Home Life Style The couple who transformed a 19th century railway goods shed into a stunning open plan home are being hailed as the ‘money pit’ behind George Clarke’s Amazing Renovations – after spending double their £250,000 budget.

The couple who transformed a 19th century railway goods shed into a stunning open plan home are being hailed as the ‘money pit’ behind George Clarke’s Amazing Renovations – after spending double their £250,000 budget.

by Merry
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Katherine and Marcus branded their new 'forever home' a 'money pit' after spending double their original budget renovating it (pictured: the couple in George Clarke's Amazing Renovations on Channel 4)

A couple have branded their new “forever home” a “money pit” after spending double their original budget renovating it.

Katherine and Marcus transformed a 19th century railway goods shed in Cam, Gloucestershire, into a stunning open-plan home for themselves and their three children, initially planning to build a ‘house within a house’ from scratch on a budget of £250,000.

Appearing on this week’s episode of George Clarke’s Amazing Renovations on Channel 4 on Wednesday night, the allergy nurse and her husband, a director of the company, told how they paid £78,000 for new windows and a new roof in the first few months, bringing their total spend to around £350,000.

By the time they completed the renovation, the pair had forked out a staggering £500,000, leading Marcus to lament that “nothing is cheap in the house” and calling it a “money pit” .

Katherine and Marcus branded their new 'forever home' a 'money pit' after spending double their original budget renovating it (pictured: the couple in George Clarke's Amazing Renovations on Channel 4)

Katherine and Marcus branded their new ‘forever home’ a ‘money pit’ after spending double their original budget renovating it (pictured: the couple in George Clarke’s Amazing Renovations on Channel 4)

The couple bought the 19th century railway goods shed in Cam, Gloucestershire, from Marcus' parents - with plans to turn it into a family home (pictured: inside the shed before renovation)

The couple bought the 19th century railway goods shed in Cam, Gloucestershire, from Marcus' parents - with plans to turn it into a family home (pictured: inside the shed before renovation)

The couple bought the 19th century railway goods shed in Cam, Gloucestershire, from Marcus’ parents – with plans to turn it into a family home (pictured: inside the shed before renovation)

The couple forked out a whopping £500,000 to renovate the Victorian shed into a stunning open plan home for the family of five (pictured: The ground floor of the shed after the renovation, which includes two living areas)

The couple forked out a whopping £500,000 to renovate the Victorian shed into a stunning open plan home for the family of five (pictured: The ground floor of the shed after the renovation, which includes two living areas)

The couple forked out a whopping £500,000 to renovate the Victorian shed into a stunning open plan home for the family of five (pictured: The ground floor of the shed after the renovation, which includes two living areas)

Appearing on George Clarke’s Channel 4 show Amazing Renovations on Wednesday night, the host congratulated the couple on their contemporary new build, but noted “it couldn’t have been cheap”.

Marcus retorted, “Nothing is cheap in this house. We called it the “money pit.” Everything is tailor-made, everything is tailor-made, everything costs money, a lot of money.

However, George’s attention was quickly brought back to the “great job” the couple had done in redeveloping the empty Victorian shed.

Marcus and Catherine married 17 years ago and lived in a house built in the 1990s, also in Gloucestershire.

Marcus’ parents, Daphne and Terry, once owned the railway goods shed they used for their skip business, but four years ago they were approached by developers to build a new estate on the surrounding land.

Keen to keep the shed within the family, Marcus bought it from his parents with the intention of renovating it into a living space.

The old shed is full of history, having been built in the 1850s with a new railway line to carry both goods and passengers.

The shed and surrounding marshalling yard also at one time housed animals from Bristol Zoo during the Second World War, when they were briefly sent there to escape the Blitz.

Marcus and Catherine ended up with a custom home full of character and a vast garden.

Marcus and Catherine ended up with a custom home full of character and a vast garden.

Marcus and Catherine ended up with a custom home full of character and a vast garden.

The couple had builders install a woven hanging chair in one of the living spaces.

The couple had builders install a woven hanging chair in one of the living spaces.

The couple had builders install a woven hanging chair in one of the living spaces.

However, at the end of the 20th century, road transport took over and the railway line was closed. Since then, the shed has been abandoned, in the center of a half-built housing estate.

Before its renovation, it was bare and empty, comprising only an office, a toilet, a mini kitchen and a caravan.

Viewers then learned that the couple would have to build a whole new level to house a family bathroom, three new bedrooms, a living room, dining room and kitchen for the new home.

To supplement this, the couple have budgeted £250,000, although Marcus added: “I expect that could rise.

“If you’re going to do it, let’s do it right the first time – it could be our family home, so why compromise?” We will only regret it,” he continued.

Marcus was keen to move forward after the couple had to wait four years to obtain planning permission for the Grade II listed building.

Viewers were told the couple would have to build a whole new level to house a family bathroom, three new bedrooms, a living room, a dining room and a family kitchen for the new home.

Viewers were told the couple would have to build a whole new level to house a family bathroom, three new bedrooms, a living room, a dining room and a family kitchen for the new home.

Viewers were told the couple would have to build a whole new level to house a family bathroom, three new bedrooms, a living room, a dining room and a family kitchen for the new home.

The old railway shed is steeped in history, having been built in the 1850s with a new railway line to carry both goods and passengers (pictured: The New House, aka the 'money pit') .

The old railway shed is steeped in history, having been built in the 1850s with a new railway line to carry both goods and passengers (pictured: The New House, aka the 'money pit') .

The old railway shed is steeped in history, having been built in the 1850s with a new railway line to carry both goods and passengers (pictured: The New House, aka the ‘money pit’) .

Later, when George visited the couple, they informed him that their expenses were already approaching £300,000.

Marcus said: “It would be nice to do it at £250,000, I think we’ll probably be closer to £300,000.

“It could be more depending on the level of development we do and our enthusiasm.

“If we spend £350,000 I don’t mind,” he added.

Marcus’ words came true when, six months into construction, he received a bill for £78,000: £50,000 for bespoke windows and £28,000 for a brand new roof.

And after another two months, the couple informed George of a new budget which had soared “north of £400,000”.

Marcus explained: “We didn’t skimp on anything…this is our forever home. I think it depends on us. We could have done things much cheaper, but we decided not to.

George praised them for doing a “great job” redeveloping the bare Victorian shed.

George praised them for doing a “great job” redeveloping the bare Victorian shed.

George praised them for doing a “great job” redeveloping the bare Victorian shed.

Despite the ups and downs, the couple say they left the project “delighted.”

“(We’re) excited,” Marcus said. “It turned out much better than we imagined. I don’t think Katherine saw much of the past while living in the dirty old shed.

Katherine agreed, although she admitted to “not enjoying” the climate construction process.

Then George braced himself as the pair revealed their final budget: “I think once we’re fully furnished, we’ll probably double our original budget.”

“So it’s half a million pounds,” George replied. But Marcus blamed the high bill on forgetting to budget for landscaping.

Reflecting on the completed house, he added: “It’s fantastic because we saved the building.

“I remember saying all those years ago that this would make a great house and I never thought we would get it.

“We gave him another life and it feels good.”

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