They say home is where the heart is… but for Billie and Greg Shepherd, home is where the nightmarish, frustrating heartache is.
Last week, the reality stars opened up about how difficult the two year-long building project has been, as they attempt to turn the property into their dream five-bed mansion, complete with swimming pool. In fact, they’re so burnt out by the work, the pair say they “wouldn’t have done it” if they had the chance to start again.
“The whole thing has been a real headache for them,” says a source close to the 32 year old, who is mum to Nelly, eight, and Arthur, four, with Greg. “It’s taken a lot longer than they planned, partly due to COVID, but also because of all the issues to do with planning permission and the plot.
“When they bought the house in 2019, they decided they wanted to keep the original structure as much as possible, partly because of the problems they had with neighbour objections. But now they wish they’d just done what most people do – knock the whole thing down to build their dream home from scratch. They definitely have regrets and would do it differently if they could. In fact, they sometimes wish they hadn’t bought it at all.”
Viewers of their reality show The Family Diaries have seen the couple bickering over the building works, and last week, Billie confessed how “stressful” it was. She said, “It feels like it’s been forever,” adding, “Time is not on our side at the moment. We’re working all the time, we’ve got two young children. With filming and renovating a house… it’s a lot and sometimes does feel like there’s not enough hours in the day.” And when asked if they’d do things differently, Greg, 36, added, “We probably wouldn’t have done it.”
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The 1920s property in Brentwood cost £1.4million, with Billie saying she wanted to turn it into a Kardashian-style mansion. Neighbours initially opposed the building work, forcing them to install “perimeter trees” around the home. The delays continued and last year, Billie admitted the project had become “a full-time job,” adding, “You do have to be continuously on the ball with it… it’s a bit boring.”
But with the end finally in sight, heat’s source says they’re trying to get excited, after spending around £600k doing it up. We’re told, “They’re so close to being finished and just want it done now. They can’t wait to get in and do all the fun stuff, like decorating. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s going to be amazing when it’s finished – the perfect family home. They’re both just hoping that all this stress will be worth it in the end.”