Rock Solid: Man Spends £160,000 Building Flintstones-Style Cave House

THE pressures of modern life mean that most of us have probably dreamt at one time or another of fleeing to the hills

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Videographer / Director: Jon Dean
Producer: Tom Midlane, Nick Johnson
Editor: Kyle Waters

Blending in: an exterior shot of the completed Rockhouse in the Wyre Forest

But real-life caveman Angelo Mastropietro has made his hermit dream a reality - by spending over £160,000 turning a 700-year-old cave in the Wyre Forest into his dream home.

Resting place: a picnic table on the terrace makes the perfect spot for eating breakfast

The ambitious makeover captured the imagination of viewers when it was featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs in September.

Home owner: self-proclaimed 'caveman' Angelo Mastropietro outside his Rockhouse

The 38-year-old, originally from Worcestershire, was living a high-flying life as the head of a successful recruitment company in Australia when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007.

Strength in adversity: despite suffering from MS, Angelo did almost all the work himself

The condition led to him being temporarily paralysed - and inspired him to seek a simpler life.

He said: “My life before I became a caveman was really quite different, like most people I had aspirations to kind of work in a corporate world.

All mod cons: The cave features a fully-furnished kitchen with running water and electricity

"I had a lapse that left me paralysed essentially, which was a catalyst to review where I was, where I was going and my lifestyle."

Bath time: Angelo originally excavated a bathtub for the Rockhouse - before finding out there would not be enough hot water to fill it

The cave was carved 700 years ago out of the 250 million year old sandstone cliffs near the Wyre Forest, which are said to have inspired Tolkien when he was writing Lord of the Rings.

Elegant: The bath was replaced with a pebble-covered shower space, as seen on the right

And despite his condition, Angelo spent around 1,000 hours breaking, cutting and burrowing the rock, excavating around 70 or 80 tons of rubble by hand.

He said: "I love a challenge. Coincidentally my surname actually means Master of the Stones, so you know maybe it’s in my blood.

On tap: all of the fresh running water comes from Angelo’s own bore hole, buried 80 metres into the ground

"The rock house came along and without a shadow of a doubt I was as passionate about that as I was about setting up my company."

The finished rock house’s features are anything but Stone Age - the cave features running water, underfloor heating and even wi-fi.

Get away: the Rockhouse is currently being rented out as a holiday let by Angelo

All of the fresh running water comes from Angelo’s own bore hole, which he sank 80 metres into the ground.

And while the house is currently used as a holiday let, Angelo still harbours dream of one day living in the cave full time.

Angelo added: "I think when you're actually here and you see it in person, you get a feel for the place. You know people have literally been in tears. So I feel incredibly happy.