This is the inspiring moment an ambitious man from Grand Designs set out to build a roof himself – but a costly rainstorm threatened to derail the project.
Kara and her husband Jonny set out to build an “affordable but beautiful” home in the Pennines, West Yorkshire, in tonight’s episode of the Channel 4 soap.
The episode tells the emotional story of how Kara unexpectedly became confined to a wheelchair for life while on vacation after being diagnosed with a rare disease.
Kara has neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a worsening autoimmune disease that threatens to damage the nervous system, making her current home completely unsuitable for her needs.
As a result, enterprising electrician Jonny sets out to build his new house almost entirely on his own in a bid to improve the lives of himself and his two young children.
Kara and her husband Jonny set out to build an “affordable but beautiful” home in the Pennines, West Yorkshire, in tonight’s episode of Grand Designs, Kara and Jonny pictured with their son Isaac.
But when Jonny attempts to build the roof himself, a downpour threatens to derail the entire project.
The couple sold their previous home to finance the affordable but “stylish and sexy” home to give Kara the independence she craves.
In a particularly exciting moment in the new episode, his tight budget forces Jonny to start work on the building’s roof with only the help of two friends.
As host Kevin McCloud explains, it’s a process that “requires dry conditions,” as a single drop of water hitting the roof could derail the project entirely.
But soon heavy rains threaten the project and its tight budget.
Jonny says: ‘Everything is very wet… if you look down you can see how much water is coming out of the ceiling. So that’s how it is every day.’
The couple are on a tight budget of £380,000 to build the house, made even more risky by the fact that £100,000 needs to be borrowed.
Although every penny counts, Kara and Jonny spend £10,000 on a tin roof, but the extra scaffolding needed to protect it during the rain is an unexpected extra of almost £4,000.
This means that the roof will take weeks longer than expected to complete, and each delay wastes more valuable money from your strict budget.
The couple are on an extremely tight budget of £380,000 and every drop of rain threatens to drive up costs even further. Jonny appears in the photo.
Kara (right) was unexpectedly left wheelchair-bound, bound for life after being diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO).
Enterprising electrician Jonny sets out to build the house almost entirely on his own in a bid to improve their lives.
Kara previously ran her own holistic therapy business, but the family’s life changed forever when she was diagnosed with NMO.
During a family vacation, his legs began to go numb and he had to leave the plane in a wheelchair, never to walk again.
In the program, she emotionally confesses: ‘You don’t think it will ever happen to you that, as a family, you would have to face disability.’
A month and a half later, she and Jonny experienced another plot twist in their story when she discovered she was pregnant with their daughter Winnie, a sister of Isaac.
At the beginning of the show, the couple lives in Kara’s parents’ garage, an inadequate space for a family of four, especially with Kara in a wheelchair.
With a budget of £380,000, they set out to build a much larger single-storey house that would be “practical but beautiful”.
Kara’s vision for the project is clear in her intentions for the kitchen, as she says: ‘With this kitchen, I don’t want it to look like an NHS kitchen with grab bars.
“I don’t want it to look like it’s made for a wheelchair, I want it to look beautiful.”
In a particularly exciting moment in the new episode, his tight budget forces Jonny to start work on the building’s roof with only the help of two friends.
They are forced to pay for expensive scaffolding to keep their roof dry.
Even the building’s foundations cost more than £80,000, a significant part of its budget.
As well as the roof, which is “just the tip of the iceberg”, it takes Jonny almost two months to prepare the ground, and work on the property’s insulation and electricity.
The episode shows Kara’s frustrations at not being able to help with the project as much as she would like, while Jonny spends every afternoon and weekend dedicated to completing it after his day job as an electrician.
A fall at her previous home caused Kara to break her back and require metal work to support her spine.
To manage his pain, he takes about 20 pills every day, but says, “I’d rather watch my family grow than be 6 feet under.” I’ll take the pain because I need it, because I’m here.’
As well as the roof, which is “just the tip of the iceberg”, it takes Jonny almost two months to prepare the ground and work on the insulation and electricity of the property.
To be fully accessible, the floors must be completely level, with safety measures in place in case Kara falls.
In last week’s episode, Kevin McCloud was left stunned after an influencer couple managed to build their dream home without the help of Grand Designs – and even stayed within their budget.
Professional make-up artist and influencer Zara and her boyfriend Giuliano from Reading took a leap of faith to build their dream home in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
The couple bought a one-acre plot of land for £135,000 with a strict budget of £700,000 to build the property.
It was the challenge of a lifetime, as Zara and Giuliano had no construction experience and tried to complete most of the work themselves.
Against all odds, Zara, 31, and Giuliano, 29, managed to complete the ambitious project for just £625,000, and two months ahead of schedule.
To see the final reveal, watch Grand Designs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4.
