A COUPLE were forced to live in a tent and shower at the gym for months while their home was being refurbished.
Jeff and Tracey poured their life savings into the home – even postponing their wedding for years – but angry neighbours say it looks like a “spaceship”.
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The luxury home was revealed on Channel 4’s Extraordinary Extensions last Friday and viewers watched on as the couple shared their shock when winning permission to transform their Sangate bungalow into a home that wouldn’t look out of place in a 1980s mob movie.
The couple then told viewers about the sacrifices they had to make while the work was completed – including living in a tent and having to use the local gym for a shower every morning.
On the show, they said: “There have been so many tears.
“From a commitment level, we have been going to the gym for almost a year to have a shower.”
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Before work began the home was a 1960s white bungalow, but in 2019 the couple applied for planning permission to turn their home into a “Miami Vice” style pad.
Included in the work were balcony changes, a revised roof design and an increase on the ridge height, reports KentOnline.
Speaking on the show, Jeff, said: “What I could instantly imagine is we could put another level on it.
“I could imagine having glass all the way across so we could have an unfettered view of the sea.
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“We thought it was like a Miami Vice house and we would just put it in and see what [the planning department] says because they are not going to agree to it – but they did.”
So far they have splashed £200,000 on the changes and expect to have to pay a further £75,000 to complete the project – but locals shared their disdain at the new-look property.
Disgruntled neighbours said the home – which has cost almost £300,000 to alter – looks like a “shed on steroids” and a “spaceship”
They also said the look of the house does not fit in with the area or the buildings that populate it – but an officer’s report by Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) said the proposal was seen as a “high-quality design”.
In the report, they also said it would “refresh a dated building in a manner which would not significantly detract from the surrounding prevailing pattern of development”
Extraordinary Extensions aired on Channel 4 on Friday at 8pm and is available on catchup.
It’s not the first time angry neighbors have spoke out after becoming angry with changes to their local area.
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And, former Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon was told by neighbours that endless building work on his mansion was ruining their lives.
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