Whilst most of us barely left the house during lockdown, one man built an incredible lad's pad – complete with a lake and two hot tubs.
Gareth Bull was able to turn his dreams into reality all thanks to a staggering £41 million lottery win back in 2012.
In 2018, Bull bought a two-acre site in Nottinghamshire and vowed to create his dream house.
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However, less than a year after the project began though, COVID-19 stalled all work needed on the four-bed property – leaving Bull in a bit of a pickle.
With no clue when or if things would reopen, the builder decided to work on the project to pass the time.
Recalling the last few years, he told PA: “I was living here on my own at the time, and I didn’t know what to do, so I threw myself into work on the home, and it saved me from getting too lonely.”
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Staying in a caravan on the site - 'much to the amusement' of his mates - Bull worked tirelessly on the project and even called in some of his old workmates for help.
The lottery winner admits that the project helped keep him going during the most difficult days of the pandemic.
He said: “The house is extra special because I did so much of the work myself, and during the pandemic too.
"It helped me through lockdown, I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t had this to work on.
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"It was the perfect distraction with a great reward at the end of it.”
Bull's massive 6000 square ft home has an accompanying two-bed lodge, aptly named Lockdown Lodge, and two hot tubs.
His impressive home also comes with four bedrooms, a swimming pool with a programmable wave machine and three bars.
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There is also an artificial lake that he dug himself - which is where he keeps hundreds of re-homed koi carp and goldfish.
“I called it ‘Lockdown Lake’, made a little sign with its name on it and invited anyone who needed to rehome their fish to bring them here,” he explained.
And given his endless devotion to the project, it’s not surprising that Bull’s efforts were all worth it in the end.
He was finally able to enjoy the fruits of his labour when he moved in on Christmas Eve in 2020.
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"I had a massive 7ft Christmas tree. I wanted everything to be perfect when I moved in and it was." he said.
It seems you can’t keep a good lad down, even during a pandemic!
Katherine Sidnell