Building The Dream
Building The Dream

Building The Dream

2013 10 Seasons 95 Episodes ⭐ 8.0 Documentary Reality

Many people think building their dream home is out of their budget. But it doesn't have to be. As far as architectural designer Charlie Luxton is concerned, it doesn't have to break the bank, and he wants to prove it. As presenter of `Building the Dream', Luxton works with potential homeowners looking to turn a plot of land into their dream home that suits their lifestyles but doesn't cost too much to build. He helps them get the best out of their designs and introduces them to others who have created their own dream homes. The first-time builders then must choose whether to take the advice under consideration in their designs or ignore it and stick to their original plans.

Many people think building their dream home is out of their budget. But it doesn't have to be. As far as architectural designer Charlie Luxton is concerned, it doesn't have to break the bank, and he wants to prove it. As presenter of `Building the Dream', Luxton works with potential homeowners looking to turn a plot of land into their dream home that suits their lifestyles but doesn't cost too much to build. He helps them get the best out of their designs and introduces them to others who have created their own dream homes. The first-time builders then must choose whether to take the advice under consideration in their designs or ignore it and stick to their original plans.

Seasons & Episodes

EP 1

Hertfordshire

Architectural designer Charlie Luxton helps people build their dream homes. In Hertfordshire, Adam and Vicky want to con

EP 2

Surrey

Charlie goes messing about on the river with Bill and Angie Jenkins, who plan to knock down their cold, old bungalow on

EP 3

Somerset

Charlie Luxton meets Andrew and Vicki Dodden in Somerset, who have big plans to build their own eco-home out of an 18th-

EP 4

West Sussex

Charlie Luxton meets Ian and Steph Shaw who are self-building an oak-framed cottage in West Sussex. But is this what Ste

EP 5

Wales

Charlie Luxton heads to Wales to meet Josh and Rhian Cooper, who plan to replace a 1960s detached house with a stylish h

EP 6

Perthshire

Charlie meets Pete and Jen Chumley, who are building a five bedroom family home in rural Perthshire for themselves and c

EP 7

Cambridgeshire

Charlie heads for Over in Cambridgeshire, where he meets Sally and John Lane, who are planning to save £125k by buildin

EP 8

Hastings

Charlie meets Liz and Robin Leonard, who plan to build a three bedroom home with views over the Sussex coastline

EP 9

North Somerset

Charlie goes to the West Country to meet Kevin and Liz Davies, who want to build a new family home. Charlie's got some t

EP 10

Warwickshire

Mark and Abigail Smyth want to build a barn style home and by choosing to self-build hope to save around £130,000. Char

EP 11

Yarm

Charlie visits Andy and Mandy Boylett in Yarm, in the north east of England, where the couple are building a huge bungal

EP 1

Shropshire

Charlie helps Richard Southgate and his wife Kate as they build a five-bedroom family home in the beautiful Shropshire c

EP 2

Buckinghamshire

Charlie assists with an eco-build on the banks of the Severn. Ele and Steve George could save themselves £50,000 and it

EP 3

Gloucestershire

Charlie assists with an eco-build on the banks of the Severn. Ele and Steve George could save themselves £50,000 and it

EP 4

Cheshire

Charlie Luxton looks to help retired couple Steve and Chris Elliot realise their dream of a modern eco-home inspired by

EP 5

Hertfordshire

Mark and Gillian Webb plan to build a large, modern home in the style of a Georgian rectory in Hertfordshire

EP 6

Hampshire

Royal Navy helicopter pilot Chris Bennett and wife Sonya plan on demolishing a rundown bungalow and replacing it with a

EP 7

Devon

Charlie Luxton heads to Devon to help glass-blower Siddy Langley self-build a combined home and studio. But flooding and

EP 8

Norfolk

Gavin Panella and Chantal Schaul are self-building a little bit of continental Europe in the heart of Norfolk

EP 9

Herefordshire

Tim and Fliss hope to get on the property ladder by self-building their first home together on a tiny strip of family la

EP 10

Hull

Charlie helps fellow architect Jamie Ashton and his fiancée Joanne Scurr to self-build the perfect family home in Hull

EP 11

East Sussex

Charlie Luxton heads to East Sussex, where paramedic Steve and his partner Hannah are self-building a straw-bale house i

EP 1

Yorkshire

Rob and Claire Hartley are building a farmhouse on a spectacular site on their Yorkshire farm. Charlie Luxton has to ste

EP 2

Kent

Tracie and Craig want to knock down Tracie's childhood bungalow in Kent and replace it with a bold, contemporary house.

EP 3

Cumbria

Charlie Luxton heads to Cumbria, where Andy and Amy have set their hearts on self-building a huge four-bedroom home with

EP 4

Cotswolds

Charlie Luxton's own plans are on the line as he's commissioned to build a house for Tara and Dimitri on a tight budget

EP 5

Humberside

Charlie Luxton helps Mick and Sally Wood build an enormous family home from the barns of a Grade II listed manor house

EP 6

Cornwall

Charlie's in Cornwall helping Shelton and Jayne build a large, four-bed home in the back garden of their old one

EP 7

Wiltshire

Charlie helps first-time self-builders Vince and Jackie Macey to create a super-sustainable, three-bedroom house

EP 8

Devon

Charlie helps some turkey farmers who are desperate to finally put a proper roof over their kids' heads. Does their budg

EP 9

Gloucestershire

Charlie Luxton meets Karen and Colin, who want to self-build a family home with an ultra-modern metal roof. But, Charlie

EP 1

Newcastle

Charlie meets Duncan and Susan Marshall, who hope to build a large Georgian-inspired home. But ancient mines are discove

EP 2

Peak District

Charlie comes to the aid of architect Matthew Lewis, who wants to build the perfect family home in an extraordinary site

EP 3

Lancashire

Charlie Luxton meets a Lancashire couple trying to make a home on one of the most challenging sites he's ever seen, with

EP 4

Sterlingshire

Charlie meets Morag and Heiko Buxel at their continental pre-fabricated home. The self-build should take only six weeks.

EP 5

South Lanarkshire Barn

Charlie meets Jayne and Alistair Lewis, who are trying to self-build an innovative, barn-style home in South Lanarkshire

EP 6

North Somerset

In north Somerset, Charlie Luxton visits Antony and Hayley Wild's striking self-build contemporary home, that has been 2

EP 7

Hastings Revisit

Charlie Luxton returns to Hastings to find out if Robin and Liz's dream New England-style home is living up to expectati

EP 8

Pembrokeshire

Charlie helps Graham and Dorothy with their upside-down eco-house by the sea. Can they get the job done in just 20 weeks

EP 9

Loughborough

Charlie Luxton comes to the aid of Liz and Craig in Loughborough, who can't agree on what the dream home they're buildin

EP 1

Cotswolds

Charlie heads for the Cotswolds and Mandy and Tony Slater's ambitious self-build on a steep slope on a tight budget

EP 2

Scottish Borders

Charlie Luxton visits a unique project in Peebles in Scotland, where the owner wants to build a home where all of the gr

EP 3

Birmingham

Paul and Ruby Singh want to build a large home in Birmingham after years spent living miles apart. As the budget soars,

EP 4

Isle Of Wight

Charlie Luxton meets a mother and daughter who want to build a stylish contemporary house. But their budget is under pre

EP 5

Cornwall

Charlie helps Peter and Mollie Goodman build a continental kit home with coastal views. But his suggestions are met with

EP 6

Buckinghamshire

Charlie helps Kat Dancer build a contemporary farmhouse on the idyllic farm where she grew up

EP 7

Cornwall

Charlie meets serial renovators Neil and Suzie, whose huge contemporary build in Cornwall is going to be very grand. But

EP 8

South Wales

Jodie and Rhodri Howells must decide to either renovate the 50s bungalow on their countryside plot, or knock it down. Ch

EP 9

Lincolnshire

Juana and Trevor plan to knock down some decrepit barns and create their dream home. But is Trevor putting his health at

EP 1

South East London

Charlie visits Sam and Eryka and their warehouse project in south east London

EP 2

Hertfordshire

Charlie heads to Hertfordshire to help Roz and Mick Abrahams downsize and build a new compact, contemporary home on a ne

EP 3

West Sussex

Charlie visits Cathryn and Adam Raybould, who plan to build their dream period home on Cathryn's family farm. But the pr

EP 4

Fife

Alan and Lucy are building an upside-down house in Fife with stunning views of the Forth Bridge. Alan knows exactly what

EP 5

North Yorkshire

Nick and Fiona plan a large warehouse-inspired home by the side of a canal. But is building on a flood plain a smart mov

EP 6

Cambridgeshire

Charlie meets Mark and Helen, who have unearthed Roman and Anglo-Saxon artefacts that could stop them from building thei

EP 7

Kent

Charlie meets a couple building a modern family home in a conservation area in Kent who prove reluctant to take on any o

EP 8

Devon

Graham and Nicky Daniel plan an ambitious contemporary home on a secluded woodland site, doing much of it themselves. Bu

EP 9

North Devon

Charlie Luxton meets Brian and Fiona, who want to build a home on a stunning coastal plot. Can Charlie convince them to

EP 1

South London

A self-building couple plan an urban marvel on a tight plot and an even tighter budget

EP 2

East Yorkshire

Nick and Jane hope to turn an old bungalow into a contemporary home - on a budget so small that it almost defies belief.

EP 3

Woking, Surrey

Charlie heads to Woking to meet Jason and Philippa, who think they have discovered the perfect refurb project. But will

EP 4

East Sussex Revisit

Charlie catches up with Steve and an eco-efficient, straw-baled, self-built home set in a woodland glade

EP 5

Northamptonshire

New couple Rob and Jan aim to build a vicarage-style home in rural Northamptonshire. If Charlie can actually get them to

EP 6

Firth of Forth

Charlie meets a couple who are building a traditional Scottish cottage between Linlithgow and the beautiful Firth of For

EP 7

Cambridgeshire

Charlie heads to Cambridgeshire to meet two self-builders creating a family home that needs to be both techie, but also

EP 8

Caterham

In Surrey, Ben and Nicola are transforming a dilapidated bungalow into a contemporary split-level home

EP 9

Cambridgeshire

Charlie is in Cambridgeshire, where Darren and Luisa are on a voyage of discovery, building a picture-perfect waterfront

EP 1

Todmorden, West Yorks

Emma and Martin are battling wind and snow to build a stone home on an imposing hilltop, in a project that's starting to

EP 2

Cambridgeshire

A Cambridgeshire couple are determined to build a huge barn-style home, but don't appreciate the sheer scale of the unde

EP 3

West Sussex

In West Sussex, Med and Chandni build a large home on a tiny budget doing the work themselves. But determination and opt

EP 4

Leicestershire Revisit

Charlie catches up with Liz and Craig in Leicestershire. After much pain and hassle the couple have finally finished bui

EP 5

Cambridgeshire

Chris and Philippa plan to self-build a smart four bed detached home for the cost of a tiny terrace. But keeping their c

EP 6

Suffolk

In stunning rural Suffolk, laid back Steve and Susan's hit-and-hope construction of an oak-framed cottage urgently needs

EP 7

Shrewsbury

Charlie Luxton is in Shrewsbury with Dave and Elly, who are aiming to stamp their mark on a suburban street with a moder

EP 8

New Forest

Charlie heads to the fringes of the New Forest, where serial renovators Glyn and Sue step up to the big league by buildi

EP 9

Essex

Charlie Luxton travels to Essex, where Carla and Elliot are striving to deliver a smart contemporary home in a woodland

EP 10

Cambridgeshire

Gung-ho Cambridgeshire couple Steve and Sylvia are convinced enthusiasm and blind ambition is enough to bring their prop

EP 1

Yorkshire

Helen and Gary have plans for an affordable, and very big, self-build in York. Charlie's the boss of a bricklaying compa

EP 2

Lowestoft, Suffolk

On the Suffolk coast, Charlie Luxton helps newly-retired Marisa and Andrew set out to build a bespoke home that'll turn

EP 3

Wymeswold, Leicestershire

Charlie Luxton is in Wymeswold in Leicestershire with Ally and James, who've taken a gamble buying a tricky site that ea

EP 4

Derbyshire

Rookie builders Sean and Jill are building a traditional home with a contemporary twist on an exposed Derbyshire hillsid

EP 5

Devon

In Devon, Charlie revisits glassblower Siddy, who hoped to transform her studio into a home and workspace. After years o

EP 6

Berkshire

Tom and Georgina plan to renovate and supersize a run-down bungalow. But when Charlie offers his opinion, the project ta

EP 7

West Yorkshire

Charlie's in West Yorkshire with Phil and Adrienne who plan to build a modern home on a tricky sloping plot. But will a

EP 8

Essex

Charlie's in Essex with financial analysts Ronnie and Dana who want to convert an ancient barn into a stunning home, but

EP 9

Norfolk

Charlie's in Norfolk with Ness and Tony who have ambitious plans for their self-build, including a seven-metre-high towe

EP 10

Hampshire

Charlie's in Hampshire with Nikki and Darren, who've struck gold with their stunning seaside plot but don't have the bud

EP 1

Hertfordshire

Charlie's in Hertfordshire with Bob and Wendy, who are creating the perfect place to play music, paint and write in thei

EP 2

Surrey

Charlie's in leafy Surrey with Chris and Gemma, who are building an Arts and Crafts-inspired home of grand proportions w

EP 3

Hampshire

Charlie's in Hampshire with Ryan and Jenny, as they bring a derelict barn back from the brink. But keeping the rickety s

EP 4

Somerset

Charlie meets Tom and Laura, who are realising Tom's long-held ambition to build a home on his family's farm in Somerset

EP 5

Devon Revisit

Charlie catches up with Graham and Nicky, who planned to build an ambitious family home in the Devon countryside. Six ye

EP 6

Fife

Charlie Luxton meets Olwen and Ben, who are embarking on a daring self-build in the picturesque town of St Andrews. But

EP 7

Falmouth

Charlie Luxton travels to Cornwall to meet Sam and Esme, who are building a home in an old quarry overlooking the harbou

EP 8

Leicestershire

Charlie Luxton meets Lloyd and Caroline, who plan to build a sustainable home in Leicestershire. Charlie is worried that

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