We went on A New Life In The Sun – our house STILL isn't finished one year on rage devastated couple

The Irish Sun

19-05-2025

ONE couple from A New Life In The Sun wanted to build a dream house for one of their parents, but it still did not go to plan.
On the Channel 4 show, singers Ellie and Gary from Nottingham bought a huge guesthouse.
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Ellie and Gary from Nottingham left Blighty for a new life in Bulgaria
Credit: Channel 4
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They wanted to build a bungalow next door to their huge guest house for Ellie's mum Linda
Credit: Channel 4
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She was forced to live with the couple for a year whilst they got things in order
Credit: Channel 4
The 10-bedroom property in Central Bulgaria cost them just £13,000, and it even came with a swimming pool.
After work dried up, the couple moved lock stock and barrel to Europe with their daughter Millie.
Initially, things on
The pair managed to get their huge home up to scratch ready to welcome guests for a bed and breakfast escape.
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However, they bought the empty plot of land
next
door as they planned to build a state-of-the-art bungalow for Ellie's mum Linda.
Although work started on the new home, it soon came to a standstill as the couple engaged in a battle with the local authorities.
They were left frustrated by all the bureaucracy as they didn't get the correct planning permission on the A Place In The Sun spin-off.
Ellie said: "We've been focusing on the planning for mum's house, which it finally came through."
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While Gary admitted: "Yep, it didn't go according to plan like we knew it would and it was all paperwork."
They thought the job would only take a few months, but they were wrangling with the system for over a year.
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Linda was then forced to live with the couple for over a year as they built the second dream home.
The duo were left fuming about the progress of the home as they showed the camera their bulging file of documents.
Ellie explained: "That's the building visa that says we could build. But then you've got documents.
"First we had to get documents from the electric company saying they'll supply electric, then we had to get another document saying they'll do the work, and then another one when it's signed off."
A Place in the Sun presenters - past and present
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Gary was clearly even more frustrated having to live with his mother-in-law as he remarked: "It's crackers".
Glaring down at the pages of documents in front of him, he added: "Look at it! Everything gets stamped [and] signed.
"There must be 50 different things!"
When progress resumed, Linda wasn't ready to move into the house for another few months.
When she eventually moved out of the guesthouse, nothing was straightforward in the bungalow as it had no running water.
In order to fill up the kettle to make tea, Linda would have had to improvise by using the exterior hosepipe.
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The pair were left raging over their bulging file of repetitive paperwork
Credit: Channel 4
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For eight months, work reached a standstill as they didn't get the correct planning permissions
Credit: Channel 4
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Even when the house was built there was still a lack of basic features
Credit: Channel 4
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Gary had to fill the kettle with a hosepipe for his mother-in-law
Credit: Channel 4