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Building The Dream

Many people think building their dream home is out of their budget. But it doesn't have to be. As far as architectural designer Charlie Luxton is concerned, it doesn't have to break the bank, and he wants to prove it. As presenter of `Building the Dream', Luxton works with potential homeowners looking to turn a plot of land into their dream home that suits their lifestyles but doesn't cost too much to build. He helps them get the best out of their designs and introduces them to others who have created their own dream homes. The first-time builders then must choose whether to take the advice under consideration in their designs or ignore it and stick to their original plans.

Genre: Documentary, Reality,

Actor:

Creator:

Country:

Type: tv

Season: 10

Episode: N/A

Duration: 59 minutes

Release: 2013-09-10

Rating: 8

1"Hertfordshire"

2013-09-10

Architectural designer Charlie Luxton helps people build their dream homes. In Hertfordshire, Adam and Vicky want to construct a barn-style house in Adam's mum's garden.

2"Surrey"

2013-09-17

Charlie goes messing about on the river with Bill and Angie Jenkins, who plan to knock down their cold, old bungalow on the banks of the Thames and build a new home to match the stunning location

3"Somerset"

2013-09-24

Charlie Luxton meets Andrew and Vicki Dodden in Somerset, who have big plans to build their own eco-home out of an 18th-century cottage and save almost £150,000 by doing it their way

4"West Sussex"

2013-10-01

Charlie Luxton meets Ian and Steph Shaw who are self-building an oak-framed cottage in West Sussex. But is this what Steph really wants?

5"Wales"

2013-10-08

Charlie Luxton heads to Wales to meet Josh and Rhian Cooper, who plan to replace a 1960s detached house with a stylish home on the cliffs overlooking the seaside town of Aberdovey

6"Perthshire"

2013-10-15

Charlie meets Pete and Jen Chumley, who are building a five bedroom family home in rural Perthshire for themselves and children Niamh and Miles

7"Cambridgeshire"

2013-10-22

Charlie heads for Over in Cambridgeshire, where he meets Sally and John Lane, who are planning to save £125k by building a kit house from Germany

8"Hastings"

2013-10-29

Charlie meets Liz and Robin Leonard, who plan to build a three bedroom home with views over the Sussex coastline

9"North Somerset"

2013-11-05

Charlie goes to the West Country to meet Kevin and Liz Davies, who want to build a new family home. Charlie's got some thoughts on their designs, but will Liz be prepared to lose her sink with a view?

10"Warwickshire"

2013-11-12

Mark and Abigail Smyth want to build a barn style home and by choosing to self-build hope to save around £130,000. Charlie has several ideas on how Mark and Abi could adapt their plans.

11"Yarm"

2013-11-19

Charlie visits Andy and Mandy Boylett in Yarm, in the north east of England, where the couple are building a huge bungalow, complete with basement and sunken garden

1"Shropshire"

2014-08-26

Charlie helps Richard Southgate and his wife Kate as they build a five-bedroom family home in the beautiful Shropshire countryside

2"Buckinghamshire"

2014-09-02

Charlie assists with an eco-build on the banks of the Severn. Ele and Steve George could save themselves £50,000 and it should be a fast build - but manufacturing hold-ups and bad weather don't help.

3"Gloucestershire"

2014-09-09

4"Cheshire"

2014-09-16

Charlie Luxton looks to help retired couple Steve and Chris Elliot realise their dream of a modern eco-home inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement

5"Hertfordshire"

2014-09-23

Mark and Gillian Webb plan to build a large, modern home in the style of a Georgian rectory in Hertfordshire

6"Hampshire"

2014-09-30

Royal Navy helicopter pilot Chris Bennett and wife Sonya plan on demolishing a rundown bungalow and replacing it with a modern, two-storey home packed full of eco-features

7"Devon"

2014-10-07

Charlie Luxton heads to Devon to help glass-blower Siddy Langley self-build a combined home and studio. But flooding and huge interest payments on a loan put the project in jeopardy.

8"Norfolk"

2014-10-14

Gavin Panella and Chantal Schaul are self-building a little bit of continental Europe in the heart of Norfolk

9"Herefordshire"

2014-10-21

Tim and Fliss hope to get on the property ladder by self-building their first home together on a tiny strip of family land, saving £70k

10"Hull"

2014-10-28

Charlie helps fellow architect Jamie Ashton and his fiancée Joanne Scurr to self-build the perfect family home in Hull without compromising on design

11"East Sussex"

2014-11-04

Charlie Luxton heads to East Sussex, where paramedic Steve and his partner Hannah are self-building a straw-bale house in a beautiful woodland glade

1"Yorkshire"

2015-04-14

Rob and Claire Hartley are building a farmhouse on a spectacular site on their Yorkshire farm. Charlie Luxton has to step in as their budget - and roof - feel the strain.

2"Kent"

2015-04-21

Tracie and Craig want to knock down Tracie's childhood bungalow in Kent and replace it with a bold, contemporary house. They may have to settle for turning the garden shed into a shabby-chic bar

3"Cumbria"

2015-04-28

Charlie Luxton heads to Cumbria, where Andy and Amy have set their hearts on self-building a huge four-bedroom home with a farmhouse feel. But is the job too big for them?

4"Cotswolds"

2015-05-05

Charlie Luxton's own plans are on the line as he's commissioned to build a house for Tara and Dimitri on a tight budget and a tricky hillside plot in the Cotswolds

5"Humberside"

2015-05-12

Charlie Luxton helps Mick and Sally Wood build an enormous family home from the barns of a Grade II listed manor house

6"Cornwall"

2015-05-19

Charlie's in Cornwall helping Shelton and Jayne build a large, four-bed home in the back garden of their old one

7"Wiltshire"

2015-05-26

Charlie helps first-time self-builders Vince and Jackie Macey to create a super-sustainable, three-bedroom house

8"Devon"

2015-06-02

Charlie helps some turkey farmers who are desperate to finally put a proper roof over their kids' heads. Does their budget match their architectural ambition?

9"Gloucestershire"

2015-06-09

Charlie Luxton meets Karen and Colin, who want to self-build a family home with an ultra-modern metal roof. But, Charlie's worried the roof won't match.

1"Newcastle"

2015-11-24

Charlie meets Duncan and Susan Marshall, who hope to build a large Georgian-inspired home. But ancient mines are discovered under the site, blowing a large hole in their budget.

2"Peak District"

2015-12-01

Charlie comes to the aid of architect Matthew Lewis, who wants to build the perfect family home in an extraordinary site on the edge of the Peak District

3"Lancashire"

2015-12-08

Charlie Luxton meets a Lancashire couple trying to make a home on one of the most challenging sites he's ever seen, with a build that suddenly heads off on a different course

4"Sterlingshire"

2015-12-15

Charlie meets Morag and Heiko Buxel at their continental pre-fabricated home. The self-build should take only six weeks. What could possibly go wrong?

5"South Lanarkshire Barn"

2015-12-22

Charlie meets Jayne and Alistair Lewis, who are trying to self-build an innovative, barn-style home in South Lanarkshire that can grow and shrink to order

6"North Somerset"

2016-01-06

In north Somerset, Charlie Luxton visits Antony and Hayley Wild's striking self-build contemporary home, that has been 26 years in the planning

7"Hastings Revisit"

2016-01-13

Charlie Luxton returns to Hastings to find out if Robin and Liz's dream New England-style home is living up to expectations

8"Pembrokeshire"

2016-01-20

Charlie helps Graham and Dorothy with their upside-down eco-house by the sea. Can they get the job done in just 20 weeks?

9"Loughborough"

2016-01-27

Charlie Luxton comes to the aid of Liz and Craig in Loughborough, who can't agree on what the dream home they're building in their back garden should look like - traditional or contemporary?

1"Cotswolds"

2016-05-31

Charlie heads for the Cotswolds and Mandy and Tony Slater's ambitious self-build on a steep slope on a tight budget

2"Scottish Borders"

2016-06-07

Charlie Luxton visits a unique project in Peebles in Scotland, where the owner wants to build a home where all of the ground floor is given over to stables for her horses

3"Birmingham"

2016-06-14

Paul and Ruby Singh want to build a large home in Birmingham after years spent living miles apart. As the budget soars, can Charlie Luxton help rein it in?

4"Isle Of Wight"

2016-06-21

Charlie Luxton meets a mother and daughter who want to build a stylish contemporary house. But their budget is under pressure from day one.

5"Cornwall"

2016-06-28

Charlie helps Peter and Mollie Goodman build a continental kit home with coastal views. But his suggestions are met with skepticism.

6"Buckinghamshire"

2016-07-05

Charlie helps Kat Dancer build a contemporary farmhouse on the idyllic farm where she grew up

7"Cornwall"

2016-07-12

Charlie meets serial renovators Neil and Suzie, whose huge contemporary build in Cornwall is going to be very grand. But they've not given themselves much time to complete it.

8"South Wales"

2016-07-19

Jodie and Rhodri Howells must decide to either renovate the 50s bungalow on their countryside plot, or knock it down. Charlie's on hand with advice.

9"Lincolnshire"

2016-07-26

Juana and Trevor plan to knock down some decrepit barns and create their dream home. But is Trevor putting his health at risk by being so hands-on?

1"South East London"

2017-01-10

Charlie visits Sam and Eryka and their warehouse project in south east London

2"Hertfordshire"

2017-01-17

Charlie heads to Hertfordshire to help Roz and Mick Abrahams downsize and build a new compact, contemporary home on a new plot at the bottom of their garden

3"West Sussex"

2017-01-24

Charlie visits Cathryn and Adam Raybould, who plan to build their dream period home on Cathryn's family farm. But the project gets off to a bumpy start.

4"Fife"

2017-01-31

Alan and Lucy are building an upside-down house in Fife with stunning views of the Forth Bridge. Alan knows exactly what he wants, so what does he make of Charlie's suggestions?

5"North Yorkshire"

2017-02-07

Nick and Fiona plan a large warehouse-inspired home by the side of a canal. But is building on a flood plain a smart move?

6"Cambridgeshire"

2017-02-14

Charlie meets Mark and Helen, who have unearthed Roman and Anglo-Saxon artefacts that could stop them from building their new home

7"Kent"

2017-02-21

Charlie meets a couple building a modern family home in a conservation area in Kent who prove reluctant to take on any of his ideas.

8"Devon"

2017-02-28

Graham and Nicky Daniel plan an ambitious contemporary home on a secluded woodland site, doing much of it themselves. But have they underestimated the workload?

9"North Devon"

2017-03-07

Charlie Luxton meets Brian and Fiona, who want to build a home on a stunning coastal plot. Can Charlie convince them to take on his design suggestions?

1"South London"

2018-05-02

A self-building couple plan an urban marvel on a tight plot and an even tighter budget

2"East Yorkshire"

2018-05-09

Nick and Jane hope to turn an old bungalow into a contemporary home - on a budget so small that it almost defies belief. But will the project break them?

3"Woking, Surrey"

2018-05-16

Charlie heads to Woking to meet Jason and Philippa, who think they have discovered the perfect refurb project. But will it take them to the brink?

4"East Sussex Revisit"

2018-05-23

Charlie catches up with Steve and an eco-efficient, straw-baled, self-built home set in a woodland glade

5"Northamptonshire"

2018-05-30

New couple Rob and Jan aim to build a vicarage-style home in rural Northamptonshire. If Charlie can actually get them to agree on anything.

6"Firth of Forth"

2018-06-06

Charlie meets a couple who are building a traditional Scottish cottage between Linlithgow and the beautiful Firth of Forth. But the weather puts pressure on their ambitious build.

7"Cambridgeshire"

2018-06-13

Charlie heads to Cambridgeshire to meet two self-builders creating a family home that needs to be both techie, but also blingy. Can the two desires be reconciled?

8"Caterham"

2018-06-20

In Surrey, Ben and Nicola are transforming a dilapidated bungalow into a contemporary split-level home

9"Cambridgeshire"

2018-06-27

Charlie is in Cambridgeshire, where Darren and Luisa are on a voyage of discovery, building a picture-perfect waterfront home - a project with lots of issues

1"Todmorden, West Yorks"

2019-07-09

Emma and Martin are battling wind and snow to build a stone home on an imposing hilltop, in a project that's starting to run away from them.

2"Cambridgeshire"

2019-07-16

A Cambridgeshire couple are determined to build a huge barn-style home, but don't appreciate the sheer scale of the undertaking until it's too late.

3"West Sussex"

2019-07-23

In West Sussex, Med and Chandni build a large home on a tiny budget doing the work themselves. But determination and optimism will only get you so far. Can Charlie help with the rest ?

4"Leicestershire Revisit"

2019-07-30

Charlie catches up with Liz and Craig in Leicestershire. After much pain and hassle the couple have finally finished building a home in their garden. Was five years of upheaval worth it ?

5"Cambridgeshire"

2019-08-06

Chris and Philippa plan to self-build a smart four bed detached home for the cost of a tiny terrace. But keeping their costs down relies on favours, fortitude, and fortune.

6"Suffolk"

2019-08-13

In stunning rural Suffolk, laid back Steve and Susan's hit-and-hope construction of an oak-framed cottage urgently needs a pep talk from Charlie to get the project out of trouble and back in line

7"Shrewsbury"

2019-08-20

Charlie Luxton is in Shrewsbury with Dave and Elly, who are aiming to stamp their mark on a suburban street with a modern take on a Victorian terrace

8"New Forest"

2019-08-27

Charlie heads to the fringes of the New Forest, where serial renovators Glyn and Sue step up to the big league by building an oak-framed home for their retirement

9"Essex"

2019-09-03

Charlie Luxton travels to Essex, where Carla and Elliot are striving to deliver a smart contemporary home in a woodland clearing for themselves and their five daughters

10"Cambridgeshire"

2019-09-10

Gung-ho Cambridgeshire couple Steve and Sylvia are convinced enthusiasm and blind ambition is enough to bring their property dream to life. Is it really that simple?

1"Yorkshire"

2020-03-18

Helen and Gary have plans for an affordable, and very big, self-build in York. Charlie's the boss of a bricklaying company and hopes his contacts can ensure a smooth build. But it doesn't go to plan.

2"Lowestoft, Suffolk"

2020-03-25

On the Suffolk coast, Charlie Luxton helps newly-retired Marisa and Andrew set out to build a bespoke home that'll turn heads, but fate deals them a painful blow

3"Wymeswold, Leicestershire"

2020-04-01

Charlie Luxton is in Wymeswold in Leicestershire with Ally and James, who've taken a gamble buying a tricky site that eats up almost all of their cash before work even begins

4"Derbyshire"

2020-04-08

Rookie builders Sean and Jill are building a traditional home with a contemporary twist on an exposed Derbyshire hillside, while living in a caravan with their four children, a dog and eight puppies

5"Devon"

2020-04-15

In Devon, Charlie revisits glassblower Siddy, who hoped to transform her studio into a home and workspace. After years of disasters, is her dream a reality?

6"Berkshire"

2020-04-22

Tom and Georgina plan to renovate and supersize a run-down bungalow. But when Charlie offers his opinion, the project takes a new direction, and knocking down and starting again piles on the pressure.

7"West Yorkshire"

2020-04-29

Charlie's in West Yorkshire with Phil and Adrienne who plan to build a modern home on a tricky sloping plot. But will a family tragedy stop them in their tracks?

8"Essex"

2020-05-06

Charlie's in Essex with financial analysts Ronnie and Dana who want to convert an ancient barn into a stunning home, but can they keep their costs under control?

9"Norfolk"

2020-05-13

Charlie's in Norfolk with Ness and Tony who have ambitious plans for their self-build, including a seven-metre-high tower clad in flint. But time and money start to run out...

10"Hampshire"

2020-05-20

Charlie's in Hampshire with Nikki and Darren, who've struck gold with their stunning seaside plot but don't have the budget to match their million-pound view

1"Hertfordshire"

2021-04-28

Charlie's in Hertfordshire with Bob and Wendy, who are creating the perfect place to play music, paint and write in their garden. But will they finish the build with their ever-expanding budget?

2"Surrey"

2021-05-05

Charlie's in leafy Surrey with Chris and Gemma, who are building an Arts and Crafts-inspired home of grand proportions while juggling a growing family

3"Hampshire"

2021-05-12

Charlie's in Hampshire with Ryan and Jenny, as they bring a derelict barn back from the brink. But keeping the rickety shell upright is easier said than done...

4"Somerset"

2021-05-19

Charlie meets Tom and Laura, who are realising Tom's long-held ambition to build a home on his family's farm in Somerset. But there's an issue with their plans...

5"Devon Revisit"

2021-05-26

Charlie catches up with Graham and Nicky, who planned to build an ambitious family home in the Devon countryside. Six years on, is it finally finished?

6"Fife"

2021-06-02

Charlie Luxton meets Olwen and Ben, who are embarking on a daring self-build in the picturesque town of St Andrews. But building something new in the oldest part of this medieval Scottish town is not for the faint-hearted, and soon both their timescale and budget expands - as does their family.

7"Falmouth"

2021-06-09

Charlie Luxton travels to Cornwall to meet Sam and Esme, who are building a home in an old quarry overlooking the harbour town of Falmouth. Building against a sheer rock face leaves the couple with a mountain to climb as their budget soars, but a feat of engineering allows this determined duo to crack on in a bid to complete their dream home.

8"Leicestershire"

2021-06-16

Charlie Luxton meets Lloyd and Caroline, who plan to build a sustainable home in Leicestershire. Charlie is worried that their eco-design might cost them the earth, but former soldier Lloyd is determined to run the build like a military operation. However, even his organisational skills cannot ward off a huge crisis with their budget, and what starts out as a passion project soon turns into an endurance test.