Anglesey bungalow transformed into eco-friendly dream home

The major revamp was carried out as part of Channel 4 property show The Great House Giveaway.

Tremeirchion-based Hafod Renewables worked with DIY newcomer Nia Jones, a PhD student studying plastic pollution, and roofer Mark Hughes for the project. 

Nia and Mark forked out a sizeable chunk of their budget on a raft of new green features including an Air Source Heat Pump, underfloor heating, thermal cladding, solar panels and an electric car charging port.

They ended up successfully boosting the energy efficiency value of a three-bedroom bungalow in Rhosybol from E to A – the best possible.

It is the first time since the show launched in 2020 that a pair of renovators have gone all out for the eco-approach, swapping traditional heating systems for greener technology in the wake of spiraling energy costs.

Nia, of Anglesey, who is studying Ocean Science at Bangor University, and fellow renovator Mark, a dad-of-three who owns MH Roofing, were given £35,000 to overhaul the £158,000 property.

Nia said: “I think I went into it quite naïvely thinking there wouldn’t be much to do but it was a huge project to finish within six months,” said Nia, who previously studied Environmental Geography at Cardiff University.

Ex-Brookside star Simon O’Brien (Image: Submitted)

“The eco side of things was the straightforward part. It was the traditional building issues that slowed us up. There were definitely a few points where I felt that it was unlikely we’d finish at any point - let alone within six months.”

Mark, 33, said: When I walked in on the first day, I said it was the house of horrors. I thought to myself ‘I’m quitting, I’m quitting, I’m quitting’.

“Everyone was saying ‘even if it’s not the about the money, it’s an experience at the end of the day’ so once I started to think of it like that, I cracked on.

“The roof was falling down, but that didn’t scare me being a roofer myself, then I saw the ceilings were fully Artex, I knew that was going to be pricey to fix. None of the floors were level so we had to screed them first and then we had to take the chimney out which was crumbling. It was one thing after another.

Nia and Mark working on the build (Image: Ceidiog)

“I found it more stressful than I thought. Having a roofing company, I was flat out with work myself. It was also the summer holidays and I have three kids! Balancing it all was the hardest thing and nothing really could get done unless I was there.”

Hosted by Simon O’Brien, a presenter and property developer, who played Damon Grant in TV soap Brookside in the 1980s, the show challenges two strangers who are not homeowners to renovate a property bought at auction within a set budget and in just six months.

If the project is successful, they both get to share the profits – if not, the house goes back to auction.

As a result of Nia's and Mark's investment, the property is now virtually self-sufficient and valued at around £300,0000.

The show is made by TV production firm Chwarel.

Sioned Wyn, Chwarel’s managing director and executive producer of The Great House Giveaway who hails from the Ruthin area, said: “We are the first to have done this and I really thank both Nia and Mark for buying into this vision because even now, we’re still not sure if it’s going to work or whether they would have got more money the old way,” she said.

“However, conscience-wise, this is absolutely the way we should be renovating every house in the future. If your central heating fails, you don’t want to be putting in a combi boiler in there, you want to be installing an Air Source Heat Pump.

“What we have now is a house with all the up-to-date energy-saving gadgets you could want - especially amid a cost-of-living crisis and with electricity so expensive. It will be more expensive than your average bungalow, but the cost of running this house will be significantly lower than a traditional bungalow that has gas.

“It’s a bold move for us on the show and we are so happy the contributors bought into it. They did amazingly well. There’s so much pressure to do it the old way because it’s cheaper but they are pioneers in renovation one hundred percent.”

The property is listed on the market with Dafydd Hardy Estate but viewers will have to wait and see whether Nia and Mark’s project came within budget and if they make a profit.

Dafydd Hardy, managing director of Dafydd Harvey Estate Agents, said: “Nia and Mark have done all that was required of them to make it stand out as a sustainable project. From a marketing point of view, these are the things that will make it stand out on the market when comparing it to another property.

“Average three-bedroom bungalows in this area typically are priced around £250-£275,000 but this house will sell itself as it’s fully sustainable and keeps energy in throughout the night rather than it going back to the grid.

“It wants to be known as an eco-house and within a 10-mile radius, it’s the only eco-friendly house of its type that has come on the market. It’s not been on the market very long and we’re hoping to have a lot of interest over the next few weeks. This is the way things are going and so they’re ahead of the game in that sense.

"This is a virtually brand new house that’s prepared for the future.”