Billie Faiers checks progress on her £1.4million dream home in Essex

They bought the land of their dream home almost two years ago.

And on Wednesday, Billie Faiers arrived to check on the progress of her mansion in Brentwood, Essex, a year after builders first began renovating the 1920s property.

The 31-year-old Mummy Diaries star was spotted inspecting the top floor of the sprawling mansion, while a team of builders continued to work.

Cloaked in sweat and carrying a notebook, the mother of two carefully walked out the front door and down the gravel driveway to her car.

The grounds of the huge mansion have yet to be laid out, while tiling is still being done on the excavated pool. Diggers are busy in the garden digging up the dirt in preparation for laying the lawn.

At the back of the house only a small part of the scaffolding remains to be able to put the finishing touches on the white painted exterior walls.

Work on the house started in January 2021 after months of delays due to: planning fights with their new neighbors.

Still in progress: The grounds of the massive mansion have yet to be laid out, while tiling is still in progress on the excavated pool. Diggers are in the yard digging up the dirt to prepare the lawn

Project Manager Mode: Dressed in sweat and with a notepad, the mother of two carefully walked out the front door and up the dirt drive to her car

Last year, Billie, 31, admitted to not talking to neighbors at her new Brentwood home after they opposed the couple’s plans to demolish the original dilapidated house and replace it with a five-bed palace.

No bridges have been built since they were granted planning permission in August 2020, with Billie saying, ‘We haven’t seen anyone. But it’s just not a good start, is it?’ About the house, which was built in the 1920s, she continues: ‘The house is so old, whoever bought it would have to renovate it.

“There’s only one neighbor next to us and he had a lot of reasons why he didn’t want us to continue, but eventually things got a little crazy. It’s been a very long journey and it’s about to come under even more pressure as the builders get to work.”

Major project: the grounds of the mansion are littered with rubble while several builders’ vans are parked

Stressful project: Last year, Billie, 31, admitted to not talking to neighbors at her new Brentwood home after they opposed the couple’s plans to demolish the original dilapidated house and replace it with a palace with five beds

Moving day soon? Work on the house began in January 2021, after months of delays over scheduling spats with their new neighbors

According to the planning application, all five bedrooms will be on the first floor and the en-suite master bedroom has a huge dressing room. Three of the other en-suite bedrooms have walk-in closets.

Greg, 35, has been given permission to add a ‘man’s den’, converting the original garage into a gym and games room, and adding a playroom for their two children.

They will also add a two-storey side extension, single additions to the front and rear, and a complete redesign of the outdoor space.

Billie admitted in March that she wouldn’t have bought the home had she known the “headache.”

Family home: Billie moves into home with husband Greg Shepherd and their children Nellie, seven, and Arthur, four (pictured on a family vacation to the Maldives in December)

Almost there? At the back of the house only a small amount of scaffolding remains to allow the finishing of the white painted exterior walls

She said, ‘Now someone else has also told us that we should probably consider tearing down the house and starting all over again, it’s going to be one after the other.

‘We are now almost a year later. It would have been nice to know that six to eight months ago, because if we’re going to demolish the house, it means we’ll have to reapply for planning permission and start this process all over again.

“I don’t regret buying the house, but if I had known it would have taken more than a year to find a contractor I probably wouldn’t have done it because I didn’t know how long things would take.” to last. to take.’

Stress: Billie admitted in March that she wouldn’t have bought the house had she known the ‘headache’