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00:00Let's get on with the auction today.
00:03235, 240.
00:04Every year, tens of thousands of properties
00:07are sold at auction.
00:09Meredith Bidder, well done.
00:10From modest two-up, two-downs to waterfront mansions.
00:14We just spent over half a million pounds.
00:17We weren't really thinking that we were going to do that.
00:20More and more first-time buyers are
00:22seeing it as their golden ticket onto the property ladder.
00:25It's such a million!
00:26Yes!
00:28But these quick buys are often far from perfect,
00:32hiding some nasty surprises.
00:35You haven't been in?
00:35No, not yet.
00:36Hey, let's go in.
00:38I'm Sarah Beeney, and I've been buying, building,
00:40and transforming homes for 35 years.
00:43And I'm fascinated by the world of auctions.
00:46In this series, I'll be offering a dose of realism.
00:49You've got all these lovely, flamey ideas,
00:51and I'm pouring water on like that.
00:53As brave new owners take their homes
00:55from derelict to diamond.
00:57I will be moving in at the end of this month.
01:01What I'll be moving in too, of course, remains to be seen.
01:05And we'll go behind the scenes of some of the country's biggest auction houses.
01:10Something is there that has attracted so many people.
01:14Discovering where the property auctions are a risk too far.
01:17You coming up?
01:18No.
01:19Or a great way to get the home of your dreams.
01:22I am really proud of myself.
01:23This is my first home.
01:29This week, a derelict Victorian house by the sea.
01:33If you're a dreamer, you can see past all the money you've got to spend.
01:38And a Somerset townhouse full of character.
01:41How did this come about?
01:43So, I worked six days a week, all my adult life.
01:45I'm meeting the buyers, taking huge risks.
01:47Come on then.
01:48To make their auction dreams come true.
01:50Oh, it's so light up here.
01:52I mean, it helps not having a roof.
01:54And stepping into an auction room where there's an unusual plot twist.
01:57In 29 years, this is an absolute first for me.
02:01Your property, sir.
02:02Well done.
02:06I'm headed to Herne Bay, a seaside town on the North Kent coast, where house prices are
02:11rising and semi-detached homes now average just over £335,000.
02:18A short walk from the town centre as a Victorian end of terrace left derelict for years.
02:2446-year-old museum archivist Lizak bought his last house at auction and feels they can
02:30be a great way of picking up interesting properties that get overlooked elsewhere.
02:36So he jumped when a new listing caught his eye.
02:39I was just window shopping, checked a few auction houses, and then I saw this property.
02:45And I was kind of dumbstruck.
02:48The lights pouring in, the ceilings are tall, everything is original.
02:54I'm in love.
02:55If you're a dreamer, you can see past all the money you've got to spend to make it look
03:00the way you want it to look.
03:01Just wanting to be custodian for this house and set her up to be ready to stand for another
03:08125 years.
03:10So, I went to auction.
03:13The listing price for this property was £265,000.
03:18The auction started and not a sole bid.
03:24So, this house was meant to be mine.
03:27Once the dabble went down, I was in for £265,000 plus fees, which brought the figure to around
03:35£270,000.
03:36My current budget is £25,000.
03:41With that money, I have to make the place habitable.
03:44I need to install a kitchen and a bathroom as a priority.
03:50You know, they talk about forever homes, and this feels like it for me.
03:57Lezac's house sits on the end of a classic terrace, built around 1900.
04:02Back then, houses were typically built on shallow foundations that could leave them vulnerable
04:07to subsidence and cracking.
04:09Yet Victorian builders knew how to distribute the weight across the build, and used lime mortar
04:15to let the building flex without serious cracking.
04:18So, like many similar houses, the structure is sound, and Lezac can focus on giving it a
04:25facelift for the 21st century.
04:28Lezac sees his forever home in this run-down end of terrace, and I'm eager to hear how
04:34he's working through the chaos and into his vision.
04:39So, tell me, this is not how you bought it.
04:42This is worse, isn't it?
04:43It is.
04:44Much worse.
04:45So, there was a wall here that you've taken down, and you've put the steel in here.
04:49The steel in, because I've taken out the wall here by folding doors.
04:54Are they taking this steel up?
04:55There's no reason for it to be that low.
04:57No.
04:57We need to go back to the engineer.
04:59No, that will be a conversation that I have.
05:01And did you have a survey?
05:03After I bought it, to secure the mortgage, I needed a survey.
05:07Lenders generally won't offer a mortgage unless a survey confirms it has a working kitchen
05:11and bathroom.
05:13What's the overall plan?
05:15I just want it to be traditional with a slightly modern twist.
05:19My original vision was to be able to walk in the front door and literally see to the
05:24back.
05:25Well, you've done that.
05:26I've achieved that, right?
05:27Yeah.
05:27The dining room and kitchen are going to be one.
05:31Kitchen across here.
05:32In this corner will be my dining table.
05:36Why are you having your kitchen here and your dining room there?
05:39Why not have your kitchen there and your dining room here?
05:42With his newly opened up space at the back of his home, Lee Zak can create the open plan
05:48kitchen of his dreams.
05:49His idea for the kitchen living space is a run of floor to ceiling cabinets taking up almost
05:55the entire length of one wall and a seating area for wining and dining.
06:00room.
06:01I'm not sure his layout makes the best use of the light.
06:05I'm wondering if he should have his kitchen at the darker end of the dining area.
06:10And then the dining and a sofa area would benefit from being right by the garden doors.
06:17And when the doors are open, you're sitting just inside the garden?
06:20Wise counsel, Sarah.
06:21Are you doing a lot of work yourself on this?
06:24As much as I can.
06:25I mean, all of the hard labour, all of the professional jobs, I'm going to have to hire
06:29people for.
06:30What's your budget for doing all of it?
06:32For the first phase, £25,000.
06:35I mean, you're not going to do it for that.
06:36I'm going to be really honest.
06:37So I'm going to have to put some more money in for sure.
06:40But I would like to be in, in around four months' time.
06:43So this will be a dining room, kitchen here, bath from Plans Upstairs.
06:47Yes.
06:47Come and have a look.
06:48Great, thanks.
06:49It's a good idea to check whether the local council offer renovation loans.
06:54Kent County Council lent Lezac a lump sum to breathe new life into a property that had
07:01been empty for over a year.
07:03After the gavel falls, you usually have 28 days to complete the purchase.
07:07So you do need to make sure that you have got your money ready.
07:10And finally, make sure that you really understand all the costs.
07:13There's interest, legal fees and auction house charges.
07:17And they all need to be included in your budget.
07:22I'm impressed by Lezac and hope he can turn this house into his forever home.
07:27As well as being completely rewired and re-plumbed, upstairs Lezac has bold ideas for his bathroom.
07:36So this is, well, was one of the two bathrooms?
07:41Yes.
07:42Yes.
07:42And you have demolished the wall.
07:44But this here is clearly just a dividing wall.
07:48Up to this line here is going to be ensuite for this second room.
07:53Lezac wants to move the study wall, creating a bigger bathroom with space for a shower, a
07:59freestanding bath and an ensuite for a guest bedroom with a sliding door to safe room.
08:05Exactly the kind of clever use of space that will turn this Victorian house into a modern,
08:11practical home.
08:12So the key to making any bathroom work is to have cubby holes to put all the stuff that you
08:18need.
08:19When you fill in that doorway, instead of having one bit of plasterboard that goes over it,
08:23it's a bit more work, but it's really worth it to make sure that we'll have lots of cupboards.
08:27It's all about storage, a nice bathroom.
08:30Very good thinking.
08:32Thank you so much.
08:33So what's the vision for this?
08:35So I'm thinking turquoise and copper in the ensuite.
08:39Bathrooms are quite good places to be quite bold.
08:42And the only thing I'd say is if you're going to be bold, you've got to commit to it.
08:45Don't forget the fifth wall, the ceiling.
08:47You don't have to have a white ceiling.
08:48A black ceiling would be quite cool.
08:50Food for thought.
08:53Lezac's enthusiasm is brilliant.
08:55A 25 grand budget to make this habitable in four months isn't.
09:00So he'll need to spend every penny wisely.
09:03I think Isak had this dream that he'd find this tumbledown house and make it into a home
09:10and it would be a bit of a bargain.
09:12But the reality is he's got to buy a kitchen, fit it, two bathrooms fit them.
09:18£25,000 is a laughable budget for this.
09:21And he will discover that.
09:23Sarah gave me lots of good advice, actually.
09:26Some which was just very easy to process and totally agree.
09:31The money element is a bit nerve-wracking.
09:35I'm going to go away and cogitate, as my mother would say.
09:41Coming up, a first-time renovator who's taken on more than she bargained for.
09:47So you wanted a project.
09:48Did you know everything that was wrong with it?
09:50When I started the demolition, I actually realised that it was worse.
10:00$2.30, $2.35, $2.40.
10:04Buying a property at auction can be a shortcut to your dream home.
10:08Ooh, a fast track to a nightmare.
10:12I'm meeting people whose journey to finding out which one they've bought into is anything but easy.
10:19I see you snapped it.
10:23In Herne Bay, Kent, the first fix is starting at Lezac's house.
10:29Electrician Paul and his apprentice Elliot are starting on the wiring.
10:33But to save money on storage, Lezac's kept all his belongings in the house.
10:38Making progress tricky.
10:44The electrician had requested that all of the rooms were empty.
10:49Unfortunately, I have got lots of stuff.
10:52What are we hoping to get done today, Paul?
10:54Get this one done, even if it's just chasing and getting cables in,
10:57and then move everything in here, and then we can work that way.
11:01Having to move stuff, just so time-consuming.
11:04You can't work like that.
11:06You know, costing more money.
11:07The lack of planning is stretching Paul's patience and Lezac's budget.
11:13And mistakes with the bifold doors have forced expensive changes.
11:17Sarah advised me that the steel in the bifolding door was too low.
11:23It definitely needed to be higher.
11:26That did lead to the engineer challenging me about what works had been agreed.
11:33Renovating is just crazy money.
11:36Right now, I'm spending money on stuff that I'm not even going to see.
11:41Currently, I have just over 13K of the budget remaining,
11:46but a huge amount to achieve, so it is scary.
11:52I'm off to Street in Somerset,
11:54where a lot of determination is needed to take on this traditional house.
11:59Semi-detached properties here have recently sold for an average of £270,000.
12:0625-year-old Alice is an accountant with big ambitions.
12:10I'm keen to hear how she'll turn her ideas into a home that works.
12:16When I was growing up, both my parents always stressed that you should save as much as you can.
12:21I've always worked six days a week.
12:24So, Monday to Friday, I'm an accountant,
12:26and Saturdays I work waitressing.
12:29When I was 23, I bought a flat,
12:31but I've always knew deep down that I wanted a renovation.
12:34I used to look online for properties pretty much every day,
12:37and I did actually see this come up at £160,000 to £180,000.
12:42I booked a viewing, and this is when I fell in love with it straight away.
12:45At £178,000, then once, twice...
12:49I was willing to pay up to £220,000.
12:52You're sure I'm done.
12:53Oh, it's so tremendous!
12:54Oh, my God!
12:57Oh, my God!
12:59Oh, my God!
13:00So, I was really chuffed when I got it for £178,000.
13:03Oh, my God!
13:08It is a huge project.
13:09Some may say it's quite scary for my first.
13:12But I do plan on living here for quite a while.
13:14It's not going to be a quick flip.
13:16I knew that I was going to need to get my hands stuck in
13:19and do as much as possible.
13:23I'm curious to hear where Alice is planning to spend her budget.
13:29Oh, what a house!
13:30What is it at 25 that drives you to buy something like this?
13:33I've always looked at people doing renovations
13:35and thought it would be really fun.
13:36OK, and how did this come about?
13:38Just saving really hard, saving anything I can.
13:41I even started doing Uber.
13:42Did you?
13:43Delivery driving.
13:44All my hard work has paid off and I've bought a house by myself.
13:47Amazing.
13:47Did you have a survey done on it?
13:49No.
13:49A lot of the problems were visible,
13:51so I thought I could spend thousands on a survey
13:53just for them to tell me things that I can already see I need to improve.
13:57A big dilemma of buying at auction comes before you even bid.
14:01Survey or not to survey.
14:03A basic one starts from about £300, but a full structural survey costs thousands.
14:09And that's if you get one in time.
14:11So do you pay out with no promise of success or skip it and gamble on what's hidden behind the
14:17walls?
14:19So you bought it for £178,000?
14:21Yes.
14:22And how much have you got to turn it into a home?
14:26So I only have £50,000, which doesn't sound a lot when you look at the amount of work that
14:30needs to be done.
14:31£50,000 is quite optimistic, is doing the work.
14:35I've done as much as I can, but my dad and stepdad will be helping me where they can, but
14:40I will be getting professionals in.
14:42So you wanted a project, did you know everything that was wrong with it?
14:45They did disclose this gable wall, but when I started the demolition I actually realised that it was worse.
14:50OK, cos you've got a big bow on this wall here.
14:53Yeah.
14:53It looks like it's going in and out, like a little...
14:56Doesn't look amazing, does it?
14:57No.
14:58It's not actually that complicated, fixing a bowing wall.
15:01Unless you decide to rebuild the wall without the bow, I'd almost be tempted to put the supports that you
15:08can see.
15:09OK.
15:09Cos it's clear evidence that it's been done.
15:12Yeah, I totally agree.
15:13You could do it yourself quite easily.
15:14OK.
15:16Alice's house and gable wall are constructed with locally sourced blue lyre stone.
15:21This blue-grey limestone gives Somerset villages and towns their distinctive colour.
15:26Naturally robust and durable, its layered composition means it can withstand harsh conditions,
15:32from windswept farmland to weathered eroding coastal areas.
15:36But the stone must be handled carefully.
15:39Installed correctly, it can last centuries.
15:43Incorrectly and distortions can compromise structural integrity, as Alice's wall shows.
15:51Well, let's have a look around inside.
15:53Yeah, of course.
15:54Come on, then.
15:56What's the plan in here?
15:58So, I would like to have an open dining hall.
16:01It does make sense.
16:02So, you might as well take this wall down, then you've got this open-planned space.
16:05I mean, that's quite doable.
16:06It's a messy job, though.
16:08Yeah.
16:08Yeah, oh, don't worry about that.
16:09I've got my mask, I've got my shower cap.
16:11This should be the best room in the house.
16:14Mm-hm.
16:14It does have views of the garden.
16:16So, you want this to be the kind of highlight of the house.
16:20Alice plans to knock the wall down so that the hallway in the dining room become one.
16:24I wonder if she could also have doors into the garden from the dining room
16:28and open the space up further so that it flows into the kitchen, too.
16:32You want to be able to feel that you're going out into the garden?
16:35You're right, OK, yeah.
16:36And I think that would be a really good use of money, having a set of French doors here.
16:41Yeah, I think it would be definitely good for the light.
16:43So, that's down here.
16:45Let's go upstairs.
16:51There's been a lot of demolition going on.
16:53All of this has been ripped apart, bagged up and taken away.
16:57Yeah.
16:57Is that all you?
16:58Yeah, mostly me.
16:59I have had the help of my dad and my stepdad and my mum.
17:02Why did you strip all the plaster off everywhere?
17:04Was it really blown and shot?
17:06Yeah, basically the bonding had let go and you would touch it
17:08and it would sort of, like, wobble.
17:10So, the plaster's off and out.
17:11Yeah.
17:12And what are the plans up here?
17:13So, this particular room that we're in, I would like to add an ensuite
17:17and then this side would be the main family bathroom.
17:20I don't like how the bathroom's at the front of the house.
17:23I would like to move the wall in between the primary bedroom and the bathroom
17:27to take some of the space from the primary bedroom
17:29and then make that into an office.
17:31So, I'd still have three bedrooms, but rather than having three really big sized rooms,
17:35I'd have two and then a single room.
17:37I'm going to be really honest.
17:38That bathroom is too thin to be a single bedroom.
17:42So, you would have to move the wall across.
17:44But there is a danger that you kind of end up with two singles.
17:46Around here, families would rather have three double bedrooms and one bathroom
17:51than two bedrooms and two bathrooms, which is what it'll end up.
17:56Alice doesn't want a bathroom at the front of the house
17:59and would like a walk-in shower with a free-standing bath.
18:02But this would mean she'd end up with two small bedrooms.
18:06If the bathroom stays where it is, she'd save money and keep three bigger bedrooms.
18:11So, when it comes to sell the house, it would have a broader appeal.
18:17It's quite a project you've taken on.
18:19Definitely.
18:19I really admire you.
18:20I think it's great.
18:21It's a big project.
18:22It is a big project.
18:24I think you could do this in four months if you wanted to.
18:26Wow.
18:27It's important that Alice considers her layout carefully before she starts work,
18:31as 50 grand can disappear fast.
18:34I think Alice is really to be admired.
18:37She's worked incredibly hard and saved an enormous amount of money.
18:42I don't know if it's got an enormous amount of profit in it in the long term,
18:47but she really wants to do it and I think she will.
18:50I'm not 100% sure about Sarah's ideas for upstairs.
18:53However, I do really like the idea of having the open-plan kitchen, dining room and hall.
19:05Auctions can be a fast track to a strong return.
19:08With over 150 years experience, Butters' John B. in Stoke-on-Trent have seen every kind of bidder walk through
19:15the door.
19:17Tonight's senior consultant Amit Nay and agency director Kerry Davis are here as bidders size up the lots with the
19:24best earning potential.
19:26We've got 70 lots on offer starting from £30,000 and we expect to sell about £7 million worth of
19:32property tonight.
19:3396 in the room, asking 98,000 online.
19:3698,000!
19:37A lot of our seasoned investors, they are very much about the numbers,
19:39so they'll have a figure in mind they want it to go for.
19:42Pugger sir, what a gentleman.
19:45At auction, a clear head and a maximum bid price are essential.
19:50Savvy developer Lee Cimino keeps a close eye on what a property might yield.
19:55It's not my first rodeo, I've done this plenty of times before and the main thing is don't get carried
19:59away at auction.
20:00I want the property at the right price.
20:03Keep an eye on the money and you don't go far wrong.
20:07Lee's worked out the rental income this property could bring in and has set his upper bid.
20:13This is a two bedroom mid terrace house.
20:17£42,000.
20:18I'm going to bid it to £45,000.
20:20The next bid is £44,000.
20:22Here in the room, thank you sir.
20:23Here we go, £46,000.
20:25£50,000.
20:25£50,000.
20:27£54,000.
20:28£54,500.
20:29Current bid, £55,000 for the first time then.
20:32The second time then, your bid sir.
20:34Here in the room then.
20:36You bought it sir, well then.
20:37£55,000.
20:39Whoever's bought that is too much.
20:41At the most, there's £5,000 and profit.
20:44Lee's not convinced the numbers add up.
20:47But every buyer has their own version of a win.
20:51Your property well done.
20:54And as long time auctioneer Rob Alton knows, sometimes plans can be upended by a surprising lot.
21:02What number three's got the most interest in all the properties listed in the catalogue this evening.
21:06A little legal and a bit bored, but not very often we sell property with a body actually buried on
21:11the property.
21:13In 29 years this is an absolute first for me.
21:16But business partners Stuart and Peter aren't spooked.
21:19For them, it's about what value they can add to the property.
21:23At the moment, it is a store and stable, but we're looking at redeveloping that into an apartment.
21:30Like a one bedroom, possibly two.
21:31It's a guide price of 32.
21:33So we're willing to go between 40 and 50, I think.
21:36If it goes higher than 50, I don't know how anybody's going to make any money out of it.
21:42This is the stable and store.
21:45A lot of people want land to develop on and everything else.
21:48We've got the unique status of having a burial site of a family member interred on this pot.
21:55I'd be shocked if this doesn't sell tonight.
21:58Feeling a bit sick.
22:00The guide is £32,000. Who's going to come straight in?
22:03Who's got £32,000 on this one?
22:0532, 32 is here in the room asking £34,000 online.
22:10Can we go £36,000, sir?
22:12We can.
22:12Asking £38,000 online.
22:14So we've got an online bidder at the moment.
22:16£38,000 online.
22:18£42,000 online.
22:19£44,000.
22:21£44,000.
22:22Asking £46,000 now.
22:24For the first time, then.
22:25The second time, then.
22:27Are you all done?
22:28Here in the room, then, at £44,000.
22:31Your property, sir. Well done.
22:36That was faster than I thought he was wrong.
22:39So we move on.
22:40Peter and Stuart pay their deposit today.
22:43And following established auction practice,
22:45have 28 days to pay the rest of the purchase price.
22:48Very happy with the price.
22:50We thought it would go a lot higher, to be honest.
22:52But I think the body in the garden may have put people up.
22:56Peter and Stuart followed the first lessons of auctions.
22:59Make sure you do your research, set your ceiling price,
23:03and don't overbid.
23:05They got the property for £6,000 less than their ceiling.
23:08A good result.
23:11Next up is Lizak's dream renovation on track.
23:15I don't know what trickery I'm going to have to pull out.
23:17And in Cornwall, a fire-damaged mansion with a gutted owner.
23:22I was meant to retire.
23:24Bit of a dilemma.
23:35It's nine weeks since on his ambitious plans
23:38for this turn-of-the-century end of terrace in Herne Bay.
23:42He wants the kitchen and bathroom to be finished before moving in.
23:45So, finished First Fix electrics.
23:49And pretty close to finishing First Fix plumbing as well, actually.
23:54Right now, the kind of main pull of everybody's energies at the moment
24:00is the bathrooms.
24:02That stud wall has come down and another one's gone up,
24:05so I've created a large master bathroom
24:07and an ensuite shower room.
24:11I got a lot of the furniture before I had developed the space.
24:15I felt like it was bigger.
24:17So, now, having the dimensions set in stone,
24:21fitting all of the furniture into that space
24:23has taken a few changes.
24:26Without much of a detailed plan,
24:28Lizak's bathroom layout is a work in progress
24:30and carpenter Rick's doing his best
24:33to build in the storage we discussed.
24:35So, it's going to be quite narrow.
24:38It's going to be that width.
24:39OK, that is quite narrow.
24:41Could you sit a cup on it?
24:42Like, that gives me an idea of what kind of...
24:45Yeah.
24:46Yeah.
24:48Lizak's discovering just how many decisions go
24:50into making a bathroom work.
24:52And plumber Mark isn't shy about sharing his thoughts.
24:56I think, Lee, this is his first major project.
25:00Had a few alterations along the way.
25:02But then too big for downstairs in the WC.
25:04I think so.
25:05Yeah.
25:05When you get off the toilet,
25:06you're going to be straight on to the face of the base.
25:08So, I think that might have to be a change of plan.
25:11Change of plan on the sink.
25:12There's lots of questions he gets asked about things
25:14that he's probably not thought of so far in front.
25:17So, if I've got a sink similar to the one that I've got
25:19for the master bathroom?
25:21Yeah.
25:21You know what?
25:22Yeah.
25:23With questions raised faster than he can answer them,
25:26it's clear this project's testing Lizak's planning skills.
25:29I am so thankful for the workspeople I have on site
25:34for being patient with me.
25:38We're now getting to a creative point rather than just this
25:43destruction building exercise that has been dirty and grimy.
25:48You know, expensive!
25:52So, budget-wise, I've got less than 10k, more than five,
25:56which I think is just about enough to get me in.
26:00I wanted to have some holes in the walls
26:03so I could show people my electrics.
26:05Like, I spent £10,000 on that electrics?
26:09I don't know what trickery I'm going to have to pull out.
26:14Lizak sent over an update.
26:16Let's see how he's got on.
26:18He has made progress, but it's still effectively a shell.
26:20Your idea to raise that steel just makes this bifolding door
26:26really quite dramatic, so I'm excited about that.
26:30That opening at the back, that should really throw light in.
26:34I have kept my dining table in this area.
26:37This whole end of the kitchen is going to be the cooking end.
26:41I still think Lizak would be better off dividing the room in half
26:44so that the darker end has kitchen units
26:48and the lighter end either has a table or sofas, whichever he prefers.
26:52Let's go upstairs.
26:53So, this was the story all about bathrooms.
26:55As you can see, walls have gone down and gone up.
26:59The shower is going to go here.
27:01The toilet will go there.
27:03And the bath will go along here.
27:06So, the first bit of advice I've taken from you,
27:09we are building cabinetry shelving.
27:12That will be tiled.
27:13He now just needs to decorate it so it's really cool.
27:17Thank you so much for all of your input.
27:21I hope I've done you proud.
27:22It is compromised, but it's his house.
27:28Down in Somerset, Alice is about to make a real breakthrough.
27:34So, today I've got a big day of knocking down the dining room wall.
27:37So, then I have an open kitchen, dining hall.
27:40So, this part of the wall is going to be gone
27:42and this will be completely removed.
27:45And then in the dining room here,
27:47it will just open it up to be a really light and open space.
27:50With an RSJ in place for support above, Alice is ready to go.
27:54And she's roped in her dad, Paul, for some extra muscle.
28:02It's coming down much easier than a lot of us.
28:12Wow!
28:14Wow!
28:15It's so hot light already.
28:17It looks really good, don't you think?
28:18It's really opened up.
28:20I like it.
28:22Yeah.
28:27Just look at the light.
28:29With that wall gone,
28:31Alice's grand floor is beginning to take shape.
28:34And with the dust settled, she's sent me an update.
28:39There's so much going on at the house at the moment.
28:41This is how the dining room is looking.
28:44And then, upstairs, there's so much work going on.
28:49Oh!
28:50Very often, if you buy a house in auction, it needs a lot of work.
28:54And the bizarre thing is, is that you have to do that work,
28:57which means you have to demolish a lot of stuff,
28:59and it makes the house worth even less than you bought it before.
29:02But you have to go through that pain barrier.
29:04I think Alice is right in the middle of it.
29:07Buying a property at auction takes imagination
29:09to see past first impressions,
29:12and imagine the home it could become.
29:14For some, that dream can stall even before it starts.
29:19In Lost Withyall, Cornwall,
29:20this Grade II listed Victorian mansion, known as The Castle,
29:24was devastated by fire in 2019.
29:28Barbara Ransfell and her husband, who successfully run a group of care homes,
29:33invested their hard-earned savings into buying the building as their dream home.
29:38But with 12,500 square feet of ruin, and no clear way forward,
29:44it's turning into a nightmare.
29:50So, Tammy, you bought this?
29:53Yes. Never expected to.
29:55From the minute I walked up here,
29:58there was a feeling about it.
29:59Fell in love with it.
30:00I hate to state the obvious, but there's been a fire there, hasn't there?
30:04Six years ago.
30:06OK, and it's stood there empty and derelict since?
30:09It's been empty for six years.
30:10I was hoping to get it as cheap as possible.
30:13I'll be really honest.
30:1550 quid.
30:17Its guide was a million pounds.
30:19You know, I thought, I can just manage 600,
30:22and I went to the online auction, and it went 850.
30:27But the winning bidder pulled out,
30:29and when the auction house contacted Barbara,
30:32she suddenly had a second chance.
30:34And in the end, we agreed for 500.
30:36And I bought it and had the keys within ten days.
30:40Didn't do any searches.
30:41By then, I was, you know, quite besotted.
30:45I mean, nobody would take this on
30:46if they wanted something that's predictable and reliable.
30:49No. It's an adventure.
30:51David, my husband, he was up for it.
30:52And what's your budget?
30:54Well, probably two and a half million.
30:55Gonna probably struggle. I have to keep working.
30:57I was meant to retire.
30:59And what's the plan with this, then?
31:01The plan was that it would be an amazing home,
31:03but now we need a legacy for Cornwall.
31:06Maybe a dementia village.
31:08Because we've got 14 acres as well.
31:10Once you bought it for half a million pounds,
31:13I mean, it's a lot to lots of people.
31:14Yeah. But for you, it's a lot, but it was affordable.
31:17Yeah. You thought you would just be able to move in and refurbish it.
31:20And what's happened in the last two years to scupper that?
31:23Um, oh, golly.
31:26We can't even get to some of the last surveys
31:28that we need done to go for the official planning permission.
31:32Because of the state of the house, it's deemed as not safe.
31:36Barbara is caught in a catch-22.
31:38She can't start work on the building because it's unsafe,
31:40and she can't make it safe without starting work.
31:44Because the building is listed, it can't be demolished,
31:46and there are also extra hoops to jump through with the local authority.
31:50She desperately needs to cut through the red tape to move forwards.
31:55It's a bit of a dilemma.
31:57Oh, I'd love to have a look.
31:58Come on, then. Come on.
31:59I'm frustrated for Barbara.
32:01Bureaucracy is making this restoration nearly impossible.
32:05It's really fabulous, isn't it?
32:08Stepping inside, it's obvious how the delays have taken their toll
32:11on a house exposed to the elements.
32:14Yeah, you can see the dry rut here, can't you?
32:17Seeing it up close, it's easy to understand
32:19just how many challenges Barbara's facing here.
32:23There's some sort of dry rot and whatnot there.
32:26This will send out tentacles, little spider's webs.
32:30It'll run up anywhere it can until it finds some timber
32:33that's nice and damp to suck the moisture out.
32:36That's fine, unless it's a piece of timber that's structural,
32:40in which case it collapses.
32:42So, if you come in here, just stay on where it's hard.
32:46Look at that.
32:47The panelling is mostly hardwood
32:49and is still stable several years after the fire.
32:52But where dry rot's taken hold in the damp softwood,
32:56the structure's been weakened, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse.
33:04Absolutely love this.
33:05Shame, isn't it?
33:13This is the lovely part.
33:15Oh, it's so light up here.
33:16I mean, it helps not having a roof, doesn't it?
33:18But what an amazing load of roof structures you've got.
33:28And you can see the bell tower there.
33:29I'm just so glad it survived.
33:32Look at that.
33:32And its own bell tower.
33:34Get that.
33:37I mean, it's utterly magnificent, I'm going to be honest.
33:40I'm not surprised you bought it.
33:42I do think you're kind of mad,
33:46but I can see how you could fall in love with it.
33:49It's a lot of work.
33:50It's a lot of work, and I think I am probably mad,
33:53but I am in love with it.
33:54But fate favours the bold.
33:56And the brave.
33:57Let's hope so.
33:58And you have got two and a half million pounds to spend on it.
34:01My advice to you would be to break this down into sections,
34:04so internal scaffolding to make sure that all of it
34:07is structurally sound and dry and warm,
34:10so you can get into all the parts of it.
34:12Yep.
34:12You can then get the roofs on.
34:14And then I would probably work on one part of it
34:17and turn that into a flat that you can move into,
34:20so that you're living here on site.
34:22Might as well have fun while you're doing it.
34:24Yeah.
34:25So we really need all of the planning people and everything
34:28to sort of be united again to help us achieve this, really.
34:31I just think a dementia village for Cornwall would be amazing.
34:34It would.
34:35And I always like to give back,
34:36and maybe that's the legacy that we leave.
34:39OK, so one way or another you're going to get this restored.
34:41Yes.
34:43Excellent.
34:43Lucky building.
34:45With all these setbacks and red tape,
34:48it could be months before Barbara can even start the restoration work.
34:52But I'm convinced she'll do everything she can
34:55to save this noble property.
35:06A hundred miles up the road in Somerset,
35:08another roof is proving problematic.
35:12Hiya.
35:13Hello.
35:13How are you?
35:14Yeah, good, thank you.
35:14What happened?
35:16The roof's off.
35:17And it looks like the flank wall's down as well.
35:19I could see that the top of the gable was coming in
35:21and the bottom was pushing out.
35:23We could see the gable wall was bowed and would need support.
35:26But only after removing the ceilings
35:28did Alice discover just how unstable it was
35:31and decide to rebuild it entirely.
35:35Gosh.
35:35And that's possibly why it was selling in auction?
35:37A hundred percent.
35:38So it was a risk I took.
35:40And while you were taking it down, you thought,
35:42well, I might as well take the roof off at the same time.
35:44Yeah, so I took off the tiles.
35:46I could see that the wood actually had woodworm.
35:48So when I decided to get new trusses,
35:50I thought it's a no-brainer to just make a bedroom up there.
35:53So it'll be a full bed.
35:54So how much is the roof costing?
35:55About eight grand.
35:57I mean, it all sounds so easy, doesn't it?
35:59First of all, there was a bit of a bow in the wall,
36:00so I took the wall down.
36:01Then the roof was a bit dodgy, so I took the roof off.
36:04But this must have had a massive effect on your budget.
36:07Definitely.
36:07You had £50,000 to do all of this.
36:09Yeah.
36:10And I have borrowed a lot of machinery from family friends.
36:12My dad is very kindly giving me a hand,
36:14so I'm very lucky in that sense.
36:16OK, so you've pulled in every favour in the whole universe.
36:20Yeah.
36:20And now your £50,000 budget for building work
36:24is going to get you what's structurally sound effectively.
36:27Yes, and have one bathroom, bedroom, the kitchen
36:30and the living room.
36:31And then how will you finish it?
36:32Yes.
36:33The plan is once it's habitable to remortgage,
36:35pull out probably another £50,000,
36:37and then I can go again and finish the house.
36:40Once Alice has fitted a kitchen and bathroom
36:42to make her property habitable,
36:44she'll be able to release more funds by remortgaging
36:46and continue her renovation.
36:50If you knew what you knew now, would you have bought this in auction?
36:53I don't think I would have, no.
36:55And if I went into the auction knowing
36:56that it was probably going to cost me £100,000,
36:58I probably would have swayed away from it.
37:00Yeah.
37:01So let's have a look upstairs then.
37:02Yeah, please.
37:04What was meant to be a quick makeover is now a total rebuild.
37:08Pushing Alice's schedule back by six weeks at double the cost.
37:15OK, so all of that wall's down.
37:18The only thing standing is basically the rear extension
37:21and the front of the house.
37:22It's a lot more work than a refurbishment, isn't this?
37:25100%.
37:25I did not plan to do as much as I have.
37:27No.
37:28Exactly.
37:28It's like pulling a thread on a jumper.
37:30When I spoke to you last time,
37:32you were going to have two bathrooms in here.
37:34Are you still doing that?
37:35Yep, that's the plan.
37:37OK, and to be honest,
37:38you've pretty much demolished the whole house,
37:40so you might as well do whatever you want.
37:42Very lucky.
37:43You've got a good builder.
37:44Yeah, I know.
37:49When people buy an auction,
37:50they generally don't have a survey
37:52because if they don't buy it,
37:53then that's a waste of money.
37:54Whoa!
37:56But that is the risk of taking
37:57and sometimes it comes and bites you.
38:00Oh, my.
38:05Coming up,
38:07can Alice's rebuild reach the finish line?
38:10And has dreamer Lizak's design ambition
38:13held together or fallen apart?
38:15I've got to move in.
38:16Time is ticking.
38:17Time is money.
38:31I've got a door.
38:38I've got a door in my garden.
38:45He's having to stretch the budget, though,
38:47even putting the kitchen on a credit card to make it work.
38:50I've got dynasty taste with an Albert Square budget.
38:55Trying to make his home habitable.
38:57I do think that I will be moving in at the end of this month.
39:03What I'll be moving in too, of course, remains to be seen.
39:09Upstairs, his bathroom seems to be coming together.
39:12Once the floor is down,
39:13then we're going to get onto the real exciting element of this room,
39:17which is the walls.
39:18It's old school.
39:19It's classic.
39:20But it's bombastic.
39:21I'm so pleased there's progress.
39:24But can he really do it without blowing up his budget altogether?
39:28It's going to look amazing.
39:33Nice.
39:35In Street in Somerset, Alice is celebrating.
39:38Cheers to a watertight house at long last.
39:43It's not exactly where she thought she'd be,
39:45but with her grit, relentlessly positive attitude
39:48and family behind her,
39:49she's pushed through with a much bigger project
39:52than she'd ever imagined.
39:55Buying a house without a survey was a gamble.
39:57But Alice has tackled emerging problems head on.
40:04Rebuilding an entire gable wall has stabilised the property
40:07and the new roof ensures the place is now watertight and secure,
40:11but it's come at a cost.
40:12I was slightly worried.
40:13What have I done?
40:15But now it's a huge relief that it's structurally sound
40:17and I'm looking up and, you know, I've got a lovely straight house.
40:22Downstairs was a collection of small dark rooms.
40:27Now, Alice has knocked down walls to create a spacious open-plan kitchen dining room.
40:35Sarah's advice was to open up this space, which I think is a really good shout
40:38because it makes it flow a lot better.
40:40It's allowed so much more light to pour in.
40:41It'll be even brighter if Alice does decide to put those garden doors in.
40:46Upstairs, Alice had big plans and with all the walls down, she can shape her layout the way she wants.
40:53An upside of the structural work is that a new loft space has created a whopping 22 square metres,
40:59more than enough space to create an additional fourth bedroom.
41:03When the new gable wall was rebuilt, it was the perfect opportunity to get new attic roof trusses put in.
41:08And now, obviously, I have a lovely spacious bedroom up here.
41:11I've had two new skylights and you can just about see glass and retail, which is lovely.
41:18Similar three-bed homes in this area without a loft conversion are valued at around £270,000.
41:25With these improvements, Alice's home could be worth over £300,000.
41:30So, if she borrows more to complete the renovation, she should see that money back if she sells.
41:38I've no doubt Alice will finish this house with real style.
41:42But with half an eye on potential profit, she needs to be relentless on costs.
41:53I've currently spent about £38,000.
41:56My goal is to get it habitable, then I can remortgage and then I can finish the rest of the
42:00house.
42:00I do think it will be worth it because I'm going to have a lovely house at the end, but
42:03it has been a lot of stress.
42:04So, now your house is structurally sound, does that mean to say that I can start enjoying retirement again?
42:10Oh, no, no, no.
42:19When I met Lee Zak four months ago in Herne Bay, he'd already started work on his dream of a
42:26bright open home.
42:27My original vision was to be able to walk in the front door and literally see to the back.
42:33Well, you've done that.
42:34I've achieved that, right?
42:35Yeah.
42:36But with only £25,000 to turn his dream into reality, every mistake put his shoestring budget under pressure.
42:46Renovating is just crazy money.
42:50But one thing that's never taken a hit is Lee Zak's ambition to create a stunning home.
42:59And it's mission accomplished.
43:01This looks spectacular.
43:05He's got his run of kitchen units, with wining and dining at one end, not quite where I'd imagined it,
43:12but he's stuck to his guns.
43:14And a chill-out space, still perfectly placed to drink in those garden views once he's had a chance to
43:21do the landscaping.
43:22The kitchen is sensational.
43:26Sarah's advice of raising the steel to have really impressive bifold doors, the impact is incredible.
43:41I love it, you know.
43:42It was about having the confidence that when everything is in the space, it would work.
43:50I feel like I've hit the brief on this one.
43:55A celebration of light.
44:02Upstairs, Lee Zak wanted to go big and transform his standard bathroom into a bold statement of design.
44:10Well, he's certainly done that.
44:13The freestanding bath grabs all the attention, quickly followed by bespoke brass fixtures and fittings.
44:21But look a little closer and the textured tiles and choice of thrones subtly celebrate the home's Victorian period.
44:30My bathroom is picture-book perfect.
44:36Sarah was like, you need somewhere to put stuff when you're in the bath.
44:40So she suggested that the redundant door that I was going to close up, make that into a niche, which
44:47is precisely what I've done.
44:49But a really good idea.
44:51And a few more shelves in the alcove would be even more useful.
44:55Sarah also suggested that I put black on the ceiling.
45:01And wow.
45:08Budget-wise, I did overspend.
45:11But I genuinely feel that I have added value with the work that I've done in here.
45:18I can't wait to live in it for a long, long time.
45:24Incredible as Lee Zak's progress is, he still has work to do.
45:29So how much has it cost him so far?
45:31So I started with 25, and now I have minus something.
45:37Everything is spent, let's put it like that.
45:39Plus, I borrowed £20,000.
45:45But the first phase is completed.
45:48You need to have a strong vision.
45:51I didn't think I was going to have anything.
45:54But look.
45:55Oh!
45:57It's just the beginning.
46:12Next time, from a cottage in North Wales to a mansion on the Cornish coast.
46:17That is sensational.
46:19The clock is ticking for two couples desperate to move in.
46:23The biggest thing for me is getting quickly.
46:25And we're with one auction house for their biggest sale ever.
46:30Sold at £160,000.
46:33A connection with family history.
46:35A courageous stand against bullies encased in timeless sounds.
46:39To Edinburgh Sunday night at 9 for new Your Song with Sam Ryder and Paloma Faith.
46:43Episode 1 streaming now.
46:44Can leaving technology to its own devices really give us the dream life?
46:48New to a next that Grayson Perry has seen the future.
46:51And it's complicated.
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