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00:01Britain is blessed with some of the world's most stunning architecture.
00:05That's absolutely beautiful.
00:09From Georgian to arts and crafts, Tudor to Victorian,
00:13different building styles stand proudly on streets up and down the country.
00:17That's nearly 400 years old.
00:19What a beautiful piece of history that is.
00:22Step inside, though.
00:23What on earth of those?
00:25They're terrifying, aren't they?
00:27And all too often, they simply don't work for modern-day living.
00:32But by breathing new life into these historic houses...
00:37We've got a vision.
00:38It's just not complete yet.
00:41..we can transform them into unique and sensational homes.
00:46It's so fabulous. I just... I don't even recognise it.
00:49Ensuring our country's architectural stories
00:52are passed on to the generations to come.
00:55I knew it was going to be good, but this is off-the-scale good.
00:59This time, I take on a crazy 19th-century coach house.
01:04What is that?
01:05Why would you put a shower there?
01:08That's, like, lethal!
01:09And I'm going underground...
01:11That could be a very, very useful space.
01:14..to free up room in a dated Victorian terraced house.
01:25On the south coast, the historic seaside town of Weymouth
01:30was once George III's holiday destination of choice,
01:33and much of the architecture from the resort's
01:3618th- and 19th-century heyday remains intact.
01:41From the Georgian terraces on the Esplanade
01:43to the warehouses and cottages of the harbour,
01:46Weymouth's period housing stock has quirky charm in abundance.
01:51And nowhere more so than this late 1800s coach house,
01:55converted to a home in the 1930s.
01:58The house is like no property I've ever seen.
02:01Every room is a different proportion or a different height level.
02:04Just so much character, and we just loved it.
02:07Cassie and James, a Homewares buyer and a Thatcher,
02:11bought a two years ago as a first family home
02:13for them and their daughters, Lexi and Bella.
02:16We used to rent the house two doors up.
02:19We always looked over, didn't we, and thought,
02:21the house is gorgeous.
02:23The lady that lived here, we sort of befriended her as a neighbour.
02:26And she was saying that the house was available to buy,
02:29and before we knew it, we were phoning the mortgage broker
02:32and putting an offer.
02:34They snapped it up for £270,000 in 2018.
02:40The historic equivalent of a modern day garage,
02:43their coach house was built for the grand Victorian villa next door.
02:48But despite having been lived in for decades,
02:51it's all over the shop.
02:54It's never been sympathetically turned into a family home,
02:58and I think that is the most important thing for us.
03:02James and Cassie moved into the coach house in 2018,
03:06with plans to do just that.
03:09But a year and a half later,
03:11on the eve of starting their renovations in August 2020,
03:15disaster struck.
03:17Finally, we've managed to gather the finances to do the house,
03:20and we ended up having a freak flood.
03:22It was just a crazy amount of surface water that just within ten minutes
03:28had flooded the entire downstairs of the house.
03:30It's not just become a renovation,
03:32it's actually become sort of rebuilding our lives again.
03:36Now, eight weeks on from the deluge, I'm here to help.
03:45James, Cassie, how are you?
03:47How are you?
03:47Lovely to meet you. Come on out.
03:49Fantastic house.
03:50Thank you very much.
03:51It's absolutely packed with character,
03:53from your lovely kind of coach house doors,
03:57down to your very low doorway in there,
03:59and then a bit of domestic beauty above.
04:02I love that projector window.
04:03Yeah. Thank you.
04:04So, you sent me a couple of videos...
04:07Yeah.
04:07..of the flood.
04:09Yeah.
04:10Oh, my God!
04:12It's everywhere.
04:13Mm-hm.
04:14You've got a floating sofa and everything.
04:16Yeah.
04:17Three foot underwater.
04:19How did that feel?
04:21Oh, God.
04:23Devastating?
04:24Er...
04:24Yeah.
04:25All of our belongings gone.
04:26You know, personal items as well,
04:28that we just will never get back now as well, so...
04:31Yeah.
04:32Everything is written off.
04:33It all has to go to landfill.
04:34That's right, yeah.
04:35It needed a lot of work before the flood,
04:37and now it just needs a little bit more.
04:39Fine.
04:40Love a challenge.
04:41Yeah.
04:41Shall we go inside and have a look?
04:42Absolutely, yeah.
04:43After you lead the way.
04:43Let's go.
04:45Originally built to house coaches, horses, drivers and stable boys,
04:50unsurprisingly, this home has a very quirky layout.
04:54For starters, there are three different entrances.
04:57The first is from the courtyard and leads into a boot room,
05:00which is squeezed between a garage on one side
05:03and a kitchen to the other, complete with a staircase.
05:07Off that is a small conservatory and another entrance.
05:12Next door is a lounge with a small lobby,
05:15the third entrance and staircase number two.
05:18There's also a bathroom, the only one in the house.
05:23Oh, that's that lovely smell of damp, isn't it?
05:26Yes.
05:27Lovely, isn't it?
05:27Oof.
05:28So what's your kind of current situation then?
05:31Are you...
05:32Are you living in here?
05:33No, no, no.
05:35You're not?
05:35We've been in a caravan for six weeks now.
05:37Six weeks, yeah.
05:38How's that?
05:39It's not great with a dog and two kids, but...
05:43Crikey, you've been through the mill, haven't you?
05:45Yeah.
05:45Yeah.
05:46Well, the bones of it are actually really nice.
05:49I mean, you know, you've got a lovely space here,
05:52nice high ceilings.
05:53I noticed when I came through this door,
05:55you've got all these amazing details in the glass there.
05:58Yeah.
05:58The previous owner, he was a sign writer
06:02and he had a pine-dipping door business.
06:05So pretty much most of the details throughout the property,
06:10he would have done himself, etchings on the doors.
06:13Oh, really?
06:13That is so beautiful.
06:14Really beautiful.
06:15You're going to have to keep as much of that as possible.
06:18Yeah, we'd like to.
06:18We'd like to.
06:19Things like the floor, they pulled this out of an old-school gym.
06:22I'm assuming that can't stay, though, because of the flooding.
06:26No.
06:26I was going to say.
06:27The floors have been written off, unfortunately.
06:29Yeah.
06:29So what have the insurance companies said about what needs to go?
06:33They've said that everything from one metre down
06:36throughout the property has to be stripped out.
06:38Oh, really?
06:39Yeah.
06:39Such a shame.
06:40Cassie and James' flood was classified as black water,
06:44meaning it was contaminated with sewage.
06:46That explains their insurer's uncompromising stance
06:49on what needs to go.
06:51But it doesn't make the reality any easier to bear.
06:56This was our living room.
06:57Yes.
06:58This is the living room.
06:59Such a shame that that floor's going to go.
07:02I know.
07:03Devastated.
07:03I love this floor so much.
07:05It's beautiful.
07:06Yeah.
07:06Yeah, it's gorgeous.
07:07But the one thing this room has got is fantastic windows.
07:11Mmm.
07:11Yeah.
07:11Yeah.
07:11I like the fact it's all looking into the little courtyard as well.
07:14Yes.
07:15Shall we go upstairs?
07:16Yes.
07:16Shall we take that staircase or this one?
07:18Let's go for this one.
07:19There you go.
07:20Decision made.
07:23So, this is stairway number two, with a bit of a surprise, George.
07:29Okay.
07:31Oh, my God.
07:32What is that?
07:35Why would you put a shower there?
07:37Yes.
07:38Slightly random.
07:39Well, it's not just random.
07:41It's like...
07:42It's quite rare I put my health and safety hat on, but that's, like, lethal.
07:46Isn't it?
07:47Yes.
07:47Can you imagine going into your shower and then stepping out to there?
07:51Mm.
07:52Wakes you up in the morning.
07:53On a staircase.
07:54And actually, that was the only shower that we had in this house for about six months,
07:58wasn't it?
07:58Yeah, it was.
07:59Yeah.
07:59So, you've actually used the shower?
08:01Oh, yeah.
08:02Yeah.
08:02We've had many a near-death experience.
08:04That is right up there with one of the most bizarre showers I've ever seen.
08:08Yeah.
08:09And then you step out, up again, to what is actually really lovely.
08:14Yeah.
08:14This room is my bedroom.
08:15It is something of a corridor, though, as also on this floor are two tiny bedrooms
08:21for the girls at the other end of a generous hallway.
08:24Do you actually use this space at all?
08:27Not really, no.
08:28It's a bit of a walkroom.
08:30So, did you use all the storage, though?
08:32We have used it for towels and bits and bobs.
08:34If you took that out, this would actually be quite a big room.
08:37As an even bigger plus, Cassie and James also have an adjoining two-storey annex
08:42with its own entrance.
08:45Downstairs is a lounge and kitchen diner, and upstairs a bedroom and a small bathroom.
08:50They plan to renovate the space further down the line and let it out as holiday accommodation.
08:56Shall we do some design work?
08:57Yeah, I'd love to.
08:58Fantastic.
08:59Let's go down that staircase.
09:00Yes, the other staircase.
09:01Then we've done the full circuit.
09:03The good news is James and Cassie have an insurance payout, which, together with their savings,
09:09gives them a total budget of £70,000.
09:13But redesigning a property with such an unusual layout and flood damage is going to take some doing.
09:19And these two are starting over from scratch.
09:23You've got two staircases.
09:25We do.
09:25We do.
09:26Yes.
09:26You don't need two staircases.
09:28We don't.
09:28But I think the one you should get rid of is probably that one.
09:32Mm-hmm.
09:33Yes.
09:33Because I think it's so far removed from the rest of the house.
09:40I think your kitchen needs to move.
09:41The best place to put your kitchen, I think, is in the room we're in now.
09:45And then your old kitchen becomes the living space.
09:49So I think what's really nice about it is if your kitchen's in this room, you can then open that
09:54up to the courtyard outside.
09:56Yeah.
09:56Because I think that is really beautiful.
09:59Yeah.
09:59And you can just imagine, couldn't you, cooking here and then eating alfresco outside and, you know.
10:04Certainly in the summer months, it's going to feel fantastic.
10:06Mm.
10:07But I like the idea that your living room is looking south, which would mean opening this up.
10:14So if your lovely, well, it's a utility room at the minute, but I'm just going to call it your
10:18garden sunroom.
10:19Yeah.
10:20At the back.
10:21And it kind of half pains me to say this, really.
10:23But I kind of think you should just take it down, use that glazing for something else.
10:27Yeah.
10:27We'd like to keep them, you know, because they are stunning, aren't they?
10:30Oh, you've got to.
10:30Yeah.
10:31But you don't need it now.
10:32But what you do need is light.
10:35Light.
10:36And access to the garden.
10:37Mm.
10:38And I think a nice big structural opening across there to pay for a beam and a new set of
10:41doors is minimal.
10:43Yeah.
10:44That's the ground floor.
10:44Totally makes sense.
10:45It does, doesn't it?
10:46Yeah.
10:47Yeah.
10:47Losing the second set of stairs and life threatening shower room will give Cassie and James an incredible
10:53double height space.
10:54So it's a no brainer to make this their front entrance complete with bespoke built in storage.
11:00They can then turn the existing bathroom downstairs into a utility room.
11:07And then I was thinking you could use your giant boot room and your garage to in effect become two
11:18bedrooms.
11:18One.
11:19Two.
11:20Mm-hmm.
11:22Upstairs, Cassie and James already have a decent sized master bedroom.
11:26So it's just about reconfiguring the rest of the space to accommodate a guest bedroom and a good sized family
11:33bathroom.
11:35I mean, who's going to do the work?
11:37I'm going to try to do as much.
11:39You'll have a go.
11:39I'll have a go, yeah.
11:40We've got, we're having sort of some friends help out who are tradesmen in other areas.
11:46Good.
11:46What skills have you got apart from being a master Thatcher?
11:50That's pretty much my skill set.
11:52Anything you can do yourself, obviously, it's going to save you some money.
11:55Absolutely.
11:55Yeah.
11:56Definitely.
12:02Next, I tackle a dated Victorian home with a layout which is anything but convenience.
12:08Your low and utility room plugs the end of the house, doesn't it?
12:13And James and Cassie aren't done with their watery walls.
12:17We've capped all the pipes that we thought come into the property and I fear we may have missed one.
12:31During the late 19th century, the population of Chiswick in West London more than tripled.
12:37Job opportunities and everything from breweries to board building, wallpaper to linoleum factories made it a go to address for
12:45low middle and working class families.
12:48To accommodate the booming population, street upon street of densely packed terraces were built.
12:55Today, thanks to its riverside setting and village atmosphere, Chiswick is a pricey postcode.
13:02So for many first time buyers with their hearts set on a Victorian home, it means buying a date to
13:07do a rubber.
13:10Look at that for core tiles.
13:12There's even more.
13:14There's more.
13:15There's more.
13:16There's more.
13:16Which is exactly what Kim and Jordan had done in the summer of 2019 when I first met them.
13:22They paid £950,000 for this three bedroom mid-terrace Victorian house, stuck in the 70s and 80s time warp.
13:32With their first baby on the way and limited funds of £15,000, they decided fixing their cramped 80s bathroom
13:40and caulking master bedroom was top priority.
13:45God, it's like opening a secret door.
13:47I'm actually quite excited.
13:53Oh, my goodness.
13:55Wow.
13:56That is absolutely amazing.
14:00We restored the original features and transformed the bedroom into a grown up haven.
14:07Oh, my word.
14:09That is beautiful, isn't it?
14:12And by shifting the doorway on the landing, we created a much more spacious bathroom, complete with a proper bathtub
14:20ready for their growing family.
14:23What a difference, eh?
14:28A year on, baby Beatrix has arrived and Kim and Jordan are now ready to tackle the final, more ambitious
14:35phase of their renovation.
14:38The next step is the kitchen living, the place where we want to spend all our time and enjoy throughout
14:43the years.
14:44The current state of the kitchen is very dated. It definitely needs a refresh and update.
14:48We're desperate to get it done now. We are ready to go.
14:53As with most Victorian terraced houses, the kitchen is at the back where the property narrows.
14:59In the 1880s, this kitchen would have housed no more than a stove and a few pots with a sink
15:05in the scullery.
15:07But to accommodate changing needs and fashions, not to mention 20th century white goods, someone has stuck a lean-to
15:14at the back to create a utility room and loo.
15:19You kind of come into the space, dining area here, and then the kitchen and utility room plugs the end
15:28of the house, doesn't it?
15:29It's dark. It feels a bit gloomy.
15:32Everything's the wrong way around.
15:34It's not quite right, is it?
15:35Not efficient and fairly narrow.
15:38Yeah, it feels a little bit like a step back in time compared to everything we've got.
15:43It's rough around the edges. A lot of TLC required.
15:46Yeah.
15:47It just needs a massive overhaul, doesn't it?
15:49Yeah.
15:50We want to rip it all out.
15:51It can all go.
15:52Yeah.
15:52And if we can get more natural light, then we'll be even better.
15:55Yeah, definitely.
15:56But this Victorian home does have one big bonus. A cellar.
16:03I'll tell you what, that could be a very, very, very useful space.
16:08It's not fit for purpose right now, but it has masses of potential.
16:12And this time round, Kim and Jordan have the budget to do some major structural work, £100,000, which is
16:20just as well as I've got some radical changes in mind.
16:25Toilet's got to go.
16:27Your lovely utility room at the end has got to go.
16:31It's a no-brainer.
16:32You need to basically extend that way and do a kind of really elegant side return extension.
16:40You should build out to that line, which is your current toilet utility room line.
16:46Mm-hmm.
16:47Gives you a full rectangular kitchen dining space on the back.
16:53Now we just need to decide the layout.
16:57So we'll move the kitchen to the front of this space, along with an island unit and breakfast bar.
17:02And at the back will be a large dining and lounge area.
17:06To bring in as much light as possible, we'll make the bold move to not only glaze the side extension
17:12roof, but to extend the glazing strip seamlessly down the rear wall.
17:17And then we'll put in double doors out to the garden.
17:20It's great.
17:21It's great.
17:22What I would then do, if your budget will stretch that far, is put your utility room down in the
17:28basement.
17:30It's not a cheap option, as proper damp roofing needs to be put in, along with the floor being lowered
17:36to give enough headroom.
17:38It'll set them back around £15,000, but I think it'll be worth every penny.
17:43That means that it frees up your kitchen to just be a really beautiful kitchen.
17:48It doesn't have to do anything else, apart from just be food.
17:52Yeah.
17:52And cooking and prep.
17:54I like it.
17:54Sounds good.
17:55Yeah, thank you.
18:01In Weymouth, also putting my plans into action are Cassie and James.
18:06A couple of months after their 19th century courthouse was completely flooded, they're finally ready to start wringing it into
18:14shape.
18:14Everything's got to go. Everything from a metre down, it's all got to go in the skip, so let's get
18:21on with it. Let's go.
18:23And they're calling in some favours to help with the wholesale strip-outs.
18:31The hazardous shower at the top of the stairs is being consigned to history, and Cassie is hoping to uncover
18:37an architectural gem.
18:40There's a window, a tiny little window, which we've always seen from the courtyard.
18:44And we had a feeling that it was behind the shower.
18:47It would be really nice to get it out and have a look at it.
18:55There it is.
18:57And it's just quite a quirky little thing, isn't it?
18:59And it's a shame that it was hidden behind a shower for so many years, so it would be definitely
19:03nice to keep it.
19:06Meanwhile, down below, the second staircase is getting the chop to create an amazing double-height entrance.
19:13But all this demolition is a stark wake-up call.
19:19I think once you rip everything out there, you realise how much work you've actually got to do, which is
19:25a bit frightening.
19:27And stripping out is the easy bit.
19:30Creating a home takes a lot more thought.
19:34When you take on a quirky building like a courthouse, the key is to embrace the non-conformity in all
19:40its glory, inside and out.
19:43At this conversion in Sheffield, a contemporary extension has been added to the existing building.
19:49But by retaining the original external windows and brickwork, its history is celebrated without being overdone.
19:57And in Leamington Spa, this Victorian courthouse has been transformed into an ultra-modern but cosy family home,
20:05with an office that makes full use of the original ceiling pitch to create a truly charming space.
20:12James and Cassie's home lends itself to a rustic, bohemian look.
20:17So inside we'll go for a colour palette of orange, terracotta and soft caramels.
20:22And from flagstone flooring to lime-washed walls, they'll indulge their passion for natural materials.
20:29Outside of the courtyard, we'll install new decking, rattan furniture and the repurposed conservatory glazing,
20:36to give the space a new lease of life.
20:42A few months on, Cassie and James have got Nick the Builder on board,
20:47and are making a start reconfiguring the upstairs space.
20:53Which includes getting rid of some water pipes.
20:57Whoa!
21:00Well, all the water's been off, we've capped all the pipes that we thought come into the property, and I
21:08fear we may have missed one.
21:11James and Cassie really don't have much luck with water, but an unemptied tank is the least of their worries.
21:18A far more serious issue risks their entire project going down the drain.
21:25When we bought the house, we obviously had a survey and it did flag that we had a combined sewer
21:31and a surface water pipe running right under the garage.
21:34So, when we were deciding to do the girls' bedrooms in the garage area, we knew that we were going
21:40to have to notify the local water board,
21:42and the pipes are in dire disrepair.
21:45It does mean that, at some point, they're just going to have to dig up the whole driveway and probably
21:50through the garage as well.
21:51So, it's completely throwing a spanner in the works, because what it essentially means is that we just can't build
21:56there.
22:08In Weymouth, it's four months into James and Cassie's 19th century courthouse renovation.
22:14But the build is drowning in problems.
22:19Knackered public sewage pipes running under the property mean the boot room and garage are now off limits as bedrooms
22:25for James and Cassie's daughters.
22:30So, you two have got, like, major problems with water, haven't you?
22:33If it's not flooding, it's major drainage pipes running underneath the house.
22:37Anything to do with water, we seem to be a bit unlucky, really, don't we?
22:41To create the four-bedroom family home they need, their only option now is to incorporate what was to be
22:47the holiday annex next door into the build.
22:50So, the new plan is to divide the ground floor into bedrooms for the girls with a chill-out area
22:56and bathroom upstairs.
22:58So, actually, it's a much better idea for the kids. They end up getting their own wing.
23:03It's also given Cassie and James an extra bit of space, the annex lounge.
23:08Next door to the new kitchen, knocking through could give them a really spacious semi-open plan kitchen diner, albeit
23:15on different levels.
23:17If you dig down that new dining room, it could open up a whole can of worms and cost you
23:23another 20 or 30 grand in underpinning, drainage, dam-proofing, a lot. It's just not worth it.
23:30And I like the level changes.
23:31The house is quirky anyway, so sometimes you just have to go with it, don't you? I'm excited, actually.
23:37Unfortunately, it does mean losing out on future holiday rental income.
23:41And their budget won't stretch to get all this done in one go.
23:45But it's the best long-term solution to a massive problem.
23:49You have to make lots of compromises, don't you?
23:53That word is, like, the prime word of...
23:57Compromise, compromise, compromise.
23:58Yeah.
24:04In Chiswick, Kim and Jordan are already on phase two of their Victorian house renovation.
24:11The laundry lean-to at the back has had its day.
24:14And the dated 80s kitchen is coming out to make way for a large kitchen, dining, living space, fit for
24:21a young 21st century family.
24:24Oh, wow.
24:26Wow.
24:27So much bigger and brighter already.
24:29Yeah.
24:30In preparation for the new rear and side extension, steels are going in.
24:35And within just a matter of weeks, the extension is taking shape.
24:40Complete with the glazed roof I suggested.
24:43Designed to bring plenty of light into this new, deeper floor plan.
24:51It's brilliant.
24:52The extra bit of light makes all the difference.
24:55Beginning to feel like a real kitchen.
24:57Once it's watertight, you feel like you're ready to progress onto the kind of details inside.
25:04The more glamorous bits that Kim's looking forward to.
25:08For an elegant, timeless look, Kim and Jordan have decided on a shaker-style kitchen.
25:14Light oak herringbone flooring and a calming white and pastel colour palette.
25:19Built-in bench seating will maximise the dining space and leave plenty of room for a comfy lounge area.
25:27They've also decided to dig deep and convert the basement into a utility room.
25:38Meanwhile in Weymouth, James and Cassie's coach house renovation is back on track.
25:45And five months into the build, things have moved on considerably.
25:51I suggested installing huge double doors in their new living room.
25:55But with Cassie and James on the fence about the best thing to do, I'm worried the space could end
26:00up on the gloomy side.
26:01So I'm here to help them see the light.
26:06I've put a light outside.
26:07Have you?
26:08It's positioned roughly where the sun would be.
26:11Low level, midday, on a winter's day.
26:14OK.
26:15And then we're going to get Nick to come in and start taking some bricks down.
26:19Yep.
26:19And demolish the back.
26:20Yep.
26:21Just to show how much that light quality is going to change while the light's on.
26:24Fantastic. Is that right?
26:25Yeah.
26:26Oh, he's got the big guns out.
26:35Look at that.
26:36Already.
26:36Even just there.
26:37That's only one section being taken out.
26:39That's a tiny bit.
26:40Look at that there.
26:41That little square.
26:43Next bit out.
26:44Next bit out.
26:45Next bit out.
26:45Oh, it makes such a difference.
26:47There you go.
26:47Put it there.
26:48There.
26:49Look at how much it jumps.
26:50Just that.
26:50Only two bricks came out.
26:54You're going to get a line all the way across the floor there.
26:57All the way through.
26:58Just that half?
26:59Yeah.
26:59Just that half.
27:00When the other section comes out, it's going to go right round here.
27:03Already, just that corner there has made such a difference, hasn't it?
27:07So that's one side done.
27:09And Nick's just going to do the other side.
27:17Ooh.
27:20What a difference.
27:21Yeah.
27:22Brilliant.
27:23Well done, Nick.
27:25Excellent.
27:25Good work, Nick.
27:26Don't say you don't like it.
27:27You're not putting it back.
27:29Love it.
27:30It's a huge impact.
27:31Honestly, as architects, all we're trying to do is focus on space and light.
27:35Space was always beautiful.
27:36It just needed to get that beautiful light in.
27:38This is going to be my favourite space to sit and do nothing but look out into the garden.
27:45Job done.
27:46I'm chuffed Cassie can finally see herself spending time relaxing in here.
27:50But the new living room is going to need more than just a place to sit.
27:55So I'm heading to Yorkshire to meet a man called Ollie Miller.
27:59Woo!
28:01Ollie, how are you, sir?
28:03Hello, George.
28:03Yeah, very...
28:04He's crazy about concrete and produces bespoke furniture from his Sheffield workshop.
28:10He's the perfect chap to help me with a one-of-a-kind piece for Cassie and James' one-of
28:15-a-kind lounge.
28:17When we talk about concrete coffee tables, is this standard concrete as people would know it?
28:23Not really.
28:24It's got a much higher cement content and we put fibres in to get the strength.
28:29With the mixed design, you can make things that are really big but also quite lightweight.
28:33Our standard-sized coffee table starts with a mould and a trolley load of materials.
28:40That's a proper recipe tray.
28:42The ingredients include glass fibre, high-strength cement, white cement and water to kick it all off.
28:50How much water do you need?
28:513.6 kilos.
28:59Look at that.
29:01Spot on.
29:01So the next thing we need to add is the polymer.
29:03OK.
29:04How much of that?
29:05So if we want to add 1.25 kilos of that.
29:08Then it's 12.5 kilograms of cement.
29:11It sounds a lot, but Ollie's concrete mix uses around 20% less cement than most mixes.
29:17And as a high-carbon product, that's no bad thing.
29:22And then we're going to mix it really quickly.
29:27So that's it.
29:28Get around the edge.
29:29Make sure you get into all the corners around the bottom of the bucket.
29:33It's like baking a cake.
29:36Next into the mixing bowl is silicon sand.
29:39But let me tell you, this recipe is far from light and fluffy.
29:47Gets quite stiff, doesn't it?
29:49Yeah, that's pretty thick.
29:50But we don't want to add any more water because it's going to reduce the strength.
29:53OK.
29:53So we're going to add some super plasticiser.
29:58This stuff is magic.
30:00OK, mix that up.
30:01It reduces the water content by a third, but at the same time, liquefies the mix and reduces
30:07curing time.
30:08Oh, look at that.
30:09You can definitely pour that.
30:11That's amazing.
30:13What's also special about Ollie's creations is colour.
30:17If you think concrete only comes in 50 shades of grey, think again.
30:22For James and Cassie's table, we're going for a marbled orangey ochre.
30:26So we need to take a sample from our mix to add in the pigment.
30:31If I mix, do you want to add the orange?
30:33Yeah, I'm slightly worried about this now.
30:35OK.
30:36Let's start off with about a tablespoon.
30:39Right.
30:41That'll do.
30:42Let's see what that does.
30:46Didn't really touch the sides, so let's go again.
30:55Let's take some red here.
30:56And a bit more.
31:02I think a bit more red.
31:06There we go.
31:07I'm loving this colour mixing.
31:08It's getting there.
31:09That's pink.
31:10The pigment takes a while to hydrate and take, but when it does, it takes quickly, so it pays
31:16to be cautious.
31:17We're only getting one shot of this, so there we go.
31:22Ah, that's orange.
31:24Get in.
31:24That's what you're talking about.
31:26All that's left now is the pour.
31:29To create our marble table, Ollie is on the main mix and I'm on the colour.
31:34That's it.
31:35Can you see the pattern emerging already?
31:37Oh, that's perfect.
31:39And I think that's it.
31:42So now we're gonna sheet it up to stop any moisture loss and then a blanket over the top
31:48so that a chemical process can start.
31:51It'll really start to heat up and get really strong.
31:53Blanket over the top.
31:54Literally put it to bed forever.
31:55That's it.
31:55How long does it sleep for?
31:57We'll probably leave it in there for about two days minimum.
32:00I love the fact it gets put to bed for two days.
32:03Mate, that is fantastic.
32:05Fingers crossed.
32:06Jamie and Cassie will love it.
32:15In Chiswick, I'm hoping Kim and Jordan's Victorian house is already speck and span.
32:21Four months ago, the back of the house was dark and dated with a dodgy layout
32:26and any connection to the garden was cut off by a loo and a laundry room lean-to.
32:42What a transformation that is.
32:45That is stunning.
32:47It really is.
32:49How on earth do we compare this to what you had before?
32:52You don't.
32:53I love the layout.
32:55Kraken Island unit, sink in the perfect position.
32:57Sitting there doing the dishes.
32:59Yeah.
32:59With a view of the garden.
33:00Exactly.
33:01Every single finish that you look at as well is really smart.
33:03The floor is beautiful.
33:05Marble across the back.
33:06Do you know what?
33:07You've done a great job.
33:07It works.
33:08It works well.
33:10And I can't wait to see the subterranean utility room.
33:14This once dark, dank cellar now has proper purpose.
33:25Well, I'm loving the colour of the steps.
33:29Oh, it's perfect.
33:33A little space tucked out of the way and it's got everything you need.
33:37It just relieves all the pressure on the kitchen on the ground floor.
33:43Do you know what?
33:44That is brilliant.
33:46And then you've got your little loo as well.
33:48Yeah.
33:49That's beautiful.
33:50I love that wallpaper.
33:51Oh, I love it.
33:52It's perfect.
33:53Can I just admire your glazing a little bit?
33:56When you think about it, this extension isn't just about the space.
33:59It's all about the light, isn't it?
34:01I think it's brilliant how you've put a full length strip of glass all the way across through
34:06to the end and then just having this little bit where you've turned the glass around.
34:10That move is really beautiful.
34:14That's what makes this extension really special.
34:16But look at that light coming in.
34:23And this was all about fantastic family living.
34:25Being able to see Beatrix running around the space.
34:28Of course.
34:28As she grows up.
34:29It's everything that we pictured it to be, actually.
34:32Absolutely, yeah.
34:33Yeah.
34:34Before, the kitchen diner was completely cut off from the garden.
34:38Now the inside and outside has a real connection.
34:43I love the doors and all the glazing.
34:45I think it's really great.
34:46Yeah.
34:46Big job, but it's worthwhile.
34:48Well, it's been a massive job.
34:50Structurally, a really big job.
34:52I'm too scared to ask how much you've spent.
34:54Your original budget was, like you said, about a hundred grand.
34:58Yeah.
34:58We'll stick to the round numbers.
35:00You spent a hundred?
35:02Yes.
35:02Worth it?
35:03Yeah, certainly.
35:04A fantastic family home for you to enjoy for many years to come.
35:08Yeah.
35:08It is.
35:08It's really great.
35:09Beautiful job.
35:20Next, they've been two of the unluckiest homeowners I've met.
35:24But will James and Cassie's quirky courthouse
35:26finally be the family home they've longed for?
35:30Oh, my God!
35:31Wow.
35:32Oh, my God, it looks incredible.
35:43In Dorset, Cassie and James fell in love from afar
35:46with the quirky charm of their 19th-century courthouse.
35:50But when they moved in, it just didn't function
35:53for their family of four.
35:54And that was before a flash flood left it completely uninhabitable.
35:59Setbacks along the way made it a challenging build.
36:03But by celebrating the property's unique character
36:06and filling it with a mixture of contemporary and traditional pieces,
36:10I hope we've created something upstanding.
36:14This is the Café d'Orm cold stand.
36:18It was designed in 1849 by the German-Austrian furniture maker,
36:23Michael Tornet.
36:25And it was his first independent commission for the famed Café d'Orm in Vienna.
36:30Now, Tornet discovered that by steaming pieces of wood along lengths of metal,
36:36they would retain their shape when they dried, creating these fantastic hooks and legs.
36:42Made of beech wood with a very smooth finish, it stands tall, tall enough to hang really long coats
36:49and there's space for hats and umbrellas.
36:53The technique Tornet invented forever changed furniture design
36:57and its innovative use of materials
37:00makes it an apt addition to James and Cassie's one-of-a-kind home.
37:23Cassie and James have stayed away for a few days while we've completed the finishing touches.
37:29And I can't wait to show them that quirky and characterful can be modern and functional too.
37:36Good morning.
37:37Morning.
37:38How are you?
37:38Very well.
37:39What a beautiful, beautiful day in Weymouth, eh?
37:41Yeah, it's glorious.
37:42Isn't it?
37:43Stunning, perfect day to see a very beautiful house.
37:46Yay!
37:46Are you excited?
37:47Absolutely.
37:48We can't wait, can we?
37:50Yeah, a little bit nervous, but yeah.
37:51Let's go now.
37:55When I was first here ten months ago,
37:57the courtyard was forlorn, flood-damaged and underused.
38:09Now, it's a beautiful outdoor extension of the living space.
38:16Come and have a look at your very beautiful courtyard.
38:20Oh, my God.
38:21Wow.
38:22Oh, my God, it looks incredible.
38:24Oh, wow.
38:26Oh, and the windows from the conservatory.
38:28Exactly.
38:29Oh, my God.
38:29Oh, they look amazing.
38:31It's like next level courtyard.
38:33Oh, it's stunning.
38:35Oh, thank you so much.
38:36Oh, you're welcome.
38:37Isn't it great?
38:38We'll be out here all the time.
38:41Now, do you want to see your new entrance hallway?
38:43Yes, please.
38:43Can't wait.
38:44Before, this entrance hallway felt hemmed in by a staircase
38:48and was topped off with one of the dodgiest shower rooms
38:52I've ever encountered.
38:58Now, it's a dramatic double-height space
39:01with impact and functionality.
39:05Come on in.
39:07What a transformation this is.
39:09Oh, wow.
39:10Oh, my God.
39:11Oh, and it's incredible.
39:13Not what you would expect for a coach house, right?
39:16Not at all.
39:17Look at the light coming in there.
39:18The sun's just come out, and that is amazing.
39:21Gorgeous.
39:22It works so well.
39:23Do you want to see your kitchen?
39:25Yeah.
39:25Can't wait. Let's go.
39:26The kitchen is so nice.
39:28Come on.
39:28Come and have a look.
39:30What was previously James and Cassie's damp and dreary living room...
39:39..is now a modern kitchen with bags of personality.
39:44Oh, my God.
39:46Wow.
39:48What a space.
39:50We live here.
39:53It looks incredible.
39:55Oh, wow.
39:56I love that orange, like the pop of orange.
39:58It looks so good.
40:00I could not have imagined it turning out this good.
40:02And your kitchen with solid oak doors and drawers.
40:06Mmm.
40:06It's beautiful.
40:08I mean, look at that.
40:09Yeah.
40:09And I love the detail of the handle.
40:11A local carpenter made them as well.
40:13The handles, originally, they weren't scooped out.
40:15And when I tried to get my hands in,
40:18my sausage fingers wouldn't fit inside of them.
40:20I had to take them all out and cut the backs out.
40:24I'm so glad he did.
40:26And the slabs, they're great.
40:28I mean, that is a solid, solid floor.
40:30Solid floor, yeah.
40:31But I think the best move of all in this room
40:35was taking all of this out
40:36and opening all of this up.
40:41That is the simplest move
40:43that makes all the difference in the world.
40:45Brings it all together lovely, doesn't it?
40:47That's just perfect.
40:48Oh, that's so fantastic.
40:50This is so sociable.
40:52There's a family home now.
40:53Couldn't be happier.
40:55The dream's been realised.
40:58And we're not done yet.
41:00What was a dark and dysfunctional kitchen,
41:03even before the flood...
41:09..is now a bright and welcoming living room.
41:15So nice.
41:17Oh, wow!
41:19Wow.
41:20I love the finish on the walls and on the ceiling.
41:25It's got a kind of real rustic charm to it.
41:28Yeah, lime paint, wasn't it?
41:29Yeah, yeah.
41:30So it has sort of like a bit of a textured sort of old effect to it,
41:34which we thought would really work.
41:35And it's all part of you guys using natural materials
41:38as much as you possibly can.
41:39Where as possible.
41:40Everywhere.
41:41And there's a space.
41:43It's fabulous.
41:44Oh, it's gorgeous.
41:45It's absolutely gorgeous.
41:47Obviously, you took down the conservatory on the back.
41:50And the lovely thing now is you can just open those doors up
41:52and step straight out into the back garden.
41:54I've got you a housewarming gift.
41:56Oh, wow.
41:57That is amazing.
41:58Now, this is a poured concrete top.
42:03Is it?
42:04Right?
42:04Wow.
42:05Because you like orange, there's a little hint of orange in there.
42:08Oh, it looks amazing.
42:09Thank you so much.
42:10You are more than welcome.
42:11Yes.
42:12It's so unusual as well.
42:13I love that no one else will have anything like it.
42:15Definitely not.
42:16Shall I have a look upstairs?
42:17Yes.
42:18Come on, lead the way.
42:19James and Cassie's master bedroom used to serve as a corridor
42:23to the girls' bedrooms.
42:30Now, it's a restful destination just for them.
42:35Wow.
42:36Oh, my God.
42:38Oh, wow.
42:40It's a beautiful architectural space, but it was knackered, wasn't it?
42:44Yeah.
42:44It was so open and not very private because of all the doors.
42:48Oh, we had no privacy for 18 months, did we?
42:50It was very liberal for...
42:52Very liberal, yeah.
42:53Quite a liberal family.
42:54Yeah.
42:55It's a dedicated, a lot more private master bedroom.
42:59Yeah.
42:59And I love the fire.
43:01That wasn't there before.
43:02Yeah.
43:02That was actually from another room.
43:04It looks like it was always meant to be there.
43:06Yeah.
43:06And it goes perfectly with these tiles that we found, actually.
43:09And they're reclaimed and repurposed.
43:11Yeah.
43:11And these are actually taken out of a Spanish townhouse.
43:14You two are so good at finding beautiful things.
43:18Very natural, wonderful materials.
43:20And bringing them together in a nice way.
43:22It's important to be thoughtful to the things you're putting back into your own home.
43:25Yeah.
43:25Absolutely.
43:26Because hopefully it's going to be here for a long time.
43:28And then, little bits like this.
43:31Yeah.
43:32That was already here in the house, actually.
43:33It was in this room, actually, wasn't it?
43:35It used to be above the doorway there.
43:36And James said, oh, we should reuse that.
43:38And it looks stunning.
43:39Well, you just created the most fantastic house.
43:41I mean, the kind of rustic charm and beauty behind it is off the scale.
43:46You've nailed it.
43:48Obviously, James and Cassie have some work to do yet.
43:52They need to finish their dining room and transform the rest of the annex into bedrooms
43:56and a chill-out area for their two girls.
43:59For now, though, they've stolen space from what was the upstairs hallway
44:04to create the temporary bedroom for Lexi and Bella.
44:07And the spacious family bathroom with a freestanding bath and a shower.
44:17After a catalogue of disasters, from the flood to the damaged sewage pipes,
44:23Cassie and James couldn't be more deserving of this fantastic family home.
44:30You've done it?
44:31We have.
44:32We made it.
44:33It's been a bit of a roller coaster for a first home, isn't it?
44:35Oh, my goodness.
44:36It's been a journey and a half.
44:38So the fact that we're sort of sat here with you today and looking at how amazing it is,
44:42you know, it does sound like a cliché, but it does make it all worth it.
44:45It really does.
44:46Now we've got not just a home, but an amazing home.
44:49And your budget was £70,000?
44:52It was.
44:53How much have you spent?
44:54Up to now, £90,000.
44:57So £20,000 of a budget?
44:59Yeah.
44:59Are you comfortable with that?
45:01I don't think anyone's ever comfortable having to go over a budget.
45:03We've had to take it from the wedding fund.
45:05Some of it's taken from the phase two fund.
45:08Which is a shame.
45:08Which is a shame, yeah.
45:10But you look at what you've done.
45:11Thank God that we had a, you know, a backup.
45:13But in fairness, the £70,000 was what you were hoping to do it for.
45:16It wasn't a priced budget, was it?
45:18No.
45:18It was a kind of one-of-a-kind place before you started work, because it's so unusual and it's
45:23so unique.
45:23Yeah.
45:24But it's definitely one-of-a-kind now.
45:26It's our first home, and it's also our dream home, which is just such a lovely feeling.
45:38James and Cassie's original plans for this place were literally washed away.
45:43But out of that complete disaster, they've built this.
45:48A charming and rustic renovation created by a couple who not only love really good design,
45:55but have a passion for beautiful, natural materials.
46:00And remember, they've never done anything like this ever before.
46:04It's a fantastic first family home together.
46:14Yeah, well done.
46:33It was fun with me.
46:35Yeah.
46:35Yeah.
46:35Yeah.
46:36Yeah.
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