Overview
- Channel 4’s long-running series returned with an episode following artist Sarah’s plan for a hempcrete studio-and-gallery on a three-acre Durham Dales plot.
- A stated £330,000 budget quickly strained after miscalculations meant far more hempcrete was needed and the chosen stone for cladding risked running out, delaying window installation.
- Refusing to borrow, Sarah raised funds by selling a one-bed cottage as costs rose well beyond plan, with reporting citing roughly £200,000 over budget and around £520,000 spent with work still to finish.
- Viewers on social media criticised the self-managed approach, while Kevin McCloud’s later revisit offered a more positive appraisal of the architecture.
- Latest on-screen updates show the building largely complete, with Sarah having moved in by August and preparing to run art classes from the on-site studio.