FOR 21 years, Jasmine Harman has been finding Brits their dream home abroad on A Place in the Sun, and recently decided to take the plunge herself.
In an even bolder move, Jasmine and her family decided to renovate their own property on the Costa del Sol and documented it all on the Channel 4 show, Jasmine Harman’s Renovation in the Sun.
Talking to Sun Travel, Jasmine has revealed what her new life in Spain is like, and the renovation mishaps she wishes she knew sooner.
Having been advice on property since 2004., it was in October 2023that Jasmine and her family were relocated from the UK to Spain, buying a run-down villa to transform it into their dream home.
It took around one year to transform the casa, and for anyone who wants to do the same, Jasmine has some words of warning.
Jasmine said: “It’s not for the faint hearted. If anyone was considering taking on a renovation project, I’d say be prepared.
“It’s going to be harder and more expensive than you think. There will be things that will come up that you weren’t expecting and you’ll need to leave yourself a financial and time buffer.
“We had rough figures that we were trying to stick to, but I reckon we ended up going over by around 50 per cent.”
Another huge challenge that Jasmine warned people against is living in the house whilst undergoing a renovation – especially during demolition.
Jasmine along with her husband, Jon, and their two children Joy and Albion, transformed the villa which wasn’t without its setbacks – including serious health scares.
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The work however started long before the actual renovation when Jasmine and Jon had to choose exactly where to live.
For the family, Jasmine revealed that moving abroad to the Costa del Sol was also the only logical option.
She explained: “The Costa del Sol was a practical decision because we film A Place in the Sun here all year round.
“There would be no point in me moving abroad somewhere to be with my family more, which was the whole idea, and say we moved to Italy.
“When deciding whereabouts on the Costa del Sol, we chose the western side of Malaga. Then Estepona we chose mostly for the schools – I found one I thought my kids would be happy in.”
Now she and her family have been living in Estepona for some time and have really settled in.
Jasmine shared: “I love Estepona because of the vibe in the town. Where we are, the beaches are quiet all year round. It’s a lovely Spanish town – very authentic.
“Although there’s quite a big international community here, it still maintains its Spanish feel.”
As for what she loves most about her move to Spain, like most Brits would find, it’s the good weather.
In the summer season, Estepona has highs of 28C and even during the winter it can still be as mild as 17C.
Jasmine told us: “I know it’s a cliche, but the weather is so much better and more predictable and reliable.
“I had never really understood the pull of why people want to live by the sea, but I get it now. I love being this close to the sea, the mountains, and being able to see the horizon and that big, beautiful blue sky.”
Thanks to her new home being so close to the sea that they can see it from their home, Jasmine makes the most of it by taking regular dips in the ocean.
She and her children sometimes walk across the beach after school.
There are also plenty of spots for day trips from Tarifa where you can spot dolphins and whales, to Malaga City.
It’s not all sun and sand though; Jasmine is also very close to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Granada province.
Jasmine said: “For the last two years that we’ve lived here, we’ve driven to Sierra Nevada, which is a few hours away, to go for a little skiing weekend.
“We don’t have to fly there, we just chuck everything in the car.”
Jasmine Harman’s Renovation in the Sun continues on Thursday November 13, at 5 PM.
To catch up on previous episodes, head to Channel4.com.
For more on A Place in the Sun, hear from the experts on the coastline worth buying on NOW where you can ‘still get bargains’.
And A Place In The Sun’s Laura Hamilton’s surprising favourite holiday destination… despite her job travelling abroad.