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Build Your Dream Home in the Country Season 1 Episode 18
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00:01Have you ever thought about building your dream home?
00:04That's the dream. It's so exciting.
00:06We are actually building a house.
00:09With prices going through the roof, why spend a fortune buying?
00:13They're going to look out and see all of this, and it's worth it.
00:16It's absolutely cracking.
00:18When you can build a home you've designed yourself.
00:21I'm the boss.
00:24I'm Mark Miller, and I've been in the trade for over 30 years.
00:27What a beautiful way to build a home. Not a house, a home.
00:32In this series, I'm helping people achieve their new home dreams.
00:36What could possibly go wrong?
00:38As they say, room wasn't built in a day.
00:39It's arrived!
00:42Whether they're assembling a new kit house, building an extension,
00:46or rebuilding a crumbling wreck.
00:49It's a bit terrifying because it's a lot of work, isn't it?
00:53Yeah.
00:53You don't have to be rich or a designer.
00:56We talked about it for so long, and finally, we're here.
01:00I'm going to show you how to create your forever home for your family.
01:05Ian and I are expecting another baby.
01:08If you're brave enough to take the leap and build your own.
01:13Guys, what a transformation!
01:16And wow, what an amazing place to live.
01:19Build your dream home in the country with me, Mark Miller.
01:26This time, I'm helping a young woman in the Cotswolds build her first ever home.
01:31I'm going in.
01:32Whoa!
01:33This is beautiful, isn't it?
01:35Oh, a bit of movement in the wall.
01:37Yeah.
01:38She's creating a magical house on wheels for £10,000 using mostly recycled materials.
01:44I've pulled out so much timber for that house off this burn pile.
01:47It's been brilliant.
01:49But her plan to do the build herself suffers a major setback.
01:54What have we done?
01:55I've broken the ankle.
01:56I think the bones are like chipped off.
01:58Bah!
01:59With her home and health on the line, I step in to nurse this build back to life.
02:05Right, this is for you.
02:08But more problems on site leave this tiny dream in crisis.
02:12Oh, dear God.
02:14I've got a leak.
02:15Have you?
02:16It's coming from the roof.
02:18I was kind of hoping the roof would be on by now.
02:20But it broke my ankle instead.
02:26The Cotswolds, famous for charming villages and beautiful countryside.
02:30Where better to move to if it's the best of British landscapes you're after?
02:38I'm driving around in the middle of the countryside, up and down these country lanes, trying to find this lady
02:43who I've been told is building a house on the back of a trailer.
02:49I honestly, I don't know where she is, she's very remote, but I can't wait to find her.
02:59Lara is a costume maker and designer and her career had an unusual start when she joined a touring circus.
03:05When I was a kid, I remember having a conversation with my mum, being like, I want to do that.
03:10I ended up looking for that circus and running their costume department.
03:13After touring with them for four years, she started her own business making costumes for the stage and screen from
03:21a small studio in Bristol.
03:23People love making costumes.
03:25You're making people really happy.
03:26And it's nice to dress people up and make them feel kind of confident about themselves.
03:32Put people in sequins. It's kind of great.
03:37Lara's spent the last ten years trying to get onto the property ladder, but with no chance of buying a
03:42regular home anytime soon, she made another unusual choice.
03:46This is my current house.
03:49So this is a van that I converted in the first lockdown.
03:52So useful to have a van that you can stay in because I am freelance and I work wherever the
03:58work is, so I'll just, and I can always stay in the van when I'm in the middle of nowhere,
04:03which is great.
04:04Now she's fallen in love with mobile living, she's decided to upgrade her cramped van.
04:11I can't wait. I can't wait to be able to lift my hands, like, above my head and not touch
04:14anything. Such a luxury.
04:18To get this dream space, she wants to build a home that is just as mobile, but bigger and a
04:24lot more comfortable than the van.
04:26The vision is, it's just gorgeous.
04:29So I'm building a tiny house on a flatbed trailer. I can tow around.
04:35It's going to be kind of quite colourful and quite warm and bright and comfy.
04:41I want people to come in and be like, oh, cool. Okay. That was the cake.
04:46Lara has just £10,000 in savings. To afford her home build, she's planning on doing almost all the work
04:54herself.
04:55Like, all my savings are going into this. I'm not going to have anything at the end of it, other
04:59than, hopefully, a really nice house. A little home. So, we'll see.
05:06To make savings wherever she can, she's using second-hand and salvage materials when possible.
05:12So, we've got, under this tarpauling, this very fashionable tarpauling, is all my roofing, so it's just going to be
05:19corrugated metal roof.
05:20And then I've got all my windows stacked up and I've got a little bath under the tarp.
05:26A friend is letting Lara use their farm for the build. She bought the trailer in June and has built
05:32a timber structure on top of it, which is now wrapped in a protective membrane and ready to fit her
05:39recycled windows with help from her family.
05:41So, this is my dad, Tony, who's helping me hold things and carry things.
05:48It has cost nearly eight of her £10,000 budget to get her timber shell up. It'll be tight turning
05:55this into a home with the £2,000 she has left.
05:59But what Lara lacks in cash, she makes up for in spirit.
06:04Lift.
06:04Okay, go.
06:05All right.
06:05And she's making quick progress with Dad installing a window.
06:09All right.
06:10In.
06:11And starting on the stud walling in one day.
06:14We're going to screw this wall into that wall to keep it square and probably into the floor as well.
06:20Why not?
06:21Lara reckons she only needs four months to finish her home and get out onto the open road.
06:27The dream is I'd love to be near the sea or in a really nice plot of woodland.
06:32I'm going to just kind of build it and see.
06:35However mad it is, it's worth trying.
06:38You get one chance.
06:39Like, why not?
06:46It's August and I can't wait to meet Lara and find out more about her incredible dream.
06:51So, I'm heading to her friend's farm in the pretty Cotswold countryside.
06:56Lara!
06:56Hi.
06:58Well, I hope you're Lara.
07:00I'm Lara.
07:01How are you doing?
07:02Hi.
07:03Nice to meet you.
07:04How are you doing?
07:05Is this your new home?
07:06This is my home.
07:07I like it.
07:08Are you living in there at the moment?
07:09Yeah.
07:09This is my tiny little home.
07:11That's your tiny little home.
07:11This is my slightly bigger tiny little home.
07:14It's so luxury compared to that.
07:16I can't stand up in that.
07:17It's quite tall, isn't it?
07:19Yeah, it's actually, yeah.
07:21When it's in real life, when it's not on your laptop, it's pretty big.
07:25Are you going to live there on your own?
07:26Yeah, with the dog.
07:27With the dog?
07:27Yeah.
07:28So it's like a huge dog kennel.
07:30It's an enormous dog kennel that I can drag around anywhere.
07:34I love it.
07:34Well then, can we have a look?
07:35Yeah.
07:35Come on, do a look.
07:38I'm going in.
07:39Whoa!
07:41Lara.
07:42Welcome to my home.
07:44This is beautiful, isn't it?
07:46Yeah.
07:47Oh, a bit of movement in the wall.
07:49Yeah.
07:50For her dream home on wheels, Lara's going for a simple but stylish design.
07:56The exterior will be clad in larch that will weather beautifully over time, while recycled windows and the front door
08:03sourced from salvage will add character and help bring the build in on a tight £10,000 budget.
08:09The home must be the same size as her trailer.
08:13That's just 5.4 by 2.4 metres, so she has to be very clever with her interior layout.
08:21A relaxed living space leads to a compact open-plan kitchen with a hand-crafted rustic style.
08:27Beyond this is the bathroom with just enough space for a bathtub, basin and loo.
08:33Throughout the downstairs, reclaimed wood will give this home the feel of a tree house.
08:38With a stunning staircase rising from a tree trunk up to her mezzanine-level bedroom, complete with skylight for stargazing.
08:48With solar panels providing all her power and with a water storage tank on board, Lara will be able to
08:55live off-grid in the middle of any woodland she finds.
08:59So you've got stairs coming up here?
09:01Yeah, I'm going to have stairs figuring out how to do that.
09:04Yeah.
09:05I take it there's no building rigs on this, is there?
09:06No.
09:07So I think technically, in the eyes of, like, the law, this is a caravan.
09:11Which is mad.
09:13Wow.
09:13Well, it is.
09:14Yeah, it's on a trailer.
09:15You can tow it round.
09:17While her home's on wheels like a caravan, she doesn't need to worry about building regulations.
09:22But she does need to make sure it's road legal, which means it must be under a certain weight when
09:28being towed.
09:29The whole build has to be under 3.5 ton, which is my main challenge, really, to keep anything under.
09:35So I knew that I really wanted oak beams in the build, and so I've lost weight elsewhere so that
09:42I could accommodate for having the oak beams.
09:44And then I wanted to have a really nice round bit of wood, and then a few steps come off
09:49of that.
09:49It's like a nice kind of natural bit of wood in here.
09:52Why don't you get a circular aluminium tube?
09:56Because it's really ugly.
09:58I haven't finished.
09:59OK.
10:00And veneer the outside of it.
10:02No way!
10:03That sounds so complicated.
10:05No way!
10:06Yes way!
10:06That would be fantastic!
10:07Could you work with a ladder instead of a staircase?
10:12Because not one normal.
10:14Sorry.
10:15Sorry!
10:17Right, so no ladder.
10:18No ladder.
10:19Strong no to a ladder.
10:20OK, I got that.
10:22Well, that's me told.
10:24It's clear Lara has some strong opinions on how she wants her home to look.
10:28I'm happy just to help her build a dream, so she can get out there and hit the highway.
10:34She's an incredible woman, and she's got an incredible vision.
10:38I cannot wait to see this house finished.
10:42It's just...
10:43Everything about it is just energy and fun.
10:48Coming up, the build has a quick start.
10:51Great.
10:52Done.
10:53Tick.
10:54Underfloor heating.
10:56But there's a major setback when Lara gets injured.
10:59What have we done?
11:00I've broken the ankle.
11:02I think the bones are, like, chipped off.
11:04And we discover a serious problem with the build.
11:07Oh, dear God.
11:09It's, like, pouring down.
11:22In the heart of the Cotswolds, costume designer Lara is building her own tiny house on wheels.
11:28I've always wanted to make my own house since I was a kid, and I wanted it to be a
11:33tree house, and build a local kind of cabin-y, and hopefully I'll be in the woods somewhere.
11:37This freewheeling woman who spent four years with the touring circus has a bold solution to her housing crisis, creating
11:45a dream home for just £10,000 that can be towed anywhere.
11:49The world has gone completely crazy, and everything is so expensive now.
11:54I have to work while I'm building this house. I don't have the luxury of not being able to work.
11:58I'm going to take a month off later on in the summer to try and kind of crack through before
12:04the weather changes.
12:06She's built the home's basic structure, which now needs to be made watertight before she can fit out the inside.
12:13And she needs my help with a recycled front door that won't shut properly after a recent storm.
12:19Show me what the problem with this door is.
12:21So, it gets to, like, there, and then doesn't shut.
12:25Right. Okay.
12:27And I've tried forcing it, and that didn't help.
12:30No, don't force it.
12:31Come on, then. Let's get it all up from heaven.
12:33I'm not terrified it's just going to fall apart.
12:35It might do.
12:35Yeah, because all these have started wibbling.
12:38It's really fun. Buying old stuff's really fun.
12:40Yeah, I know.
12:41But it's nice. It's from the 1930s.
12:43I love Lara's make do and mend mantra, but it's crucial we get this door to fit perfectly, to stop
12:49any rain getting in and damaging her timber hum.
12:52Bum, bum, bum!
12:54So, this is quite exciting.
12:57So, we are in the middle of summer, but there's been some ferocious rainstorms.
13:03And you don't want water to get into that, into the middle of that wooden structure, because it'll just swell.
13:08And then it'll dry out.
13:10Swell.
13:10Dry out.
13:11It'll just be a nightmare.
13:13Oh, my goodness.
13:14It's really wet, isn't it?
13:17Yeah.
13:18So, first of all, this front bit's touching.
13:20Oh, my goodness, this is like a sponge.
13:26Right, let's try that.
13:27Let's have a go, see if it fits.
13:29It might take two attempts.
13:31After planing to size, rehanging a door by yourself is tough, but I've got a builder's trick of the trade.
13:37Can you go into that bag and get me a blue bar out of there and my hammer?
13:42And that block of wood on the floor there that you've got by you?
13:47That's fantastic.
13:48If you're doing doors on your own, right?
13:50It's a nightmare.
13:51Right, so a little block of wood, okay?
13:54And one of these magic bars.
13:55Mm-hmm.
13:56Just a, what is that called?
13:58A magic bar.
13:59Okay.
14:00All right, you ready with your screws?
14:02Yep.
14:07Okay, put one in the, put one in the, put one in the middle hinge.
14:11Hold on.
14:12I'll just steer it with my magic bar.
14:16Okay, let's try the bottom one.
14:20Will it shut?
14:22Will it shut?
14:23Will it, will it?
14:25Please shut.
14:28Yeah.
14:29Abracadabra.
14:30Yeah!
14:32What's that?
14:33Sorry.
14:34What is that?
14:35The magic bar.
14:36Now that's what I call magic.
14:38A simple crowbar, a block of wood, to lift any door into position.
14:44From her original £10,000 budget, Lara has just two grand left.
14:49To get her home finished for this, she's sourcing as many of her materials as she can for free.
14:55Right, there's a pile of junk here.
14:57There is so much good stuff on the burn pile.
14:59I've pulled out so much timber for that house off this burn pile.
15:01Did you?
15:02Yeah.
15:03Genuinely, it's been brilliant.
15:04There's a beautiful box here.
15:07Like, why is that?
15:08You know, it's got no bottom on it, but you can put a bottom into it.
15:11It's really nice.
15:12Someone's put loads of love into that.
15:14Everything has potential.
15:16It's amazing what you can find, what people are getting rid of.
15:19Yeah.
15:19All my windows in that house are second hand.
15:22Most of them, like, the two stained glass ones were in a skip.
15:25And the others have come off all kind of online selling.
15:28You pay so much less for things and it's nice to kind of give it another life.
15:33Do you know what?
15:34With Lara's boundless enthusiasm, I think she might just get this home built on time and on budget.
15:44A couple of weeks later, her large cladding arrives ready to fit onto the exterior.
15:49This is all the cladding that I milled.
15:51So this is large, it's 10 mils.
15:54And then I've milled a few strips that are thicker, that are kind of one inch,
15:59which I'm chopping up into battens to kind of frame out the edges of the house
16:03so that my cladding can, like, butt up against it and it has, like, a nice finish, hopefully.
16:09Not only will the cladding protect her home from the weather,
16:12it also turns a beautiful grey over time.
16:16Costs her £300, but it's worth every penny.
16:21Putting it on by herself will be one of the first big challenges Lara's faced without help.
16:27The first one, I think, is going to be the most faffy.
16:30And then...
16:31And then they'll just fly up.
16:36Oh, my God.
16:40I love her have-a-go attitude.
16:42Let's just bring it down a bit that side.
16:47But she needs to speed up if she's going to get her build watertight quickly.
16:52It's not perfect.
16:53I don't know if that's going to really annoy me forever and ever.
17:00With winter just around the corner,
17:03Lara's taking time off work to get the home done so she can move in before bad weather arrives.
17:09Moving from here into the tiny house is going to be amazing because I can't stand up in here.
17:12I'm quite tall.
17:13And, like, I have to sort of lean over, which is so annoying.
17:19Especially when you're cooking, when you're sort of stood up at a wonk the whole time.
17:24After her early struggles with the cladding, it's good to see she's got my man helping out.
17:29And it doesn't take long to see real progress.
17:32Just don't let go.
17:33I won't let go.
17:35With the cladding nearly complete, Lara should focus on finishing the roof to get her home watertight.
17:41But she's got another job in mind.
17:43We're going to lay the heated floor, which is so bougie.
17:52Which is just a load of foam mats and then this kind of, like, electrical wire mat that goes on
18:00top.
18:01We'll see.
18:02Never done it before, so more learning.
18:05It may be tiny and officially just a caravan,
18:08but she wants her home to have just as many more cons as a regular house.
18:13Oh, this is going to take no time at all.
18:17With the foam base layer stuck down, it's simply a case of positioning the mats and then hooking them up
18:23to the controls.
18:24OK, I get it. I totally get it. I actually do get it.
18:28This is a sensor.
18:29Yeah.
18:30This is a thermostat.
18:31This goes to this to tell this how hot it is.
18:36Then this gets wired into this as well.
18:40Done. Easy. Great.
18:41The underfloor heating kit costs £240.
18:45It's a luxury she's happy to shell out for.
18:48But fitting it is another job she's never tackled before.
18:52So much of this build, because it's unknown, because I've not done so much of this before,
18:58so you go, oh, that must be really complicated, because normal people get professional...
19:03Normal people.
19:03But, like, people get professionals in to do that, so it must be really complicated and you need, like...
19:10And I'm sure in some cases you absolutely do.
19:13But also, I think, people, there's a lot of scaremongering, isn't there?
19:18Yeah.
19:19At this rate, she'll be living here in no time, which is just as well, because she's decided to get
19:24a puppy.
19:25And it's due to get here soon.
19:28Great.
19:29Done.
19:30Tick.
19:31Underfloor heating.
19:34Easy.
19:35I don't know what all the fuss is about.
19:37And so now we're ready for the engineered flooring to come in and go on top, which is going to
19:42be really exciting.
19:49Unfortunately, not long after her success with the flooring, something happens that puts the whole build on hold.
19:57I'm back in Sirencester to see Lara.
19:59He's had a little bit of an accident and broken something there.
20:03Well, she's on crutches, that's what I know, she's on crutches.
20:06And Winter's arriving, her new dog's arriving, and she hasn't moved in yet.
20:10Let's see what we can do to help.
20:13What have you done?
20:15I've broken my ankle.
20:16Anything dramatic?
20:17I wish it was more interesting than me just falling down the step.
20:20Well, that was it?
20:21On the way to the loo.
20:23You just fell down the step, going to the loo?
20:25Yeah.
20:26Is that it?
20:27But it's fine, it's getting better.
20:29How long are you going to be on the action for?
20:31I've been in a cast for ten days, and I was like, please take this cast off, it's the worst
20:35thing ever.
20:36I can't do anything in a cast.
20:37Really?
20:37So we've taken it off, and I'm in a splint now for another month.
20:41And then, like, slowly start putting weight on it, because I've torn a load of ligaments, so I think that's
20:45the thing that's going to take longer.
20:47Like, I think the bones are, like, chipped off and they'll fix themselves.
20:50Bah!
20:51That ligaments.
20:52I really feel for Lara.
20:54I need to step in and help get the house to a point where she can move in and work
20:58on it as she gets better.
21:00So we start laying the flooring on top of the heating mats.
21:04Right, can I just get down there and do a measurement off that?
21:07You're leaving a ten mil gap on these floors, are you?
21:09I'm leaving whatever, yeah.
21:11You want ten mil left there, okay?
21:14Yeah.
21:14Engineered wood like this handles temperature changes well, and it's easy to lay.
21:19You just need some clamps and some glue.
21:22And there should be a clamp underneath you.
21:24Another clamp here.
21:26And it looks so beautiful!
21:28Do you think so?
21:29Yeah.
21:30Gorgeous, darling.
21:31Aw.
21:33All right, here we go.
21:41There we are.
21:44Floor in!
21:45Complete!
21:45Thank you, thank you.
21:46This is untreated.
21:47This is untreated, so I still need to oil it.
21:49And there's kind of no point in doing that if I'm going to be puppy training a puppy in here.
21:53No, you should oil it straight up as soon as possible.
21:56Get one coat onto it, because if there's any water that gets in underneath these...
22:00Yeah.
22:00It's going to stain it.
22:02Yeah.
22:02It'll look terrible.
22:03Okay, cool.
22:05With her new puppy coming soon, Lara needs to be in her home as soon as possible, so we
22:10need to crack on.
22:12What an amazing, inspiring lady.
22:16She's broken ankle, and she's going to be moving in in four days.
22:21If anyone's going to do it, she will.
22:24One great thing about this tiny build is it doesn't take long to see real progress.
22:29So that in there looks so...
22:33Nice.
22:33Yeah?
22:33Yep.
22:34Okay, glue.
22:35Glue.
22:36Glue.
22:38But just as we start to really get going, disaster strikes.
22:42Where the hell is that coming from?
22:46Oh.
22:46My.
22:47God.
22:48It's really bad.
22:50Look at this.
22:53It's really bad.
22:56Oh, dear God.
22:57It's like pouring down.
23:00Look at it.
23:01It's pouring in.
23:02What?
23:03I've got a leak.
23:04Have you?
23:05Yeah.
23:07I've got a drip.
23:08It's because you've got no roof on.
23:09No, but look at this.
23:10Yeah.
23:11Where is it coming from?
23:12Is this the first time it's rained since you've...
23:14Properly rained, yeah.
23:17I mean, it's good to know.
23:19It's coming from the roof because the roof's not on.
23:24I was kind of hoping the roof would be on by now.
23:27But I broke my ankle instead.
23:30Coming up, with Lara out of action, she's forced to pay for trades.
23:35And I'm bleeding money now because I'm having to hire people.
23:41Desperate to get her home done, she risks her recovery.
23:44So you're fully mobile?
23:45Yeah.
23:46Got rid of the crutches.
23:48Got rid of the crutches.
23:48That doesn't mean that you're fully mobile.
23:50That means you're impatient.
23:52But just as it looks like she's back on track,
23:54winter weather strikes again.
23:56In capitals...
23:58Yeah.
23:59It says leaks.
24:00Yeah, I need to get rid of the leaks.
24:01What leaks?
24:10It's mid-October at Lara's dream home on wheels build in the Cotswolds.
24:14She's been out of action for the last month with a broken ankle.
24:17But her leaking roof is fixed and covered in corrugated metal.
24:21However, this progress doesn't come cheap.
24:26I'm bleeding money now because I'm having to hire people.
24:31Costing me a few hundred pounds.
24:34A lot more money that I wasn't expecting to have to pay out.
24:38Paying for trades wasn't factored into her original £10,000 budget.
24:42So she's still pushing herself to do whatever job she can.
24:48Cut.
24:51Use crutches they say.
24:53Is that what they say?
24:54Yeah.
24:55It's great to see her commitment to the build.
24:58I just hope she's following doctor's orders.
25:02That's what £600 per supply looks like.
25:11A week later, and I'm on my way back to Lara's,
25:14as she's got some exciting news she wants to share.
25:17What a glorious day to come back to Saren's sister,
25:20because I'm here to see Lara.
25:22She's had a baby.
25:24Well, a puppy.
25:28Hello.
25:29Hello.
25:30Let me say hello.
25:31Come on.
25:32He's really sleepy.
25:34What's wrong, Monty?
25:36Hello, little man.
25:38So, this is what it's all about then.
25:40Yeah, beautiful time waster.
25:44You, Monty, in the countryside?
25:46Yeah.
25:47It's going to be so good.
25:48It's going to be nice, isn't it?
25:49Yeah, absolute dream.
25:51Are you actually moving around on your leg now?
25:53Yeah.
25:53Yeah?
25:54Yeah.
25:54So you're fully mobile?
25:56Yeah.
25:57Got rid of the crutches.
25:58Got rid of the crutches.
25:59That doesn't mean that you're fully mobile.
26:01That means you're impatient.
26:02I can't...
26:02Yeah, absolutely.
26:03I mean, I think it's fine.
26:06Is it sore?
26:07Yeah, it really hurts.
26:09I know she's desperate for her and Monty to move in quickly,
26:12so I'm hoping there's some work I can help with.
26:15But first, a quick tour.
26:17Has there been much change, madame?
26:22Um...
26:22Have you seen this?
26:25That's cool, isn't it?
26:26Got this in.
26:27So...
26:28That's the foundation of the stairs.
26:30Yeah.
26:32I think...
26:33You need...
26:35Just to make sure you've got strength in this.
26:36Because you need to go a third of the way in to get enough strength
26:39to support the actual step.
26:41Mm.
26:42So if you're taking a third of it out there,
26:43then you're taking a third of it out here.
26:46Mm.
26:46It's quite a bit of the trunk taken out.
26:49As long as she gives it strength,
26:50the staircase will be amazing.
26:53And it's not the only key feature that's beginning to take shape.
26:56Isn't this beautiful?
26:57And the little roof light.
26:59Open it up.
27:00It's good.
27:01Please work.
27:02Oh, my God, if it didn't work, that'd be so awful.
27:05Do you think it's going to work?
27:07No.
27:08It should do.
27:08Oh, my God, I'm really nervous.
27:10It's quite stiff because it's brand new.
27:16Yes.
27:18Lala!
27:18Lala!
27:20Light and air.
27:21Wow, isn't it gorgeous?
27:23Just head up here.
27:26There's the world.
27:27With a glass of wine.
27:28Done.
27:29Isn't it beautiful?
27:32Even with her injury, Lara's build has really come on.
27:35She's clearly been working hard,
27:37but it must be tough living in the van and not being fully fit.
27:41So what are you going to do for dinner?
27:44Um, probably go to the local pub.
27:48She really needs to watch this.
27:50You can't skip meals and still have the energy to build a house.
27:53So instead of helping on the build, I knock us up a hearty builder's broth.
27:59Right.
28:00This is for you.
28:03Shall we go somewhere nice to eat it?
28:05Yeah.
28:05In the sun.
28:07This is really good, thank you.
28:08Do you like it?
28:09Mm-hmm.
28:09Good.
28:10So you literally do forget about cooking?
28:13Definitely.
28:14So do you think you just end up diving for whatever's in front of you?
28:18Yep.
28:18Do you think when you get into your little mobile mansion it'll be easier?
28:22I hope so.
28:23It'll be really nice to have, like, dinner parties.
28:27This is beautiful, isn't it?
28:28But the weather's changing.
28:29Yeah, I know.
28:29It's getting cold.
28:30It's getting really cold very quickly.
28:32What have you left to do?
28:34I've got to get the plumbing and the electrics in,
28:36getting the internal walls done, kitchen, seating,
28:39and then it's just decorating.
28:41That sounds like a lot to me.
28:42And now the month she could afford to take off work is over.
28:46I'd say she's running out of time.
28:49Do you know what?
28:49Well, I arrived here today full of buzz and energy
28:52to try and get the last bits wrapped up in this job.
28:55But she's done it again.
28:57She's taken me into her world, which is very nice.
29:02But winter's coming and she needs to get it finished.
29:04But just right now, I'm sure there's no rush.
29:08Why rush?
29:12After I leave, Lara does spend the next fortnight working flat out,
29:16but just not on her home.
29:19Because I broke my ankle, which I keep banging on about,
29:23but it affects stuff,
29:27I had to take time off work
29:29and so now I have to go back to work
29:32and I'm doing a few different jobs at the same time
29:35because all the deadlines are looming.
29:37Because of her break, she has a lot of work to catch up on.
29:41And with her £10,000 budget all but spent,
29:44she now needs to earn the money to pay for the rest of the build.
29:47So I've got a few different jobs on at the moment,
29:49mainly Christmas jobs because it is the time of year.
29:53Deadlines are at the end of next week,
29:54so two weeks out of the build.
29:56I was hoping to be in by the end of September
29:59and it's now November.
30:02Almost the end of November.
30:04Very, very close to Christmas.
30:05So annoying.
30:07If you're going to do a build, don't break anything.
30:10That's my advice to anybody who's about to do a build.
30:19It's December before Lara can get back on site
30:22and start the final push to finish the build.
30:25This is where the toilet's going to go.
30:27I'm going to just, like, insulate the vapour barrier
30:31and ply line this end wall.
30:34And while she fits out the bathroom,
30:36she's drafted in carpenter George
30:38to make her showpiece staircase.
30:42Really difficult.
30:44It's just getting the shape right, really.
30:46George has now come in to help me do bits of the carpentry,
30:50just to speed things along.
30:52I'm pleased Lara's following my advice
30:54and adding extra support for the tree trunk.
30:59Look how beautiful it is.
31:01I think we're going to have to peg up through there
31:04and then we're going to have to peg through.
31:06We could peg all the way through there.
31:09So, OK, cool. Are you stripping that?
31:12Yeah, should I do it now?
31:15I reckon this staircase is going to be the crowning glory
31:18of Lara's build, giving it the feel of a tree house.
31:22It's ready to go.
31:23Yeah!
31:25Ooh!
31:28Just stick it on there, anyway.
31:33And that's basically, we've got one coming.
31:36It's going to be so good.
31:37At about that level.
31:39It's going to be wicked.
31:41She's using recycled pieces of ash, beech and yew tree
31:44that she's milled herself to form the steps.
31:46So we'd have to cut that off, probably like that,
31:50parallel with the wall.
31:52Mm-hm.
31:53And that just slides that way, essentially.
31:55Nice bit of that hoop.
31:56Yep.
31:56A little bit of nature.
31:58Nature.
31:59Isn't it?
32:03But just when it looks like Lara will have the build
32:05done in time for Christmas,
32:06there's a serious problem on site
32:09and all work has to stop until I help her fix it.
32:15Wow!
32:16You've done loads!
32:17Yeah.
32:18Yeah, we are getting there.
32:20You bored of the ceiling?
32:21You've bored of the walls?
32:23You've decked the bed?
32:25You've made the stairs?
32:26You've got worktops going in?
32:28You've got a to-do list?
32:30Mm-hm.
32:31That was a 3am when you wake up and you're like,
32:34oh, God, there's so much going on in my brain,
32:36I need to just get it down.
32:37That's good.
32:38That's good to do that, isn't it?
32:39It's a bit depressing when you wake up in the morning
32:41and you've got...
32:44In capitals...
32:45Yeah.
32:45..it says leaks.
32:47Yeah, I need to get rid of the leaks.
32:48What leaks?
32:49I've got a leak in two of my windows,
32:51underneath two of my windows,
32:53which I've had for a while.
32:55Not this one.
32:55This guy and the bathroom one.
32:57Is it pouring in?
32:58Yeah.
32:59And I don't know how it's getting through.
33:00There is so much silicon around that window
33:02and in the fitting and, like, there's so much...
33:05Right, let's draw...
33:07Let's draw a window in profile, okay?
33:12Then we've got the sill.
33:13The issue is that I don't have a sill.
33:16Where's it leaking from?
33:17The bottom.
33:19So that's what it is.
33:21Is it driving you mad, the leaks?
33:23Yeah.
33:23Is it?
33:24Completely loopy.
33:25Must be a pain.
33:26Yeah.
33:27Yeah, but hold on.
33:27Now, does this window leak?
33:29Nope.
33:30It's got a windowsill and a capillary joint on it.
33:33So the water hits the window,
33:36as I did on my drawing.
33:37It hits the window, comes down here,
33:39comes across the sill.
33:41But when it gets to here,
33:42because there's that space,
33:44the water hits that and drips off
33:47without hitting the face.
33:48Because the weak point in all the windows
33:50is underside the sill.
33:52Now, this one is perfect.
33:54He's done a beautiful job on that.
33:57I take it this is the one that leaks?
33:59Yeah.
34:00Yeah?
34:00Yeah.
34:01Hmm.
34:03I'm telling you,
34:05you need a windowsill on this here.
34:07So what do I do?
34:08I trim all of this back,
34:09trim that back,
34:10and put a sill all along.
34:12Put a sill from there to there.
34:15Yeah?
34:16Let's go and see if we can get...
34:18Some kind of sill.
34:20As with all her materials,
34:22Lara's first thought is,
34:23where can she blag what she needs for free?
34:26The good news is,
34:27there's a local carpenter's nearby.
34:30Joinery shop here.
34:31We might have to beg, borrow and steal.
34:34But, um, hopefully...
34:38How you doing?
34:39Hello.
34:40Could you help me out?
34:41We're after a hardwood sub-sill.
34:44About 1100 long.
34:46We have anything knocking around me to use.
34:47Come on, look.
34:48Come on in.
34:49Madam.
34:51We make you luck.
34:52Make you luck.
34:53Local trades,
34:54building sites,
34:54and timber merchants
34:55can all be great places to go
34:57if you're looking for offcuts.
34:58That's pretty perfect, but...
35:01I need 1100.
35:03Oh, 1080.
35:05That's always the same.
35:06What about that one?
35:06Don't you give me a...
35:07Let me see.
35:08Chuck that one back in.
35:09Do you know what?
35:10This one is perfect.
35:11Got 1100.
35:12This is 1450.
35:14So you've got 350 left over.
35:16This is perfect.
35:17Yeah.
35:18Could we use this?
35:18Yeah, no.
35:19By all means.
35:20It's just an offcut.
35:21We've run loads of us.
35:23How many Queen's shillings would you like to this?
35:25Don't worry about it.
35:26You sure?
35:27Yeah.
35:30Right.
35:31Lara.
35:32I see.
35:33Barry.
35:34I see.
35:36This is exactly what you need.
35:39Mm-hmm.
35:40This is the baby.
35:41Mm-hmm.
35:41Take this piece of timber off here.
35:43Mm-hmm.
35:46And get this to fit in up here.
35:48So we'll get that off, cut that to length.
35:50Mm-hmm.
35:51At 1070.
35:53With the end in sight,
35:54it's crucial she gets this sill on quick.
35:56Before the next storm.
35:58The last thing she needs now,
36:00is water getting in,
36:01and damaging her wooden home again.
36:03Oh my goodness,
36:04I hope you measured this right.
36:05So do I.
36:06Because it was a freebie.
36:09Ah!
36:11Right, so that goes in there.
36:13Glue it.
36:13Screw it in a position.
36:15Mm-hmm.
36:15And do you know what?
36:16I think you'll have it cured.
36:18Coming up,
36:19I visit Lara's one last time.
36:21The lovely door.
36:24Hello.
36:25Hi.
36:27Lara.
36:28Did it.
36:29You did it!
36:31I did it!
36:32And I get a magical mystery tour.
36:34This is luxury.
36:35I know.
36:36This is my home.
36:36You've been living this for a long time.
36:38I know.
36:39I know.
36:39It's so good.
36:47It was seven months ago when Lara started building her home.
36:51With a small budget of £10,000, she could only afford to make a tiny house.
36:56But she had big dreams.
36:58All hand-built with reused.
37:01Ready.
37:01Steady.
37:02Learn.
37:03Or recycled materials where possible.
37:05She set out to create a beautiful home on wheels she could live in off-grid, deep in the woods.
37:18It's now the start of a new year and hopefully a new life in her new home is just around
37:24the corner.
37:26From a simple wooden frame on a trailer, Lara has conjured up this magical mobile home.
37:36Over time, this characterful larch cladding will age in grey and will look great in whichever woodland clearing she chooses
37:44to call home.
37:45I see she's swapped out the door we fixed for something even more beautiful.
37:49And I can't wait to see the spell she's cast on the inside.
37:53Look at the lovely door.
37:57Hello.
37:58Hi.
37:58Look at you and your lovely new home.
38:00Come on in.
38:01Take my shoes off.
38:03Lara.
38:04Did it.
38:05You did it!
38:14She certainly has, and then some.
38:18This living area has a relaxed, carefree, well-traveled vibe about it.
38:23Much like Lara.
38:25But this space is also well designed and well put together.
38:28A total success.
38:30This isn't like sort of jumping into some old van and going travelling and camping in a field somewhere, is
38:35it?
38:35No.
38:35This is luxury.
38:37I know, this is my home.
38:38You're going to live in this for a long time.
38:40I know.
38:40I know, it's so good.
38:41It's you, the dog, and a magical journey.
38:44Yeah.
38:45To who knows where.
38:47Wow!
38:47Kind of fun.
38:48That's quite exciting, isn't it?
38:49Really, really fun.
38:51I can't wait.
38:52I can't wait.
38:53Two days ago, it was freezing cold in the middle of the night.
38:56What was it like in here?
38:57Fine.
38:57Really warm.
38:58Was it?
38:59I've got underfloor heating.
39:00It's an absolute dream.
39:02And also because the bedroom is upstairs.
39:05I love it.
39:05It's really nice.
39:06You've got underfloor heating in your trailer.
39:08It's such a luxury.
39:10And the luxuries don't stop here.
39:13And into the kitchen.
39:14This is gorgeous.
39:17In the kitchen, you really feel you could be in a tree house.
39:21The stairs are the standout magical feature of this home.
39:24But wherever you look, there's a real attention to design detail.
39:29Like that reclaimed wood that has been given a new lease of life.
39:32You've got oak beams in here.
39:34You've got this beautiful worktop that you made yourself.
39:39And this is all the stuff that lay out in the barn.
39:41That looked all rough and shabby.
39:43Yeah, heavy.
39:44And you put loads of work into it to get a list of it.
39:47Yeah.
39:47What I think is my favourite bit of the whole lease.
39:50The stairs going up into your bedroom.
39:52Where this step here just runs off into the worktop.
39:57Your bow ties that you've cut in.
39:59Yeah.
39:59The resin.
40:00The fact that you were adamant.
40:02Yeah.
40:03That you were going to use this tree.
40:04Yeah.
40:05It's really special.
40:06Like it all means something to me.
40:08So it's like I'd like to use that if I can.
40:10I'm like, why not?
40:11You spent so long just like thinking about the pegs going through,
40:15the shape, the knots.
40:17It's all visual.
40:19It's all tactile.
40:20Yeah.
40:20It's all you.
40:21This is everything that's been in here.
40:23Yeah.
40:23And it's come out.
40:24It's really nice to have it out.
40:25And it's nice to now actually be like standing in it.
40:28Like it did it.
40:30And then this copper.
40:31Yeah.
40:31Where did this come from, this idea?
40:32I saw a really nice copper archway in Morocco a few years ago
40:35and thought one day I'd love to have a copper archway.
40:38And I've had this copper from a job for years.
40:40It's just been sat in the back of my workshop.
40:43So you've taken all the things from your travelling life.
40:45So far.
40:46So far.
40:47And you've put it into your travelling home.
40:49Yeah.
40:49It's beautiful.
40:50It's got a really nice layout.
40:51And obviously there's still the bathroom.
40:53Let me in.
40:56It may be compact, but it's also very stylish.
41:00Continuing Lara's quirky mix and match look.
41:03It's beautiful.
41:04You've done a great job.
41:06Still got all the engineering.
41:08You've got the flooring.
41:09You've got the walls.
41:10You've got the insulation.
41:11You've got the lighting.
41:11You've got the plumbing.
41:12You've got to get cookers in.
41:13You've got to get a kitchen in.
41:14You've got a sort of bedroom.
41:16You've got a sort of bathroom.
41:17Yeah.
41:18It's got it all.
41:19But on a much smaller scale.
41:20I can't believe I get to own this.
41:23This is the proudest I've ever been of something I've made.
41:25And there's more.
41:27The stairs are almost like a sculpture for me.
41:29Oh, my goodness, Lara.
41:31You've done such a beautiful job.
41:34Her mezzanine bedroom is a triumph.
41:37It's the treehouse home she's always dreamed of.
41:39And I love the porthole.
41:42Lara, this really is beautiful.
41:44Wow.
41:45It's got a really good feeling up there.
41:47And nice to have the deluxe because you can watch the stars in bed.
41:52Oh, wow.
41:53I've got your beautiful chandelier over here.
41:55Yeah.
41:56And there's double sockets up here with USB ports in them and stuff.
42:00Oh, yeah.
42:01All the mod cons.
42:02Hey!
42:02It's an incredible bit of engineering.
42:04And you've taken it all on yourself.
42:06Yeah.
42:07It's real luxury, isn't it?
42:09Yeah.
42:09It's been one hell of a journey to get here.
42:12But I've got to say, I think Lara's dream home on Wales was worth going that extra mile for.
42:18Time-wise, how long did you give yourself to build this and how long did it actually take?
42:23I started in June.
42:24I wanted it to be finished at the end of September.
42:26And it's now January.
42:28Wow.
42:29So it's been quite a gap.
42:30But I had eight weeks out of that.
42:32Yeah.
42:32Broken ankle.
42:33So you set out to do the whole thing in four months.
42:36You did it in seven months, which is brilliant.
42:39Yeah.
42:40Budget-wise, you wanted to build it for 10 grand.
42:43What did it cost you?
42:44It's just under 12 at the moment.
42:46Brilliant!
42:47Not that bad.
42:48For a house.
42:49I know.
42:50A home.
42:50Yeah.
42:50Not just a house, a home.
42:52Yeah.
42:52So, where will she go to live?
42:54Tell me, right, you've taken all this incredible imagination and it's turned into your home
43:01on a trailer.
43:02Yeah.
43:03That can go anywhere.
43:04Not just in the country, but anywhere in the world.
43:06Yeah.
43:07Yeah.
43:07I need some money to buy my solar panels to be off-grid.
43:11Right.
43:11Okay.
43:12But then, yeah.
43:13Go and live in the woods.
43:14It's a beautiful home.
43:16Wagons rolling.
43:17Yay!
43:20Lara is proof.
43:21You can do an awful lot with not very much money.
43:25You just need bucket loads of passion, creativity, and hard graft to make those dreams come true.
43:32Lara's taken her imagination and she's made herself the perfect home.
43:37She's had highs and lows, so it's been a rough old journey.
43:40The weather's been against her.
43:41Oh, actually, everything's been against her.
43:43But she's got the tiny home that she wanted.
43:48Next time, a couple of legal eagles building a super home.
43:52Who's looking after the build?
43:53Stick your hand up, darling.
43:54It's me!
43:55With an ambitious transformation to make a big home even bigger.
44:00You've taken on one heck of a challenge.
44:03Oh, don't say that.
44:05But big plans mean big money.
44:07We've now been told that actually the quote's gone up by 200,000.
44:11And with the shock of their million pound house being pulled down.
44:15What has happened?
44:17This first time project manager has a lot to learn fast.
44:22It's a live site, right?
44:23Decisions have to be made there and then.
44:26Have a measuring tape in every single handbag.
44:31Just sitting on a second and the tape's going through.
44:31With the limit.
44:45The moment…
44:56With the output.
44:56Next time разных traffic.
44:57Then help us create a new –
44:57a 90.
44:57You
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