Well down here in Bavaria we bought a rather tatty house - not a ruin though, and set about changing it year by year. First it was the balcony which was a bit old so we had that done, then the conservatory (called a winter garden) then last year a kitchen. This year it was changing the windows to make our house warmer. So I am no stranger to the stress and mess involved. Also my parents and I did the Dordogne thing back in the 90s and renovated a barn.
My German wife and I love the show as a matter of fact. Some of the makeovers we don't agree with e.g., the church one last night was ugly and although I am not religious I still feel churches should be churches or other places of worship. I'd even rather an old church became a mosque for the locals than sold for housing but that's my humble opinion.