Shropshire couple's house restoration to feature on top TV show
[gallery] Looking at this Georgian farmhouse you wouldn't know it, but just two years ago it was falling to pieces – beams were broken, walls damaged and some rooms exposed to the elements.
But in a £150,000 project that ended up running slightly over budget, this family has restored the home to its former glory and is set to feature on George Clarke's programme, The Restoration Man.
Russell Edwards, 31 and partner Nadia Smith, 31, from Wem, are thrilled to finally be settled in their home, after living in a caravan whilst tirelessly restoring the building.
"I always wanted to build my own house, but instead we've ended up restoring one which has been fantastic – but it is definitely the harder way to do it," said Mr Edwards, who runs plumbing and electrical company Edwards Contracting.
"We have had to take everything down, clean it, restore it and put it back up. It is harder than just building from scratch.
"It is about three times harder – we must have spent two weeks just sanding down some cupboards.
"But with original cupboards and things you can't just get rid of them, so we repaired them and kept them in the house. "
The couple bought the mid-8th century farmhouse, Foxholes Farm in an auction during the summer of 2012.
By October, the couple and their newborn baby moved into a caravan to get started on the work.
Mr Edwards said: "It was really run down when we bought it, and we have done it up ourselves entirely.
"I think it's a bit different having a team of 10 or 20 people behind you, but it has just been us with help from some friends."
The house has been entirely revamped, keeping the features and style as close to original as possible.
"We have kept all the original features that we could," said Mr Edwards.
"There are of course some things that have changed – the bathroom would have been an out house so we have styled that as much as possible to keep with the rest of the house."
The red brick house now features a stunning beamed wall to the back, exposed brickwork inside with five bedrooms, a kitchen dining area and a living room.
And the huge project caught the attention of TV presenter and architect George Clarke from day one.
The show features the couple alongside others around the country taking on old buildings and restoring them to their original style.
"It was really hard work having the film crew there. It took a lot of organising and making sure there was something to film each day.
"But George was ace. He was really interested in what we were doing and they all helped out."
But despite the amount of work that has taken nearly two years to complete, the couple, along with children Jude, 2 and Vinnie, 10 weeks, have plans for more.
"We have planning permission for an extension to the house as well – it would double the footprint pretty much," said Mr Edwards.
"We are hoping we would have a larger kitchen and another bedroom in the house."
The couple will feature on the new series of Channel 4's The Restoration Man when it begins in January.
