Build A New Life In The Country

Michael and Lisa and their two children, Thomas and Lucy have bought Bankwood Barn in Nottinghamshire. Built in the 1600's, they want to convert this derelict building into a contemporary home with eco features.

David and Barbara are determined not to have a boring retirement! They have bought the Belle Tout Lighthouse near Eastbourne which they plan to convert into a luxury B&B. They paid 500K for the unusual building and plan to spend hundreds of thousands of pound bringing it back to its former glory.

The Body family have always had a passion for boats so when David and Hilary Body got fed up with working long hours and spending little time with their two teenage daughters, they decided to pursue their dream of renovating a boat and running cruises on the canals of Burgundy.

Since meeting six years ago, Keith and Antoinette Fairhurst have always had the ambition of moving their young family to France. The couple have bought an 1800's chateau style house in the picturesque thermal spa village, Alet Les Bains, in the south of France which they want to convert into a family home and B&B.

Dawn and Marcus Hardie want to give their three daughters an amazing childhood in the Caribbean. They are fed up with their busy stressful lives in London and want a more relaxed pace of life. Dawn's mother is from Barbados and they have inherited a plot of land on this paradise island where they plan to build an open plan home with a two bedroom apartment and its own pool.

Hugh and Jude are looking forward to the next chapter in their lives. They have given up Surrey life to create a more sustainable way of living in North Wales. They have bought a 15 acres smallholding with a rundown farmhouse which they will renovate and extend to create their home and also derelict barns which they will turn into holiday lets, to provide essential income for their retirement.

Mark Norman used to spend 70 hours a week working as a car salesman and missed out on his children's toddler years. He's now retrained as a teacher and during the school holidays plans to build his own home with his wife Patsy.

Rebecca and James lived in South London until 2003 when they moved to Buckinghamshire to stay with Rebecca's mother following the death of her father. The move soon became permanent and three years ago they bought a 1960's bungalow on a plot of land in the village where Rebecca grew up.

The Kennedy family have decided to leave behind their city lives to renovate and restore a "once in a lifetime" property in Canterbury, Kent. They have bought a 500 year old grade 2 listed building on the banks of a river. A complete overhaul is required and because of its age the building has to undergo an archaeological dig before the builders move in.