Build A New Life In The Country: Derelict House | History Documentary | Reel Truth History

Architect George Clarke offers advice to a married couple relocating to Ireland, where they plan to live a mortgage-free, self-sufficient existence with their daughter. With a budget of £14,000 to renovate a derelict house that has been empty for more than 30 years, they expect to move into their new home within four months.
Presented by architectural designer Charlie Luxton, Build A New Life follows people leaving the rat-race of the city in pursuit of new lifestyles and new homes in the countryside. The dream houses they are creating are inspiring, architecturally challenging and are all undertaken with a modest budget.
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[@julesworld5546]

There were times I just wanted to give Chris a hug. Poor guy looked positively battered! Wonderful job!!! 😊

[@ladyvalhalla7154]

@@truthiseverything9511 I agree. Poor man will drop under all that weight

[@SteveLMarston]

I found this to be a very moving story about a family, a couple, with so much love for their child, that whatever it took, they would give her her dream, and at the same time, a way of life for them. Yes, their initial budget was not realistic (£14K) , but with help from a truly loving family, and donations, the dream became reality. Bravo to them all.

[@kizzy2874]

I love seeing people getting out there and going after their dreams and living life! Great work. Hope they have a long happy life here.

[@OUigot]

Seeing them at the start of the video and then fast forwarding and seeing how happy and refreshed they look at the end of the video just goes to show anyone how living in cities and working for corporations drains the life and soul out of people. Most people today look like the "before" picture.....drained!!

[@nanpringle8607]

Wonderful results!

[@vesnarajic5276]

Yes, that's right!

[@janedoe805]

Congratulations on your new home! You guys did a wonderful job! I hope you’re living room gets finished faster than expected! Demelza is a beautiful and well spoken little girl.

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

Thank you Jane! Demelza is a beautiful, well spoken 20 year old young woman now! We are still here, going strong!!

[@hnbee7573]

Absolutely loved this build! The family's resilience is inspiring. They ended up escaping the grind to live their dream! I also love their rustic decorating style. Well done!

[@caboose1909]

I have never seen so many negative comments about a family following their dream. It may not be your dream, but why the need to put others down? I marvel at their fortitude. Nicely done.

[@lorimcneil3773]

People like these two are the kinds who built our countries. The sheer level of determination and love for what they are doing is very inspiring. I would love to see how they are doing in 2019, twelve years later. Thank you!

[@bluebird5361]

I agree. And I bet they are doing really well. I would also love to see a follow-up.

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

Thank you. I am OBSESSED with pioneers. Little house on he prairie and all that!! We are still going strong! 15 years later.

[@ohioitis200]

When rehabbing an old place I've learned a few things. Make a plan and plan your work. Prioritize what needs done the most such as roof, floors and heat. Get some truckloads of horse manure dumped on your garden site and let it sit until early spring when the ground thaws, then set some chickens loose and plant as soon as the weather allows.. Fix a few rooms downstairs near the heat to be used for winter and let the rest go until you can work on them one by one. Fix the kitchen first and it can be used as the kitchen, dining, living room for quite a while. Children are resilient. Many have lived without luxuries (even electricity) for centuries...it's all in your outlook. In USA people are choosing to live in campers now. I'd love to see the house and land as it is now.

[@lamoinette23]

the little girl is now nearly 20.. but yes. they had no concept how to plan and not suffer so much. really felt sorry for the little girl.

[@LadyIarConnacht]

Excellent advice.

[@Morningstar-xz5bl]

I'd love to live in a place like that, was thinking of selling house in the city and buying a house and some land in the country, do you think it's possible to live self sufficiently with two teenagers

[@ohioitis200]

@@lamoinette23 Wow, was there ever a follow-up to the story?

[@lamoinette23]

@@ohioitis200 not that i know of.. :/

[@o2bnov0307]

I wanted to cheer when I saw them smooth out the concrete. My mouth fell open when I saw the "reveal" at the end of the show. Amazing!

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

Awww. Thank you. Our fabulous neighbours came and smoothed the concrete...They were like the cavalry arriving just in time and making it all look fabulous. Con, the man you can see doing the smoothing, is no longer with us. RIP. We love our house too!!

[@NC-ij9rb]

@@rebeccapalmer3343 please stop replying to these comments. We know you’re proud of your house and you should be but it’s just a bit cringy when you comment on your own show,

[@luditebreaker5065]

@@rebeccapalmer3343 thanks for replying dear. We all would love to see your KZbin channel

[@robertrussell8980]

A super challenge met head on. Well done

[@STICKITINYOUREAR]

@@NC-ij9rb - Who is " we"? Most people here are thrilled that Rebecca has come back after 15 years to set the record straight and tell us how her life is now !

[@bluebird5361]

George. being a trained Architect, is baffled by Dreamers. A Dream is inside a person and so often Dreamers launch out to get on with it, in faith that it will work. It's not a visible thing. A Dream is invisible and the support for it manifests as they go along. This, for George, seems to be terrifying, no matter how often he sees it actually materialize. The hardest part for Dreamers, is to not be affected by "Dream-Stealers". ("Don't let anybody steal your Dream.") This Dream was in Rebecca and she didn't let anybody steal it. And she is so proud of Chris and gives him so much credit! Wonderful!!

[@susangarland6869]

Dreamers are useless. They are too enthralled by their emotions and fantasies to accomplish anything worthwhile.

[@bluebird5361]

@@susangarland6869 Everyone is created with a Dream inside. True joy comes when we fulfill that dream. I watch lots of Dreamers and am amazed at what they accomplish. You have a Dream inside you. It is up to you what you do about it.

[@mrmc2465]

The guy was a carpenter and the show made them look hopeless when they were absolutely not

[@annemccaffrey3933]

I have just looked at this video for the first time and I live in limerick city so well done girl you should make a follow up vlog to see life in 2020. Hope all went well for you and your lovely husband and daughter.

[@miarrem]

George ' s role seems to be to constantly remind people of everything not going right

[@FMHammyJ]

Dramatic tension....if you read the owners update, not everything was as it appeared.

[@barrycollins795]

@@FMHammyJ link ?

[@cynsmi]

What a wonderful happy ending! Love their Irish homestead.

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

Thank you...so do we!

[@elizabethflynn8455]

This is hard work. Very tough but it's a life worth living. I wish them luck.

[@fabiolabarone5798]

I know is very old , but I love the family they're wonderful just like their house the trust between each other husband and wife inspiring.❤

[@alexsteven.m6414]

Great video! For 2023, it’s hard to nail down specific predictions for the housing market is because it’s not yet clear how quickly or how much the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation and borrowing costs without tanking buyer demand for everything from homes to cars.

[@valeriepierre9778]

Nobody knows anything you need to create your own process, manage risk and stick to the plan, through thick or thin while also continuously learning from mistakes and improving.

[@belobelonce35]

@@valeriepierre9778 I concur. That's precisely why I rely on my investment decisions being directed by an investment coach. They possess a unique set of skills that enables them to take both long and short positions, using risk to their advantage for potential upside while simultaneously hedging against market downturns. With their proprietary analysis and insider information, it's nearly impossible not to achieve outstanding returns. Personally, I've been utilizing the expertise of my investment coach for over two years and have generated more than $680k in profits.

[@bernisejedeon5888]

@@belobelonce35 Sounds great. I could really use the expertise of an advisor just can’t find, While am away for work in New Zealand for another year. My portfolio has been stagnant.... Who is your advisor and how can i connect with her?

[@belobelonce35]

@@bernisejedeon5888 The adviser I'm in touch with is "Julia Ann Finnicum", You can go google more information about her. For me her strategy works hence my result and she provides entry and exit point for the securities I focus on.

[@fresnaygermain8180]

@@belobelonce35 interesting! just copied and pasted her full name on my browser, found her site at once, and skimmed through her credentials, very much appreciate it.

[@davemiddleditch9741]

What a great dream and family! I loved this episode and was really impressed with what they acheived on such a tiny budget!

[@ColRubyDimplesManacha]

Just what I needed to see! Against all odds, they puled it off beautifully. Well done Chris and Rebecca!

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

Thank you!! We had a BALL doing up the house and we are still here living the dream! 15 years later!

[@ryubushi8624]

Loved watching this here in Sweden , great to hear Demelza is doing well - what a brave move ! You go guys...!

[@richardwilson1234]

WOW! Absolutely beautiful. Loved their drive and determination. Hope they're still living there happily.

[@vivalaleta]

It's really wonderful to see poor people working so hard for their dreams in place of well off couples making a ruin posh. These two have lovely personalities and you really hope the best for them.

[@MrFuguDataScience]

why are there glitchy sounds? I see someone else noticed as well it is very annoying and harsh on the ears

[@guseva1]

I thought it was my headphones so happy I read your comment ha ha

[@crystalgoode8411]

Extremely annoying..ready to stop watching..have earbuds in

[@MrFuguDataScience]

@@_WyreTheWolf, how does that work? I am curious

[@MrFuguDataScience]

@@_WyreTheWolf, thanks for the reply and I learned something new

[@captainhindsight8779]

Back then in 2005 the cameras were coal powered, the crackling is the sound of coal popping as it powers the film.

[@revanamarie7210]

I'm watching this during the pandemic. You did the right thing getting out of the city and moving out to where you are .. Blessings to your family! I wish you well! Health Harmony Peace and Love to Mother Earth and ALL of her Children!

[@suewilson163]

Gorgeous. I LOVE it. Beautiful job. So happy for you.

[@feeonaghchambers7403]

Amazing transformation, well done you guys! Keep living the dream :)

[@derrickmurphy7729]

Absolutely brilliant. What a great story and the wee princess is roughly 20yrs old.Hope everything is still wonderful for them they deserve the best.

[@MaryinOhio]

I love your determination and vision. I just watched the video and wondered how you all are doing years later. Sounds like the dream is never ending. So glad it worked out for all of your. I admire your talent. Your story is inspiring and so uplifting!😸

[@lindahasten5525]

I just love these videos I hope you keep them coming.

[@carmenslee6234]

So lovely! Congratulations!

[@perlitacardenas8067]

Wonderful job! Salute to the couple! Yes! Never stop dreaming! Goodluck and all the best!

[@gardenia24sugarfoot.36]

Oh the Mindset of this amazing couple, so down to earth & human determination & committment to their daughter & to create their dream. I love the ideals they have & how they want to be part of the country side in their existence. I can relate to their dream we did exactly the same thing & created a wonderful existence for our 3 sons & ourselves. My husbands job was he was away at least 10 working days & then home again. I managed everything but my family & siblings were always there to assist me & they spent time over weekends - we loved every minute. So worth every minute & no regrets.

[@patriciakelly69]

Absolutely amazing I wish you all the luck in the world. Well done 👍.

[@KRUGE67]

what a brave family, i am so glad things worked out for you all, respects from Canada :)

[@AnneOLoughlinannabell]

Wonderful people, so glad your happy here in Ireland x

[@pauljames9393]

Great result ! Love to see an update 2022? Well done Chris !

[@jacobvenema6783]

Congratulations you are both amazing what wonderful home you have made , love from Australia 🇦🇺

[@louiscatorce9992]

I loved this chapter!!!!!

[@poiui843]

Well done, guys!

[@sophiajoyceferry7150]

WOW The house looks AWESOME on the outside Inside is Gorgeous. What whole lot of blood sweat & tears literally you guys shed, Worth it in the end though hey! CONGRATULATIONS 👏

[@valcarter8858]

WOW! I take my hat off to you both. Well done!!!!!!!

[@elizabeths4371]

I Like their renovated farm house and I'm glad that they've managed to make their self sufficient lifestyle work- Well Done!

[@daverushton5966]

You Both done a great job stuck Together as a Team.Youve ended up with A Beautiful Home .It was very Nice to watch your journey .All the best date.

[@aileentoh3758]

Turned out quite nice!

[@SloMo2723]

Would love a follow up on how these people are doing! Congratulations on their home! They did a fantastic job!

[@DeborahSutherlandDebinPei]

Yes I always think I'd like to know one year on, how everything is for folks

[@peggyjoek]

Rebecca taught me how to sew in 2019... it's a lot harder than it looks. Lovely lovely people and she also cooks the best food and chris has great music taste 😊

[@SloMo2723]

@@peggyjoek Hi Maidyk, Thats great to hear!!!My wife and I love this series. Happy new year. All the best from California

[@cynthiacisneros1694]

Poor Chris❣️ Great job. 🤗

[@fastfeather3025]

Yay! Mom to the rescue! 🥰💝. That Chris, he’s super human!

[@solortega4225]

I absolutely love this story, 😍

[@jandrennon8098]

Absolutely beautiful!!

[@pompom7x728]

They can really be proud. The result is great... and sustainable 🌺

[@charmerci]

I'm glad Rebecca commented and clarified. I was shocked that the last two months that suddenly - bam! - it was all finished and looking great. I thought, no way there must have been a large cash infusion. The help from the neighbors should have been included.

[@alanblissett9834]

She summed up the situation when she said your in charge when I’m not here LOL

[@zainormamzainalabidin9975]

Wowwww. Awesome. Like river cottage. Absolutely I like it. Happy family.

[@susanhernandez7290]

What a blessing for your family!

[@BenShimon5731]

They did a great job in restoring the house. I would love to live in a country house by the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

[@hafisvbgchannel6602]

I very like George. Clarke during do the segment always smile and cool.

[@stefanie-marie3799]

I know this video is quite old but still, congrats! Your house is so beautiful and I am so happy for you, you made your dreams come true! It's always been a dream of mine to live in an old house 😍

[@marlenerobinson2747]

Well Done Determination is Everything 🙏🏿

[@MegaJohnson12]

They have a great attitude. Congrats!

[@marychristmas4911]

Wow indeed! What a fabulous house and lifestyle.

[@judyjudy51]

' Sewing's something that I've fallen back on at various points in my life ...' I hear you, Rebecca :)

[@mariacanto1871]

Their patience and hard work really paid off!

[@kalanakarunarathna7171]

Oh wonderful family Goad bless you dear I am watching this fr Sri Lanka (Ceylon) . Its a wonderful. ...lovely family.

[@mohamedzulkifly8966]

Inspiring!

[@sangarkhan1927]

Great job

[@andrewaway]

I love this house.

[@DeborahSutherlandDebinPei]

Beautiful location, and house. Its expensive to be self efficient these days, but all the best 💜🇨🇦 the poor man cannot live on toast alone 🤭

[@skmerwitz4758]

I just love this couple. Wish the TV station would help them.

[@davidrickards]

I feel for the geese. They grew up so fast. Dinner time. It's 2019 I hope they were able to finish their home. What they did accomplish looks fantastic!

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

Those geese grew up to be very, very mean. Two of them we did eat. The other three we kept as a breeding trio. We had them for about 8 years before they were sadly killed by mink. But they were NOT cute! Chris loved them, they were great with him. Demelza and I hated them!!!

[@davidrickards]

@@rebeccapalmer3343 thanks for the update on your lives and the geese. I had turkeys and flying mallards and hawks got them along with the neighbors dog.

[@MostPowerfulPMofIndia]

Looks like an episode of How clean is your house. I must admit cleaning is my deep passion and I wish to start a professional cleaning company. Seeing before and after pictures gives me lot of satisfaction.

[@johnoloughlin7583]

Amazing job must have been very hard going! When you talk of cost seems crazy to me as I'm looking at doing something similar and the renovation cost are so high it's scary (150k quotes from contractors to do works) but plan to do it all myself as that seems so unreasonable. I live in limerick and nice to see someone move here to enjoy what the countryside is like here.

[@brianfoong3255]

The Best part for me Chris so handsome after his haircut ha..ha..ha.., Demelza have her own room how time fly 20 already well grow up women with country life ahead of her, Rebecca & Chris do enjoyed the fruit of your labor, peace & happily ever after.

[@alekscvejic106]

Very nice

[@JudithBisson]

To everyone who want to raise chickens, best to get kittens to be raised and live within the hen coop. It protects the chickens from foxes and raccoons but gives a home for your cats to be warm outdoors.

[@mickyjb2003]

Absolutely fabulous house, how they managed to cope with it all I don’t know. But well done.

[@lesliespiers8407]

beautiful

[@sofiaolivas9340]

my absolute cottagecore dreams come true!!

[@KM-ny2ln]

Inspirational. Such a gut wrenching emotional story. They seem like a great family. I'm so glad it worked out.

[@Onlinesully]

Kip Sullivan they did just fine fair play to them

[@dominiqueparisi4618]

Love the house

[@WilldoAldone]

Like seeing the fixer upper done with little money and lots of work. This lady is amazingly resistant to depression and giving up with everone one around her telling her it cant be done. My hat is off to the husband putting it all together with no experience simply an amazing human experience.

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

Thank you! We had a blast - it was a lot of fun. Chris is actually a Carpenter by trade!!!!

[@nancyely6471]

I thought at the beginning of the piece, George said Chris was an auto parts dealer. Why wouldn’t he have said that Chris was a carpenter by trade? This bit of information would have made a big difference in the credibility of the “dream!” Also Rebecca’s mom’s sizable donation, more than doubling the project budget, undoubtedly saved the day. (As a grandmother myself, I certainly couldn’t stand to see my child and especially my grandchild in this dire situation.) What was Rebecca’s plan B if this windfall hadn’t come through, at this bleakest of times? Taking in a bit of sewing certainly wasn’t going to pay for heating, electrics, plumbing, farming equipment, etc.

[@pennyme5121]

Grandma is not playing any games especially with her grand child 😀 . She's tough but you can tell she loves them.

[@cleot151]

George's job is to create drama. "How do you feel about that?" "The world doesn't stop revolving because you run out of money." You are a wise woman, Rebecca. George doesn't realize how spoiled he is. Beautiful job!

[@marthabergin9023]

What a lovely home

[@chrisparsonson420]

You do what you have to do. And you find a way. I was divorced and retired and I had R100,000 to build myself a house in a remote and beautiful part of the Free State. An overdraft bought 3/4 of an acre of land. The money got the house up to roof height. Credit cards and pension got the roof on. We moved in then and the house was weather proof thanks to generous neighbours. My partner left. After 5 years I've just had the lounge/kitchen plastered. And so it goes on. If you've got no choice you do what you have to do

[@Morningstar-xz5bl]

how do you survive financially if you don't mind my asking would love to do this myself

[@chrisparsonson420]

@@Morningstar-xz5bl I have two small pensions and four big debts. Work-wise I have been self-employed as a software engineer for many years. I get a little work still. Also this is the racist Free State of South Africa. Most of my friends live in the township. My current lady lives in the township. I do most of the work on the house myself. If there's something I need done which I can't do, like the plastering, I get a quote from township people for the job. Slowly slowly things get done. I'm just now waiting for a quote to lay tiles in my lounge. But that's my situation. And it's not a question of wanting to do it this way. I had no choice.

[@shecat1964]

If you have no choice. But choosing to do this is insane.

[@kfl611]

The house has a nice shape and certainly plenty of character. I'm glad they left some of the interior stone work exposed.

[@dennysmith7862]

These two are marvelously BRAVE and inspiringly OPTOMISTIC!!! What we all need to be doing with all our lives... courageous...kudos to u both... ignore the negatives - Godspeed in all your endeavours...

[@apcadd80]

Moved to the blue ridge mountains last year leaving a 60+ hour a week engineering job in the city. Life was passing by swiftly and I was spending it isolated in an office with coworkers in their own offices doing the same. My boss was 60 and I saw how he never went and experienced any life outside of his office. I didn’t that would not be me. I still work remotely thanks to that wonderful boss but I can live life daily in the beautiful mountains. I do miss the professional lifestyle but I am happy at the moment. In the future I will probably spend a mixture of city and country life.

[@teenapearce1699]

man, if this had c.c. i would have turn the sound off and hope the c.c. works better. NICE work on the home

[@luditebreaker5065]

She must be thankful to her mother . The end result was really pleasant.

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

No money from either Mother - just how the show depicted it!

[@sioframay]

The audio glitching makes this hard to watch.

[@tokarukoro8196]

If there war no audio glitching, it would be offline already.

[@jukes243]

Pushy woman, spoiled child. Very kind husband. Well done Chris. Beautiful home. You can be proud.

[@lamoinette23]

can't blame the child. she needs some attention but mom is too self-important to give her any time. a 5 year old needs parental time not to be left alone all day to fend for themselves.

[@irenebecker4815]

My heart was breaking for Demelza - no friends, no personal space, no toys, and learning the geese were to be eaten. I couldn't have put my children through that just because I always wanted to live in the country. However, she looked happy at the end.

[@CRANWELLPOACHER]

Just watched this episode and was glad to see how the family managed to finally achieve their dream, but I was slightly confused when they ran out of cash and went into an overdraft months before completion but then received a donation from family to enable the project to be completed. According to the intro they had £14k to spend, but at the end they said it had cost £30k.....that must have been a very generous donation from a very kind family 😉😊

[@nancyn347]

I'm thinking the family loan was withheld until the mother-in-law was reassured that the house was going to be completed. She did come to inspect progress halfway through, and then the money arrived.

[@thecollector5243]

I am quite amazed by the end result. I had my doubts but stand corrected. And it's quite pretty, perfect country home. And yes, the roof needs to go on first, but if you can't get a roofer to actually take on the job, you need to cut your losses and start with what you can. Though everything would have been fine, if they'd just emptied out the space beforehand. 🤔

[@toosiyabrandt8676]

HI Why didn't they get a tarpaulin??? Shalom to us only in Christ Yeshua.

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

We did empty the space... watch again... its all in the editing. There are only a couple of garden chairs in the room when the mess was made. But thank you! We had a ball!!

[@arthurminck5464]

Unbelieveble Magic 😍🤣

[@karlkamal2047]

Lovely

[@hutoxipatel3610]

Kindly show when the whole home is finished .Still well done. Awesome job

[@dillydalie11]

How could they not start with the roof? and then go from there???????? So to me whinning about the mess after the roof was re-done is crazy.

[@cberry8352]

Been there, done that. You're not wrong.

[@bluebear6570]

Well, the roofers did not come as agreed, so they decided to move forward!

[@maryannebrown2385]

Passepartout But how could they not realize that by moving in everything was going to get mucky when the roof came down? I was astonished when they did that! I knew it was going to turn into a huge mess. Bad idea. Real bad idea. Her mother coming over and pressuring her is what did it.

[@rebeccapalmer3343]

@@maryannebrown2385 please read my comment about editing...and don't believe everything you see on TV!!!

[@maryannhanselman8379]

That man that keeps reminding them of all the negative needs to shut up. The young couple needs encouragement., Not someone discouraging them.

[@georgejohn9893]

I wholeheartedly agree!

[@ldg2655]

I’m glad i stuck this video out to the end. I snarked about the mom ( and mom-in-law) pretty much through the whole thing, even though i totally identify with her dream... i understand her frustration with the roof-rafter mess in her kitchen and on her precious stove, but HONESTLY!!! Did ya not think that roof repair might should come FIRST?? And you should’ve planted a garden at the get-go, not when you were out of money and wondering how you were going to feed your family.... Your husband deserves a MEDAL.