If you've ever done a house renovation and lived on site, even if it's just for part of the building project, you will know how stressful it can be - noise, dust, disorganised living, and even more dust.
But imagine not only sleeping at the site but your building team snoring away in the bedroom next door and then using your bedroom as a cut-through to get to their sleeping quarters - that is definitely not ideal.
So it maybe surprising to discover during the latest episode of Charlotte Church's Dream Build on Wednesday, October 26 on the Really channel and streaming on discovery+ that is exactly what Charlotte and baby Freda are doing.
The Welsh singer-songwriter has been busy renovating Rhydoldog House, the country mansion in Powys she bought in 2021 to transform into a wellness retreat called The Dreaming, and with less than eight weeks to go before the proposed opening date, the renovations are going at a fast pace, so Charlotte is living onsite for a while to oversee the activities.
There are some triumphs, like the laying of the 400-year-old wood from the hull of a ship as the flooring in the print room, where former owner Laura Ashley used to design her world-famous and instantly recognisable prints.
There is more progress inside with the chimneys being swept and cleaned, and in the garden a substantial vegetable patch is taking shape, being designed using an intricate Celtic-based design that mimics that created at the front of the house using paving. But there are some challenges that threaten to delay progress too.
In this episode the main head-scratcher is when Kai orders the wrong basement staircase that is too long for the opening between the floors and doesn't comply with building regulations, so more carpentry is added to the 'to do' list to make it fit whilst still being safe.
The other main drain in time is Charlotte's emergency barn conversion to create a private sanctuary away from the builders traipsing through her bedroom, which would probably have been most people's priority at the start, but such is the relationship she has with her team it's not really been an issue; until now.
Charlotte says that the Rhydoldog House renovation project has been teaching her about boundaries, something she has struggled with in the past.
She says: "I'm learning where to draw the line, and there's now one that is in permanent marker. I've realised I definitely need my own space to relax and to sleep. At the moment, Freda and I are bunking next door to the lads in the annexe.
"It's a bit of a thoroughfare at the moment, because the dorm room is through here, so this is just used as a bit of a corridor which means that we don't have a great deal of privacy. Really, more than anything, I just get a bit worried about Mrs (Freda) and the noise that she makes, because she is a noisy baby! And sometimes she keeps everybody awake."
So the schedule that was so important in last week's episode has been shelved for now, as converting a section of the barn within the grounds becomes a priority, mainly so the builders can get a good night's sleep.
Charlotte says: "This is where I'm going to be. It will feel like a retreat, somewhere to come and be and try and have the same sort of healing experience that I'm offering other people, which will be great. I haven't put anywhere near as much thought into interior design and stuff in here, so we'll just see with what we're left with really."
This emergency project starts with the 'mother and father of all clear-outs' as this barn was where all Charlotte's furniture and materials for the main house were being stored. It is all now moving to the potting shed. Once that is done a new floor is laid by Kai's tiler friend Elliott, who has years of experience.
The floor is sealed, boarded, self-leveling compound laid on top, underfloor heating and then finally the 'crazy stonework' that turns out to be lovely, tactile tiles that look remarkably like original flagstones and brings even more character into the charming barn. The aim is to lay them in a pattern that makes them look like they have been in place since the barn was built.
Then comes the bonding of the lower half of the stone walls to eliminate the uneven surface, followed by the installation of the deep skirting boards which put up a bit of a fight, revealing yet again the joys of renovating an old building where nothing is straight or even.
Then painting the new plaster a crisp white makes the space become even more inviting before the last and most exciting stage of the conversion; the interior design. But this is such a last-minute emergency project that there's not really anything to put inside it.
Charlotte rummages around her south Wales home and steals some furniture and accessories to pack into the back of a van to make the long and winding trek north. But there's no bed for her mattress, so it's time to think creatively and look for something on-site.
And what could be better than a bed made out of redundant wood palettes? They are lying around on site, they cost nothing, and they are a good way to upcycle and reuse - once they have been sanded so there's no chance of getting a splinter in the night.
Charlotte says: "This is the room about using leftovers! Fair dos, the frame may be a little make-shift, but once it's got a huge mattress on, I know I'll sleep well, especially compared to the communal sleeping arrangements I've been used to."
The space is done and Charlotte couldn't be happier with the finished result. She says: "Now it's time to reveal my gorgeous healing hub. It feels like a sanctuary, it feels so softly lit and feminine and just beautiful, like a place you just want to be, it feels very grown up. And also, this is my own space and I've never really made my own space just for me before.
"It's been a real team effort and everybody pulling together to do something, and I love that - I love the feeling of it - and so hopefully that's going to continue now - all of the downstairs rooms over the next couple of weeks we're just going to have this team going and just be able to turn it out.
"But I mustn't get carried away, there's still so much to do and the barn has taken up four whole days which could have been spent on the house, so now it really is time to get to work."
Charlotte Church's Dream Build is streaming on Discovery+ and on the Really Channel every Wednesday at 9pm. And never miss the best property, renovation and interiors stories – sign up for the Amazing Welsh Homes Property Newsletter here and sent to your inbox twice a week and join the friendly Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group too.
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