Fed up with expensive bills from plumbers and electricians, a couple with an eye for renovating properties decided to pack in their high-flying office jobs and retrain as tradesmen.

Jenny and Morgan Williams are more used to boardroom meetings and business lunches than grubby overalls and builders' tea but this summer they will qualify as a plumber and electrician respectively and say they can't wait.

Mr Williams, 39, who is currently on a one-year sabbatical from his job at the Department of Trade and Industry to look after their 14-month-old son Rhys, said: "The first time we got stung with electrician's and plumbers' bills we wondered if we could do it ourselves.

"It just progressed from there. There's a big shortage of plumbers everywhere and it's about lifestyle choice. This way we can choose when we work, where and for how long. It will be much more flexible."

Mrs Williams, 31, currently works part-time as a cultural diversity officer for Arts Council England.

She said: "I am passionate about the arts and I'm not going to give that up altogether. I don't think you can get quite as excited about a U-bend as you can about art. But I love doing something so different and practical and it's great to have a range of skills."

The couple, who live in Ruskin Road, Hove, started their own renovation company, Sunflower Developments, a few months ago and have been working on several properties in Brighton and Hove.

However, they hope to cast their net much wider as they have just bought a house in Beaulieu-Sur-Dordogne in France and hope to tap into the renovation market on the Continent.

Researchers from Channel 4's property programme Relocation, Relocation helped Mr and Mrs Williams find and secure the three-bedroomed town house in the Medieval town and they are due to appear on the programme next Wednesday.

Mrs Williams said: "It's so beautiful. The town is right on the Dordogne river, the buildings are all really old Medieval stone and there's a beautiful church and lots of restaurants and cafes. It has a lovely atmosphere."

Mr Williams said: "There's a lot of scope for property development in France and we now have a lot of DIY and problem-solving experience."

The couple, who cannot speak French, are due to collect the keys for their second home in about three months and said they would use it as a weekend and holiday retreat to begin with.

They will finish courses at Central Sussex College in Crawley this summer.

Friday, February 17, 2006