The Great House Giveaway S05E01 (2024)
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00:00You can't buy a house.
00:04Throwing money away every month on rent whilst trying to save up for a deposit.
00:08It's not easy, is it?
00:11Well, how about I buy you a house at auction,
00:14pair you up with a complete stranger
00:18and give you the money to do it up.
00:22Then, in six months, when you've fully restored it, you have to sell it.
00:27But any profit you make is yours to keep.
00:33You could win big enough for the deposit on your first home.
00:37On the Great House Giveaway.
00:42Today, we're literally on the border between Wales and England,
00:46so this could go either way.
00:48In the county of Shropshire, we have Oswestry and Shrewsbury.
00:52Then, next door, we have Powys, home to Newtown and Welshpool.
00:56Average house prices in this neck of the wood is £262,000.
01:01Terraces around the £180,000 mark.
01:03Most people buy a house here to live in it,
01:06so we're looking for a do-or-upper at the cheaper end of the market.
01:10The price of property around here means a lot of first-time buyers
01:13are struggling to get that all-important deposit together.
01:16Well, that's where I come in.
01:18So let's meet today's wannabe developers.
01:22I'm Kelly, I'm 39, and I work as a lettings negotiator
01:26for a local estate agent.
01:29I live with my three children in a housing association property.
01:33I want to have that long-term security.
01:36I love my children. I'd like them to be at home for as long as possible,
01:40but I would like them to leave at some point.
01:42But I always want them to have a base that they can come back to.
01:45I think actually being able to own my own property
01:48will always be able to offer that for them.
01:51The idea I come from this project, obviously,
01:54is that we're going to make a profit.
01:56But I also do want to feel a sense of accomplishment as well,
02:00and I want to make my children proud,
02:02and that actually is something that is really important to me.
02:06Nervous? Excited?
02:08I am really excited, actually. Very nervous, also.
02:11But I think the excitement's just tipping me a little bit more there.
02:14I can't wait to see the house, and also who my partner's going to be as well.
02:18Oh, let's not rush ahead of ourselves, please.
02:21Tell me a bit about yourself.
02:22Why aren't you on the property ladder right now?
02:25Well, I used to be on the property ladder.
02:27I actually bought my first house when I was 19.
02:30Got married, had children, but life changes.
02:33Got divorced, so that then meant that I went into private rented.
02:37It does become a little bit more difficult
02:39to actually get enough of the money and buy a home of your own.
02:42That's my aim, really, to get back on the property ladder.
02:45That's why we're sitting here.
02:46Yeah, it is. I am excited.
02:47I'm really looking forward to finding the house and seeing what it's like.
02:50But we're missing someone.
02:51What do you hope they bring along to the process?
02:54A bit of manual strength will be good.
02:56I think a trade would be amazing.
02:58Perhaps it'll help with the budget.
03:00I can learn a little bit from them.
03:02If not, it's just someone that we can communicate well with.
03:05I think that's really important.
03:06Male, female, bothered?
03:07I'm not bothered.
03:08It'd be nice if it was a man,
03:09cos then you get a male and a female perspective.
03:12But, you know, I'm just looking forward to meeting them.
03:15Well, shall we? Yes, please.
03:19I'm Grant, I'm 34, and I'm a joiner.
03:23I've been in the trade doing site work,
03:25so that's like making houses, doing stud work, joists, roof trusses,
03:29you name it, first fix, second fix.
03:31Biggest project I'd say I've done
03:33is helped with a friend build his own house.
03:36I am definitely a jack of all trades,
03:38and maybe a master of one, yeah.
03:41So I've got a girlfriend.
03:42We've been together for about two years.
03:44We live separately, which isn't ideal.
03:47I live in a shared house with a housemate, Joey.
03:51So this opportunity means the world to me
03:53to be able to hopefully get a deposit for a house.
03:57It would change my life massively.
03:59It just means I'm more settled.
04:02Hi, how are you? Take a seat, Grant.
04:04Hello, hi, I'm Kelly.
04:06Kelly, Grant. Nice to meet you.
04:08Kelly was hoping that her partner would be a trade of some sort.
04:13So I'm a joiner.
04:15Ticking boxes, Kelly? Yeah, absolutely, yeah, yeah, for sure.
04:18And Kelly works at the other end of things.
04:20She's a letting agent, so... Right, OK.
04:22Yeah, I've got quite a bit of property knowledge,
04:24so hopefully we can get the right finish.
04:26Right, well, let's find these two a house.
04:28Property number one is bang on the border in the village of Llanurmennech.
04:32I'm not kidding.
04:34Half the village is in Wales, the other half in England.
04:37It's a three-storey mid-Victorian terrace,
04:39four bedrooms but no parking,
04:41and it's situated on the A483,
04:44the main arterial road into mid-Wales,
04:47hence the low guide of £30,000.
04:50Done up, it could be worth up to 160k.
04:5340 miles away in Market Drayton is house number two, a three-bed semi.
04:58It's a bit dated, but does have central heating
05:01and is double glazed throughout.
05:03But the main thing this house going for it is land.
05:06It's a good-sized plot, and with bidding starting at £25,000,
05:10there's a lot to like, especially with an end value of 120k.
05:15And the final property is in Telford,
05:18another three-bed semi with a large rear and front garden.
05:22It's a bit battered, needs a full refurb.
05:24Is that a fireplace in the garden?
05:26But with a guide of 40k, I'm not put off in the slightest.
05:29Done up, we're looking at £100,000.
05:35Of the three, which was your favourite? Kelly?
05:39My favourite property was property number two
05:41because it looked like a good family house.
05:43It looked like it had a good front and back garden,
05:46on-street parking, a little bit of age to it,
05:49so there could be some features.
05:51Could be quite a wide range of people that would be interested in buying that,
05:54and it looked mortgageable.
05:56OK, Grant?
05:57Property number three, the one in Telford.
06:00It's got a nice drive and a bit of garden,
06:02which I think is quite interesting.
06:04There's some difference of opinion there,
06:06but, of course, when we go to auction, anything can happen.
06:09Here's what did happen.
06:13For today's auction, our first house is just across the border, in Powys.
06:17I love this house.
06:19This is a three-storey terraced house in Llanowinech.
06:22It's beautiful, but what's wrong with it?
06:24I'll tell you what's wrong with it.
06:26It's on the main arterial road, running right through between England and Wales.
06:30Very, very busy and no parking, but it's got to be worth the bid.
06:33I've got 40, so I'm looking for 50.
06:36Nice little property.
06:3850 I have, 60.
06:4050, wow, it's gone up in tens.
06:42Can I get in again?
06:43If you want it, now's the chance to be it.
06:45OK, stop going up in tens, please.
06:48Let's just calm down a bit.
06:5060, we've got our 65 then.
06:52Next bid, 65.
06:54Otherwise, I'm going to sell at 60.
06:56You can't go up in tens to nothing.
06:58Right, for the first time at 60,000.
07:02Second time at 60,000.
07:05Third and final time.
07:09Sold.
07:11Two clicks.
07:12We've just bought a very lovely terrace.
07:15Why was that?
07:16I don't care, I'm going to stick to my guns here.
07:18That's a good buy.
07:20Now, this doesn't happen very often,
07:22but I bought them the house that neither of them wanted.
07:25Kelly's favourite in Market Drayton sold for 117k,
07:29so there was no profit in it.
07:31And Grant's choice, the three-bed in Telford, went for 92,000.
07:35Again, zero profit.
07:37So I got them the only house that made sense.
07:40Let's hope they like it a bit more when they see it close up.
07:44Beautiful village.
07:46It's a lovely village, yes, it is, yes.
07:48Nice quiet spot.
07:50Pardon?
07:52Not sure about that.
07:53Yeah.
07:54It's a busy road.
07:55It is a busy road, you knew this.
07:57Yeah, yeah.
07:58And there's a reason, you know, houses end up in auction,
08:01and this is why.
08:05So we all agree that the location is challenging.
08:08I say we all agree the location is challenging.
08:14But what don't you want to see behind the front door, Grant?
08:20Too much internal damage, you know,
08:22just rotting or damp or anything like that, hopefully.
08:25OK.
08:26So if it's in fairly good nick, then you'd be happy?
08:28Yeah, of course, yeah.
08:29What about you, Kelly?
08:30What would you like to find in there?
08:31Yeah, I'd like to find some original features.
08:33It's got a chimney, maybe some fireplaces, something like that.
08:36Yeah.
08:37Could be good.
08:38Right then.
08:39Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?
08:41I think it's fair, isn't it, Grant?
08:42Ladies first?
08:43Yeah, of course it is.
08:44Kelly, in you go.
08:45Be careful crossing the road.
08:46And pick up a hard hat on the way in.
08:48OK, thank you.
09:05OK.
09:09Right, the little kitchen.
09:11Slight smell of damp.
09:14No way.
09:15What a small kitchen.
09:17It's unbelievable.
09:18Gosh, quite nice tall ceilings.
09:20Lovely door.
09:22Feature fire.
09:23It's obviously been lit at some point.
09:26Lovely bay window.
09:28This is bigger than I thought.
09:29I like it.
09:31Speaker on the wall.
09:32Original barnister here, which is quite a nice feature.
09:38Shower room.
09:40Again, a rather retro toilet.
09:43It's quite small in here.
09:46Look at that old electric meter there.
09:48It's like a newish door.
09:51Go with the actual character of the house.
09:55Oh, it's another bathroom, which is very interesting,
09:58having two next to each other.
10:00I reckon definitely knock the wall through.
10:02Make it into one big bathroom, maybe.
10:06Oh, the fireplace is beautiful.
10:11The windows are good.
10:12They do cut down on the road noise,
10:14so that's quite a positive.
10:16Nice Welsh dresser there.
10:18Look at the plastic coming off the bullseye.
10:21Oh, dear.
10:23Why is there a sink in here?
10:26It's a bit random.
10:27Oh, deep stairs.
10:29Oh, my word.
10:31There's been maybe a leak at some point.
10:36It's a good job I know a good pass, right?
10:39Oh, this is steep.
10:43Squeaky floorboards.
10:47Okay, this is different.
10:48Nice little space, really.
10:50But I don't think it would be a bedroom.
10:52Could make a really good office.
10:59Hey, Kelly.
11:00You said you wanted fireplaces.
11:02There you go.
11:03There's two.
11:05That's the good news.
11:06Ah, right.
11:07Kelly, I'm not sure whether that's a smile or a grimace.
11:09I'm not sure either, actually.
11:12Yeah.
11:13Fury's out on that, actually, at the moment.
11:15Grant, what do you think?
11:17The layout as it is, it's tight.
11:19You know, it's quite a narrow house, really.
11:22The kitchen is non-existent, almost.
11:25And upstairs, Kelly?
11:27I think it's a four-bedroom.
11:28Just there's such a lack of reception space downstairs.
11:31I don't think that's ideal to market it like that.
11:34Maybe it could be a three-bedroom and an office.
11:37I would entirely agree.
11:38So I think we just have to be really clever and creative with the space.
11:42So let's talk money, shall we?
11:45Now, I did say that you can make a profit out of anything
11:48if you get it for the right price.
11:50Yeah.
11:51Okay?
11:52This is the Laura house, and it was bought at auction for £60,000.
11:56Right.
11:57Okay.
11:58All right, so there's a lot of houses.
12:00On top of that, I immediately tell you,
12:02you must allow for loan repayments, fees, interests, solicitors, etc., etc., okay?
12:09Right, okay.
12:10Your budget is £15,000.
12:12There we go.
12:13Hey, that's not bad for everybody.
12:14Guys, you've been handed a very challenging first project,
12:19but I think it's in good hands.
12:21I really do.
12:22You have six months, you have a budget,
12:25you have the keys, and you have my best wishes.
12:29Cheers.
12:31Great job, then.
12:39There's no question that this house is a real challenge.
12:43What the guys have got to do is kind of mitigate the negative
12:48and accentuate the positive.
12:50If they do that and recreate a lovely family home,
12:54then they can still walk away with a healthy profit.
13:01We bought a house that's bang on the border between Wales and England
13:06in the small village of Clannamanech,
13:08and given it to letting agent Kelly...
13:11It does need quite a lot of work.
13:13..and joiner Grant.
13:15It's a good job I know a good pass, yeah?
13:17The good thing about it is that we bought a four-bed terrace for £60,000.
13:21And the bad thing about it is the location.
13:24Right on the main arterial road that links Mid Wales with the Belfast area.
13:29The windows are good, they do cut down on the road noise.
13:32I've given them £15,000 to do the place up,
13:35and I've a sneaking suspicion they're going to need every penny.
13:43So, day one, what do they do?
13:45Well, this is where Kelly's skill set looms large.
13:48They plan, something not a lot of our renovators tend to do.
13:52So I think the best thing to do is if we start at the top of the house
13:56and make a list, and then you tell me all the things that you think need to be done,
14:00and maybe we can make a list of the materials
14:03and make a little bit of an action plan.
14:05Planning forces you to prioritise.
14:08Get the big jobs done first,
14:10then you can see what you've got left to play around with.
14:13Do we want to go modern toilet,
14:15or do we want to look at the cost of one of those high-level systems?
14:19Yeah, if we can find one.
14:21So if we do it where we have the door as we come in,
14:23we've got the window here.
14:24Lou will be there, maybe.
14:26Yeah.
14:27So I'm in love with the fireplace.
14:29I love the fireplace, but it really winds me up,
14:32the fact that the breast behind it, it overlaps here.
14:35I don't know why, it just really bugs me.
14:37A new door frame.
14:39And how are we going to tidy up this window, do you think?
14:42Well, I don't know, because this window doesn't look like it's fit,
14:45I wouldn't say properly, but there's something going on, isn't there?
14:47Yeah.
14:48We're looking at all of this coming off, then, aren't we, Louie?
14:51Yeah.
14:52These are lovely, though, aren't they, still?
14:54And it's nice it's all original, so it'd be lovely to keep it.
14:58A lot of time spent getting them like that.
15:00An awful lot of time, yeah.
15:02Is that my job?
15:03Er...
15:04Yeah.
15:05I can help with that.
15:09These aren't necessarily original, maybe they have been installed later.
15:12I installed that, yeah.
15:13So do you think there's a damp-proof course?
15:16Or do we not know?
15:17So we'll have to perhaps look into that.
15:19Yeah, do we investigate to find out?
15:21Yeah.
15:22Planning done, Grant's itching to get going.
15:25It's time to get to work.
15:28Grant's already cracking on, he's got his tools out
15:30and he's going to take the kitchen out.
15:32We really need to work on this kitchen
15:34to get as much space as we can in it, so we are starting here.
15:38She's right, it's the kitchen and the bathroom that sells a house.
15:44Oh, oh, that...
15:46What is it now?
15:48Drop-ins.
15:49I don't know, actually.
15:50Are they not?
15:51It's like a...
15:52It's a little bit like it's vermin, it's like...
15:55Like rat drop-ins.
15:57I think it's like maggots.
15:58You think it's maggots? Oh, OK.
16:03Ta-da!
16:05Kitchen cleared, it's time to investigate those walls.
16:12Oh, look.
16:13You can see the different wallpapers underneath.
16:15We're probably on probably about three or four layers.
16:21And you don't change your wallpaper five years, do you?
16:25No.
16:26It's usually a bit longer than that.
16:28Definitely papered over the cracks.
16:30They didn't just paper over them, Kelly,
16:32they hid them behind furniture.
16:35So we're going to knock this plaster off the walls,
16:38but I think it's just literally just going to brush off.
16:42Now we've got to tidy up after it.
16:44I've got some new chisels, but I don't think we'll be needing them
16:47by the looks of this.
16:48Look at that.
16:51That's nuts.
16:53Literally.
17:00I see this a lot, especially in old houses with no central heating.
17:04Damp sets in and plaster falls off.
17:08I feel bad about making a mess.
17:10Ah!
17:13Got the brush ready. Yeah.
17:15And the shovel.
17:20I can't actually see now.
17:24Five days later, the top floor is a blank canvas.
17:29You can tell there's a trade involved here.
17:31It's textbook tidy.
17:33Grant, I'm beginning to see, is a perfectionist.
17:36This is a house that will be done up to the highest standard,
17:39from floor to ceiling.
17:41Obviously, there's been cracks,
17:43probably a bit of movement in the building itself over the years,
17:46so it just needs refreshing, starting again.
17:49And what's the easiest way of doing that?
17:51So I'm going to go and get up in the loft space
17:54and kick it from the top, and hopefully this will fall down.
17:58Good to go.
18:01And just in case you think that's overkill, think again.
18:05This young man has sought advice.
18:07With this house, it's the only way to go.
18:12So I've got plastered a friend.
18:14He's been and had a look at the place,
18:16and he just recommends just replacing everything.
18:19By the time you've spent patching and filling and the lot,
18:22it's better off just to start again,
18:24and it's all refreshed and nice.
18:26Totally agree.
18:27When a house has stood empty as long as this,
18:29then doing anything else would have been a false economy.
18:34Well, that's another job crossed off the list.
18:39At least we can see where we're going now and see what I need to do.
18:42Yeah, that's loads better.
18:43So now I think, obviously,
18:45tide up all the corners, get it all cleared out,
18:47clear the nails out of the trusses there,
18:50and then we're going to do the rest.
18:53Get all the nails out of the trusses there,
18:56and then I'll probably batten it out, like cross-batten it,
19:00so that we can try and level out the roof a bit better
19:02because these old trusses are all at different levels.
19:05So if we batten it out,
19:07then I can pack it out to suit a nice level.
19:12Now then, whoever owned this house before
19:15had a penchant for staircases.
19:17It's like Jack and the Beanstalk in here.
19:19You just keep going up and up and up,
19:22except Kerry and Grant have decided
19:24there's not much point going right to the top.
19:27Today we are going to rip the stairs out going into the loft.
19:30We've decided that this has got to come out
19:32because of the headspace coming up onto the second floor.
19:34We can't really have access into this bedroom very well with the staircase,
19:38so all in all, it was Grant's idea and it's ideal
19:40just to have a ladder that comes down.
19:43I don't think the attic space would ever have qualified as a fourth bedroom
19:47without further work to satisfy building regs.
19:50So this is probably the right way to go.
19:52And it's a nice easy job to get Kelly started
19:55on hands-on renovation work.
20:01Hang on, Kelly, should we just get your helmet on?
20:04Oh, right, yes. Cool, mate, thank you.
20:09Ta-da!
20:16I'm not sure whether we might need a bigger hammer.
20:19It's very strong, isn't it?
20:21I think the staircase is stronger than the floor that it's leading up to.
20:26You know, it's quite challenging.
20:31It'll be so good when it's out,
20:33it'll make such an improvement for space, it'll be brilliant.
20:41Yay!
20:43I knew it would get there eventually.
20:45Really, really happy with how this looks.
20:47It's made it so much bigger, brighter, really happy with how it looks.
20:51Yeah, great job.
20:54Well, give yourself a big pat on the back, Kelly,
20:57because you made it happen.
20:59And next day, a few more people turn up.
21:02These are Grant's mates, and I'd say they mean business.
21:06Yeah, I've got people on every floor at the minute.
21:09Just scraping off bars off the walls in every room,
21:13so it's all go, which is good.
21:17But it's a weekend, lads, so why are you doing it?
21:21I don't mind at all. I'll do everything for Grant.
21:25Kind of grovelled a little bit.
21:27Give me a hand. I think I need as many hands as I can,
21:30so if we can give them as much help as we can,
21:32it'll help them in the future, you know,
21:34to try and get this project finished for them.
21:36So he's going out of his way to help anyone, really.
21:41So, from a mate's perspective, here's Grant on to a winner.
21:45We're achievable with Grant.
21:47How Grant is and how his business partner is as well,
21:52I think they'll do it, in all fairness.
21:55And what exactly are the mates expecting in return?
21:59I haven't decided how he's going to repay me
22:02for the work I've been doing.
22:04I've only been here a day so far,
22:06but it's all going to add up to something spectacular, I think.
22:11Which is fair enough.
22:13These two are savvy enough to realise
22:15that the way you make money is to get the trades in for free.
22:19Talking of which, heard the one about the £100 kitchen.
22:22Kelly, how's?
22:24Kelly's been bidding on a kitchen online,
22:26so we're just literally waiting. I think it's got a few minutes left.
22:29Got three minutes left. We've just been outbid.
22:31Right, OK.
22:32So I'm going to go right at the very end.
22:34It's only at £103, so, you know.
22:36But we have got a tight budget,
22:38so we have to make sure that every penny counts.
22:41Just wait a minute. So it's just on the countdown.
22:43Wait a minute. Countdown, basically, yeah.
22:45I think it's amazing, and, you know,
22:47I think that this particular one lends itself well.
22:49We've had a few ideas about sinks and things that this might work with.
22:53Shall I put more?
22:55Shall I just do that? I'll put 54p.
22:59You never know, it's all about the pennies. Yeah.
23:03Ooh, ooh, ooh! Can it count down?
23:05Six, five, four...
23:07Oh, oh!
23:08..three, two, one...
23:14Did we get it? Did we not?
23:15Did we get it? Did we get it?
23:18Oh, no, we missed out on £2!
23:20Oh, you're joking?
23:22Oh, well, right, keep on looking.
23:24Never mind.
23:26I thought we nailed that one.
23:27I thought we were going to get that. Oh, no worries.
23:29Never mind, eh?
23:30Not to worry, Kelly, there are plenty more kitchens in the sea.
23:33So the big question is, can this lock keep up the momentum?
23:37Taking a house apart is easy.
23:40It's the putting it back together that takes the time.
23:49We bought a Victorian three-storey house in the border town of Clannoman Ech
23:54for just £60,000 and given it to joiner grant and lettings agent Kelly.
24:00Oh, my word!
24:01It's a good job I know a good pass, right?
24:03They've taken one look at the place and basically taken it back to brick,
24:07with a little help from Grant's mates.
24:10I haven't decided how he's going to repay me for the work I've been doing.
24:14So now it's time to put the house back together
24:17with just £15,000 in their back pockets.
24:20Then every penny counts.
24:24So Grant's at the house at the moment doing lots of physical work
24:28and jobs that need to be done,
24:30but part of my role in the development is actually trying to find
24:33and source good quality, cheaper materials.
24:37That obviously is new products, but also some second-hand products as well
24:41because we're on such a tight budget.
24:43We're just trying to save wherever we can,
24:46but not sort of scrimp on the quality and the style and the design.
24:50These, for example, are the taps.
24:52We've been able to secure a really beautiful Victorian-style bathroom suite.
24:58We've paid £300 for this bathroom suite,
25:00which if it was to buy new, it would easily be £1,000.
25:05It's a rolled-up bath, it's beautiful.
25:07So those are the taps from it.
25:09And there's more good news.
25:11The second-hand kitchen that Kerry thought she's lost in an online auction,
25:14the sale fell through.
25:16Grant and I were actually bidding on the kitchen
25:19when we were working at Trevor House, and I was so excited about it.
25:23I put my bid in, and I thought we'd got it.
25:26And then, sorry, you've missed out on this item.
25:28And it was by a couple of pounds, so I was gutted.
25:31I was genuinely gutted.
25:33However, as fate was on our side,
25:35I was able to get a message after that did offer it to us
25:39for the price that we put the bid in.
25:41So I snapped the hands off, and fingers crossed, it's all going to be okay.
25:46So I've got to collect it, but I'm really excited to see it,
25:50and I think it's going to be right for the house and look lovely.
25:55And while Kelly's doing the wheeling and dealing,
25:58Grant's getting on with the hands-on aspect of the job.
26:02Why can't things just go on first time?
26:10I'm getting on all right.
26:12I'll be glad to get the middle floor done.
26:16It'll be a bit of an achievement after that, I think.
26:20So as long as I've got plenty of time to do the bathroom,
26:25I'll obviously spend some time downstairs.
26:31But that's going all right.
26:37I am literally juggling everything at the minute.
26:40One juggling work, and then obviously spending time here,
26:43and then just trying to work out where I'm going to be with everything.
26:46So obviously ordering stuff, getting stuff to site,
26:49and knowing what's coming up for me to do so I can order stuff in.
26:55It's just a bit of a...
26:57It's hard going, don't get me wrong, but it's one of those.
27:00I'm used to it, so I am enjoying it, no doubt about it.
27:04Now, historically on the Great House giveaway,
27:07when you have a trade and a non-trade working together,
27:10well, one tends to do more than the other.
27:13Grant, he's pretty cool about the whole thing.
27:17Kelly's lovely, yeah.
27:18No, we're getting on really well.
27:20She's cracking on with things that are mind-numbing to me,
27:23like stripping the paint off the stairs.
27:25It's not easy, by any means, but it's not something I fancy doing,
27:29so she's doing a good job of that.
27:31It's not really, at this stage of the build now, there's not really...
27:35I'm not going to say there's not much that Kelly can do,
27:38because she's doing enough,
27:40but all the stuff is probably predominantly me,
27:43doing all of this kind of stuff, which Kelly doesn't really...
27:47She'd give a hand, but I'm just used to doing it by myself,
27:50so I'm getting on with it.
27:53But, yeah, it's just...
27:56Hopefully, towards the end of the build, when Kelly can decorate,
28:00hopefully I can just take a bit of a step back a bit,
28:03because obviously I'm having time off work now to do this,
28:07so obviously I'll have to carry on earning money a bit later on, hopefully,
28:11so the savings are dwindling a bit at the minute,
28:14but it's all for the best, hopefully.
28:20Talking of money, you'll never guess what Kelly's found
28:23cleaning out one of the old fireplaces.
28:25Oh, there's an old penny.
28:27I can see a outline of what could be Victoria.
28:35All of the letters appear to be Latin.
28:39It's so faded, it's so hard to see.
28:41So that side, it looks like an arm's coming out,
28:47and perhaps she has a hat.
28:49It could be a holiday souvenir from somewhere,
28:51and I'm getting all excited.
28:53I don't suppose it's got any value,
28:55but it's a really interesting thing,
28:57because I've not seen something like that before,
28:59so I think we need to get this cleaned up, just for interesting sakes.
29:03Could it be a rare collector's item worth thousands?
29:06Let's get a second opinion.
29:08Look what I found.
29:10Please say it's a pot of gold.
29:11Well, it is a coin.
29:12Oh, is it? Yeah.
29:13It is a coin.
29:14Oh, look at that.
29:15Now, it could be, right, the ticket to our success,
29:17or it might just be like a little holiday souvenir that's worth, like, 20p.
29:21Let's have a look, then.
29:22Have a look.
29:24It was in the concrete in the fireplace.
29:26It's really old.
29:30It is old, but it's not as old as what you think, I don't think.
29:33Wow, wow, wow.
29:34I'm not trying to think it.
29:36I used to have a friend who used to do metal detecting,
29:38and he used to show me some old coins.
29:39Oh, OK.
29:40Can you see how the print's so, so, so good on it?
29:43Oh, OK.
29:44But, yeah, it's a nice coin, that is.
29:46I'll ask my mate what it is, because he'll definitely know, yeah.
29:49I won't go buying that Ferrari, then.
29:51I was going to say, yeah, not yet.
29:53Not yet, girl.
29:54Oh, hang on.
29:55Just in case, let's go for a third opinion.
29:57You never know.
29:59Oh.
30:01Yeah, it's worth about a fiver.
30:05There you are.
30:06£5, £5, isn't it?
30:07You know what I mean?
30:09It's a coin very similar, and it's a collectible 1870 Spanish coin.
30:17And it's worth about £5.
30:19It would be quite nice to clean it up and put it,
30:21actually, as a little bit of a souvenir back in the house, maybe.
30:24Well, a fiver's a fiver.
30:26Kelly's got another money-making surprise up her sleeve.
30:30This is the last bits of copper and metal and scrap.
30:34We did a big run.
30:36We're going to do our final trip to the scrapyard now
30:39to get some money from this old piping.
30:42And I'm really looking forward to telling Grant,
30:44because I've kept it a secret what we've got so far.
30:47And I just hope he's going to be pleased with the final total
30:52of what we've been able to get back out of the house.
30:55Now I'm not going to spoil the surprise.
30:57Suffice to say, there's money in them old pipes.
31:01The grand total for today's scrap being brought in
31:04looks out to £196.94.
31:07Oh, amazing.
31:09And we came on Saturday, so we had £177.24p then.
31:15So the grand total for the whole of the house is £374.18.
31:19I'm so pleased with that. That's fantastic.
31:21Well done. Thank you so much. Thank you.
31:23See you again soon. Yes, absolutely. Bye.
31:26Oh, bless. Guess who she wants to tell first.
31:29Is it enough for us to go on holiday?
31:31Well, it depends where you want to go on holiday, mate.
31:34I'm happy with Bambi. I know a nice house in Lannermonach.
31:39I'll write it in big.
31:43That's not bad, is it?
31:45It's better than nothing, isn't it?
31:47It's better than nothing. That is better than nothing.
31:49I thought I was thinking about 200, 300 quid,
31:51do you know what I'm saying, cos it's not...
31:53£374.18.
31:55Happy days, yeah. Happy days, yeah.
31:57Happy days indeed.
31:59All that scrap metal has more than paid for the kitchen.
32:02First fix electrics and plumbing are done, as is the boarding,
32:06which means it's time to plaster, but not in the way we're used to.
32:10So the plasterer, Luke, he's purchased a new spray plastering machine
32:15and it's waiting for delivery.
32:18It was meant to be being delivered today, but I don't think it's...
32:21Well, it hasn't arrived as of yet and we're getting later on in the afternoon now.
32:25So we're hoping it'll be here by Monday to get on with the plastering,
32:29but if not, it'll just have to push it forward a bit.
32:32Now, spray plastering is pretty common on the continent, less common here,
32:37but I've got a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more of it.
32:40Why? Simple.
32:42It takes less time, less manpower and it dries quicker.
32:46You do need a machine, though.
32:48So what's the chance of this machine arriving today?
32:51Fingers crossed. I was promised it today.
32:54No sign of it yet, but we'll see what happens.
32:57Absolute worst case, we just refer to the traditional way that we've been doing it
33:02for the past 18 years.
33:04It's an ideal job to start this machine on, with it being a blank canvas.
33:10Three days later, there's still no sign.
33:14Yeah, the plastering machine didn't arrive,
33:16so we've just got one of the lads here today just starting to make a skim
33:19the traditional way on one of the bedrooms.
33:21That's good to see, skim on the walls. That's a bit of a relief.
33:25Oh, my gosh, this is amazing.
33:28This looks fabulous.
33:30You've done it in good time as well, haven't you?
33:33Yeah, we'll see how far it gets today
33:35and hopefully the machine will arrive at the beginning of this week
33:38so we can crack on with the spray plastering
33:40to hopefully get this house plastered.
33:42Psychologically, getting plaster on the walls
33:45when you've taken the project back to brick is a big boost.
33:49To have plaster on the walls just means there's skirting and architrave
33:54and decorating, and that room's done.
33:57And to be able to think that, you know, within quite a close distance ahead of us
34:02we can finish a room completely and then the same can go throughout,
34:06it's just such a relief, it's just such a relief.
34:09So they're four months in, and with just two months to go,
34:12if it was anybody else, I'd be worried.
34:15But these two seem to have everything in hand.
34:18Are they going to finish? Absolutely.
34:21Is it going to be worth their time and effort?
34:23Well, that depends how much somebody wants to pay for a period house
34:28situated on one of the busiest roads into Wales.
34:39A tall house on a busy road on the English-Welsh border
34:43is being given a complete overhaul courtesy of Joyner Grant and Lettings agent Kelly.
34:49They're at that magical place called Plastering,
34:52which is about to be given a turbo boost.
34:55Yep, that spray machine has finally arrived.
35:00The plasterers are here.
35:02They've taken on a new machine doing spray plastering.
35:07They've been on a course to do it, but this is the first time on a big job
35:10to actually do a full house, so it's good.
35:13And, yeah, they seem to be doing all right with it.
35:15But the delay has cost them.
35:18I'll say it once and I'll say it again.
35:20In the renovation game, time is money.
35:23In an ideal world, we would have been further ahead with this project,
35:29but it hasn't happened, so, yeah, we're just doing the best in what time we've got.
35:35We've got probably about a month, hopefully, to sell the house,
35:38and just fingers crossed that's going to be long enough.
35:40I want this house on the market in three and a half weeks.
35:44It's going to be the optimum time to sell it,
35:47and I don't want to miss that opportunity,
35:49because if we are too slow, we potentially are going to hit tricky waters
35:56in relation to market conditions and being able to achieve the most that we can,
36:03and our time's going to run out, you know.
36:05The six months is going to be up,
36:07and so we haven't got that luxury of waiting for a better offer.
36:11So, yeah, three and a half weeks has got to be on the market.
36:14So, in the time they have left, these two throw everything at the place.
36:19With the walls plastered, then second electrical and plumbing fixes get the go-ahead,
36:24which then means Kelly's second-hand kitchen at last gets a new lease of life.
36:29All that's left is the bathroom and painting.
36:32Told you, when a house starts to come together, it happens quick.
36:36And before you know it, you're calling in the estate agent.
36:45Hiya.
36:46Hi, you all right?
36:47You had a look around?
36:48Yes, I have had a look around. It's a lovely property, honestly.
36:51You've done a cracking job with this.
36:53Oh, thank you.
36:54Really nice.
36:55I think the quality of what you've done, really good.
36:59I can't see any reason why it shouldn't sell.
37:02Good. I'm just a little bit concerned about the road and the garden and things like that.
37:07But I guess if it's the right price point, that will...
37:10Exactly. I can't see any reason why...
37:12You put it on the market around about the 140 mark.
37:15OK. Oh, that's good, that's good.
37:17That's a bit more than I thought, actually.
37:19Well, again, it's the quality.
37:21OK.
37:22So I can't see any reason why you won't be able to sell at that point.
37:25Brilliant.
37:29I'd call that a result. Why?
37:32Well, let's go back in time, shall we,
37:34to when we were the only bidders for a tired, ramshackle terrace
37:38next to one of the busiest roads into Mid Wales.
37:41This was a proud house that had seen better days.
37:45From the dated kitchen to the pokey drab bathroom,
37:48this was a house screaming out for love.
37:51Well, with Brad and Kerry, it hit the jackpot.
37:55It wasn't the house they wanted,
37:57but they made the best of what they had,
37:59and, boy, look at it now.
38:04The freshly painted yellow front door gives you a clue
38:07that this Cinderella will go to the ball.
38:10It's modern, light and airy.
38:13I love the statement floor.
38:15The living room, inviting and cosy,
38:17and keeping that fireplace gives a nod to a more impressive past.
38:22The kitchen, second-hand? Surely not.
38:25And keeping the period door showcases the hidden gem of a backyard.
38:30The second floor is now home to a sumptuous, luxurious Victorian bathroom,
38:35while the third floor now houses two good-sized bedrooms,
38:39thanks to Brad's idea of removing the staircase up into the attic,
38:43which now presents itself as a very useful storage area.
38:47Team, you've done well.
38:49Now, let's find you a buyer.
38:52I have to admit that when we bought this dilapidated old townhouse,
38:55right where England meets Wales, and gave it to Grant and Kelly,
38:58I quietly thought it was borderline whether they had any chance of making any money.
39:03Yes, it's in a very beautiful part of the world,
39:06but it also sits right on one of the busiest arteries
39:09running between the two countries.
39:11Did they pull it off? Time to find out.
39:16Kelly. Hi. How are you? I'm all right, thank you.
39:19Now, before we go any further, this should be two of you. This should be.
39:22But of course, for personal reasons, Grant can't be with us today,
39:25so you are here to represent the team.
39:27OK, I'll do my best. OK.
39:29Well, on that point, when you say you'll do your best,
39:34I'd better look around this place, and I think you did your very best.
39:38Oh, thank you.
39:40My favourite detail is the original wooden rail running all the way up,
39:43tying the whole place together. That's just so lovely. Thank you.
39:46Whose idea was that? Well, it was my. I did suggest it,
39:49and then I did have to fabricate it. This is the whole point.
39:52You see, you're being too modest here. I know that Grant jumped in with the labour
39:56and did all the work, but I can definitely see your professional eye on this place.
40:01Thank you. Yeah. Thank you.
40:03Let's talk money. This house was bought,
40:06and I have to say, at the time, it seemed like a lot of money to me,
40:09for £60,000.
40:12Looking around now, you go, is that all? Yeah.
40:16You were then set a budget of £15,000.
40:19Now, you did rather wander over that. Did we? Yes.
40:23Just shy of £5,000 over it.
40:26£4,953. Where did that go?
40:29Well, just the cost of materials and labour, really.
40:33I mean, everything that we bought was considered.
40:36We did have to get it finished, and we did have a timescale in mind,
40:39so sometimes you do have to go and just get what you can.
40:42But I think Grant would agree, we didn't spend on something
40:45that we didn't need to spend, and for the sheer square footage of this house
40:49and the fact that it went back to Rick, if we've done it all for under £20,000,
40:53I actually... OK, it's more than you gave us,
40:56but I think we're still quite proud of that, actually, because...
40:59Sorry, you know, it was a hell of a lot of work.
41:02Well, that's being told.
41:04Sorry! You stand up for yourself.
41:08You know, I think, yeah.
41:10I completely agree, because I know myself.
41:13With old houses, you think, OK, that's that,
41:16and you peel away a layer and you go, oh, ouch,
41:19and then you peel away another layer and you go, oh, no.
41:22And at the moment, with the economic situation, fiscal situation,
41:25you have to get materials.
41:27They're not quite as available as they perhaps were historically,
41:31and that can affect the price of them as well, so, you know, it has an impact.
41:35But that's where we are.
41:37So, overall, you spent...
41:39Renovation, you spent just under £20,000.
41:42Now let's go through some other figures. OK.
41:45So the big one on this house, and it's one to look out at auction,
41:49is a whopping buyer's premium of nearly £6,000.
41:53Then add on £23,037 for everything else,
41:57which includes the interest on the loan to buy the place.
42:01Put it all together, cos this is the real world.
42:04Yeah, it's a lot of money.
42:06Put it all together, we end up with costs of £108,990.
42:13Anything above that is in your pocket.
42:18I feel quietly confident without...
42:20Because I don't know, I don't know.
42:23It's a good house, I don't know.
42:25But we needed people to walk through the door,
42:28maybe a couple of people to walk through the door and like it,
42:31and that's the question mark.
42:33There we go.
42:34This house was put on the market after much consideration
42:38for £139,995.
42:43I feel that for the square footage, that's right,
42:46but did the location hinder that top end?
42:49That was my concern.
42:51A lot of people were interested initially. OK.
42:54That kind of really whittled down quite quickly... Right.
42:58..to two interested parties. OK.
43:01Of those two interested parties...
43:06..only one put an offer in.
43:08Oh, OK.
43:10Well, Kelly...
43:13..this house sold...
43:16..for...
43:22..£139,995.
43:24Oh! Yay! Brilliant!
43:28Literally... Bang on!
43:30I love the asking price. Oh, fantastic.
43:33Better news than that...
43:35..it's a cash buyer, they're local,
43:38they know exactly what they want and they want this house.
43:41They wanted it immediately. OK? Wonderful.
43:44So I wish the grant was here with us now...
43:46Oh, it's been amazing. ..because you've done such an amazing job,
43:48you've been such a good team, you've complimented all the way through.
43:50That means that you have made a profit
43:52and I am going to tell you right now,
43:54when I first gave you the keys to this house, I had my doubts.
43:57Yes. OK? You've overcome them.
43:59You've been given a great location by the work you've done here
44:02and it means that you've made a profit of £31,005.
44:07Congratulations. Oh, thank you!
44:09Brilliant. That's all. Brilliant.
44:11Absolutely. Thank you so much.
44:13I cannot tell you that...
44:15If it hadn't been finished to the standard you finished it to
44:18and if it hadn't been so well thought out,
44:20that could have scuppered us.
44:22That's amazing. I am so thrilled.
44:24I am so thrilled and I think that we sort of smashed it for this road, really.
44:28I think it's probably one of the most expensive in this road, you know.
44:31So... This is why. Yeah.
44:33This is why. Yeah. Oh, that's amazing.
44:35The cleverness of your team and the hard graft you put in,
44:38that's absolutely thoroughly deserved.
44:40Well done. Thank you so much.
44:45What this place proves is that if you get it for the right price,
44:48you're prepared to put in the hard work
44:50as well as having an eye on a quality finish,
44:53then whatever the issues, there's a profit to be made in any house.
44:57Well done, Grant and Kerry.