a job that I really hate I love it so I'm yeah it is definitely bittersweet
26:21I
26:22was gonna ride a very sappy car but I didn't while Frankie's wrapping up her classes back home her
26:28husband Mark has a different kind of wrapping to finish just packing up the last of the bits before
26:33we move out of the house tomorrow after months traveling back and forth it'll be a relief to
26:39finally have everything in one place but there won't be much time for unpacking first retreat
26:46is the back end of June we have quite a lot to do we've got to get the house straight
26:51we've got
26:51to get the base done I've got to get some repairs done to the terrace got to get the whole
26:57house cleaned
26:58all sorts I'm looking forward to it I'm looking forward to getting it done before the guests arrive
27:03because Frankie will not deal very well with the with the mess and the stress this time let's take
27:11the hands forward saying goodbye to their regular incomes is a big leap for Frankie and Mark thank
27:19you for coming to my classes all these years thank you for being one of the only males Ken to
27:24rock up
27:25and do that headstand and not kill yourself fortunately Frankie's loyal clients are already
27:31keen supporters of their new venture I think she'll get on well I went out to see her last year
27:37and went
27:38on one of her yoga retreats in Bulgaria so it was really good so I'll definitely try and go and
27:42see
27:42you next year I will be in touch darling defo defo defo I love you too I'm starting to feel
27:52nervous but
27:53I'll be glad on Monday when I'm on that plane and I can sort of shut this chapter behind us
27:59and we know
27:59that we've only got to worry about Bulgaria and not our life here a week later and Mark and Frankie
28:12are settling into life in Bulgaria and Mark said goodbye to floor fitting no that's it bud no more
28:20flooring and hello to being the jack of all trades and today he needs to crack on building the base
28:27for
28:27their outdoor fitness area I do need to just go around and reinforce all of the boards just to make
28:36sure that they don't move when the concrete starts pouring and then we're going to put reinforcements in
28:40to each bay once the stakes are in Mark's next job is cutting the reinforcing sheets to size but
28:49he's already hit a snag it's missing a part I'm really frustrated because I have my own angle grinder
28:57a really nice one and I can't find it anywhere this is another five minute job that's taken way longer
29:05than five minutes I don't even know if we can use it with no tools that work mark adopts a
29:17more brute
29:18force approach it's a bit rudimentary but it'll work makeshift plan in place mark can begin work
29:27leveling the wooden frame this timber is terrible green timber as opposed to nice straight pieces of
29:35dried timber that you can buy in the UK luckily I know where my plane is that's better by the
29:50end of the
29:50day the frameworks level only got to be 95% because it's a DIY job well level enough beautiful and
29:59the
29:59reinforcements ready to add that's it and that job done that job ticked off each job is a learning curve
30:06for mark the next is the concrete pour yeah it's nice but it all needs completing in time for the
30:13first boot camp in two weeks time let's hope mark is a fast learner in Portugal Ronnie's also get into
30:27grips with new challenges gearing up for another day of surprises at her Villa getting used to putting
30:33my wellies on like I'm living in the countryside actually I am living in the countryside but to mix
30:41it up today it's a different kind of water causing problems so the council have said that we need a
30:48new septic tank there's already two one of them is leaking and one of them is not the right size
30:55without a new septic tank the council won't grant her a tourist license which would leave her business
31:01plan dead in the water the architect has drawn up some plans and the septic tank people have come and
31:08they disagree with what the architect says it's going to be a very very expensive mistake if we
31:12get this wrong Ronnie needs to trace which pipes lead to the existing tanks luckily after 12 years here
31:20gardeners Mattias and Paolo know every inch of it well every inch above ground what he's saying is
31:31that the pipe should go yeah yeah which means taking all of this up we're gonna have to bring
31:38a big digger in to cut through this Harris this part comes from the swimming pool and it goes under
31:43the
31:43Terry somewhere so there's a real danger that if they dig down they might break that pipe that will
32:01be digging risks disaster but Matthias has found an issue with the one waste pipe that is visible
32:08oh nothing nothing that's weird where is the poo going I don't know where is it I don't know oh
32:21my god this
32:21is even worse than a dog I was told that this was a septic tank pipe but they've just opened
32:28it and
32:28there's nothing in it didn't want to see anything but I wanted something to be in it because it's
32:33supposed to be the poo pipe but there's nothing in it so now we've got to work out where it's
32:37going
32:39which is a bit worrying now the mystery deepens the pipe is definitely attached to the house no smell
32:46there's no smell so Paolo is sent to flush one of the toilets to see what happens I can't believe
32:52we're
32:53waiting to see what comes out of the toilet I did not envisage this when I moved to Portugal with
32:59only
32:59a trickle coming through the trio is off on a hunt for the main pipe I don't know is that
33:07can you pick
33:08that up no no this one no this is the part in it it seems that three waste pipes from
33:19the main house
33:20join into one under the terrace yeah so it's running here and then by the time it gets there there's
33:26only
33:26a little bit of water coming yeah so it's blocked somewhere with a blockage suspected they need a new
33:35plan so suggestion is that we can get the camera like a small tiny camera to go into this part
33:43to
33:44find out where the box is and then we can see if the blockage is there if the blockage is
33:49there we
33:49can deal with it and then we can fit the new septic tank system it's a delay Ronnie could live
33:57without
33:57but at least progress is being made elsewhere hi how is it going good good the new air conditioning
34:06units are being installed without a hitch so air conditioning is mostly going to be used for
34:12heating in the winter and then a little bit of cooling in the summer they are the top of the
34:17range I
34:18just thought I'm just going to do it once I'm not doing this again so that was where a big
34:23chunk of
34:23the budget's gone right now the money is all flowing one way out and until the septic tanks are
34:32in and the tourist license approved none of it can flow back in the journey to tranquility was never
34:40meant to be easy and Ronnie's getting plenty of practice in the art of staying calm once it's all done
34:48it's just going to be amazing look at this view this is why I'm putting myself through this really
34:59coming up we're now having a bit of a trouble it's all systems go for Pete and Anna in a
35:05race to be
35:06ready for guests we haven't tested the actual shower yet oh no this could be a disaster and on the
35:13eve of
35:14their first boot camp do you think we're gonna get that market I don't have time to do it today
35:19temperatures rise for mark and Frankie you can say they've got a train in 35 degree heat because
35:25there's no cover it's early June in Bulgaria and mark and Frankie are beginning to cement their new
35:44life a month later than planned the concrete for their new fitness platform has finally arrived the
35:51only small amount of concreting I've done previously is the paths that used to run down here and round
35:57the corner which we've had to chop up no doubt I'm doing it wrong but it's only got to be
36:02just so
36:05I've got to just get it all level and nice on my own at the moment unless I can convince
36:13Frankie to
36:14help me the sweltering conditions are far from ideal is very very bright today but with guests arriving in
36:29two weeks Mark's determination has no bounds we just need to get this end one level that's a whole lot
36:43better I just hope it dries okay now and that the dogs don't walk all on it and have their
36:48their paws of
36:51fame two weeks later the concrete's cured and paw print free and Frankie and Mark are preparing to
36:58welcome their first bootcamp guests of the summer these six guests that are coming I have no idea who
37:06they are never met them before so be interesting I love meeting new people I need to clean downstairs
37:13bathroom I need to clean down here but I'm going to just tidy up since Mark's come back like everything's
37:22all over the place I'm going to blame Mark their guests arrive with personal trainer Keith tomorrow
37:29afternoon so it's all hands on deck to be ready that's got to come out that's got to come out
37:37for Mark
37:38quite literally so as he's tackling some essential repairs to the outdoor terrace it's probably about
37:45eight or ten boards that have weathered badly and I just need to chop out the bad bits or replace
37:50them
37:51and just make it safe luckily so far there's only one person that's gone through the deck in and it
37:55was
37:56me last year so and I knocked myself about pretty badly so obviously we want to avoid that for the
38:02guests
38:03for Mark safety on the terrace takes priority but Frankie has other ideas she's keen to get the
38:11workout space ready for classes do you think we're going to get that marquee up today so when I can
38:17get
38:17set out for our guests I'm not going to have time to get the marquee set out tomorrow because I've
38:23got
38:24stuff that needs doing I know but I don't I don't have time to do it today because I can't
38:28clear that
38:28area and pressure wash the mats until I finish this okay well what have you got left to do on
38:33the decking I've still got to do I've still got to take boards up and put boards down but the
38:38marquee
38:38doesn't take that long to do getting it up it's the aftermath of it that takes ages like getting all
38:44the equipment in there I'm working on the on the base makes sense to me just to make the mess
38:48finish it
38:49and then crack on okay so leave it for now if we've got time later on we'll do it okay
38:53you can
38:54say to Keith why it's not set up for his guests that come in and that they've got a train
38:59in 35
39:00degree heat because there's no cover that's fine thanks for coming Frankie and Mark may not see eye
39:10to eye on everything but they do agree on one thing with their business now their only source of
39:16income making their first summer a success is vital it's really important for us the boot camps go
39:25well because we get a lot of repeat custom so it's nice to know we do something right but with
39:31new
39:32guests we really want them to enjoy themselves and experience Bulgaria hopefully you know we'll
39:37get some word of mouth and potential repeat custom back in France a big day ahead is weighing on Pete
39:50and
39:50Anna too nervous today we haven't got much time we're feeling a bit rushed to be honest we got
39:58one of my friends coming over from England tomorrow night he gets the ferry tomorrow morning and drives
40:02down because we feel we haven't got anything done and we feel like we haven't got anything ready
40:08luckily we've got some friends with us as well so they can help us in this last little push the
40:14pair
40:15have worked hard redecorating the guest bedrooms but they still need to be dressed with a budget to
40:21stick to they've sourced some bargains at the local antique shops did we check all the drawers make
40:27sure there's nothing inside money their friend mark is on hand helping out I know I know what it
40:34looks like but it's not and the vintage find is giving up hidden treasures no one expected
40:51oh no there we go and after their brief encounter it's time to lift more than just eyebrows the antique
41:02bed frames won't move themselves I might need a small thin bar you know that we use on the bikes
41:11yeah to put in there just to do that up are you able to lower that yeah but after a
41:17bit of
41:17improvisation yeah the frame is complete that's it that is that is it and done up so we can literally
41:25get it get it kind of equal yeah yeah they're a mattress away from their first comfortable guest
41:35bed oh there it goes there we go parfait with a mountain of jobs to tackle the team divide and
41:46conquer an air cracks on with building the flat pack bedside cabinets c1 d1 two different obviously two
41:53different banks while pete and mark tackle a more complex assembly saw these a long time ago on the
42:01internet the Japanese I think it was started using their toilet and the cistern actually has a sink on
42:07top so we haven't come across anything like this before so we thought would be a good idea to buy
42:14one
42:14because then we can fit where we got the little toilet room with just the toilet in there was no
42:19real
42:19space for a sink with only one other bathroom on the floor it's a great way of maximizing space in
42:26their separate WC for their guests if they can figure out how it goes together we're now having
42:32a bit of a trouble normally a toilet and a cistern you put on the rubber bits put it on
42:37bolt it together
42:38and they hold in nicely but this has got a strange way of doing it okie kooky he is awkward
42:45it's no bog
42:50standard job but the toilet is finally in one piece pass him that's pretty good with just 36 hours before
43:00their test guests arrive mark do you need me cool we're gonna start doing a window the couple have
43:07no choice but to plough through the endless to-do list on the end yes it goes yes it goes
43:13that way
43:14so we want to put it that's it that's this end ah go get the other one then those curtains
43:21are
43:21perfect length and while some jobs are simpler than others cool there we go yes it could be a long
43:31night for Pete and Anna as well as welcoming guests tomorrow they'll also be moving in themselves for the
43:38first time we're not going to move everything because we've got massive wardrobes and things
43:43for the first couple of weeks we'll be down but actually we're going to test the other guest room
43:47and if we like it hopefully someone else will once we've done the floor and radio oh yeah we've got
43:52to test the shower first thing in the morning although we tested the pipework beforehand we haven't
43:57tested the actual shower yet oh no this could be a disaster add to this a bathroom toilet that isn't
44:06flushing paintwork still to finish and the house in general giving building site vibes by tomorrow
44:13Pete and Anna may need a miracle or very understanding house guests next time I am a man that's known
44:24to
44:24leave things till the last minute Frankie and Mark limber up for their first boot camp we've got around two
44:30hours and he's still out there having a fight with the marquee it's mission impossible too for Pete and
44:35Anna in France now I'm starting to really panic inside my head so but we've got all day I keep
44:41telling myself and Ronnie's yoga retreat dreams we're still weeks behind schedule a crumbling fast
44:48they're coming for a slice of paradise but now at the moment it's it's that they'll be on a building
44:56site
45:02so
45:05so
45:13so
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