Express & Star

It was non-stop but so worth it: What it's like to build a Grand Design

It was Angelo Mastropietro's dream to help others be at one with nature and live like a modern caveman.

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Angelo Mastropietro inside the unique property

So he began a labour of love project to create an idyllic home in the side of a sandstone escarpment.

He had set his sights on restoring a 250 million-year-old cave, which had been used as a four-bedroom house for three centuries before being abandoned in the early 1960s.

It was an ambitious undertaking and one so extraordinary that it was chosen to be featured on Kevin McCloud's Grand Designs.

Now 18-months after opening up his unique property - now named The Rockhouse Retreat - to guests, the 40-year-old has welcomed visitors from across the globe.

"There is something about the cave house that lifts people's spirits and makes them feel inspired. It is a very special place," he said.

Armed with just his own hands, tools and a vision of how he wanted the finished property to look, Angelo spent hundreds of hours cutting and hand-carving the rock by himself.

It was certainly no small feat, involving the excavation of more than 70 tonnes of sandstone from the site, near Bewdley.

There was also the added pressure of a television crew hanging around for weekly updates on his progress.

"The biggest challenge was that I was a one-man band. It was also an unconventional home, with no straight walls, and there is no manual for cave house restoration," Angelo tells us.

As well as the exposure, he says the visits by the film crew gave him the motivation to stay on top of the project and meet his deadlines.

But he admits it was a 'gruelling' nine months. "I think it took me longer to recover from restoring the cave house than it did restoring it. I was working all the hours I could and it was very physical work.

"I would spend 12 hours carving and excavating rock and then go home, brush myself down, and put myself in front of a computer to continue sourcing materials and fixture and fittings. It was non-stop.

"I needed to make sure that materials kept coming to the site so work could carry on.

He was impressed with Grand Designs presenter McCloud, who he says really took an interest in the project and paid him many visits.

"He was great fun and very charming. I knew he was a busy man so I didn't know how involved he would be but he was really interested and happy to share his knowledge and expertise.

"He is the sort of guy you would be happy to go on a road trip with!," says Angelo, who's house was also featured by Channel 5's The Saturday Show LIVE with Sarah Beenie.

For Angelo, there was a great sense of achievement when the house was finally finished.

"Seeing people's faces light up when they first see the house has made it all very worthwhile. It was a very positive chapter of my life. I never expected Grand Designs to have such an impact, it seems to have gone far and wide.

"As well as the Express & Star, I was interviewed for publications including a Bangladeshi news channel and a German scientific programme," explains the father-of-two.

Step inside the property and guests can find a bedroom with a king-sized bed and a wood-burning stove, a snug sitting room and a kitchen. There are many stylish features including a floor heated 'cave oasis' rain-forest shower.

While outside there is a terrace for alfresco dining around the fire pit.

And while it's an ideal spot to have a digital detox, the property does have wi-fi if you don't want tear yourself away from Facebook or Twitter.

After completing the house, which is hidden amidst three acres of private woodland, he spent several months living there himself before he began renting it out.

"Grand Designs gave the impression I was going to live there myself but the plan had always been for it to be a holiday let, I never intended to live in it myself," explains Angelo, who lives in Button Bridge, near Bewdley.

"It's been really well-received. People have travelled from far and wide just to stay here.

"We've had guests from all over the country and abroad like Germany, Italy and Japan. We have some people who have returned and stayed again. We have also had some 'doggy guests'.

"We had a lot of enquires from dog owners. It wasn't something I had thought about before and I was a bit unsure at first but it's worked out well. We have had a few 'cave dog' visits now.

"The house has been used by couples for romantic breaks as well as families. It's been used for celebrations, corporate events and charity events too. We just need a rock house wedding now, that would be great.

"For me, the pleasure is in meeting the guests, showing them the house and seeing their reactions. I also like reading what they have written in the guest book after they have left ," Angelo tells us.