Sarah Beeny helps little houses with big plans!

It’s been a very busy and stressful few years for Sarah Beeny.

If you’re a fan of her Channel 4 series New Life In The Country, you’ll know the problems she has faced since buying a semi-derelict, 220-acre former dairy farm near Bruton, Somerset, for just over £3million in 2018.

Following the purchase of the farm, and the sale of Rise Hall in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Sarah and her family moved from their previous home in London and embarked on a grand project creating their own ‘mini Downton Abbey’.

From that point, viewers were gripped watching the TV host, her artist husband Graham Swift, and their sons Billy, Charlie, Rafferty and Laurie, as they dealt with pandemic delays, material shortages, objections from locals and soaring costs.

Now, after three years, 50-year-old Sarah has eventually emerged triumphant, if somewhat battle scarred, and the family will return with an update of their New Life In The Country in early 2023.

But before that, she is back on TV screens tonight with a brand-new series offering advice to other homeowners.

Little House, Big Plans will see the property expert joined by award-winning architect and co-presenter Damion Burrows, who was last seen on BBC’s virtual reality property programme, Your Home Made Perfect, and has previously appeared on Grand Designs: House of the Year and worked with Sarah on Channel 4’s How to Live Mortgage Free.

They visit small homes across the country that have elaborate plans for expansion.

From extravagant eco homes to state-of-the-art space-saving bungalows, the series follows some incredible renovations across the UK and shows how, even on a tight budget, you can utilise a small space to the absolute max.

Throughout the series we’ll also meet some of the UK’s most promising architects, showcasing the future superstars of home design.

Elaine Hackett, CEO at production company Crackit said: “Having been cooped up for months, who isn’t sick of staring at the same space and dreaming of pushing the walls out.

“Sarah’s been in the renovation business for over 20 years, and there’s no better person to help us make our small places, bigger spaces.

“Alongside Damion’s expert eye for design, this series not only captures the awe-inspiring stories, and the personal journeys, but also ensures that we, the audience take-away the secrets and tools that will enable us to transform our own spaces.”

In this first episode, hair salon receptionist Leah and her husband Sam, a landscaper and builder, have ambitious plans to double in size their two-bedroom cottage in Wiltshire.

They want to create a home big enough for their four children, a load of musical instruments and a bunch of family pets.

But the pandemic and a shortage of supplies means that things don’t go to plan.

Damion also visits Sam and Matt, who have transformed their traditional three-bed home with the addition of an ultra-modern cubist extension.

He also meets David and Lindsay in Bristol, who had big plans to build a sustainable, eco-house on a brownfield site.