The biggest expense was the £30,000 ornate hand carved staircase. One hundred and thirty pieces of oak for the faux beams cost £26,000 and the fireplace £6,000. Jo did however manage to save money in some places by using a prefab panelised structure for the timber frame of the house.
As plans changed and the build evolved, the costs escalated, which meant there was no contingency for any problems that occurred - waterproofing the roof, for example, or having to reorder wrongly-measured window profiles.
After re-mortgaging, Jo and Shaun eventually had to borrow money from their fathers to finish the build.
The Build From the back, Jo and Shaun's five bedroomed house is a Gothic fantasy, complete with arched stone windows and a tower. But from the road the timber framed house, partly clad in stone, is in more of a traditional style, in keeping with the local area.
On the ground floor there is a large kitchen with an oak framed octagon in which to sit and eat.
Next to the kitchen, the modest hallway contains the centrepiece of the house, a carved oak Gothic staircase rising three floors, decorated with gargoyles and fancy carvings. An internal pointed window leads on to a miniature cloister, or sun room, to the South.
Leading off the hall is a large wood panelled living and dining room with a massive stone fireplace. Steps lead down through oak arches into the dining area. And the whole space opens to the first floor library and full height vaulted ceiling above, lit by a stained glass window.
Upstairs as well as the vaulted library there is a guest bedroom suite and the principal bathroom.
And at the end of the landing: the master bedroom, with dressing room, bathroom, balcony and, as in the kitchen, the same oak octagonal frame that forms the tower.
Upstairs on the top floor is a further guest room and the children's bedrooms and bathroom.
