Thursday, 19 June
6.05pm

Tony and Sharon Relph have fallen in love with a completely dilapidated Georgian house in London and they hope to restore it to its former glory. Working with a very small budget, Tony plans to do all the work himself while Sharon will earn money as a freelance make-up artist to pay for the renovation. It's an unbelievably ambitious project, but both seem determined to keep as much of the original building intact as possible, no matter what it takes. If they manage to restore the grade 2 listed house in Georgian style, the local council will allow them to live there rent free for a period of their lease.

For the time being Tony and Sharon are living in a small flat nearby. Sharon works long hours while Tony tries to fix the roof and make fundamental repairs. One of the first jobs Tony tackles is to have the original marble fireplace totally restored despite having found it shattered into a hundred pieces. Next, some careful chemical peeling reveals a beautiful cornice in the living room which had been concealed by layers and layers of paint. Despite such wonderful architectural finds, work is often inhibited by dry rot and peeling plaster. In parts, the house is still the embodiment of decay and a few months down the track the roof is still not repaired.

While Tony scours markets and salvage yards for original fittings, Sharon chooses a colour scheme and wallpaper. When Tony and Sharon move in only four rooms are completed, but the result is stunning. They end up with a modern interpretation of a period home with close attention to detail and sensitive repair. It's been a true labour of love. As for the rest of the house…at least they have a long lease!