Barnet

Kathryn, along with her husband Jon, lived happily in a 4-bed, Edwardian home on the same street in North London for 60 years. But now 82 and recently widowed, Kathryn had been facing an all too familiar dilemma: struggle on in a home in which getting up the stairs was becoming increasingly difficult or face moving away from the street she has loved for so long. That is until she came up with an audacious plan, with the help of her architect James Mak, to build a new, accessible, ultra-sustainable home right next door where a garage and extension currently sit. It will be a mirror image of her current Edwardian house, but with a 21st century twist.

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Pulling off this daring feat proves difficult right from the off, when far deeper than anticipated foundations have to be removed to make way for Kathryn’s new home. Horrendously wet weather, spiralling costs (including eye-watering fees to connect to basic services) and the worry of selling her old house in time all test Kathryn’s nerve as well as her budget. Only time will tell whether this late-in-life gamble will pay off…