Pictures: DIY SOS star arrives in Shropshire in the Nick of time

Nick Knowles made sure he was wrapped up against the elements when he brought the DIY SOS team to Shropshire.

They have set to work transforming a cottage in the village of Hopesay, helping former firefighter Joe Grafton who has struggled with spiralling costs after being forced to retire through injury.

Knowles, 53, says he never takes the generosity of builders and craftsmen for granted.

And he said the work was being organised like a military operation in order to get it finished on time.

"It's controlled chaos," he joked. "The local community has been amazing. Everywhere we go we see people coming together.

The tiny village became ground zero for something like a military operation as the DIY SOS team moved in for their first day of work.

Fields next to Mrs Grafton's house were filled with vehicles, portacabins and people coming and going - together with the odd TV camera - as tradesmen of all stripes descended on the south Shropshire village.

They were there along with the team from the popular BBC One show, presented by Nick Knowles, to help Joe and his seven-year-old daughter Lucy, who have been forced to live in a caravan next to what was supposed to be their dream home.

Joe bought the house before he lost his wife Jess to leukaemia and septicaemia in 2014 and, having injured his back, also had to retire from the fire service – as ever more work to be done on the house meant costs spiralled.

Starting yesterday, the DIY SOS: The Big Build team intend to transform his fortunes and have a home fit to live in by February 18.

Producer Hamish Summers said it was a major undertaking.

He said: "It's a nine-day build and we have 70 to 100 tradespeople, mainly from around the local area helping us. Eighty people have signed in today.

"We have roofers, landscapers, plumbers and so on, all working together at the the same time which is not something they would normally do, they're more used to coming in one at a time."

Nick Knowles, who has presented the series since 1999, said: "These things are always controlled chaos - normally on a build like this you would have six to eight people working at one time."

But, he said, lots of hands made fast work.

"They lifted the first tile on the roof at 10.05am and had the whole roof stripped and ready to refit by 10.25am," he said.

"The local community has been amazing. It's great when the big companies give us a few guys for a few days, but if you think that there are also small businesses like plasters here giving up two days of their time, that could be the equivalent of their diesel for the month.

"People think there is no sense of community anymore because the pace life is so fast, but everywhere we go we see the community come together.

"But we're still shot of a few materials companies, so firms can still get in touch - and we would love it if the local WI or other groups could bake a few cakes for everyone and bring them down."

He said there were challenges to undertaking such a large scale project in such a rural area.

"We're in a very difficult environment, it's a one track road and there are people living further up so we can't block it, and we are aware of environmental concerns.

"All the farmers and their families came out last night to lay these down so that we could get in," he said, indicating track boards that had been put down in the pouring rain on Tuesday.

"We do take account of all those in the community, because in return the community takes care of us," he said.

However, he said, one challenge of coming to rural Shropshire was something residents knew only too well - poor mobile signal and no superfast broadband connection.

Nick said: "We're using the same satellite phones that I used in Zambia when I went out there with Comic Relief a few years back. And if someone could come down and sort out high speed internet for us, that would be great."

Judy Clarke, whose husband Dave, a retired engineer from Aston-on-Clun, worked with Joe on the house previously, said: "This is quite amazing. I don't think people realised quite what was going to happen before today.

"I know some of the residents will be grumbling, but we're so pleased for Joe.

"They've had such a rotten start here, and his little girl Lucy is over the moon," she said.

Among those lending a hand were members of Men in Sheds in Shropshire, which sees older men get together to work on projects with groups in Oswestry, Sansaw near Shrewsbury, Market Drayton and Newport.

Tony Wilson, Men in Sheds in Shropshire organiser said: "The BBC said can you come down and help us, so we said can we come on site and do a project - so we are building a wendy house for Lucy. We are making it from scratch," he said, adding that groups from different towns were working together for the first time.

Shrewsbury College students will join the Big Build later in the week under the guidance of painting and decorating tutor, Barry Mason, was approached by the show and asked specifically to take part having worked alongside Nick and his team numerous times before. The students will be using paint, tools and materials supplied by Shrewsbury-based specialist Bromborough Paints.

The results of the Big Build are planned to be broadcast in May as part of a wider season of BBC shows to do with volunteering.

Firms interested in providing materials for the show can still take part by emailing rajveer.sihota@bbc.co.uk