SHE’S the queen of upcycling who breathes new life into people's unwanted junk before selling it on for a tidy sum.
Now Money For Nothing presenter Sarah Moore has gone one step further – by buying a crumbling home on the Greek island of Skiathos for £100,000, despite never having seen it.
In her biggest restoration project to date, Sarah transforms the derelict relic into a stunning home – with the journey documented in a new six-part More4 series, Home Greek Home.
The mum-of-three, 50, saw the 123-year-old wreck online in February 2021 but strict lockdown restrictions in Greece meant she wasn’t able to visit it before she bought it.
Sarah, who lives in West Sussex with husband Pete, 49, and their children Harry, 20, Edward, 19, and 17-year-old Libby, says: “I get lots lots of stuff online – I buy furniture, fabric and all sorts of things.
"I'm used to going online and I'm fairly used to assessing whether something is a good thing or not, and I think it was an extension of that, brought about by lockdown light-headedness as well!
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“But Skiathos has never failed to deliver. It's just so beautiful. I kind of persuaded my family that, why would buying a property be any different?"
She adds: "Initially my husband and my two boys were very much like, ‘Don't bother, honestly, it's another one of your stupid ideas, don’t be ridiculous.’
“My daughter said it's quite a good idea. And my husband eventually said to me, ‘Oh God, you've got that look in your eyes so we're going to have to explore this.' And then he saw the potential.
“It was a collaborative decision in the end.”
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Skiathos is famous for being a filming location for the hit film Mamma Mia!. While it may be only seven miles long and four miles wide, there are more than 60 beautiful beaches.
The BBC presenter first visited the island aged 17 and immediately fell in love with it, returning countless times.
She says: “It’s known as the boomerang island because people come back again and again.”
Sarah, who has been self employed all her life, says she has always strived to save up some money to put aside in order to have some stability.
The £100,000 came from money Sarah had set aside for her pension.
“I was looking around for an opportunity that potentially would have a return or be a good investment," she says.
"With inflation going up and all of that, having money to invest, it seems sensible to actually do something with it.
“Although, it's a huge commitment financially – it's not a minor thing for us to have £100,000. There were no guarantees.”
Sarah only understood the vast scale of the project she had taken on when she finally visited the property, which had been empty for around five years – and had a strong stench of fish.
"I had a slight sweaty moment when we got in there," she admits.
“Estate agent pictures are always on the slightly more positive side than reality. It was a lot to take in.
“The roof was leaking. There were pots and pans everywhere to try and catch the leaks.
“We’re a family of swearers… what you hear is ‘wow’ when actually we mean something else.”
The home, built in 1899, belonged to the owner's late mother, and had been in the family for some time.
“The old owner of the house had been using it to fry her fish. It didn’t smell good," Sarah recalls. “There was also lots of flour and fish scales around.”
Joker Edward also came dangerously close to falling through the floorboards.
Sarah says: “When we walk in you can hear the director going, ‘Oh mind, oh god…’ The whole place was moving up and down when we were walking on it.
"So when Ed started jumping just in the area where the roof had got a leak, he got put in his place.
“And it turned out, it was totally rotten, it was just hanging. So we had to stabilise that immediately before any of the builders could go in there and get to work upstairs."
The home had to be taken back almost to its original shell. It needed a new roof, timber beams and floor as well as damp proofing.
Sarah says: “We stripped it down and then we decided that we'd do a very sympathetic restoration of the original house, but then put a more practical and modern chunk on, which became a kitchen and downstairs bathroom with a roof terrace above.”
However, despite leaving clear instructions to leave original features behind, some were ditched by the builders.
“In Greece there’s not a huge culture of restoration – it’s more demolition and rebuild. But the builders tried really hard to follow the brief," Sarah says.
“The doors and the windows were lovely and they were handmade in Skiathos, but they were nowhere to be seen. So when I got there, it was like seeing somebody’s face with no teeth in. I was a bit shocked."
Luckily, islander and long-term friend Kostas Yiannitsis, who project managed the build while Sarah was away, managed to rescue them from the rubble and put her in touch with local Yiorgos Karafelas, who restores furniture as a hobby.
The end result left Sarah overcome with emotion.
She says: “He wanted it to be lovely, and it makes such a difference. You walk through the door, and it’s a lovely feeling.
"He also did our gates and made a cupboard out of a window. It’s now the drinks cabinet, which is very important!
“So he’s had a big hand in saving all the traditional stuff.”
Sarah hired local women to make cushions out of second hand fabric and was given a traditional Skiathos rug from the family.
The family set aside £60,000 for the renovation project but Sarah admits they spent more than double that.
The project played to the couple’s strengths; hands-on Sarah had creative rein, while husband Pete, who works in financial services, oversaw the budget and all administration, including navigating the Greek banking system.
Building work took nine months in total and finished in October, with the final result revealed on the show.
Sarah says: “The craftsmanship of the whole team behind the project was amazing.
“We put the last pieces of furniture in place and had a street party on the same night. About 100 people came and joined us and partied into the night.
“People turned up like it was a wedding. They bought us beautiful dishes to cook in, tapestries that have been in their family for generations, Skiathos’ homemade liquor… it was absolutely beautiful. It's one of my favourite nights of my life.
"We grilled souvlaki in the street. The neighbours were singing. It was a total fiesta. It just felt lovely to be able to give them some hospitality after all they’d done for us.”
Sarah's favourite bit is the small bath she installed on the roof terrace, alongside a lemon tree and beer fridge.
Sarah says: “One of my goals is to sit in the bath with a gin and tonic with a slice of lemon from my lemon tree and just enjoy the moment. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The family are set to return to their holiday home, which features two pull-out beds downstairs, later this year.
Sarah says: “We’re thinking about renting it out eventually, but it’s too new and precious at the moment.
“I don’t think there are many places you could spend £100,000 and get as good a return. It’s been a good investment.
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“Pete has got a smile on his face when he looks at the figures.”
Home Greek Home is on More4 on Tuesday 28 February, at 9pm and is available on All4.
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