大象传媒

Two historic Grade II buildings were united in their battle against the elements - St Thomas a Becket Church in Somerset has been beset by floods and Stanwick Hall, a Georgian mansion in Northamptonshire, was once gutted by fire.

The deconsecrated church, with its Victorian nave and medieval tower, faced dereliction. Newlyweds Paul and Laura decided to turn the building into a three-bedroom home on a modest budget. Paul would do the work himself, while Laura bankrolled the project working as an accountant. One year on and the couple have moved in, admitting that as far as the interior is concerned, they have really gone for it.

Even though Stanwick Hall was collapsing, Gina and Simon planned to turn the 18th-century house into a seven-bedroom family home. But serious structural problems caused costs to rise and the schedule to slip. The Hall was nowhere near finished but what has happened twelve months on?