Build a New Life in the Country

This week, Charlie meets a couple who have uprooted their three young daughters to start a new life in beautiful Barbados. Dawn and Marcus plan to build a large, open-plan home with a guest apartment for rent. But they face an array of challenges, from hurricanes and labour difficulties to the demands of a foreign environment. Dawn and Marcus want to give their three young daughters an amazing childhood in the Caribbean. They are fed up with their busy, stressful lives in London and want a more relaxed existence so they can spend more time together as a family. Dawn’s mother is from Barbados and moved to Britain in the 1960s. Seven years ago, Dawn’s family inherited a 10,000sq ft plot of land on the island and they have wanted to do something with it ever since. The plan is to build a large home with a swimming pool, guest studio and separate two bedroom apartment, which they can rent out to generate an income. The build will cost £200,000 and they have £50,000 to live off for the year during the build. Dawn, Marcus and the children move to Barbados in the autumn. They hope to start the build as soon as they arrive and plan to move into their new home by the summer. Although Marcus runs his own construction company in the UK, he has never before built his own house. He will be fully involved in the project, overseeing the work and mucking in to help the local builders. The project faces numerous challenges, from hurricanes to termites as well as the difficulties of sourcing local labour and transporting materials to the island. Once the house is completed, Marcus hopes to use the family home as a showpiece and springboard to set up a business designing similar properties for locals and ex-pats. The couple hope this business will support their new life in the long term. Marcus believes there is a strong market for ‘modern homes’ rather than the “mock colonial horrors” scattered across the island. Since they met 11 years ago, Marcus and Dawn have never lived outside London, so they face the challenge of adapting to the pace of island life. Although they will miss family and friends, they are looking forward to the adventure of a lifetime 4,000 miles away from the UK...