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00:00of 10 years that we've lived in this house eight of them have had trauma this time a couple in
00:08turmoil we can eradicate the feelings that we've had in this house by by redecorating and renovating
00:15and a top-heavy house feels like 10 white rooms all on top of each other honestly look it's made
00:21of bloody paper the pressures on to bring some much-needed joy back into Lisa and Linda's lives
00:28I tell you this place has been built and designed for you I agree Phil so whilst I take sofa shopping
00:35to a whole different level I don't actually sit on the sofa this is psychology stuff isn't this is yes
00:42because I like my sofa to be all neat and with anxiety levels at an all-time high I'm really
00:47concerned about whether I've just lost love it I'll list it like it oh yeah very much I'm just worrying
00:55who will prevail are you gonna love it or are you going to list it
01:01today we're by the seaside and way up north in Whitley Bay Tyneside not to be confused with
01:19Sun always shines in Whitby Whitley Phil Whitley
01:26whenever you see anybody here they're always out walking the dog or being active it's just that
01:37kind of place and that pretty much sums up sports loving Linda and Lisa we just absolutely love it
01:45here don't yeah I mean it's just since we've had Isabella it's just been that's just the best
01:50place to live it's the perfect place features amazing the lifestyle's great fresh air
01:56but sadly that's about all they agree on list it love it you see you see not even
02:07as they're in the midst of a very active dispute on whether to love or list their family home I love
02:16this house I love pretty much everything about it and I think if we can change the downstairs
02:20configuration we can make it our perfect perfect house hmm I think that's a no from Linda I feel
02:29like it was a compromise moving into this house they bought this place ten years ago when daughter
02:36Isabella was just three and for Linda it never quite worked the house is too top-heavy we've
02:44got five bedrooms and that's brilliant when we're entertaining and people come and stay but then we
02:50come to sit downstairs and there's only enough room for five people in the lounge nobody's sitting
02:55around there going are they oh this is terrible that I have to perch on the edge but they're just not
03:00saying it to your face and things aren't much better when it's just the three of them apparently
03:06we have a constant issue around a certain area in the kitchen I'm not saying I would commit murder but
03:12like you know just it feels like she would commit murder like it's like Lisa help me away yeah I am
03:17emptying the dishwasher you cannot make a cup of tea but what about the fact that as Isabella's now
03:22get into the teenage years her bedroom is on the top floor and she's now got the room opposite as
03:28almost like her own TV room where she can have her mates over with the top floor all to herself
03:34unsurprisingly Isabella is also team love it I don't want to list it whatsoever I just I think it's a great
03:43house this five bed detached new build is set over three levels with three bathrooms and a downstairs
03:53toilet on the ground floor there's also a kitchen diner living room and study with a large garden and
04:02double garage home to the tumble dryer I coach two football teams and we've got no utility so nowhere
04:10for me to put my sports gear it feels like 10 white rooms all on top of each other doesn't I think this
04:17house does have a bit of character and I think we could make this house have some character the only
04:22power that houses me I am the character character aside sadly just a year and a half after moving in
04:30all thoughts of the house fell by the wayside for this super active couple my brother was diagnosed
04:37with leukemia my 22 year old brother and we spent a year between here and Manchester supporting him
04:45and the family so our lives were put on hold and then unfortunately he died our dearly beloved William
04:53we were then consumed by grief and then Covid hit and then I got ill and then a year later Linda got ill
05:01still struggling with grief Lisa then developed long Covid followed by Linda who had an adverse
05:08reaction to the vaccine for two years Lisa was probably mostly like bedridden or couldn't get out
05:14and about there was a period of time when I couldn't work I wasn't well enough to work I unfortunately lost
05:21my job through through getting long Covid vaccine injury at which point Linda's brother Alan moved in
05:28to help look after Isabella he's using what was the guest room plus another room after nearly three
05:35years in the house Alan will be moving out soon leaving them once more with surplus bedrooms and for
05:42Linda a house filled with bad memories there's an awful lot of emotion attached to me wanting to move on I
05:49think as well the pandemic ended for a lot of people didn't end for Lisa and I because of chronic
05:54illness so the house became somewhere that we were stuck in after several challenging years fortunately
06:00they're finally starting to feel better thanks in no small part to yoga mindfulness and the oxygen chamber
06:07they acquired it's a pressurized environment and it's pushing pure oxygen into your system Linda's now
06:13swimming and back coaching football Lisa's taken on a somewhat slower pace sport and focus has once again returned to the
06:20house I feel like I want to feel like I'm in a different environment to the one I've been in for four to five
06:27years where I've been ill we can eradicate the feelings that we've had in this house by redecorating and
06:34renovating all over the place we can make it a house that we love I think that argument is exactly why I genuinely
06:43think that's why we need Kirstie and Phil's help after the most torrid of times there's clearly a lot to
06:50consider here here we are and we're determined to help Wow not much wrong with this one what do you think
07:01that is a light outside their house I thought your light was for a flagpole she has done this before all
07:21right Phil let's see how smug you are when I'm flying my victory flag up there great to be back in Whitley
07:27Bay and another sunny day it's always sunny in Whitley Bay Phil so so it appears so what's been going on
07:34here so we've been here for 10 years we moved in when it was a new build and it did tick 90% of the
07:40things that we wanted and what we thought was well it's just the downstairs space we can easily put an
07:44orangery on the back we can create a utility but then like well I've got in the way life gets in the way
07:50Julie got in the way for us my 22 year old brother was diagnosed with leukemia will sadly died a year
07:57later then we had about a year of grief and then covert hit Lisa in she got long covered in the first
08:03round of like the the worst bit of COVID and then a year later later I had the first vaccine and mine is
08:11now called post vaccine injury long covered because she couldn't go return to work she was
08:16ill my job yeah so we lost years of salary so are you fully recovered now honestly we a lot of our
08:24recovery has been about trying to find joy enjoy I'm a hundred percent recovered yet I think I'm more
08:2980% recovered I'm football coaching now I'm back in the sea swimming we feel like we're finally getting
08:37our lives for the house time to turn attention to the house and what to do about it all yeah but
08:44for me of ten years that we've lived in this house eight of them have had trauma happening I just want
08:50to move really we've still had some good great times here everybody can come at Christmas we love
08:55entertaining we have a lot of family visitors so when they come it's fantastic because we've got four
09:01more toilets four bathrooms you know five bedrooms but then we come to congregate downstairs and we go
09:09tiny little lounge behind us so what doesn't the house have doesn't have a utility Kirstie can you
09:16believe it no in a northern house I can't the swimming stuff ends up around this table the the
09:22footballs end up in here because who wants to go to the garage when they've come in it's paying down
09:26they've got all the stuff this house is a top-heavy house you've got to do something about the top
09:33heaviness before you put on the market regardless of we go or you stay I need to have a look around
09:37Linda and Lisa have really had a tough time on top of everything else their health issues have also
09:45resulted in significant loss of income so I need to make every penny of my 40k love it budget count oh
09:52they're right it is tiny it's not that tiny oh come on fell it's a reasonable size room but it's not
09:58a reasonable size for us not when you consider there are five bedrooms upstairs Phil it's totally
10:04top-heavy and the kitchen is very long and thin I mean this half of it in the middle it's just a
10:13corridor the layout of this house leaves a lot to be desired as do the walls honestly look it's made of
10:19bloody paper don't knock it down knocking down walls might be my only option Phil with the budget
10:28I have I would make this into the kitchen I'd have the utility at this end I'd get rid of that downstairs
10:35Lou you can't build an extension so you're gonna have to reconfigure the existing space at least there
10:40was clearly no sporting walls there won't be after you've finished anyway Kirstie's on a mission but so
10:50am I Linda and Lisa are looking to release some equity from the house to relieve the financial
10:55pressure they've been under so I have a budget of 450 to 500,000 pounds which could be up to 150 grand
11:03less than this place is worth and we'll make it harder to compete with not to mention with money
11:10tight no one's going to want to spend over 26 grand in moving costs and stamp duty and it could be used
11:17to bring some much-needed joy back into their lives there's only one bedroom on the first floor
11:25looking out over the back into the garden I'm not loving this house I have to say not at all and
11:32this is nice up the top but the thing is they don't need it speaks the voice of God from up on high
11:40hello other two bathrooms overlooking the garden yeah there's two bed really nice bedrooms and a bathroom
11:49on the top level I'm not that impressed with it though it's surplus they don't need all this space
11:55I think the house is surplus requirement interesting house could you cope with a three-bedroom house if
12:07it had all the living space and had utility women space for the golf kit and things we've lost a lot
12:12of income from being chronically ill so we could manage in a three-bedroomed house if we could sell this
12:19house and make about 150 key I think if the three bedrooms are big enough and one could be double
12:25up as an office space or have an office space downstairs yes I mean ideally it would be good
12:30to have four bedrooms but a three-bedroom house might work the biggest pinch point for me is I don't know
12:36whether I could ever move back to a house that's attached to another house what else am I looking for
12:42not too far away from Isabella school not too far away from the beach a bit of a wow factor downstairs
12:50but we've got to be conscious of budget as well because you're thinking about downsizing finances I'm
12:55just flagging it's gonna be hard to find the wow factor and drop in value by 150 odd grand it's the
13:02detached bit which is gonna be difficult so if there was to be a compromise in the brief could I include
13:07semi-detached I'm pleased that they relented albeit reluctantly on it being detached yeah otherwise you're
13:23toast I think Phil will pull a rabbit out the heart I think you'll get something that is definitely it's
13:29going to turn our heads and it's going to free up a lot of cash and I think that's going to be hard
13:33to resist but I think once we've redesigned this house we're just never going to want to move from
13:39it what are you going to do you can't make it I can make it bigger there's all sorts of ways to skin
13:47this cat good luck with that thank you
13:59the house is too top-heavy too small a lounge no utility it's like a comedy house it's like way
14:08too small yes comedy house I really like it because it's near to school so I can walk to school and it
14:15doesn't take too long I think Kirsty will come up with a solution which will make this house absolutely
14:20perfect for us in Tyneside after eight years of suffering loss and debilitating illness the pressure
14:30really is on this time to find or create the home Linda and Lisa so desperately deserve I feel like
14:37getting this decision is so important because you know Lisa and I were not getting younger and we have
14:44missed a lot of like the life we used to have and the life we want to live it's all about joy and I'm
14:52determined to bring that back to this higgledy-piggledy house this wall is just a a bit pointless and you
15:01could knock it down with a nail file I keep on coming back to take this down it would widen the kitchen it
15:09would make a better room my main goal with my 40k budget is to amplify the existing space of this
15:16house we're going to turn over to the next page okay sorry I've just seen the very long kitchen
15:24Ben's very happy about yes it's really good that's what I like to hear by knocking through into the
15:31toilet we can extend the kitchen and create a large open-plan kitchen diner and family room is space for an
15:37island and large table if we want to create the feeling of even more room I think we should
15:42knock down the entire wall between the kitchen and living area but we could also leave it as a snug the
15:49downstairs office could make a lovely utility and toilet with room for all the sports kit and coats and
15:54the third bedroom upstairs could become Lisa's new office come guest bedroom this feels like a really
16:04small bit of tinkering it is it's a really small bit of a massive positive impact yes we there's no
16:11it's not my job to spend your money we need to get Phil back in I'm feeling a bit vulnerable yeah well I
16:18would say this is solving a whole heap of problems totally you're a bit worried I'm a bit worried I'm
16:27really very worried it might deliver us a utility a big lounge a kitchen that works so I'm really
16:37concerned about whether I've just lost love it I'll list it all over the country there are people with
16:45houses just like this that aren't working for them you don't need to spend a fortune you don't need to
16:51move house there are simple solutions and none of them have Phil Spencer in them
16:56Kirsty's feeling confident but none of her solutions allow Lisa and Linda to free up equity from the house
17:06having lost a significant amount of income due to illness my challenge is to find them a smaller home
17:12that still suits them as a family but also puts money in their back pocket to downsize in budget get
17:20closer to the sea and retain your modernity yes it is a toughie yeah what we've asked to do is virtually
17:31impossible without massive compromises yeah if it's there I'm gonna find it brilliant I have a budget of
17:39450 to 500,000 pounds to find a three to four bed house with space for an office large lounge and
17:47downstairs living space near the coast and Isabella's school it's quite the wish list but are we here
17:54going down here this is not why is it because I didn't expect there to be anything down here and by
18:03here she means the bustling hub of Whitley Bay just a 15-minute walk from the beach and close to
18:08Isabella's school suffice to say my first property will definitely be ticking the location box we are
18:15really close to the beach really cafes restaurants the tram station is right there yeah and we've got
18:23a beautiful house to look at it is beautiful Wow but I can see it's attached on both sides Phil we
18:30actually used to live in somewhere very like this and we did ever since we've just walked down this
18:34little Avenue I can't stop smiling that is a beautiful house beautiful is an understatement
18:41yes it is a terrace but as well as the perfect location this three-story family home is brimming
18:48with character and this is within our budget it is absolutely 500 with six bedrooms and two bathrooms
18:58there's ample room for an office and the family to visit and downstairs there's a large lounge separate
19:05dining room and decent-sized kitchen diner come on in see what you make of this Wow Wow actual log burner
19:17rather bigger than your living room I would hazard a guess it is bigger it's bigger yeah then
19:23separate dining room Wow Wow like a film set yeah and then through to the kitchen kitchen diner I love
19:37the character I love the size of the lounge but this is a compromise for me the kitchen yeah yeah the
19:44kitchen is the hub of our house really isn't it it's just not quite big enough for me from the
19:49outside I couldn't stop smiling oh it's beautiful and maybe when I look at the rest of it I'll keep
19:54smiling and hopefully sway Lisa to this house's many charms definitely got a wow factor this is sumptuous
20:05and voluptuous some might say oh my god you forget your football team it's like you've just won the
20:16cup and let everybody get exactly it's like in Wembley well fair enough the kitchen isn't quite what
20:24they'd hoped but there was a proper wow factor in this house there really is and we're close to the
20:29beach so I'm not giving up hope why can I planted a seed if we moved in this would be our room yes bonkers
20:40if we moved in is Lisa coming around so how did you get on upstairs given that we've been forced
20:49into a situation where we do need to downsize and we need to free up some money it's still got loads of
20:55bedrooms where we can put people and it still shows us what you can get nearer to the beach right bang
21:01on the metro line so I think it's got potential just maybe the downstairs space is just a little
21:07bit too small maybe the kitchen so but wow we've both said we've not heard any noise and it has
21:14definitely opened the door to being attached yeah I'm really pleased you've reached that conclusion because
21:18I I know that something had to give yeah so much house for the money that's fantastic I'm surprised
21:30that we're managing to get this kind of property for this price in this location so the location is spot
21:36on I knew they'd love this location absolutely but that was always going to come with some compromises
21:43internally but the thing is if they are looking to slow down and retire and think about later life
21:50then they're going to want to be able to walk to things and and live in this kind of a neighborhood
21:55so I reckon the compromises would be worth it but there's been no compromise at home Phil just two
22:04and a half months after I presented my plan to Linda and Lisa the builders in full swing as it's the
22:10school holidays they've decided to vacate the house for a couple of weeks and enjoy a cheeky
22:15seaside breakup in Scotland well why not it was just a no-brainer let's leave them to it and then
22:22let's go back to a transformed space and transformed it will be they've stuck to my plans so Lisa has
22:30moved her office upstairs allowing the builders to start bringing down the walls extending the kitchen
22:35into the old toilet and they're also knocking down the entire wall into the lounge to create that
22:41large open plan living space but will it be enough to sway Linda Lisa's obviously going to be hoping
22:48dearly that the space works otherwise we're going to have the board up out the front and we're going
22:54to be moving quickly actually I've had such a nice time in Edinburgh I might even move up here
22:58in Tyneside my plans to balance out the top-heavy house of Linda and Lisa is going apace I'm totally
23:14loving it I'm loving the changes when we came because we came back from holiday and the walls
23:18had gone and it looked like a building site because everything was right back to the breeze block but it
23:23was incredible and whilst Linda's still not convinced I'm still thinking the space doesn't quite work
23:29for us but I'll have to see it when it's finished there is some great news on the health front from
23:36when we began this process both mine and Lisa's health has improved significantly mine especially Kirstie
23:45and I couldn't be happier for them and now it's my turn to bring some viewing joy if you were to
23:52move you don't want to be moving again so you want to get it as right as possible for the longest
23:58amount of time yeah yes I think that's right my first house certainly wowed in terms of location
24:05and style but was missing that all-important open-plan living time to up my game and hone in on what
24:13they're looking for what's the priority is it area is it house is it budget is it all those things Phil
24:23which makes your job very difficult yes I think I would rather have a better configured house with
24:28a five-minute drive to the beach rather than having to compromise on the house just so you we can walk to
24:35the beach yeah as long as Isabella can get to school yeah music to my ears as my next property
24:42is located in the peaceful residential neighborhood of Backworth further out it's a 12-minute drive to
24:48the sea and Isabella's school but a straightforward commute on the nearby Metro with house prices
24:55around 20% cheaper here this is a real corker of a property I thought it was worth coming further
25:01out to show you this it's still detached four bedrooms garage utilities brilliant but in coming
25:08further away from the coast much better value for money yes that's fine we're not that far away yeah
25:15five minutes this is on the market of 450 given that your house is worth 600 thereabouts maybe a bit
25:21more something like this for 150 grand in your pocket yeah we need that's attractive it's nice nice
25:27design let's do it let's do it as well as being 50 grand under their max budget this modern detached
25:35property has four beds and three bathrooms downstairs the open plan living is everything Linda and Lisa
25:42have asked for for the separate lounge as well as a utility room directly accessible from the outside
25:49which means no more dirty sports kit or wet causes in the house right so we have garage in there super
26:00smart front room you get a downstairs loo this time which I wasn't able to show you in the first house nice
26:07oh look at these doors hello nice and you still have a utility utility and side access so come back from
26:23football shove everything oh perfect yeah yeah yeah like that very much that's nice like it oh yeah very much
26:34I'm just worrying don't worry you don't need to worry just come over to team list it and it offers 11
26:41more living space than they're creating at home so we've gained a utility a second lounge a kitchen
26:49that looks like it may work better for us because we've got this bench space which you haven't got
26:53and we've got 150 grand in our pocket yeah what's wrong with that absolutely nothing Phil absolutely
27:02nothing how many bedrooms you can have a look okay and check out all the bathrooms oh will do look out
27:12Kirstie team list it's on a roll this is looking good this is looking very good and I think they're
27:21going to be equally impressed upstairs oh wow this is a nice room nice and an ensuite and I think I saw
27:30four bedrooms as well it's very nice oh yeah very nice very nice bathroom on sweet another on sweet
27:42another on sweet two on sweet oh my that's right ladies this place has two on sweet and a family
27:52bathroom imagine Isabella having her own on sweet yeah it's not sweet he worried yeah I am well I've got
28:04a little southwest facing garden for you so you are gonna get this on all day well not only that Phil
28:10Sun in the garden four bedrooms and two on sweet two on sweet sweet sweet ridiculous this place has been
28:19built and designed for you I agree Phil space inside and upstairs is the perfect space for us the only
28:26thing it does is it puts Isabella outside of a direct location with her friends but she has access to them
28:33via the metro I'm very worried well done Phil yeah great job thank you there's some huge extras that we
28:42didn't expect to get an integrated garage a utility that's coming in from the outside straight from the
28:49outside door which even after our build we won't have an extra little lounge at the front to get the extra
28:56money it's just it's a bit of a no-brainer really I think he's done brilliantly yeah I think Lisa's
29:03forgotten that she's on team love it actually well that proves everything is possible Lisa is properly
29:11panicking which means so should Kirstie I wouldn't be so sure Phil back on Tyneside just four weeks in
29:24Linda and Lisa's build has progressed at record-breaking speed we are nearly done with all the structural work
29:31the kitchen work tops are going to be fitted tomorrow and which means we can get back in
29:36the kitchen this weekend which is amazing even Linda's getting excited I can't wait to come and
29:43shove me swimming stuff my football stuff me bed beds and stuff like that I can't wait to do that and
29:48throw them in the utility but I'm still not sure how the space is going to work and with the build
29:54almost complete thoughts have turned to furnishings and the different seating areas their new open plan
30:00layout now offers have you made a decision on a sofa no we've got a sofa in our room upstairs which
30:09has barely been used so we would like to make use of that but we still want to have a couple of armchairs
30:15or a two-seater we think we're gonna have enough room to have like a sitting area around the TV and
30:22then a quiet sitting area like behind that as Linda and Lisa are wanting to divide up their seating
30:30areas I think swivel chairs are a good option so you can enjoy views from the window or conversation in
30:35the room check out that swiveling chair there because I think you both fit in that one no no
30:42honestly yeah with the cushions is that comfortable no no it's not it's not no way that Linda would sit
30:49on a chair neck this close to anybody let alone me she's very particular about a personal space it's not
30:56happening hmm I wonder if it's time to teach them the curse to also approach to sofa sitting I have a
31:07collection of cushions that I really like and I plump up all my family know that I'd rather that you
31:14didn't sit on the sofa okay pretend you've come over and you've sat down you're having a glass of wine
31:18so you two sit down all right okay okay I can cope with guests sitting on the sofa okay so I'll go
31:24it's lovely to see you and then I'll just go like this you won't yeah oh no so you don't sit on it so
31:32we can see you framed by the perfect so yeah I don't actually sit on the sofa this is psychology yes
31:39because I like my sofa to be all neat so most nights before I go to bed I will be plumping four large
31:48sofa cushions rather like beds we all have different criteria and what we want from a sofa some like
31:56a soft deep seater others like a firmer solid one so you need to try them out before purchasing and
32:03always take measurements so you know how much space they'll take up I can get height at the cushion like
32:09you won't believe all like me how it is a showpiece and just sit on the floor that looks really comfortable
32:17it is comfortable to be honest oh oh oh my goodness oh no I'm no I'm really tempted oh I think I could
32:26I could find a home for this you would not have to plump these but you know what you'd have to do quite a
32:31lot of stroking to make sure it all went in the right direction even for me this is spiraled into a
32:39rather surreal shopping trip I haven't got the balls to buy it and funnily enough neither is Lisa still
32:48hopefully today's been of some assistance that's given us lots to think about but it's reminded us
32:54it's really important to come out and try and sit and actually sit on these things because we're going
32:58to be sitting on them for a long time I often hold my breath at this point am I coming back
33:04to see someone who's in full builder hell but those two are in such good spirits it's going really
33:11well and now they're just focusing on the fun stuff like the sofas
33:20nine weeks later back on the search it's a chilly old day and discussions have returned to property
33:26two which really had Lisa worried Isabella was excited when we went home and said there were
33:32two on suites she was like I don't mind an extra 20 minutes really yeah yeah the reality is it will
33:38be also is taking her in the car because she'll never get out of bed 20 minutes so just a little
33:43bit too far out but as a property yeah great well that's what I'm trying to find the balance today of
33:49distance to beach distance to school and money in the pocket yeah I don't think you can do it like
33:55but I wouldn't be too sure Lisa there's a sea Linda that's the sea right there yeah there's the metro
34:05station yeah so sea metro house that's right for my final stop I'm taking them to the beautiful coastal
34:15village of color coats the beach for Linda is just a seven-minute walk look at this and it's
34:24only two miles or a short tram ride to Whitley Bay and Isabella's school so we have semi-detached yes
34:37parking gardens front and back what I'm trying to do is pick a house that slots in between the two that
34:45we've already looked at yes price-wise this does exactly that this is four seven five wow okay
34:51beach access school access parks a 25 grand under their maximum budget it's hard to argue this four
35:07bed extended semi-detached house has everything they love in terms of open-plan family living with a
35:14huge kitchen diner and unlike at home two separate lounges there's a downstairs shower room gym and four
35:22bedrooms and another two bathrooms upstairs access out to the back garden first reception room mm-hmm yeah
35:34Isabella and Isabella and her friends are in that one of course they are separate but this is the
35:42entertaining bit nice we've got the flow yeah we've got the ability to seat the whole family and visitors
35:51in one place which has been lacking yeah in fact this living space along with the lounge is 30% bigger than
36:00the kitchen diner living room they're creating at home very nice very nice indeed I think it's I
36:05think you've done very well on the brief yeah yeah unfortunately whilst there's currently no utility there
36:14is a downstairs shower room and gym space that could easily be converted with the 25 grand left in the budget
36:20oh nice spare room yeah gas room gas room or possibly a little work area yeah so it could double up
36:27couldn't it yeah definitely got a nice still feel there's ample room for Isabella and guests nice size
36:33room yep could be Isabella's room potentially could be yes and an office great number of bathrooms yeah
36:42great number of bedrooms off-road parking yeah Metro's just there Beach Beach
36:51got me having a rest you've done well Phil haven't you am I yeah I think so yeah yeah it's a lot of
36:57house isn't it for four seven five a lot of house I don't think we would have got this close to the
37:02beach for this kind of price but it's we loved the second house didn't we we love that new build move in
37:10feel but lovely house lovely location it demonstrates square footage layout entertaining space yeah it
37:20takes lots and lots of boxes maybe something like this that's maybe slightly more modern but it it
37:26proves that it's possible that's well that was my name I didn't think that we'd be able to get
37:32something that would be that would meet our needs for the budget that we have to have to get our heads
37:37together and work out how we compromise and if we compromise or if we say we'll see still still a
37:46lot to be decided hmm well it was a challenging brief to start with to downsize the budget put
37:54money in their pocket and yet get closer to the popular beach and maintain good levels of family space
38:00that's a tough gig but actually at the end of the search I think team list it's in a pretty good
38:05position I have proved in all of the properties it would be possible if they listed it but have
38:13we done enough at home to convince them to stay it's been just six months since we first came to
38:27whitley bay and whilst the weather might have taken a turn for the worst spirits on both team love
38:32it and list it are high what's going to happen today do you reckon I couldn't call it I couldn't
38:38call it I couldn't call it but sometimes when you and I are driving to a place I'm a bit like trepidatious
38:43but I'm not this time I know that they're pleased with what they did a and B I know whichever way they go
38:52hmm it will be right after the most torrid of times joy was top of Linda and Lisa's wishlist and
39:01and I don't doubt there'll be an abundance of it today oh that's parky Phil oh let's just get in
39:08hello hello hello two cold people on your doorstep
39:15for Linda her time in this home was marked by grief and illness add to that a downstairs space with
39:25restricted flow and an awkward kitchen that had the family constantly tripping over each other
39:29with little space for entertaining but now the area has been completely transformed
39:38extending the kitchen into the old toilet has opened up the space a stunning kitchen with beautiful island
39:49in the middle and a smaller extendable table has created the perfect family kitchen diner
39:55just look at this and weep it is what is supposed to be under the stairs the paneling
40:04by the way super smart not to mention a beautiful color scheme it's obviously close to my heart which
40:13is the sea yes the sand yes and some pebbles oh god you like that right I love this our coastal
40:22kitchen that is really really really blue there's so much light bouncing around yeah so much space and
40:30if someone's in your way you just go around the other way room for all the family and the
40:36entertaining they struggled with beforehand can we just twirl yeah I feel I feel there is twirling space
40:45where once there was a wall completely surplus to requirements and a tiny lounge for this top
40:51heavy house now sits a great open sociable space connecting the dining room and seating area and making
41:00the most of every available inch we walked in after they knocked the wall out and we were like oh my
41:07goodness kirstie all sop yeah we couldn't believe the amount of space it's given us so the wall was
41:13probably about here and so my god it looks good and I have it on good authority that some swivel chairs
41:20similar to the ones we saw on our shopping trip have been ordered what's amazing is we're spending more
41:27time together as a family it feels massive well nowhere near as big as the houses I've shown them
41:34Kirsty one of them even had a utility accessible from outside well funny you should mention utilities
41:40Phil this is not what I was expecting at all we didn't have this look as a sporty family with swimming
41:54gear and football bibs to deal with the lack of utility was Linda's biggest bugbear but now the
42:03old downstairs office has been converted into a great big laundry room equipped with washing
42:09pulley toilet there's even tea and coffee available it can only be described as the Buckingham Palace of
42:16laundry rooms it's absolutely brilliant because you have mucky hobbies yes I come in in the morning
42:23I put the wash in I put it in the dryer the stuff I can't put in the dryer goes on here I know and
42:28that's it shut the door done daily joy I really feel like crying I love a bit of laundry and ironing
42:34yeah I do it all the time I think it's decision time before we lose Kirsty to the laundry room forever
42:42well there's no doubt you have massively improved the sort of functionality of the house without
42:49making any bigger which is always really clever hmm there was a Kirsty suggestion in fairness taking
42:54this wall out is the genius bit of this space absolutely it's a win and I think you set me quite
43:00a tough brief given that you wanted to downsize the budget but maintain access to the sea and give
43:09better family flow that that was a tough ask but you did very very well very well you've showed us
43:15things which we have we would both see ourselves living there second property was definitely our
43:22favorite yeah what the search did for us is it really cemented what the really important things are
43:27for us and right now location is very important because of Isabella going to school but what we
43:31realized was we both drive and actually just being five minutes away from the sea isn't that much of
43:36an issue because we can just jump in the car and then we've got the sea on our doorstep still
43:40I have a piece of paper in my pocket
43:44okay so when you don't add any rooms to a property yeah and the market is taking a dip
43:52it's almost guaranteed that you're going to lose money yeah the average pre-renovation valuation for
43:59this house this time last year was 607 grand okay lovely you have spent 52 000 pounds yeah
44:13it's a lot of money that's a huge amount of money but if i told you your average post renovation value
44:19was 661 000 get away no you're a couple of grand up seriously that's amazing not it really is i'm
44:30buzzing about that are you and you know what we've gained so much as well you had a difficult time
44:35coming into this whole process but you both of both of you showing us round today with massive smiles on
44:42your face yeah that counts for more than money but the question is is whether it'll be suitable
44:48for the long period lisa and linda are you gonna love it or are you going to list it actually quite
44:58stressed okay this has been really hard and it was only over lunch we finally made the decision
45:07we are definitely going to be loving it but it was obviously a close-run thing it really was we
45:15looked back to what was it that we didn't like about the house what was it that wasn't working for us and
45:19we've ticked off everything so now that the house works for us a hundred percent now we've got all this
45:25open plan living and we've got a utility and the utility brings so much joy everything just everything
45:32just gets done you know what i'll give you that hundred quid later it was the utility what cracked
45:37it it was i still sit in that chair and just not don't even turn the telly on but just look at this
45:46space and go wow look at this look at our living space it's amazing i didn't think we could put
45:52everything right in this house that needed to be put right but we have done hello here we go
45:59gin and slim gin and slim well it was a close-run thing at the end it was a close-run thing it
46:07turned out yes oh we haven't worked out what we're drinking to oh i know forever no what large laundry
46:15rings the event laundry room made you so happy i could tell
46:29so
46:35you
46:37you
46:39you
46:41you
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