Pam's a bloomin' marvel at jobs around the house

As Ma she did her best to keep control of the chaotic Larkin household on TV's Darling Buds Of May. But in real-life, actress Pam Ferris is a dab hand around the house.

The self-confessed DIY addict has already designed an extension to her own home.

And Pam, now working on a second series of Where The Heart Is with Sarah Lancashire, is nursing a secret ambition...to design her own dream house.

"I just get an enormous kick out of all the meticulous detail involved," says Pam, 48, who lives in East Anglia with her actor husband Roger Frost, together with three cats and a dog.

"So when we decided we'd like a sun room at the back of our house, it was me who drew up all the plans.

"I worked it all out to precise dimensions. I didn't work with any kind of budget to start with, but modified the costs as I went along. Basically, I was looking at a conservatory that was about 19ft long and 12ft wide.

"The most fascinating exercise was visiting the local library and looking at building books to decide what would be the best materials to use.

"I discovered that there was a certain type of heat-retaining brick which could be used for part of the walls.

"I then shopped around for the best deal. The same went with the roofing. I did my research and then found the best price.

"Then before any work began, I put sticks into the ground to get a better idea of the outline of the extension

"The building work itself was obviously done by professionals, but you can't beat the feeling of knowing that you created this thing in your mind and then made it happen."

Pam added: "Who knows, one of these days I might get to design a complete house."

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