In the heart of Mayfair an extraordinary home is being built, a £65 million pound refurbishment of almost 50 thousand square foot of living space. The house belongs to self-made billionaire and philanthropist John Caudwell, who sold Phones 4u in 2006 for just under £1.5 billion, and who is now aiming to create one of the most lavish and expensive homes ever to be renovated in in Britain. Bought for £87 million, when the building is finished it is estimated to be worth upwards of £250 million.
With a huge house comes huge challenges and with the build over budget and behind schedule, it has been far from plane sailing. Now as it enters its last crucial stages, we follow this complex project being carried out in the narrow confines of historic Mayfair. Unique engineering tasks and challenges include a vast subterranean basement that joins two mansions together, a mechanical car stacker that can take eight cars from street level to storage at the click of a button, a pool with a bespoke installation designed to look like lava and a second floor dining room featuring a river with live fish.
John Caudwell is an exacting and demanding client who cajoles builders and designers alike to deliver on his vision for his perfect home. Now one of Britain’s most successful businessmen, he has had to fight for all his success from humble beginnings on a council estate in Stoke On Trent. John believes his difficult upbringing, where he had little money and strived to not be bullied, was the perfect training ground for business. He drives up to the location of one of his very first businesses, a used car lot.
As the last of twenty thousand sheets of gold leaf go on, and they approach the new and very tight deadline of John’s birthday in a few weeks time, can his team of expert trades people and interior designers pull off this most epic of transformations?