We sold our home and built our dream pad – it was tough on our marriage & one of us quit our job but it was worth it
SELLING up and moving into your dream home sounds like it should be bliss.
But how would you feel if you were forced to build it with your own hands - and then the project took five years, taking over your family and causing you to temporarily quit your job?
That was the exact scenario that husband and wife Dorran and Vereuschka found themselves in back in 2017 when their four year-search for a home fell flat.
Instead, Navy mariner Dorran and pharmaceutical firm worker Vereuschka took the big risk of selling their home and buying 2.7 acres of land on a Kentish hillside for £375,000.
While they lived in nearby rented accommodation in Canterbury with their three children, the couple approved some pre-designed plans for a team to build an ambitious property that was completely underground.
They set aside a budget of £1 million from their savings and money they made from their house sale, and hoped to move in ten months later – allowing Channel 4’s Grand Designs team to come along for the ride.
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But, as the cameras captured for the latest episodes, it wasn’t meant to be as the work, led by contractors, hit snag after snag and the building was delayed.
Nine months in, perfectionist Dorran, who had been splitting his time between being at sea and on the site, decided to take over and project manage and build the home himself.
However, viewers saw how the epic project understandably impacted their family life, as well as taking a toll on Dorran and Vereuschka’s marriage.
Speaking midway through the building, Dorran – who was still working full time and trying to balance the building work admitted it was tough.
He said: “I've just got to do it, I've just got to throw myself at it and get it done. I'm still married so that's fortunate.”
He later said: “It's been a bit of a struggle, I've got to say. One thing that's kind of impacted us is the fact of family time which we can't get back.”
Elsewhere in the programme, Vereuschka told host Kevin McCloud they'd had their fair of ups and downs along the way, but said she'd never lost hope in them as a team.
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She explained: “You’ve got to dream, and you’ve got to imagine and you've got to look ahead because if you don’t, it can really knock you down.
“There are times when one of us is like, 'Oh God, not this or that' and then the other one has to pull the other one up and say we've got to keep going.”
She later added: “Of course with anything you have your high points and your low points. [But] you strive for the end point and that’s what we’re doing.”
Eventually, Dorran knew he had to sacrifice something and decided to temporarily quit his job at the North Sea for the sake of his family and their new home.
After putting in tireless efforts and countless hours on his own, Dorran, Vereuschka and their children eventually moved into the years after first planned.
And even though there were times they thought it wouldn’t happen, Dorran and Vereuschka are now the proud owners of the amazing property that’s completely underground.
The one-of-a-kind property – which ended up costing over £1 million and was five years in the making – features everything you'd want from a home and even an underground garage turned car lift which opens up to a wild flower meadow.
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The husband and wife also confessed that they were happy that they had made it through united, despite some hairy moments.
Vereuschka said: “Now we’re here, it’s fantastic. It’s been a long journey.”
Dorran continued: “We dealt with it, we took it one step at a time and just did what we had to do.
“Although there were times when I stood at the top [of the hill] there and it was just a muddy hole, there was a thick swallow.
“We’ve ridden through it and we’re out the other side and we’re still together.”
We’ve ridden through it and we’re out the other side and we’re still together
Dorran
Vereuschka went on to say: “Taking on a massive project like this was immense.
“This was massive and there were times where it pushed us to the limits. But we’ve managed to get through it”.
Dorran concluded that while they’re in no hurry to do it again, he’s thrilled they took the risk.
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He smiled: “We decided to invest in ourselves and one thing we can rely on is us as a team.
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“We’ve upgraded and we got a lot more for our money. It’s a product of us.”
Grand Designs airs Wednesdays at 9pm on Channel 4
