The House That 100K Built

S03:E02 - Derek & Christine

Despite retiring, Derek and Christine have no intention of slowing down. They want to move from Huddersfield to the south-east of England, but simply can’t afford the house prices. Their radical solution? At 71 years old, Derek is attempting to build his first house from scratch. Children of the ‘60s, Derek and Christine are flamboyant and sociable, but Piers Taylor and Kieran Long are concerned that their larger-than-life characters simply aren’t reflected in their home. The house has ordinary shaped rooms and a dark kitchen so Piers suggests flipping the layout for a show-stopping kitchen, dining and living space on the first floor – but will the couple be brave enough to make the leap? Kieran is concerned that bringing a lifetime of possessions into a brand new house could end up looking a jumble, so takes them to see a house by a Swedish interior designer who has perfected the art of mixing old with new. The house is full of ideas that not only look great but are also cheap: modern kitchen door handles are replaced with vintage pieces of cutlery that cost a few pounds, the family kitchen table is made out of legs from a junk shop and old wooden shelves from a cheesemaker – each item brings a sense of history into any new home. Then the unthinkable happens: they receive word the house may have been built in the wrong place! No contingency in the world would cater for knocking down a home and starting again. Will this gamble with their lifesavings end in disaster?