Throng

Wednesday 29th July 8.00pm

The property and lifestyle series continues with presenter Charlie Luxton. This week, Scott and Rachel hope to turn a neglected Georgian rectory into their dream family home in just three months. But with such a tight schedule, is the project in danger of becoming a speedy makeover, rather than the sensitive restoration they desire?

Scott and Rachel decided to move from their home town in Leicestershire to Great Casterton in Rutland County when Scott fell in love with a beautiful 18th-century Georgian rectory he spotted near the A1. The stunning 250-year-old property is set in two and a half acres of land and boasts its own lake. “This is just the sort of place we want to bring the kids up in,” says Scott. But after 20 years of neglect, the building needs a huge amount of work to restore it to its former glory.

The £800,000 rectory needs extensive repairs to the roof, new plumbing, heating and rewiring. The floors and 17 sash windows must also be restored. The couple plan to change the layout of the ground floor to incorporate two reception rooms and a large playroom. Upstairs will be two bedrooms for their daughters, with a shared en suite, and the master bedroom and bathroom. The second floor will have a further four bedrooms and another bathroom. “It’s critical that we do it right,” says Scott. But Charlie is concerned about the pair’s budget and timescale – they have given themselves just three months and a budget of £100,000. “We just sort of made it up, really,” admits Rachel.

There is bad news for Scott and Rachel when their contractor gives them a quote of £200,000 for the work. The pair decide to cut costs as the project progresses. “We’re looking for ways we can be frugal,” says Rachel. The first job is to strip back the layers of wallpaper and hack the plasterwork back to the original structure. The repairs to the roof also begin. “It’s nice to see some scaffolding up and work carrying on,” says Scott. The couple are keen to keep as many original features as possible. Nicholas also commissions an architect to design a grand portico for the front of the house.

Three weeks into the build, the property is already watertight. The stud walls are erected for the girls’ bedrooms and the plastering is almost complete. With the build progressing at pace, Charlie wants to see how the couple’s tight budget is faring. “We’re on about £175,000-£180,000 at the moment,” says Scott. The work continues at an extraordinary rate. At the halfway mark, the stone floor is laid in the hallway and the restoration of the 17 windows begins.

However, although Scott and Rachel’s build is on schedule, Charlie is concerned that the couple’s design ideas may not do justice to such a characterful home. He takes them to see another Georgian property that has been renovated in a more traditional manner, with antique furniture and soft colours. “This is in many ways what people think of when they think of a rectory,” he says. Rachel plans to paint their house in stark white and leave the floorboards bare. “I’m concerned that your house is going to be very, very echoey,” Charlie warns.

Scott and Rachel soon face a more immediate problem – they have failed to sell or rent their old home in Leicestershire. But with the tiling and windows on the rectory nearly complete, they decide it is time to move in. “Moving into the rectory is going to be such a different arrangement from here,” says Scott. The couple have finished the renovations bang on time. But what will Charlie make of the result?