Join Sarah Beeny as she dives into the thrilling world of auction finds in the fourth episode of "Help! I Bought It at Auction." This installment is packed with fascinating stories and incredible transformations as homeowners share their journeys of discovering unique properties and breathing new life into them.
Get ready to be inspired by the challenges and triumphs as people take on ambitious renovation projects, often with limited budgets and plenty of creative problem-solving. You'll see how passion and determination can turn a neglected house into a dream home.
This episode explores the exciting potential hidden within auction properties. Discover the unique opportunities and hurdles that come with buying and renovating a place unseen, and learn valuable lessons from those who have been there.
#AuctionFinds #HomeRenovation #PropertyTransformation
Get ready to be inspired by the challenges and triumphs as people take on ambitious renovation projects, often with limited budgets and plenty of creative problem-solving. You'll see how passion and determination can turn a neglected house into a dream home.
This episode explores the exciting potential hidden within auction properties. Discover the unique opportunities and hurdles that come with buying and renovating a place unseen, and learn valuable lessons from those who have been there.
#AuctionFinds #HomeRenovation #PropertyTransformation
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Let's get on with the auction today.
00:03235, 240.
00:05Every 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.
00:25Oh, it'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 diamonds.
00:57I will be moving in at the end of this month.
01:01What I'll be moving in to, of course, remains to be seen.
01:05And we'll go behind the scenes of some of the country's
01:09biggest auction houses.
01:10Something is there that has attracted so many people.
01:13Discovering whether property auctions are a risk too far...
01:17Are you coming up?
01:18No.
01:19...or 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?
01:42So I worked six days a week, all my adult life.
01:45I'm meeting the buyers, taking huge risks...
01:47Come on then.
01:48...to make their auction dreams come true.
01:51Oh, it's so light up here.
01:52I mean, it helps not having a roof.
01:54...and stepping into an auction room where there's an unusual plot twist.
01:58In 29 years, this is an absolute first for me.
02:01Your property, sir, well done.
02:06I'm headed to Herne Bay, a seaside town on the North Kent coast where house prices are
02:12rising and semi-detached homes now average just over £335,000.
02:18A short walk from the town centre as the 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 be
02:30a great way of picking up interesting properties that get overlooked elsewhere.
02:35So 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.
03:11So 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 £270
03:36,000.
03:37My current budget is £25,000.
03:40With 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.
03:55I need to install a kitchen.
03:58Lizak's house sits on the end of a classic terrace, built around 1900.
04:03Back then, houses were typically built on shallow foundations that could leave them vulnerable to
04:07subsidence and cracking.
04:09Yet Victorian builders knew how to distribute the weight across the build,
04:13and used lime mortar to let the building flex without serious cracking.
04:19So, like many similar houses, the structure is sound, and Lizak can focus on giving it a facelift for the
04:2621st century.
04:28Lizak sees his forever home in this run-down end of terrace,
04:33and I'm eager to hear how he's working through the chaos and into his vision.
04:39So tell me, this is not how you bought it. This is worse, isn't it?
04:43It is. Much worse.
04:45So there was a wall here that you've taken down, and you've put the steel in here.
04:49Steel in, because I've taken out the wall here by folding doors.
04:54Are they taking this steel up? There's no reason for it to be that low.
04:57No. We 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 and 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 back.
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.
05:33In 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,
05:46Lee Zak can create the open-plan kitchen of his dreams.
05:50His idea for the kitchen living space is a run of floor-to-ceiling cabinets,
05:54taking up almost the entire length of one wall, and a seating area for wining and dining.
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,
06:11and 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.
06:22Are you doing a lot of work yourself on this?
06:24As much as I can. I mean, all of the hard labour, all of the professional jobs,
06:28I'm going to have to hire people 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, I'm going to be very 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, bathroom plans upstairs.
06:47Yes, come 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
07:01that had been 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 re-wired and re-plumbed,
07:31upstairs Lezac has bold ideas for his bathroom.
07:36So this is, well, was one of the two bathrooms?
07:41Yes.
07:42And you have demolished the wall.
07:44But this here is clearly just a dividing wall.
07:49Up 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,
07:59a freestanding 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
08:17all the stuff that you need.
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.
08:50Wow.
08:51Food 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 Lezac had this dream that he'd find this tumbledown house
09:08and make it into a home and 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.
09:32The 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.
10:01230, 235, 240.
10:04Buying a property at auction can be a shortcut to your dream home.
10:08Or 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.
10:18I see you snapped it.
10:23In Herne Bay, Kent, the first fix is starting at Lee Zak's house.
10:29Electrician Paul and his apprentice Elliot are starting on the wiring.
10:33But to save money on storage, Lee Zak's kept all his belongings in the house.
10:38Making progress tricky.
10:44The electrician had requested that all of the rooms were empty.
10:49And unfortunately, I have got lots of stuff.
10:52We'll be hoping to get done today, Paul.
10:54Get this one done.
10:55Even if it's just chasing and getting cables in.
10:57And then move everything in here.
10:59And 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 Lee Zak's budget.
11:13Mistakes 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.
11:37Right 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, but a huge amount to achieve.
11:48So it is scary.
11:52I'm off to street in Somerset, where a lot of determination is needed to take on this traditional
11:58house. Semi-detached properties here have recently sold for an average of £270,000.
12:0625-year-old Alice is an accountant with big ambitions.
12:09I'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, and Saturdays, I work waitressing.
12:29When I was 23, I bought a flat, but 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, but £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 it's done.
12:52Oh, it's so delicious!
12:54Oh, my God!
12:56Oh, my God!
12:59Oh, my God!
13:00Oh, my God!
13:00Oh, my God!
13:07It is a huge project. Some may say it's quite scary for my first.
13:12But I do plan on living here for quite a while. It's not going to be a quick flip.
13:16I knew that I was going to need to get my hands stuck in and do as much as possible.
13:22I'm curious to hear where Alice is planning to spend her budget.
13:29What a house!
13:30What is it at 25 that drives you to buy something like this?
13:34I've always looked at people doing renovations and 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. All my hard work has paid off and I've bought a house by myself.
13:47Amazing. Did you have a survey done on it?
13:49No. A lot of the problems were visible.
13:51So I thought I could spend thousands on a survey just for them to tell me things
13:54that 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,
14:40but I will be getting professionals in.
14:42So you wanted a project.
14:43Did you know everything that was wrong with it?
14:45They did disclose this gable wall.
14:46But when I started the demolition, I actually realised that it was worse.
14:50OK, because you've got a big bow on this wall here.
14:52Actually, it 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.
15:02Unless you decide to rebuild the wall without the bow,
15:04I'd almost be tempted to put the supports that you can see.
15:09OK.
15:09Because 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.
15:27Naturally robust and durable, its layered composition means it can withstand harsh conditions,
15:32from windswept farmland to weathered eroding coastal areas.
15:37But the stone must be handled carefully.
15:39Installed correctly, it can last centuries.
15:43Incorrectly and distortions can compromise structural integrity,
15:47as Alice's wall shows.
15:51Well, let's have a look around inside.
15:53Yeah, of course.
15:53Come 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.
16:07Yeah, oh, I don't worry about that.
16:09I've got my mask and got my shower cap.
16:11This should be the best room in the house.
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?
16:35Yeah, right.
16:36OK, 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 and it would sort of, like, wobble.
17:10So, the plaster's off and out and 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 and then make that into an office.
17:30So, 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, that 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.
17:47Around here, families would rather have three double bedrooms and one bathroom
17:51Yeah.
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
17:58and 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 when she's worked incredibly hard
18:40and 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 van, 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, 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, 98,000.
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.
19:42How good, sir? What a chance it went.
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.
19:58And the main thing is, don't get carried away 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.
20:21Here in the room, thank you, sir.
20:23Here we go, £46,000.
20:25£50,000.
20:25£50,000.
20:27£54,000.
20:29The current bid is £55,000 for the first time, then.
20:32The second time, then.
20:33Your bid, sir.
20:34Here in the room, then.
20:36You bought it, sir, well done.
20:37£55,000.
20:39Whoever's bought that is too much.
20:42At the most, there's £5,000 profit.
20:45Lee'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.
21:02Lot number three's got the most interest in all the properties listed in the catalogue this evening.
21:06A little legal, a bit bored, but not very often we sell property with a body actually buried on the
21:11property.
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.
21:27But we're looking at redeveloping that into an apartment, like a one bedroom, possibly two.
21:32It'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.
21:54I'll be shocked if this doesn't sell tonight.
21:58I'm feeling a bit sick.
22:00The guide is 32,000 pounds.
22:02Who's going to come straight in?
22:03Who's got 32,000 on this one?
22:05For 32, 32, we're still here in the room.
22:07Asking 34,000 online.
22:0934,000 online.
22:11Can we go 36, sir?
22:12We can.
22:13Asking 38,000 online.
22:14So we've got an online bidder at the moment.
22:1638,000 online.
22:1838,000 online.
22:1942,000 online.
22:1944,000.
22:2144,000.
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 pounds.
22:31Your property, sir, well done.
22:36That was faster than I thought he was going to.
22:39So we move on.
22:40Peter and Stuart pay their deposit today,
22:42and following established auction practice, have 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 off.
22:56Peter and Stuart followed the first lessons of auctions.
22:59Make sure you do your research, set your ceiling price, and 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.
23:18And in Cornwall, a fire-damaged mansion with a gutted owner.
23:22I was meant to retire.
23:24It's a bit of a dilemma.
23:35It's nine weeks since Lizak began on his ambitious plans for this turn-of-the-century end of terrace in
23:41Herne Bay.
23:42He wants the kitchen and bathroom to be finished before moving in.
23:46So, finished first fix electrics.
23:50And pretty close to finishing first fix plumbing as well, actually.
23:55Right now, the kind of main pull of everybody's energies at the moment is the bathrooms.
24:03That stud wall has come down and another one's gone up.
24:06So, I've created a large master bathroom and an ensuite shower room.
24:11I got a lot of the furniture before I had developed the space.
24:16I felt like it was bigger.
24:18So, now, having the dimensions set in stone, fitting all of the furniture into that space has taken a few
24:25changes.
24:26Without much of a detailed plan, Lizak's bathroom layout is a work in progress.
24:31And carpenter Rick's doing his best to build in the storage we discussed.
24:36So, it's going to be quite narrow.
24:38It's going to be that width.
24:40OK, that is quite narrow.
24:41Could you sit a couple?
24:42It's like, that gives me an idea of what kind of...
24:46Yeah.
24:47Yeah.
24:48Lizak's discovering just how many decisions go into making a bathroom work.
24:53And plumber Mark isn't shy about sharing his thoughts.
24:57I 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?
25:05I think so.
25:06Yeah.
25:06When you get off the toilet, you'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 there.
25:11Change of plan on the sink.
25:13There's lots of questions he gets asked about things that 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 for the master bathroom?
25:22Yeah, you know what I mean?
25:22Yeah.
25:23With questions raised faster than he can answer them, it's clear this project's testing Lizak's planning skills.
25:30I am so thankful for the works people I have on site for being patient with me.
25:38We're now getting to a creative point rather than just this destruction building exercise that has been dirty and grimy.
25:52So, budget-wise, I've got less than 10k, more than five, which I think is just about enough to get
26:00me in.
26:01I want to have some holes in the walls so I can show people my electrics.
26:06Like, I spent £10,000 on the electrics.
26:10I don't know what trickery I'm going to have to pull out.
26:15Lizak sent over an update.
26:17Let's see how he's got on.
26:18He has made progress, but it's still effectively a shell.
26:21Your idea to raise that steel just makes this five-folding door really quite dramatic.
26:29So, I'm excited about that.
26:31That opening at the back, that should really throw light in.
26:34I have kept my dining table in this area.
26:38And this whole end of the kitchen is going to be the cooking end.
26:42I still think Lizak would be better off dividing the room in half so that the darker end has kitchen
26:48units and the lighter end either has a table or sofas, whichever he prefers.
26:52Let's go upstairs.
26:54So, this was the story all about bathrooms.
26:56As you can see, walls have gone down and gone up.
26:59The shower is going to go here, the toilet will go there, and the bath will go along here.
27:07So, the first bit of advice I've taken from you, we are building cabinetry shelving that will be tiled.
27:14He now just needs to decorate it so it's really cool.
27:18Thank you so much for all of your input.
27:21I hope I've done you proud.
27:23It is compromised, but it's his house.
27:29Down in Somerset, Alice is about to make a real breakthrough.
27:35So, today, I've got a big day of knocking down the dining room wall.
27:38So, then I have an open kitchen, dining, and hall.
27:41So, this part of the wall is going to be gone, and this will be completely removed.
27:46And then in the dining room here, it will just open it up to be a really light and open
27:50space.
27:51With an RSJ in place for support above, Alice is ready to go, and she's roped in her dad, Paul,
27:57for some extra muscle.
28:02It's coming down much easier than I've ever been.
28:04Yes.
28:12Wow.
28:15Wow.
28:16It's so much lighter, I do.
28:17It looks really good, don't you think?
28:19It's really opened it up.
28:21I like it.
28:22Yeah.
28:28Just look at the light.
28:30With that wall gone, Alice's ground floor is beginning to take shape.
28:35And with the dust settled, she's sent me an update.
28:40There's so much going on at the house at the moment.
28:42This is how the dining room is looking, and then upstairs, there's so much work going on.
28:50Oh.
28:51Very often, if you buy a house in auction, it needs a lot of work.
28:55And the bizarre thing is, is that you have to do that work, which means you have to demolish a
28:59lot of
28:59stuff, and it makes the house worth even less than you bought it for.
29:03But you have to go through that pain barrier, and I think Alice is right in the middle of it.
29:08Buying a property at auction takes imagination to see past first impressions,
29:12and imagine the home it could become.
29:15For some, that dream can stall even before it starts.
29:19In Lost Withyill, Cornwall, this Grade II listed Victorian mansion,
29:24known as The Castle, was devastated by fire in 2019.
29:29Barbara 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.
29:39But with 12,500 square feet of ruin, and no clear way forward, it's turning into a nightmare.
29:51So, Tammy, you bought this?
29:53Yes.
29:54Never expected to.
29:55From the minute I walked up here, there's a feeling about it.
30:00Fell in love with it.
30:01I hate to state the obvious, but there's been a fire there, hasn't there?
30:05Six years ago.
30:07OK, and it's stood there empty and derelict since?
30:10It's been empty for six years.
30:11I was hoping to get it as cheap as possible.
30:14I'll be really honest.
30:1550 quid.
30:18Its guide was a million pounds.
30:20You know, I thought I can just manage 600, and I went to the online auction, and it went 850.
30:28But the winning bidder pulled out, and when the auction house contacted Barbara,
30:32she suddenly had a second chance.
30:35And in the end, we agreed for 500, and I bought it and had the keys within 10 days.
30:41Didn't do any searches.
30:42By then, I was, you know, quite besotted.
30:45I mean, nobody would take this on if they wanted something that's predictable and reliable.
30:50No.
30:50It was an adventure.
30:51David, my husband, he was up for it.
30:53And what's your budget?
30:54Well, probably two and a half million.
30:56I'm going to probably struggle.
30:57I have to keep working.
30:58I was meant to retire.
30:59And what's the plan with this, then?
31:02The plan was that it would be an amazing home, but now we need a legacy for Cornwall.
31:07Maybe a dementia village, because we've got 14 acres as well.
31:10Once you'd bought it for half a million pounds, I mean, it's a lot to lots of people.
31:15Yeah.
31:15But for you, it's a lot, but it was affordable.
31:18You thought you would just be able to move in and refurbish it.
31:21And what's happened in the last two years to scupper that?
31:24Um, oh, golly.
31:26We can't even get to some of the last surveys that we need done to go for the official planning
31:32permission.
31:33Because of the state of the house, it's deemed as not safe.
31:36Barbara is caught in a catch-22. She can't start work on the building because it's unsafe,
31:41and she can't make it safe without starting work.
31:44Because the building is listed, it can't be demolished,
31:47and there are also extra hoops to jump through with the local authority.
31:51She desperately needs to cut through the red tape to move forwards.
31:56It's a bit of a dilemma.
31:57Oh, I'd love to have a look.
31:59Come on, then.
31:59Come on.
32:00I'm frustrated for Barbara.
32:02Bureaucracy is making this restoration nearly impossible.
32:05It's really fabulous, isn't it?
32:09Stepping inside, it's obvious how the delays have taken their toll on a house exposed to the elements.
32:14Yeah, you can see the dry rot here.
32:17Seeing it up close, it's easy to understand just how many challenges Barbara's facing here.
32:24There's some sort of dry rot and not there.
32:26This will send out tentacles, little spider's webs.
32:30It'll run up anywhere it can until it finds some timber that's nice and damp to suck the moisture out.
32:37That's fine unless it's a piece of timber that's structural, in which case collapses.
32:43So if you come in here, just stay on where it's hard.
32:46Look at that.
32:48The panelling is mostly hardwood and is still stable several years after the fire.
32:53But where dry rot's taken hold in the damp softwood, the structure's been weakened, causing parts of the ceiling to
33:00collapse.
33:04Absolutely love this.
33:06Shame, isn't it?
33:13This is the lovely part.
33:15Oh, it's so light up here.
33:17I mean, it helps not having a roof, doesn't it?
33:19But what an amazing load of roof structures you've got.
33:28And you can see the bell tower there, which I'm so glad survived.
33:33And its own bell tower. Get that.
33:38I mean, it's utterly magnificent, I'm going to be honest.
33:41I'm not surprised you bought it.
33:43I do think you're kind of mad, but I can see how you could fall in love with it.
33:50It's a lot of work.
33:51It's a lot of work, and I think I am probably mad, but I am in love with it.
33:55But fate favours the bold and the brave.
33:58Let's hope so.
33:59And you have got two and a half million pounds to spend on it.
34:02My advice to you would be to break this down into sections.
34:05So internal scaffolding to make sure that all of it is structurally sound and dry and warm.
34:11So you can get into all the parts of it.
34:13Yeah.
34:13You can then get the roofs on.
34:15And then I would probably work on one part of it and turn that into a flat that you can
34:20move into.
34:21So that you're living here on site.
34:23Might as well have fun while you're doing it.
34:25Yeah.
34:25So we really need all of the planning people and everything to sort of be united again
34:30to help us achieve this, really.
34:32I just think a dementia village for Cornwall would be amazing.
34:35It would.
34:35And I always like to give back.
34:37And maybe that's the legacy that we leave.
34:40Okay.
34:40So one way or another, you're going to get this restored.
34:42Yes.
34:43Hmm.
34:43Excellent.
34:44Lucky building.
34:46With all these setbacks and red tape,
34:48it could be months before Barbara can even start the restoration work.
34:53But I'm convinced she'll do everything she can to save this noble property.
35:06A hundred miles up the road in Somerset, another roof is proving problematic.
35:40Hiya.
35:41I thought you were taking it down.
35:42You thought, well, might as well take the roof off at the same time.
35:45Yeah.
35:46So I took off the tiles.
35:47I could see that the wood actually had woodworm.
35:49So when I decided to get new trusses, I thought it's a no-brainer to just make a bedroom up
35:53there.
35:53So it'll be a full bed.
35:54So how much is the roof costing?
35:56About eight grand.
35:57I mean, it all sounds so easy, doesn't it?
36:00First of all, there was a bit of a bow in the wall, so I took the wall down.
36:02Then the roof was a bit dodgy, so I took the roof off.
36:04But this must have had a massive effect on your budget.
36:08Definitely.
36:08You had £50,000 to do all of this.
36:10Yeah.
36:10And I have borrowed a lot of machinery from family friends.
36:13My dad is very kindly giving me a hand.
36:15So I'm very lucky in that sense.
36:17Okay, so you've pulled in every favor in the whole universe.
36:20Yeah.
36:21And now your £50,000 budget for building work is going to get you what's structurally sound, effectively?
36:28Yes, and have one bathroom, bedroom, the kitchen and the living room.
36:31And then how will you finish it?
36:33The plan is, once it's habitable, to remortgage.
36:36Pull out probably another £50,000, and then I can go again and finish the house.
36:40Once Alice has fitted a kitchen and bathroom to make her property habitable,
36:44she'll be able to release more funds by remortgaging and continue her renovation.
36:50If you knew what you knew now, would you have bought this in auction?
36:54I don't think I would have, no.
36:55And if I went into the auction knowing that it was probably going to cost me £100,000,
36:59I probably would have swayed away from it.
37:01So let's have a look upstairs then.
37:03Yeah, please.
37:05What was meant to be a quick makeover is now a total rebuild.
37:09Pushing Alice's schedule back by six weeks at double the cost.
37:15OK, so all of that wall's down.
37:19The only thing standing is basically the rear extension and the front of the house.
37:23It's a lot more work than a refurbishment, isn't this?
37:26100%. I did not plan to do as much as I have.
37:28No. Exactly, yeah.
37:29It's like pulling a thread on a jumper.
37:31When I spoke to you last time, you were going to have two bathrooms in here.
37:35Are you still doing that?
37:36Yeah, that's the plan.
37:37OK, and to be honest, you've pretty much demolished the whole house,
37:40so you might as well do whatever you want.
37:43Very lucky. You've got a good builder.
37:44Yeah, I know.
37:50When people buy an auction, they generally don't have a survey
37:52because if they don't buy it, then that's a waste of money.
37:55Whoa!
37:56But that is the risk of taking, and sometimes it comes and bites you.
38:01Oh, my.
38:06Coming up, can Alice's rebuild reach the finish line?
38:10And has dreamer Lizak's design ambition held together or fallen apart?
38:16I've got to move in. Time is ticking. Time is money.
38:30In Herne Bay, Kent, the trades have taken over at Lizak's.
38:34Put it there. Put it. Oh, come on.
38:36I've got to move in. Time is ticking. Time is money.
38:41And I've got a door. I'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.
38:51I've got dynasty taste with an Albert Square budget.
38:56Trying to make his home habitable.
38:59I do think that I will be moving in at the end of this month.
39:04Well, I'll be moving in, too, of course.
39:07Remains to be seen.
39:10Upstairs, his bathroom seems to be coming together.
39:13Once the floor is down, then we're going to get onto the real exciting
39:16element of this room, which is the walls.
39:19It's old school. It's classic.
39:20But it's bombastic.
39:22I'm so pleased there's progress.
39:25But can he really do it without blowing up his budget altogether?
39:29It's going to look amazing.
39:34Nice.
39:35In Street in Somerset, Alice is celebrating.
39:39Cheers to a watertight house at long last.
39:43It's not exactly where she thought she'd be, but with her grit,
39:47relentlessly positive attitude and family behind her,
39:50she's pushed through with a much bigger project than she'd ever imagined.
39:55Buying a house without a survey was a gamble.
39:58But Alice has tackled emerging problems head on.
40:05Rebuilding an entire gable wall has stabilised the property
40:08and the new roof ensures the place is now watertight and secure,
40:12but it's come at a cost.
40:13I was slightly worried. What have I done?
40:15But now it's a huge relief that it's structurally sound,
40:18and I'm looking up and, you know, I've got a lovely straight house.
40:23Downstairs was a collection of small dark rooms.
40:28Now, Alice has knocked down walls to create a spacious,
40:31open-plan kitchen dining room.
40:36Sarah's advice was to open up this space,
40:38which I think is a really good shout, because it makes it flow a lot better.
40:40It's allowed so much more light to pour in.
40:42It'll be even brighter if Alice does decide to put those garden doors in.
40:47Upstairs, Alice had big plans, and with all the walls down,
40:51she can shape her layout the way she wants.
40:54An upside of the structural work is that a new loft space has created
40:58a whopping 22 square metres – more than enough space to create an additional fourth bedroom.
41:04When the new gable wall was rebuilt, it was the perfect opportunity to get
41:07new attic roof trusses put in. And now, obviously, I have a lovely spacious bedroom up here.
41:12I've had two new skylights, and you can just about see glass and retoil, which is lovely.
41:19Similar three-bed homes in this area without a loft conversion are valued at around £270,000.
41:26With these improvements, Alice's home could be worth over £300,000.
41:31So if she borrows more to complete the renovation, she should see that money back if she sells.
41:39I've no doubt Alice will finish this house with real style, but with half an eye on potential profit,
41:46she needs to be relentless on costs.
41:54I've currently spent about £38,000. My goal is to get it habitable,
41:58then I can remortgage, and then I can finish the rest of the house.
42:01I do think it will be worth it, because I'm going to have a lovely house at the end,
42:04but it has been a lot of stress.
42:06So now your house is structurally sound,
42:08does that mean to say that I can start enjoying retirement again?
42:11Oh, no, no, no.
42:20When I met Lee Zak four months ago in Herne Bay,
42:23he'd already started work on his dream of a bright open home.
42:28My original vision was to be able to walk in the front door and literally see to the back.
42:34Well, you've done that. I've achieved that, right? Yeah.
42:36But with only £25,000 to turn his dream into reality,
42:40every mistake put his shoestring budget under pressure.
42:47Renovating is just crazy money.
42:51But one thing that's never taken a hit is Lee Zak's ambition to create a stunning home.
43:00And it's mission accomplished. This looks spectacular.
43:06He's got his run of kitchen units, with wining and dining at one end,
43:11not quite where I'd imagined it, but he's stuck to his guns.
43:15And a chill-out space, still perfectly placed to drink in those garden views,
43:20once he's had a chance to do the landscaping.
43:23The kitchen is sensational. Sarah's advice of raising the steel to have really impressive
43:34bifold doors, the impact is incredible.
43:42I love it, you know. It was about having the confidence that when everything is in the space,
43:48it would work.
43:51Feel like I've hit the brief on this one.
43:54A celebration of light.
44:03Upstairs,
44:04Lee Zak wanted to go big and transform his standard bathroom into a bold statement of design.
44:11Well, he's certainly done that.
44:14The freestanding bath grabs all the attention,
44:18quickly 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.
44:31My bathroom is picture book perfect.
44:37Sarah was like, you need somewhere to put stuff when you're in the bath.
44:41So she suggested that the redundant door that I was going to close up,
44:46make that into a niche, which is precisely what I've done.
44:50A 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.
45:02And wow.
45:09Budget-wise, I did overspend, but I genuinely feel that I have added value with the work that I've done
45:17in here.
45:18I can't wait to live in it for a long, long time.
45:25Incredible as Lizak's progress is, he still has work to do.
45:30So how much has it cost him so far?
45:33So I started with 25, I now have minus something.
45:38Everything is spent, let's put it like that.
45:40Plus, I borrowed £20,000.
45:45But the first phase is completed.
45:49You need to have a strong vision.
45:53I didn't think I was going to have anything.
45:54But look.
45:56Oh!
45:57It's just the beginning.
46:13Next time, from a cottage in North Wales to a mansion on the Cornish coast.
46:18That is sensational.
46:20The clock is ticking for two couples desperate to move in.
46:24The biggest thing for me is getting quickly.
46:26And we're with one auction house for their biggest sale ever.
46:31Sold £160,000.
46:32It's about a fucking thing.
46:33I love this, so I only go back to my house.
46:45You're welcome.
46:46You're welcome.
46:53I like to watch this video while I'm going back to my house.
46:54See it next time.
46:54Let's go.
46:56Bye.
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