Homes Under The Hammer star 'failed on every level' with £500k pub rennovation

Martin Roberts has admitted he drastically underestimated the time and cost of his latest project, with his deadline of two years up and half a million spent on a derelict pub
Homes Under The Hammer star Martin Roberts admits he has "failed on every level", after he underestimated how challenging it would be to renovate a derelict South Wales pub. The former I'm A Celebrity contestant, 61, bought the Hendrewen Hotel in Rhondda in 2023, and invested half a million to revamp the rundown boozer.
Not far from his own farmhouse, renovation guru Martin wanted to help the local community, which he said had "lost their heart". But he has now admitted he had completely misjudged how much time and money it would take.
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Having originally estimated it could be done in two years at the cost of £500,000, Martin has already gone over his deadline and the makeover is nowhere near finished. He admits it has been 'challenging', and has only been motivated to get through thanks to his team of 15-17 year olds, who have been working with his tradesmen.
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Martin hoped it would give them practical skills to use when they leave education, having chosen a pub in one of the most deprived areas in the country. The reality TV star wanted to give the kids a "step up the ladder" to help them get jobs when they finish, as well as planning to employ 30 locals when his project is finally complete.
Speaking to the Sun, Martin explained how he felt like he'd failed. He told the paper: "For a man who spends all his time telling people to make sure they stick to their budgets and timescales, I have failed on every single level.
"I'm still smiling but, oh my word, what a challenge it's been, I'll be honest, it's the first commercial property I've ever done. There have been lots of residential houses and flats, but commercial properties have a lot more complications, I'd say we are 60 per cent there."
Martin's vision for his hotel includes an eight-bedroom establishment, with each of the rooms having a television theme. He plans to have Fawlty Towers, A Question of Sport and Homes Under The Hammer themed accommodations, paying homage to the show he's presented for more than 20 years.
The TV star previously told WalesOnline: "I often act a bit on gut instinct, and possibly don't always tell my wife because sometimes I think there's a danger I will be talked out of things because they appear daft on the surface, I only sort of mention it when it's too late!'
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He added: 'I've never run a pub, I've never run a restaurant, and I've never run a hotel. So, hey, what could possibly go wrong?!"
Martin's idea for his new venture came after he had emergency surgery and suffered a terrifying health scare after he suffered chest pains. He thought he had COVID, but when he was hospitalised, medics told him he had pericardial effusion - a build up of fluid around his heart.
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Doctors warned him that he could only have hours to live if he didn't go in for the op. He told Metro: "It was a bit of an eye-opener to be honest, being three hours from death, that's always going to ruin your day.
"I was told to slow down and really take things easy… so I bought a pub which needed complete renovating and which I've got try and run, having no experience of running a pub, restaurant or a hotel. It suddenly makes you realise how fragile we all are in lots of ways."

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