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Build Your Dream Home in the Country Season 1 Episode 18 engsub fullepisode🎯🔥
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00:01have you ever thought about building your dream home that's the dream it's so exciting we are
00:06actually building a house with prices going through the roof why spend a fortune buying
00:12they're gonna look out and see all of this and it's worth it it's absolutely cracking
00:18when you can build a home you've designed yourself i'm the boss i'm mark miller and i've
00:25been in the trade for over 30 years what a beautiful way to build a home not a house a
00:31home
00:32in this series i'm helping people achieve their new home dreams what could possibly go wrong
00:37as they say room wasn't built in a day it's arrived whether they're assembling a new kit house
00:45building an extension or rebuilding a crumbling wreck that's a bit terrifying because
00:51it's a lot of work isn't it yeah you don't have to be rich
00:55or a designer we talked about it for so long and finally we're here i'm going to show you how
01:01to create your forever home for your family ian and i are expecting another baby if you're brave
01:09enough to take the leap and build your own guys what a transformation and wow what an amazing place
01:19to live build 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 i'm going in
01:33wow this is beautiful isn't it oh a bit of movement the wall yeah she's creating a magical house on
01:40wheels for 10 000 pounds using mostly recycled materials i've pulled out so much timber for that
01:46house off this burn pile it's been brilliant but her plan to do the build herself suffers a major
01:52setback what have you done i've broken the ankle i think the bones are like chipped off
01:58wah with her home and health on the line i step in to nurse this build back to life right
02:05this is for
02:06you thank you but more problems on site leave this tiny dream in crisis oh dear god i've got a
02:15leak
02:15have you it's coming from the roof it's kind of hoping the roof would be on by now but to
02:21broke 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
02:43lady who had been told is building a house on the back of a trailer i honestly i don't know
02:50where she
02:51is 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
03:11looking for that circus and running their costume department after touring with them for four
03:16years she started her own business making costumes for the stage and screen from a small studio in
03:22bristol freeing love making costumes you're making people really happy and it's nice to dress people
03:28up and make them feel kind of confident about themselves put people in sequins it's kind of great
03:37lara's spent the last 10 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 this is my current house so this is a van
03:50that i converted in the first lockdown so useful to have a van that you can stay in because i
03:56am freelance
03:56and i work wherever the work is so i'll just and i can always stay in the van when i'm
04:02in the middle of
04:03nowhere which is great now she's fallen in love with mobile living she's decided to upgrade her cramped
04:10van can't wait i can't wait to be able to lift my hands like above my head and not touch
04:15anything such
04:16a luxury to get this dream space she wants to build a home that is just as mobile but bigger
04:23and a lot more
04:24comfortable than the van the vision is it's just gorgeous so i'm building a tiny house on a flatbed
04:32trailer i can tow around it's going to be kind of quite colorful and quite warm and bright and
04:40comfy i want people to come in and be like oh cool okay that was the cake
04:47lara has just 10 000 pounds in savings to afford her home build she's planning on doing almost all the
04:54work herself like all my savings are going into this i'm not gonna have anything at the end of it
04:59other
04:59than hopefully a really nice house a little home so so we'll see to make savings wherever she can
05:08she's using second hand and salvage materials when possible so we've got under this tarpauling this
05:15very fashionable tarpauling is all my roofing so it's just going to be corrugated metal roof and then
05:21i've got all my windows stacked up and i've got a little bath under the top a friend is letting
05:28lara
05:28use their farm for the build she bought the trailer in june and has built a timber structure on top
05:34of
05:34it which is now wrapped in a protective membrane and ready to fit her recycled windows with help from
05:41her family so this is my dad tony who's helping me hold things and carry things it has cost nearly
05:49eight
05:49of her ten thousand pound budget to get her timber shell up it'll be tight turning this into a home
05:56with the two thousand pounds she has left but what lara lacks in cash she makes up for in spirit
06:03lift okay go and she's making quick progress with dad installing a window
06:11and starting on the stud walling in one day we're going to screw this wall into that wall
06:17to keep it square and probably into the floor as well why not lara reckons she only needs four
06:23months to finish her home and get out onto the open road the dream is i'd love to be near
06:29the sea
06:30or in a really nice plot of woodland i'm gonna just kind of build it and see however mad it
06:36is it's worth
06:37trying you get one chance like why not it's august and i can't wait to meet lara and find out
06:49more
06:50about her incredible dream so i'm heading to her friend's farm in the pretty cotswold countryside
06:56lara hi well i hope you're lara i'm lara how you doing hi nice to meet you how you doing
07:04this
07:05your new home i like it yeah are you living in there at the moment yeah this is my tiny
07:10little
07:10home that's your tiny little home slightly bigger tiny little home it's so luxury compared to that
07:16i can't stand up in that it's quite tall isn't it yeah it's actually yeah when it's in real life
07:22when
07:22it's not not on your laptop it's pretty big are you gonna live there on your own yeah with the
07:26dog
07:27with the dog yeah so it's like a huge dog kennel it's an enormous dog kennel that i can drag
07:32around
07:33anywhere well then shall we have a look yeah come on look i'm going in whoa lara welcome to my
07:43home
07:44this is beautiful isn't it yeah oh i've got a movement the wall yeah for her dream
07:52home home on wheels lara's going for a simple but stylish design the exterior will be clad in
07:57larch that will weather beautifully over time while recycled windows and the front door sourced
08:04from salvage will add character and help bring the build in on a tight 10 000 pound budget the home
08:10must be the same size as her trailer that's just 5.4 by 2.4 meters so she has to
08:18be very clever with her
08:19interior layout a relaxed living space leads to a compact open plan kitchen with a handcrafted rustic
08:27style beyond this is the bathroom with just enough space for a bathtub basin and loo throughout the
08:34downstairs reclaimed wood will give this home the feel of a tree house with a stunning staircase rising
08:41from a tree trunk up to her mezzanine level bedroom complete with skylight for stargazing
08:49with 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 so you've got stairs coming up here yeah i'm
09:01gonna have stairs figuring out how to do that yeah i think there's no building regs on this is there
09:06no so i think technically in the eyes of like the law this is a caravan which is mad wow
09:13well it is
09:14yeah it's on a trailer you can turn around while her home's on wheels like a caravan she doesn't need
09:20to worry about building regulations but she does need to make sure it's road legal which means it
09:26must be under a certain weight when being towed the whole build has to be under 3.5 ton which
09:32is my main
09:33challenge really to keep anything under so i knew that i really wanted oak beams in the build and so
09:39i've lost weight elsewhere so that i could accommodate for having the oak beams and then i wanted to have
09:44a really nice round bit of wood um and then a few steps come off of that it's like a
09:50nice kind of
09:50natural bit of wood in here why don't you get a circular aluminium tube it's really ugly i haven't
09:59finished okay all right and veneer the outside of it no way that sounds so complicated no way yes
10:06way has been fantastic could you work with a ladder instead of a staircase no because not one normal
10:15sorry sorry all right so no ladder no ladder strong no to a ladder okay i got that well that's
10:24it's clear lara has some strong opinions on how she wants her home to look i'm happy just to help
10:30her build a dream so she can get out there and hit the highway she's an incredible woman and she's
10:37got
10:37an incredible vision i cannot wait to see this house finished it's just everything about it is just energy
10:45and fun coming up the build has a quick start great done tick underfloor heating but there's a major
10:57setback when lara gets injured what have you done i've broken the ankle i think the bones are like
11:03chipped off and we discover a serious problem with the build oh dear god it'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
11:34it'll look kind of cabiny and hopefully i'll be in the woods somewhere this freewheeling woman who spent
11:40four years with the touring circus has a bold solution to her housing crisis creating a dream
11:45home for just 10 000 pounds that can be told anywhere the world has gone completely crazy and
11:52everything is so expensive now i have to work while i'm building this house i don't have the luxury of
11:57not being able to work i'm going to take a month off later on in the summer um to try
12:03and kind of crack
12:04through before the weather changes she's built the home's basic structure which now needs to be made
12:10watertight before she can fit out the inside and she needs my help with a recycled front door that
12:17won't shut properly after a recent storm show me what the problem this door is so it gets to like
12:22there and then doesn't shut right okay and i've tried forcing it and that didn't help
12:30no don't force it come on then let's get it all i'm terrified it's just gonna fall apart it might
12:35do yeah because all these are stuff has started wibbling it's really fun buying old stuff's really
12:40fun yeah i know but it's nice it's from the 1930s i love lara's make do and mend mantra but
12:46it's crucial
12:47we get this door to fit perfectly to stop any rain getting in and damaging her timber home
12:52bum bum bum so this is quite exciting so we are in the middle of summer but there's been some
12:59ferocious rainstorms and you don't want water to get into that into the middle of that wooden
13:06structure because it'll just swell and then it'll dry out swell dry out it'll just be a nightmare
13:13oh my goodness it's it's really wet isn't it yeah so first of all this front bit's touching
13:20oh my goodness this is like a sponge
13:26right let's try that let's have a go see if it fits it might take two attempts after planing to
13:32size rehanging a door by yourself is tough but i've got a builder's trick of the trade can you go
13:38into
13:38that bag and get me a blue bar out of there and my hammer and that block of wood on
13:43the floor there
13:43that you've got by you that's fantastic if you're doing doors on your own right it's a nightmare all
13:51right so a little block of wood okay and one of these magic bars just what is that called a
13:59magic bar
13:59okay all right you ready with your screws okay put one in the put one in the middle hinge
14:11hold on i'll just steer it with my magic bar
14:16okay let's try the bottom one
14:20will it shut will it will it please shut
14:29abracadabra yeah what's that what is that the magic bar now that's what i call magic a simple crew bar
14:39a
14:40block of wood to lift any door into position from her original 10 000 pound budget lara has just
14:48two grand left to get her home finished for this she's sourcing as many of her materials as she can
14:54for free right there's a pile of junk here there is so much good stuff on the burn pile i've
14:59pulled
14:59out so much timber for that house off this burn pile did you yeah genuinely it's been brilliant there's
15:05a beautiful box here like why is that you know it's got no bottom on it but you can put
15:09a bottom
15:10into it it's really nice someone's put loads of love into that everything has potential it's amazing
15:17what you can find what people are getting rid of yeah my all my windows in that house are second
15:21hand
15:22most of them like the two stained glass ones were in a skip and the others have come off all
15:27kind of
15:27online selling you pay so much less for things and it's nice to kind of give it another life
15:33you know what with lara's boundless enthusiasm i think she might just get this home built on time
15:39and on budget a couple of weeks later her large cladding arrives ready to fit onto the exterior
15:49this is all the cladding that i milled so this is larch it's 10 mills and then i've milled a
15:56few
15:56strips that are thicker that are kind of one inch um which i'm chopping up into battens to kind of
16:02frame
16:02out the edges of the house so that my cladding can like butt up against it and it has like
16:07a nice
16:07finish hopefully not only will the cladding protect her home from the weather it also turns a
16:14beautiful gray over time costs her 300 pounds but it's worth every penny putting it on by herself
16:22will be one of the first big challenges lara's faced without help the first one i think is going
16:28to be the most baffy and then and then i'll just fly up oh my god
16:40i love her have a go attitude let's just bring it down about that side
16:48but she needs to speed up if she's going to get her build watertight quickly it'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 lara's taking time off work to get the home done
17:05so she can move in before bad weather arrives moving from here into the tiny house is going to be
17:11amazing because i can't stand up in here i'm quite tall and like i have to sort of lean over
17:16which is so
17:18annoying um especially 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 just don't let go i won't let go with the cladding
17:36nearly
17:36complete lara should focus on finishing the roof to get her home watertight
17:41but she's got another job in mind we're gonna lay the um heated floor which is so bougie
17:51um which is just a load of foam mats and then this kind of like
17:57electrical wire mat that goes on top we'll see never done it before so we're learning
18:05it may be tiny and officially just a caravan but she wants her home to have just as many
18:10more cons as a regular house oh this is going to take no time at all with the foam base
18:18layer stuck
18:19down it's simply a case of positioning the mats and then hooking them up to the controls okay i get
18:25it i totally get it i actually do get it this is a sensor yeah this is a thermostat this
18:31goes to this to
18:32tell this how hot the it is then this gets widened to this as well done easy great the underfloor
18:42heating
18:43kit costs 240 pounds it's a luxury she's happy to shell out for but fitting it is another job she's
18:50never tackled before so much of this build because it's unknown because i've not done so much of this
18:58before so you go oh that must be really complicated because normal people get professional normal
19:03people but like people get professionals in to do that so it must be really complicated and you need
19:08like and i'm sure in some cases you absolutely do but also i think people there's a lot of
19:16scaremongering isn't there yeah at this rate she'll be living here in no time which is just as well
19:23because she's decided to get a puppy and it's due to get here soon great done tick underfloor heating
19:34easy you know what all the fuss is about and so now we're ready for the engineered flooring
19:40to come in and go on top which is gonna be really exciting unfortunately not long after her success
19:51with the flooring something happens that puts the whole build on hold i'm back in siren sester to see
19:58lara he's had a little bit of an accident and broken something there well she's on crutches that's what i
20:04know she's on crutches and winter's arriving her new dog's arriving and she hasn't moved in yet let's
20:11see what we can do to help what have you done i've broken the ankle anything dramatic i wish it
20:17was
20:17more interesting than me just falling down the step but that was it on the way to the loo
20:23you just fell down the step going to the loo yeah is that it but it's fine it's getting better
20:29how long
20:29are you going to be on action for um i've been in a cast for 10 days and i was
20:33like please take this
20:34cast off it's the worst thing ever i can't do anything in a cast really so taking it off and
20:39i'm going to splint now for another month and then like slowly start putting weight on it because it's
20:44a tonal of the ligaments i think that's something that's going to take longer like i think the bones
20:47are like chipped off and they'll fix themselves at ligaments i really feel for lara i need to step in
20:55and help get the house to a point where she can move in and work on it as she gets
20:59better so we
21:00start laying the flooring on top of the heating mats right can i just get down there and do a
21:05measurement
21:06off that you're leaving a 10 mil gap on these floors are you i'm leaving whatever yeah you want 10
21:12mil
21:12left there okay yeah engineered wood like this handles temperature changes well and it's easy to lay
21:19you just need some clamps and some glue and there should be a clamp underneath you another clamp
21:25here and it looks so beautiful do you think so yeah gorgeous darling all right here we go
21:41there we are floor in complete thank you thank you this is untreated this is untreated so i still
21:49need to oil it and there's kind of no point in doing that if i'm going to be puppy training
21:52a puppy in
21:53no you should oil it straight up as soon as possible get one coat onto it because if there's
21:58any water gets in underneath these yeah it's going to stain it yeah it'll look terrible okay cool
22:04with her new puppy coming soon lara needs to be in her home as soon as possible so we need
22:10to crack on
22:12what an amazing inspiring lady she's broken ankle and she's going to be moving in in four days
22:20if anyone's going to do it she will one great thing about this tiny build is it doesn't take long
22:28to
22:28see real progress so that in there looks so yeah yep okay glue glue glue glue but just as we
22:39start to
22:40really get going disaster strikes where the hell is that coming from oh my god it's really bad look at
22:51this
22:53it's really bad oh dear god it's like pouring down look at it it's pouring in
23:02what i've got a leak have you yeah i've got a drip it's because you've got no roof on no
23:09but look at
23:10this yeah where's it coming from is this the first time it's rained since you've properly rained yeah
23:17i mean it's good to know it's coming from the roof because the roof's not on
23:24it's kind of hoping the roof would be on by now but i broke my ankle instead
23:30coming up with lara out of action she's forced to pay for trades and i'm bleeding money now because
23:38i'm having to hire people desperate to get her home done she risks her recovery so you're fully
23:45mobile yeah got rid of the crutches got rid of the crutches that doesn't mean that you're fully
23:50mobile that means you're impatient but just as it looks like she's back on track winter weather
23:55strikes again in capitals yeah it says leaks yeah i need to get rid of the leaks what 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 however this progress doesn't come
24:24cheap i'm bleeding money now because i'm having to hire people costing me a few hundred pounds
24:34a lot more money that i wasn't expecting to have to pay out paying for trades wasn't factored into her
24:41original 10 000 pound budget so she's still pushing herself to do whatever job she can
24:48that's
24:51use crutches they say yeah it's great to see her commitment to the build i just hope she's
24:59following doctor's orders that's what 600 pounds of supply looks like
25:11a week later and i'm on my way back to lara's as she's got some exciting news she wants to
25:16share
25:17what a glorious day to come back to sarin's sister because i'm here to see
25:21lara she's had a baby well a puppy
25:27hello hello let me say hello come on he's really sleepy what's wrong monty hello little man so this
25:39is what it's all about then yeah beautiful time waster
25:44you monte in the countryside yeah it's gonna be so good it's gonna be nice isn't it yeah absolute dream
25:51are you actually moving around on your leg now yeah yeah yeah so you're fully mobile yeah
25:57got rid of the crutches got rid of the crutches that doesn't mean that you're fully mobile that
26:01means you're impatient i can't yeah absolutely i mean i think it's fine is it sore yeah really hurt
26:09i know she's desperate for her and monty to move in quickly so i'm hoping there's some work i can
26:14help with but first a quick tour there's been much change madame um have you seen this
26:25that's cool so that's the foundation of the stairs yeah i think you need
26:35just to make sure you've got strength in this because you need to go a third of the way in
26:38to get enough strength to support the actual step so if you're taking a third of it out there
26:43then you're taking a third of it out here it's quite a bit of the trunk taken out as long
26:49as she
26:49gives it strength the staircase will be amazing and it's not the only key feature that's beginning
26:55to take shape isn't this beautiful and the little roof light open it up it's good please work oh my
27:02god
27:03if it didn't work that'd be so awful do you don't think it's going to work no it should do
27:08oh my
27:09god i'm really nervous it's quite stiff because it's brand new
27:17oh my god i'm gonna do it
27:18oh my god
27:20light and air wow isn't it gorgeous it's just head up here
27:26there's the world with a glass of wine done beautiful
27:32even with her injury lara's bill has really come on she's clearly been working hard but it must be
27:38tough living in the van and not being fully fit so what are you going to do for dinner um
27:45probably go to the local pub she really needs to watch this you can't skip meals and still have the
27:52energy to build a house so instead of helping on the build i knock us up a hearty builder's broth
27:59right this is for you thank you should go somewhere nice to eat it yeah in the sun
28:07this is really good thank you like it good so you literally do forget about cooking
28:14definitely so do you think you just end up just diving for whatever in front of you yep do you
28:18think
28:19when you get into the your little mobile mansion it'll be easier i hope so it'd be really nice to
28:24have like dinner parties this is beautiful isn't it but the weather's changing yeah i know it's getting
28:30cold it's getting really cold very quickly what have you left to do i've got to get the plumbing and
28:35the electrics in getting the internal walls done kitchen seating and then it's just decorating that
28:41that sounds like a lot to me and now the month she could afford to take off work is over
28:46i'd say
28:47she's running out of time do you know what i arrived here today full of buzz and energy to try
28:53and get the last bits wrapped up in this job but she's done it again she's taken me into her
28:59world
29:00which is very nice but winter's coming and she needs to get it finished
29:04but just right now sure there's no rush why rush
29:12after i leave lara does spend the next fortnight working flat out but just not on her home
29:19because i broke my ankle which i keep banging on about but it affects stuff
29:25um i had to take time off work and so now i have to go back to work and i'm
29:33doing a few different
29:34jobs at the same time because all the deadlines are looming because of her break she has a lot of
29:40work to catch up on and with her 10 000 pound budget all but spent she now needs to earn
29:45the money to pay
29:46for the rest of the bills so i've got a few different jobs on at the moment mainly christmas jobs
29:50um because it is the time of year deadlines are at the end of next week so two weeks out
29:56of the
29:56build i was hoping to be in by the end of september and it's now november almost the end of
30:02november
30:04very very close to christmas so annoying if you're going to do a build don't break anything
30:11that's my advice to anybody who's about to do a build
30:19it's december before lara can get back on site and start the final push to finish the build
30:25this is where the toilet's gonna go i'm gonna just like insulate vapor barrier and ply line this end
30:33wall and while she fits out the bathroom she's drafted in carpenter george to make her showpiece
30:40staircase really difficult it's just getting the shape right really george has now come in to help
30:48me do bits of the carpentry um just to speed things along i'm pleased lara's following my advice
30:54and adding extra support for the tree trunk
30:59look how beautiful it is i think we're gonna have to peg up through there and then we're gonna have
31:05to peg
31:05through we could peg all the way through there so okay cool are you stripping that yes i don't know
31:16i reckon this staircase is going to be the crowning glory of lara's build giving it the feel of a
31:20tree
31:21house it's ready to go yeah
31:33and that's basically we've got one coming
31:37about that level it's gonna be wicked she's using recycled pieces of ash beach 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 parallel with the wall and that just slides that
31:54way essentially yeah a little bit of nature nature isn't it
32:03but just when it looks like lara will have the build done in time for christmas
32:07there's a serious problem on site and all work has to stop until i help her fix it
32:15in the end of the day
32:15wow you've done loads yeah yeah we are getting there you're bored in the ceiling
32:22you've bored in the walls you've decked the bed you've made the stairs you've got work tops going
32:27in you've got a to-do list that was a 3am when you wake up and you're like oh god
32:35there's
32:35so much going on in my brain i need to just get it down that's good to do that isn't
32:39it it's a
32:40It's a bit depressing when you wake up in the morning and you've got...
32:44In capitals, 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, which I've had for a while.
32:55Not this one, this guy and the bathroom one.
32:57Is it pouring in?
32:58Yeah. And I don't know how it's getting through.
33:00There is so much silicon around that window and in the fitting,
33:04and, like, there's so much...
33:05Right, let's draw...
33:07Let's draw a window in profile, OK?
33:12Then we've got the sill.
33:14The issue is that I don't have a sill.
33:16Where is 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. Look. 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, comes across the sill.
33:41But when it gets to here, because there's that space,
33:44the water hits that and drips off without hitting the face.
33:48Because the weak point in all the windows is on the underside of the sill.
33:53Now, 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.
34:03And it's still...
34:04I'm telling you, you need a windowsill on this here.
34:07So what do I do?
34:08I trim all of this back, trim that back, and put a sill all along.
34:11Put a sill from there to there, yeah?
34:15Let's go and see if we can get some kind of sill.
34:20As with all her materials, Lara's first thought is where can she blag what she needs for free?
34:26The good news is there's a local carpenter's nearby.
34:30Joinery shop here, we might have to beg, borrow and steal, but hopefully...
34:38How you doing?
34:39Hello.
34:40Could you help me out?
34:41We're after a hardwood sub-sill, about 1100 long.
34:46Would you have anything knocking around me to use?
34:48Come on in.
34:49Madam, we might be in luck, might be in luck.
34:53Local trades, building sites and timber merchants can all be great places to go if you're looking
34:58for offcuts.
34:59That's pretty perfect, but I need 1100.
35:03Oh, 1080.
35:05That's always the same.
35:06What about that one, Danny?
35:06Good for you?
35:07Let me see.
35:08Chuck that back in.
35:09Do you know what?
35:10This one is perfect.
35:11Got 1100, this is 1450, so you've got 350 left over.
35:16This is perfect.
35:17Could we use this?
35:18Yeah, no.
35:19By all means.
35:20It's just an offcut.
35:21We've run loads of those.
35:23How many Queen's shillings would you like for this?
35:26Don't worry about it.
35:26You sure?
35:27Yeah.
35:30Right.
35:31Lara.
35:32I see.
35:33Very.
35:34I see.
35:36This is exactly what you need.
35:39Mm-hmm.
35:40This is the baby.
35:41Mm-hmm.
35:41We're going to take 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.
35:50At 1,070.
35:53With the end in sight, it's crucial she gets this sill on quick before the next storm.
35:58The last thing she needs now is water getting in and 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.
36:09Oh!
36:11Right.
36:12So that goes in there.
36:13Glue it.
36:13Screw it in a position.
36:15Mm-hmm.
36:15And you know what?
36:16I think you'll have it cured.
36:18Coming up, I visit Lara's one last time.
36:21It's a lovely door.
36:24Hello.
36:25Hi.
36:27Lara.
36:28Did it.
36:29You 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 were possible.
37:05She set out to create a beautiful home on wheels.
37:08She could live in off-grid, deep in the woods.
37:18It's now the start of a new year.
37:20And hopefully a new life in her new home is just around the 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
37:42woodland clearing she chooses to 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.
37:59Look at you and your lovely new home.
38:00Come on in.
38:01I'll take my shoes off.
38:03Lara.
38:04Did it.
38:05You did it!
38:15She certainly has, and then some.
38:18This living area has a relaxed, carefree, well-traveled vibe about it.
38:23Much like Lara.
38:24But 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 and travelling and camping
38:34in a field somewhere, is it?
38:35No.
38:35This is luxury.
38:37I know.
38:37This is my home.
38:38You're going to live in this for a long time.
38:40I know.
38:40I know.
38:40It'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.
38:58Really 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 and hot.
39:07You'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.
39:28Like 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 the barn.
39:41That looked all rough and shabby.
39:43Yeah, heavy.
39:44And you put loads of work into it.
39:46So much work.
39:46Yeah.
39:47What I think is my favourite bit of the whole place.
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.
40:10And 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.
40:20It'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?
40:33I 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.
40:46So far.
40:46And you've put it into your travelling home.
40:49Yeah.
40:50It's beautiful.
40:50It's got a really nice layout.
40:52And 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.
41:05You've done a great job.
41:06Still got all the engineering.
41:07You'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.
41:13You'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, but 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, you've done such a beautiful job.
41:34Her mezzanine bedroom is a triumph.
41:36It'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, all the mod cons.
42:02Hey!
42:02It's an incredible bit of engineering.
42:04And you've taken it all on yourself.
42:05Yeah.
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 wheels 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 ten 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!
42:49A home.
42:50Yeah.
42:50Not just a house, a home.
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 on a trailer.
43:02Yeah.
43:03That can go anywhere.
43:04Not just in the country, but anywhere in the world.
43:06Yeah.
43:07I need some money to buy my solar panels to be off-grid.
43:11Right, okay.
43:12But then, yeah, go and live in the woods.
43:14It's a beautiful home.
43:16Wagons rolling.
43:17Yay!
43:20Lara's proof you 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.
44:01You'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, what 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.
44:56You just came up here and through the hard rock book.
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