Building the Dream

Charlie helps Richard Southgate and his wife Kate as they build a five-bedroom family home in the beautiful, Shropshire countryside. Richard runs a car dealership and the family has been crammed into the flat above the showroom for two years. They found their dream plot but that was six years ago, and since then they've really lost their way. If all goes well, they could have a £1,000,000 house for under £600,000. But Richard's dream of a basement bat-cave means the couple will need to dig deep in more ways than one.

Charlie meets Mark and Amanda Hepden who are self-building a cottage in Stony Stratford. Amanda is a sales co-ordinator and Mark a carpenter who takes on a lot of the work. If they complete it for £145,000, they could have a £75,000 profit to reinvest. The plot's tight, as is their budget - and a supplier goes bust leaving them thousands down. As they invest more time and money, Charlie wonders whether they are falling permanently in love with what's supposed to be a halfway home. To prove that big isn't always best, Charlie arranges a visit another tiny house that's perfectly formed.

Charlie gets stuck in to an eco-build on the banks of the River Severn. Ele and Steve George could save themselves a cool £50,000 and it should be a fast build - but manufacturing hold-ups and bad weather soon throw things off-course. Then they have the added complication of juggling both a new build and a new baby. To provide a boost, Charlie sends the couple to visit one of Britain's most energy-efficient self-built homes.

Charlie Luxton looks to help retired couple Steve and Chris Elliot realise their dream of a modern eco-home inspired by the Arts and Craft movement. DIY enthusiast Steve thinks he can save money by doing a lot of the work himself, but Charlie's worried that he's taking on too much.

Mark and Gillian Webb plan to build a large, modern home in the style of a Georgian rectory in Hertfordshire. When it comes to getting their hands dirty, the couple expect to do little more than make the sandwiches; but when the budget gets stretched, they find themselves a lot more hands on than that.

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. Chris is project managing the build, but after a smooth take-off they hit some major turbulence.

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