Martin Whyment is desperate to get on the property ladder. A young man running his own pizza van business, he has saved enough money to buy a backland site in the centre of Leeds to build himself his first home. But when the bank refuses him a mortgage, Martin is left with only one option - to ask his retired parents to lend him their own hard-earned savings. And for an ex woodwork teacher and school administrator that represents a huge gamble...
Twice-widowed, Sumati Bala thought she had found the perfect spot to spend the rest of her life: a beautifully located cottage in need of updating just outside Berwick upon Tweed. She moved in and planned to run her small cookery school there but the house of her dreams soon turns into a nightmare as serious problems emerged, from asbestos to rising damp. With the house condemned, Sumati is forced to knock down the troubled cottage and try to build a new one in its place. As the bulldozers move in, she witnesses the bulk of her life savings pulled to the ground and with just £50,000 left, she has to start from scratch. Homeless, with no self-build experience or family nearby, Sumati is facing the monumental challenge alone.
On the brink of retirement, Shropshire farmers Ruth and Tony are at the point in their lives when they hope to start taking life easy. However, faced with a crumbling farmhouse, they are having to knock it down - and they have ambitious plans to replace it with a determinedly modern design.
Currently living in a shared house with friends, ambitious young couple Tom and Zoe are desperate to move into their first home together. Not wanting to settle for the uninspiring homes that their small budget would buy them in Cambridgeshire, they have bravely opted to buy a plot of land on a housing estate and build their own. Planning permission dictates a relatively conventional home on the outside but they have plans to make it spectacular on the inside.
After living their whole lives in conventional houses with every modern convenience, Jane and Andy have bought a plot on an eco-community in West Wales where they can build their own home and live a self-sufficient lifestyle. As passionate environmentalists, they intend to build the house with locally sourced materials and to demonstrate that it is possible to build an environmentally friendly and comfortable house.
Newly-engaged couple Mary and Justin are desperate to build a life together in rural Devon where they and generations of both of their families are from. But with house prices soaring, the market for first-time buyers is desperately grim. They are left with one option - if they want to stay where they know and love, they need to build their own house.
Kieran Long and architect Piers Taylor revisit the houses that featured in The House That £100k Built. In this first episode, pizza van owner Martin from Leeds not only saved money but also improved his building by stepping out of his comfort zone, ditching conventional approaches to the build. But now, he's still got a series of rooms to finish and is at a total loss of what to do. Piers must find a way to rejuvenate Martin's thirst for an incredible home without blowing his budget. Kieran and Piers struggled to get Ruth and Tony to see how important decisions they made on the outside of their home were to it fitting in with the stunning Shropshire landscape. Now, they are facing their biggest and final challenge - to make their modern home blend with the ramshackle collection of buildings that surround it. But will inspiration from one of the country's most stunning contemporary homes be too much for them, and can a solution be found for less than £200?
Kieran Long and architect Piers Taylor revisit the houses that featured in The House That £100k Built. Sumati had just £50,000 to build her home in the Scottish borders. She wrestled with fresh design ideas and inexpensive interior finishes, but a year on her home remains incomplete and is now under threat. With driving wind and rain causing damage to the unfinished exterior, Piers must find a way to reinvigorate Sumati to complete her home before it's too late. Young Devon farmers, Justin and Mary, spent every penny they had creating their first home together. Today it is home to baby Oscar too, but their low cost home is dominated by a forest of baby gates and their prime living spaces have become cramped and cluttered. With a budget of just £200, Piers is challenged to come up with a bespoke design solution to reclaim their precious space - but having shied away from distinctive design ideas in the past, will Justin and Mary take the leap?
Journalist Kieran Long and architect Piers Taylor attempt to find innovative and inspirational ideas to help Wajid and Anam build a three-storey, six-bedroom home in Burnley, Lancashire. Anam’s baby is due in a few months, so it is no longer realistic for her and husband Wajid to share a home with eight members of their family. Piers pushes them to commit to bold architectural solutions, while Kieran scours the nation for low cost examples of the luxury they desire.
Journalist Kieran Long and architect Piers Taylor follow the progress of Sholto and his partner Marcus. When the latter had to have a double organ transplant, the couple decided to leave their cramped house in the South of England and bought a rural patch of land in Scotland, 40 miles east of Inverness. The dream was to build their own residence, but finding a kit home which suited their needs was a struggle, so Piers and Kieran attempt to get the most out of their budget.
Journalist Kieran Long and architect Piers Taylor meet Andrew and Claire, who have ditched their nine-to-five lives and gambled everything on a fledgling free-range egg farm - but still need a family home. They have plans to build a basic chalet-style bungalow. However, Kieran is concerned they'll end up with little more than a larger version of the static caravan they are desperate to move out of, while Piers challenges them to bring their own personality into their abode.
Kieran Long and Piers Taylor follow the progress of Jo'ann and Andy, who are attempting to build a home from scratch that will never produce a heating or electricity bill. Bare concrete floors and breeze block walls are helping the budget, but will their compact residence feel more basic bunker than family home? As well as taking them to an award-winning eco-home in Nottingham, Piers encourages them to design a lighting scheme with a sheet of acrylic and a £5 light fitting. However, as their budget runs low, decisions on where to invest and where to save become tricky.
Heidi grew up in the countryside near Inverness, but she and husband Steven can't afford a home there. They've decided to try to construct one, but their strategy is a risky one. Heidi's parents have agreed to temporarily re-mortgage their own home to fund the £70,000 build cost. The couple are keen to do as much of the work as possible, so Kieran Long takes them to see a property which is full of low-cost ideas that could add character to their home. Meanwhile, Piers Taylor visits a boat yard and a plastics bending factory in his search for design solutions that could be achieved on Heidi and Steven's budget.
Sue and Tim set out to prove they can build a low-cost contemporary farmhouse without scrimping on aspiration. Piers Taylor and Kieran Long are concerned that the cheap materials they plan to use could compromise the building's success, so Kieran shows them the latest in contemporary homes, and Piers helps them achieve a good look for less money. However, a major structural problem emerges that threatens the future of the project. Will they even be able to complete the home that they had such big dreams for?
Journalist and curator Kieran Long and architect Piers Taylor visit Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, to follow the progress of Alistair and Karen, who are hoping that building their dream home will be the key to a mortgage-free life. Kieran and Piers hunt out ingenious ways to improve the couple's design so that they can get the best possible house on their budget.
Retired couple Derek and Christine from Huddersfield attempt to build their first house from scratch in the south-east of England. However, the development does not go according to plan when the unthinkable happens, and they receive word that the house may have been built in the wrong place.
Jason and his Finnish wife Riikka attempt to build an ambitious modern home predominantly using glass and steel as principal materials, which will highlight the sea views on their plot of land in Torquay. However, the project is beset by problems due to winter storms, injuries and numerous other setbacks, leading to a long and complicated construction.
With a new baby and a lively toddler, Neil and Amanda decided to knock down their small, dilapidated house to try and build a larger one on a budget of £50,000, dreaming of something inspired by medieval timber frame homes. Piers Taylor rips up their plans and begins to redesign the entire home from scratch, urging them to invest their money in a handmade timber frame with traditional joints and handmade dowels, while Kieran gives them advice on ensuring it doesn't look like a Tudor theme pub.
Kevin and Lesley have lived on the Isle of Sheppey for over a decade and have longed for the perfect home in their dream location, and have decided to design an eye-catching house that echoes the nearby seaside. Elsewhere, farmers Sue and Tim complete the interior work in their ambitious cantilevered home, which has been an on-going project for around nine years.
Jody & Lori: Following people trying to build a house on less than £100k. Jody and Lori have outgrown their cramped house near Southend and are desperate for a modern family home.
