Nick Knowles: Original Home Restoration

Emma and Andy Ratcliffe live with their two children, 5 greyhounds and sundry chickens in an 1860 schoolhouse. The Ratcliffe's are a resourceful family who prides themselves on spotting bargains in antique houses, reclamation yards, and on the internet. Nick Knowles follows the Ratcliffes as they renovate their kitchen and dining room and reveals the astonishing true history of their house.

When they moved into their Georgian townhouse in Bath, Peter and Liza Saunders discovered an old pair of shoes hidden in a wall with a note saying that they must not be removed from the house. Meanwhile, Nick Knowles unearths the history of the house and tells the story of one of the earliest owners, Benjamin Barker, landscape artist. He also tries to solve the mystery of the ancient shoes!

Mike Peace and Tracy Daly have bought Knapp Farm, a whitewashed farmhouse sitting just outside Taunton. Tracy is determined to prove that part of the house is medieval. Key suspects are an ancient cob wall on the ground floor and a mysteriously carved door upstairs. Nick Knowles goes in search of the truth and uncovers a disturbing fact about the odd door and disappointing news for Tracy.

A young IT worker tackles the renovation of his mid-terraced ex-miner's cottage near Manchester. As this DIY novice attempts to transform the drab decor, Nick helps out with some great design ideas. But the real story is the area's past dependence on coal, which is the intriguing connection between the house's history and our budding DIYer's own ancestry that makes this project truly personal.

Ian and Trisha Harrison are renovating an early Victorian house in the center of Exeter. In this episode, an interior designer helps the Harrisons work within the awkward attic space and we take them on a historical journey that uncovers a tale of 19th-century bankruptcy and the horrors of the blitz.

Colin and Emma Bannon bought a beautiful regency villa in Leamington Spa. They moved in when baby Elliot was only 4 weeks old and the race is on to get the house warm and safe before he starts crawling! Presenter Nick Knowles takes the Bannon's on an inspiring trip to another British Spa city to uncover an extraordinary connection between their house and Canada, Colin's birthplace.

This week, two young sisters from Bristol transform a humble upstairs space into a glamorous Victorian feature bathroom on a shoestring budget. Nick sends the girls on a trip of a lifetime to get to grips with Art Nouveau interior design. It's the history that Nick digs up that proves that even the humblest of period properties can have interesting stories to tell.

Divorcee Emma House moved into her odd three-story home in a Warwickshire village 2 years ago. Emma is a museum designer and wants to use her skills to transform her bedroom into a truly stylish space. With no deeds, dating the house has proven difficult. Nick Knowles explores its history, going back 500 years, investigates the rumor that it was once a pub and even brings in William Shakespeare!

Former Army Captain Mark Mathews and wife Maria, actress and style journalist, have moved with their 2 children into a Georgian millhouse in sleepy Somerset. Nick finds some unusual artifacts that cast light on the millhouse's past. As the team reveals the truth of its origins, the lives of the Georgian owners and their unusual influence on the architecture of the house itself also emerge.

Nicola and Stuart Wilkes have moved with their 2 children into a classic 1960's suburban house in Llantwit Major. They have decided to spend $70,000 building an ambitious extension. Interior design expert Nicky gives the house a 60's makeover while Stuart nervously watches the finances. Meanwhile, Nick explores classic 60's design and finds that it never really went out of fashion!