An extraordinarily emotional episode of DIY SOS has seen filming take place just a fortnight after the death of a daughter who was set to benefit from the dream makeover of her home.
Builders came from far and wide to Charlton Kings in Gloucestershire to help Peter and Sarah and their family, who are plagued by severe health conditions.
Both Sarah and the couple’s daughters, Margaret and Suzanne have Myotonic Dystrophy - a genetic condition that causes muscles to waste away. The condition, which has “got worse and worse and worse” according to Peter, means that there is a lot of mounting pressure. Pete also looks after his autistic brother, Steve.
Determined to provide an accessible home for his family, Pete found a bungalow for them to move into four-years-ago. The bungalow, which had a multitude of problems, started to be renovated by Peter but as his own bones became weaker, work began to slow down.
Unfortunately, two weeks before filming was set to begin, daughter Margaret succumbed to her illness and sadly passed away. In emotional scenes, Sarah said that it would mean “everything” to the family if the DIY SOS team took on the complex challenge. Peter, who felt like he’d been fighting on his own for a long time, described it as “unbelievable” that they’d be able to help.
The team set to work on the house by sorting the electrics, making the garden more accessible and fixing the leaky roof - things that Peter all tried to achieve by himself. As someone who himself suffers with fibromyalgia, Peter’s care for his family is commended by DIY SOS host Nick Knowles. Little did Nick know that the build on Pete and Sarah’s house was going to be hindered by Storm Dennis, one of the UK’s biggest storms.
Despite this, at the end of the episode, it is revealed that Sarah and Peter’s home has been completely transformed. A once shambolic kitchen has been turned into an open plan cooking haven. Suzanne, who never had a room before, now has one that has been designed to suit her physical needs and accommodate her love of magical literature.
With the family’s blessing, Margaret’s bedroom has been transformed into a physio hub that will help Sarah and Suzanne for years to come. Upon seeing the work, Pete and Sarah are astounded by what has been done. “Did not expect this,” said Pete as he witnessed the transformed kitchen for the first time.
Sarah told Nick that she wished Margaret could have seen the work and described how she’d have loved what was done. Suzanne said: “I don’t think that thank you is going to cover it.” Pete, meanwhile, thanked the DIY SOS team and said that their work will “make a huge difference.”
DIY SOS is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
