Episode 1 Money for Nothing

How do you make money for nothing?

The answer could be hiding in the 20 million tonnes of household

waste we throw out every year.

-Sorry to bother you. Before you throw that away, can I have a quick chat to you about it?

-Yes, sure.

That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore wants to get her

hands on things before they hit the skip.

I am a passionate buyer, maker and user of old stuff,

and I've turned that passion into a moneymaking business.

I turn old stuff into new stuff and sell it for a profit.

Sarah is ready to sift through as many boots

-and bin bags as she needs to...

-Look at that, absolute box of joy.

-These are just fantastic.

-..in her search for tip treasure.

We've got to be able to make something out of that, haven't you?

And with some of the country's elite designers and makers...

-I've got a little something for you.

-Yeah, I thought you might.

Oh, this is a hard one.

..she can transform her finds into desirable...

Oh, my word.

-..beautiful...

-Oosh!

-..valuable...

-Ker-ching!

..and hopefully saleable items.

Well, I love this, so I would really like to have it.

If Sarah is successful, then she can hand the profits back to the very

people who had no idea there was cash to be made from their trash.

That is incredible, isn't it?

Sarah is at the Bredbury recycling centre in Stockport, just outside

Manchester, where they can have over 200 cars a day through the gates.

I am loving this place, it is so busy.

There's cars coming in all the time, and in the back of them

I know there's great stuff that I can make into something fabulous.

So I am off now to have a proper old rummage.

Remember that Sarah has special permission to

rummage about today, so don't you go pestering people at your local

recycle centre or you'll be the one getting thrown out.

I love rifling through the rubbish.

Sarah's on the lookout for three items with the potential to

turn into hard cash for their owners.

We're looking for stuff we can recycle, so I'm thinking there's not much in there.

But I think you should take the bunny home.

Some things, though, are just destined for the dump.

But, coming in at the far end,

Mike and Judith might be able to give Sarah a step up in her search.

There's a ladder just coming up here, so I would like to take a look at that.

I don't know if they're actually throwing it away but...

-must be able to do something good with that. Hiya.

-Hiya.

Sorry to disturb you. I know you're busy. Are you

-getting rid of all of this today?

-Yes, we are.

-Really?

Where has it come from, what is happening?

We are clearing a house of my wife's late auntie.

-Oh, really.

-Yes.

Yes, it is a lot of hard work, really.

-A life leaves behind a lot of stuff, doesn't it?

-It does, it does.

I'm just quite interested in the ladder.

If it would be OK to have a look at it and get it out and see how

-it works and...

-Yes, no problem with that.

-Lovely, thank you.

So was this only ever for domestic use? Was it just in the house?

I think it was just domestic use, yes.

I love that it has got all the markings on it. It is so funny.

You wouldn't think a ladder would tell a story, would you?

-You wouldn't, really.

-I love it.

-There is another step ladder.

Pair of stepladders is always better than one. If you have some, bring them down!

-OK.

-Thank you ever so much.

Sarah knows a money-maker when she sees it, and with two sets she can double her

potential profit, but what does Mike think she'll do with them?

Well, I'm not sure, really.

She might be able to strip them down and re-varnish them

or repaint them. But it would need a bit of patience.

I'm really excited about this ladder, and the really good thing,

they said they might be coming back with another one, and that is a whole new ballgame.

Two of these. Who knows what I can make out of it?

I think it's a great idea. As a society, we chuck away far too much stuff.

-Um, if it can be used, that's great.

-Well said, Mike.

So that's the first item found, but what to do with the ladders?

Well, Sarah knows a man who might have a few ideas.

Rupert Blanchard is one of the most imaginative bespoke furniture

makers in the country,

ever on the lookout for undervalued materials to

rework into contemporary designs.

I work mostly with reclaimed, salvaged and abandoned materials.

Basically, other people's waste, I find some kind of beauty in it

and spend a lot of time

and give rubbish a lot of attention, to try bring it back into use.

Something that someone has really given up on,

I like giving things a second, third, fourth chance.

Bringing something back into use is incredibly satisfying.

Rupert has been making furniture for over ten years,

and in that time has developed a thing for drawers.

Oh, look at that drawer, look at that!

What a beautiful drawer.

He's the man to make old wood useful again.

But making use out of those ladders might be a big challenge.

Back at the dump, the cars just keep flooding in.

There's too much going on, I can't keep on track of it all.

With one item under her belt, Sarah has got a spring in his step

and has now set her sights on Andrew's boot.

Sorry to bother you when you're busy. I was wondering,

we're looking for things we might be able to make into other stuff.

Is there any chance I could have a look and see if it is something...

-Yeah.

-They are quite heavy, aren't they?

-Yes.

So they are the suspension or...

-Yes, that's what keeps the car on the road, basically.

-They are really cool.

-Any chance I could take them away and see if I can make something?

-Yes.

Andrew's springs may have come off his flash Jag,

but it doesn't mean they are worth much now.

It'll take a bit of creativity for them to turn a profit.

We've got to be able to make something out of that, haven't we?

Well, what does Andrew think can be done with them?

If she had four, she'd have a coffee table or something like that, and maybe even a stool.

I was worried about their appearance at first but I know you can

get things powder-coated, which means sprayed in beautiful colours.

Or you can get them dipped in materials like chrome or copper,

and then they'd make fantastic lamp bases.

And a lamp on an occasional table, people are going to pay 100,

£150 for one. And I've got three.

She's me absolute baby.

So, thanks to Andrew's baby donating her old suspension springs,

Sarah is onto a money-maker.

And she already has someone in mind who might be up to the challenge.

Bex Simon is one of the country's best artist blacksmiths,

creating high-end interior furniture and bespoke metalwork commissions.

She is a woman that can bang, grind

and weld metal into money.

Working with found objects is quite different from what

we normally do, because we work with our clients

and we produce designs and work with them, so this is

kind of, like, really freeing up the mind and seeing what objects we've

got and how we can make it work into something really cool, modern.

And, yeah, desirable. So it is going to be fun.

It's going to be fun, is it? Something tells me

those springs are going to give you more bother than they are worth.

In the meantime, that's two items found that Sarah can off-load onto her designer pals.

But now she needs to find something she can sink her own teeth

into, but with the day getting on,

she seems to be grasping at straws.

-Well, sticks.

-See, that might be your next...

-It's a catapult.

..your next candelabra or... something on your dining table.

You wouldn't believe you could get a full tree in a car.

And it looks like word has spread round the dump that Sarah is

-making money out of their rubbish.

-Any money, send it to me, not him.

-HE LAUGHS

-Bye, now.

-You'll be lucky!

But what's this,

eagle-eyed Sarah might have just spotted her own personal project,

because Eric could be throwing out just what she's been looking for.

I'm really sorry to bother you, I can see you are busy.

I'm just looking at your Monopoly sets. Can I have a quick look?

They are my daughter's, originally.

-Oh, my word, you've got hundreds of bits there.

-Yes, hundreds of them, yes.

We are looking for things we might be able to make into other stuff,

and things like this would be lovely to get hold of and see

-if we could do something with. Would you mind?

-No, I wouldn't mind at all.

-I would rather somebody else have them.

-And you've got another one there as well,

-may I have a quick look at that?

-Yes, yes, that's the very old one.

-That's when she had it, when she was eight.

-Wow, that's amazing.

-May I open it?

-When she was eight years old.

-Oh, that is so sweet.

That's amazing, thank you so much for letting me take them, that's brilliant.

Sarah can see potential profit in her own personal project,

but what does Eric think she can do with it?

Your guess is as good as mine.

But I'm glad she can recycle them. I prefer to recycle anything.

And there's two sets of... I want to call them charms,

because I think they look like little jewels to me.

So, altogether, I think, as a collection, they would make some fantastic jewellery.

Lots of potential here, and something I'd like to play with myself and see what I can make.

Lovely, I'm really pleased with that...that little lot there.

All the toys, from Disneyland, from 1986, and things like that.

I've come to a point where I've had to let things go.

I really like the board, because what we are doing here is a game of chance, so that pretty

much sums up the day, doesn't it?

I'm hoping there's no luxury tax.

-And I definitely don't want to go to jail.

-Right, stop playing about now.

Down to business. How much do you think you can make from it?

I'm aiming for 100 quid for my Monopoly box.

I think I can do it.

100 quid profit to return to Eric?

It's like landing on Chance

and getting a bank dividend in your favour.

And with that, the list is complete.

Three potential moneymakers.

-But wait a minute.

-Oh, hello.

-Hello, again.

It's Judith and Mike, keeping up their promise of a second set of ladders.

Great. You know, a pair makes it really exciting.

It more than doubles the potential of what we might be able to do with it.

So now the list is complete.

Rupert will re-imagine Mike and Judith's ladders,

Bex will bend Andrew's springs into shape

and Sarah will take a chance on Eric's Monopoly sets.

We have had a fantastic day here. I've got some amazing pieces

and just the right people lined up to make them into something fantastic.

And to make some money along the way.

In the south-east corner of England, Margate was once famous for

Fish and chips and getting sand in your ice cream.

But now...

..Margate has had a reclamation regeneration.

With its old town now home to a bustling vintage clothing

and retro furniture scene..

..and right in the heart of it all is our Rupert.

And Carlos the cat.

Sarah is about is surprise him with some old ladders.

I hope it is something that I'm familiar with

and I can identify its history.

Rupert?

-You've brought a ladder.

-Do you like a ladder?

-You've brought a well-used ladder.

How could these be...

How could these end up in a landfill? Beautiful ladders.

I thought that they were just lovely.

I loved the fact that the stuff they were covered in was

the story of the house they came out off. They were part of that home.

There's the bedroom, there's the dining room, that's the hallway.

Is there anything in particular you want me to play with,

or am I allowed to do...

just go wild with these two?

So I'm seeing maybe a couple of pieces. Do you think that is the direction to go?

I think they started out life as two separate pieces,

and although I would love to join them together some way,

my initial feeling is to make two pieces,

but two identical pieces, to make a pair, matching pair.

Perhaps one of the ideas is to make a metamorphic chair, which is

a kind of chair that they used to use in little studies and libraries

and places where they didn't have room for both a ladder

and a chair, but somehow I'd like to bring another element into it.

So chairs that flip around, they turn into ladders,

they flip around again, they turn into a coffee table.

Maybe there's some way that the two matching elements could lock

together and become something new.

Rupert's transformer chair is more commonly known as library steps.

First built in the early 19th century as a space saver, they could be used

as little stairs to reach topmost bookshelves in libraries,

whilst doubling as domestic furniture.

But the question is, how much is it going to cost to construct?

There's got to be some way around a couple of hundred pounds per

item, um, to design and produce the final piece.

But we kind of have to see if... What we can do.

Once we have deconstructed it, we learn more and you

have a better idea about what the final outcome will be.

At that price, I've got real potential of making some money for

those people and surprising them with some worthy, proper chunk of cash.

And that would be just the best outcome.

Well, we will give it a good go.

Right.

Wow. I love Rupert's ideas for the ladders.

A pair of things, always more saleable than one,

and the metamorphic furniture, these things are going to be fab.

So, chair, ladder and possibly table.

Can't go wrong.

I want to do what's right for this piece of rubbish.

You and me both.

So, it's £200 each for two items,

or is it £400 for one big item that fits together?

Either way, at that price, Sarah is confident of a tidy return.

Sarah's next stop is away from the hustle and bustle of seaside

salvage and into the heart of the English countryside.

Tucked away, in amongst the quaint villages, is the place where

metal goes to die.

And then...

..to be reborn.

Sarah's ready to surprise Bex with the suspension

springs from Andrew's Jag, to see if she can, erm...

Something to do with lighting.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what Sarah is going to bring today.

Probably something really strange. So...

Yes, I'm looking forward to having a look.

I don't know what it's going to be, but I guess that is

part of the challenge, so looking forward to seeing what it is.

Sorry, I'm just...eating an apple.

-Ta-da!

-Oh, wow. Springs.

-Well, at least you know what they are.

-We use these. We actually...

There's one there! We use them for making tools with, so I love them.

-I was worried you couldn't...heat them up.

-We can stick them in the fire.

It is harder to work than normal mild steel

because it is high carbon. But, no, we will be able to do things.

What do you have in mind?

If they melted and were all, like, fluid columns,

-we might be able to make some lamp bases out of them.

-Oh, OK.

Unravelling it and stretching it out into a longer line.

-What about something like that?

-So we can make a floor lamp out of it.

Yes. Yes, completely. Like the mid-century ones that you get.

-It is like a marble base and then it comes up.

-That sounds great.

Maybe if I could scavenge a lampshade, almost like an Anglepoise

-lampshade, to go on the end...

-Yeah.

-..that might work.

Perfect. Sounds good.

In order for me to make a profit,

is there any way you can get it done for, say, 250?

Um...

It's quite a gamble with this because it is still...

It is slightly tricky to work.

So what I can say is...

We could do £250 worth of work and see, you know,

try to do at least one and see where we get with that,

and obviously if it's quite smooth-running, no burns...

-SHE LAUGHS

-..then we can attempt to do another one.

-Great, I'll leave it to you.

If you can make one, I would be really pleased.

-More than one, that would be excellent.

-OK, perfect.

-Leave it with me. See you later.

-Bye.

-Finish my apple now.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Sarah is putting Bex under an awful lot of pressure.

-Wish me luck.

If Bex can get it done for 250 or under,

Sarah is on track to make a chunk of money.

But there's also the light fittings to budget in,

and they could start eating into the profit.

So with two items safely in the capable hands of Rupert

and Bex, it's time for Sarah to get to work.

And she's taking her item back

to her cottage-slash-workshop in the Sussex countryside...

She's been running off and trying to see the new lambs in the field.

..where she has got guard dog Bramble watching over the money-making Monopoly sets.

-At ease, Bramble.

-This is my Monopoly moment.

I've just looked at it. Look, it is an American one.

I didn't notice that when I saw it the other day.

Baltic Avenue and Mediterranean Avenue. Oh, that is quite cool.

I've never seen a US one before.

I had a quick look at these pieces the other day. I was wondering why it had a jockey in it, because I've

never seen one of those before. But that must be the American version.

Sarah has decided to ditch the American board

and focus her attention on the little metal pieces.

But what to do with them?

I was thinking that we should be able to turn these into jewellery.

And I've done a bit of research and I think for a dozen pieces, I'm

looking at roughly £30-£40 to get them plated in silver.

Maybe if I can turn a dozen of them into something, to

wear as a pendant, I think maybe we might get 15, £20 each.

So over £200 worth of profit potentially here.

Now that has got to be a surprise,

after just chucking out a Monopoly set at the tip.

It was actually the niece of Charles Darrow,

the accredited inventor of Monopoly,

who came up with the idea of using charms from a girl's charm

bracelet as the Monopoly pieces, way back in the 1930s.

So, really, Sarah is repurposing them back to their original purpose.

Kind of. Having objects silver-plated can be done by mail order,

and so is quick and easy and relatively cheap to do.

But before they are shipped off to be silver-plated,

Sarah is drilling holes in them so that chains can be threaded

through to make necklaces or bracelets.

Don't look what I'm doing with the dog.

Ouch! The poor dog is getting the rough end of the stick.

Don't look, Bramble!

BRAMBLE WHINES

So these are my 14 fabulous pieces.

I'm really pleased with these and I think they'll make lovely charms.

I'm going to get them all silver-plated, including the jockey,

to make a little memento for Eric,

just in case we don't make any money out of this at all.

With just £30-£40 of silver plating to budget in,

if Sarah sells them all,

she could be laughing all the way to the bank.

Back in Margate, Rupert has started drawing up blueprints

for his transforming multipurpose metamorphic library steps.

And if you think that sounds difficult, remember,

he has only got those ladders to work with.

Rupert starts this mathematical mind-melter

by taking the ladders apart.

It's falling apart very easily.

He unscrews the hinges to see the raw materials he has to work with.

So now it's not a ladder any more.

It's going on to its new life...

as a multifunctional piece of furniture.

With the very detailed blueprints drawn up, he prepares to start

cutting, but one miscalculation and the whole thing could be ruined.

It's taken quite a while to work out the exact perfect angle

I need to cut. I've only got one chance of getting this right.

Once it's cut, it's cut and I can't just glue it back together.

SAW WHIRS

Rupert is using a circular saw with an all-important guide rail.

This ensures accuracy to within a millimetre,

setting the precise depth and angle at which the wood is cut.

Timber!

A little while ago, that was a ladder and now it's a pile of bits.

I think I'm going the right way. I'm not entirely sure yet.

There's a lot of complicated angles and cuts to make.

There's still a lot of... a lot of problem solving to do.

Well, you'd better get a move on. There's two of them to do, remember.

Somehow...

this needs to now flip together.

This is a tricky bit.

Somehow... this has got to work through two angles,

which hinges generally don't do.

It all hinges on this.

Will Rupert's calculations match up and make foldaway furniture?

Yes, I can kind of see where he is going with this,

but it's a long way from something I'd pay a few hundred quid for.

All will be revealed.

Well, I, for one, cannot wait.

Back in Surrey, Bex is making a start on uncoiling that

coiled spring soon-to-be floor lamp.

That's it!

Bex's partner in grime is husband Dave,

who will be helping out.

To make it malleable,

they have to heat it in a furnace to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, they have to gradually beat out

the bends on the end of an anvil.

It's just really awkward, this shape, isn't it?

They only have a short window before

the spring needs to be heated again...

and again...and again.

It's collapsing on itself.

So we need to open it out.

High-carbon steel is notoriously hard to keep in one piece

when heated, so they will have to be careful.

Don't worry!

With progress slow and hot,

after an hour of hammering,

Bex decides on a different tactic.

We're just going to unravel the middle bit and then the end bit and

then we'll take it next door and do it on the fire.

Yes, it is tough.

Bex and Dave retreat to the relative peace

-and quiet of their own workshop.

-I've gone deaf. Well, that was fun.

Once the spring is straightened, they're hoping to recreate

the elegant curve of a classic mid-century lamp.

But even after all that hammering, there is still a lot to do.

We need to have this finished today, don't we?

And Bex and Dave are feeling the pressure.

We have to make sure that we don't

get it too hot so it just breaks.

And just as they are making some progress...

SNAP!

-..the spring has snapped.

-First disaster.

With time running out and now two pieces of metal,

it's back to the drawing board.

Or chalk table. Or whatever.

So keep the spring in the middle.

I mean, we're going to have to now get that together and then, yes.

It's got that spring detail.

By keeping the coils at the end of the springs as a feature,

-it may save some time, but how to repair that break?

-I know.

-That was quick!

-So we'll turn that into a little feature.

So we'll have about three rivets there so I guess it's,

you know, it gave it an industrial look

and it covers up our mistake!

So nobody will know.

Brilliant! But before Becks can rivet the pieces together,

there is still an awful lot of unravelling to do.

Once the coil is flat enough,

Bex can turn to the power hammer to take on some of the bashing.

A blacksmith's best friend for over 100 years.

Without it, they would probably keel over from exhaustion

and have biceps like bulldozers.

It's not a bad shape from up here.

But then, some of the work still needs good old-fashioned

-brute force.

-Dave, I think I need your body weight.

Get in there, Dave, you brute.

After a whole morning of unravelling,

Bex and Dave are spent.

With still a lot to do, they decided to tackle

the rest in the morning, after a well-deserved rest.

We've got to cut our..

cut ourselves off, you know, now,

because we're sort of running into our critical time, you know,

so we need fresh eyes now because it's got to look nice.

Back at the barn,

Sarah has been eagerly awaiting the return of her Monopoly pieces.

Bramble!

We've got post, look! This one is for you!

Sarah didn't use the Monopoly boards,

but sent the pieces off in the post

to a specialist silver plating firm,

who hopefully have made them sparkle.

I've got my Monopoly bits. I'm really excited about these.

I've asked for them to be really well dipped in silver

so they should look shiny.

In the end, Sarah spent £65 silver plating all 14 pieces

-but that is still less than a fiver a head.

-Wow!

Or hat, I suppose.

Look at them. Look.

Luckily, they look a million dollars.

Now, that is cute. Look at the Scottie dog. And they are so shiny.

They've been dipped and finished really well. Is that it? Last boot.

Don't look great? The question is, how much can I sell them for?

Sarah is attaching metal hoops to the pre-drilled holes

which a chain or bracelet can then easily be threaded through.

I think they look really good.

So I'm hoping that people will buy at least one to hang as a necklace.

But you could get loads and put them on a bracelet.

But I'm going to price them individually.

Because Sarah is going to give the little jockey charm back to

Eric, she has 13 pieces to try to make a profit on.

Back at the dump,

Eric was ready to say goodbye to his daughter's childhood board games.

Can I have a quick look?

I've come to a point where I had to let things go.

But Sarah saw a potential in its little counters.

Oh, my word. You've got hundreds of bits there.

And formed a plan to make some money from them.

Your guess is as good as mine.

But I'm glad she's going to recycle them. I prefer to recycle anything.

With a metal makeover, the pieces are ready to be sold.

But with 13 of them to shift, Sarah has taken them online.

Monopoly is available in 111 countries,

so she's bound to find some fans of board game jewellery there.

That's them listed. So it's game on.

Sarah is back in Stockport to hand over the profits to Eric.

That is, if she managed to shift enough of them

to cover the silver plating costs.

KNOCK

-Hi there, Eric. It's Sarah from the tip.

-How are you?

-Very well, very well.

-Are you all right?

-Thank you so much meeting up again today.

-Yeah.

Remember we took your Monopoly set from the tip.

Did you think about what we might do with it?

I thought you were going to make a charm out of it.

That's exactly what happened.

-I've got some pictures here to show you. There they are, in the end.

-Wow.

Absolutely amazed. That is fantastic. I can't get over that.

So, we sold them at a profit and I've got that for you today.

-No, no. Give it to charity.

-Well, do you know something?

I'm going to give it to you and see which charity,

-if you want to give it to charity, then...

-It will go to cancer.

-Because I'm in remission.

-Oh, really?

And we pay every month, we give every month to cancer.

Oh, that's fantastic. I'm really pleased that your Monopoly pieces

have helped towards that cause, and as a little memento,

I don't know if you remember this fellow, but I bought him for you.

He wasn't easy to make into a charm,

so I thought something for you to remember your Monopoly set by.

-He's silver-plated, the little horseman.

-I shall treasure it.

I can't get over that.

With all 13 sold at ten quid each,

once you take off £65 worth of silver plating,

Eric's walking away £65 richer.

It was lovely to catch up with you again and to hear your story.

-Thank you very much.

-And keep up the fundraising, that's fantastic.

Oh, we do. We do. We're very lucky.

I'm so pleased I took a chance on that Monopoly set.

I think Eric loved that little horseman and that tiny bit of profit

we made, that's going to a charity that means a lot to him.

So, Sarah is back in Margate

to see how Rupert has got on with his metamorphic furniture.

Making metamorphic furniture is going to be tricky at the best of times.

Making it out of a pair of old ladders -

that must be nearly impossible.

I'm here to see if Rupert has actually managed to nail it.

Last time Sarah saw them, they were tired old ladders. But now...

they're still ladders.

But what's that?

Ah, you just managed one set.

Well, I spent quite a lot of time

working out how to make a ladder into a chair,

so haven't really got much time left to work on this now.

HE SIGHS

Oh, don't blame yourself. It was a tall order asking you to do both.

I'm sure Sarah will be just as happy with one.

Oh, I don't know, what should I do?

Sorry, Rupert, I think your time's up on this.

-Hiya!

-Hi, Sarah. Hello. How are you doing?

-Really well, lovely to see you.

-I've got something for you.

I've only got half of what I wanted to get ready for you,

-but this is it.

-Oh, wow! Oh, yeah, I can still see a ladder and a chair.

This one was weird.

It's taken so much experimentation to get it right,

I have run out of time this time, I'm afraid.

But you know the way I work, I like to use exactly what you gave me

and with this one I added a couple more screws and literally,

I've got one piece of ladder left.

That's what you get when you have Rupert Blanchard,

you get nothing left.

I added the arms from the metal rail, if you remember,

on the top of the ladder there was a metal rail.

Does it actually work? Does it metamorphosise?

-It does, yeah. Shall I flip it over for you?

-Definitely.

Who would have believed it? It's incredible.

Well, he is a designer with a lot of fantastic ideas,

but one instead of two means less profit.

Let's hope he won't be budgeting in all that thinking time too.

At the end of our creative chat,

when we were sort of going for this metamorphic stuff,

we said it was probably a couple of hundred pounds per ladder.

I know you haven't done the other one.

Are we looking at 200 quid for this or is it a bit more?

Yeah, I think we're well within the 200 mark.

It's taken some time but it's come well within that.

I bought one can of paint and a few screws,

that's all well within the budget.

Before, they were ladders needing a step up.

But now, they're metamorphic library steps.

Rupert planned this design with such precision,

every cut, joint, hinge and nail had to be exactly right

or the entire piece would have fallen apart.

The modern yellow midsection ties together the piece's two functions

while keeping the paint-splatter effect

to tell the story of Mike and Judith's magnolia moment.

It's amazing, but will someone pay more than 200 quid for it?

-Back at the dump...

-There's a ladder just coming up here,

so I'd really like to take a look at that.

..Sarah pounced on Mike and Judith's paint-splattered ladders.

Some terracotta in it, yeah. There's the terracotta.

And when a second set turned up,

she knew they had the potential to turn them into something special.

She might be able to strip them down and re-varnish them,

but it would need a bit of patience.

And although Rupert only managed one set of library steps,

they were brilliant.

Sarah invited one of London's top retro design furniture dealers in

to see if it would be something that would sell in his shop, and...

It won't fly out the door.

But someone is going to love it.

..he bought it.

Sarah is back in Stockport to hand over the profit to Mike and Judith.

-Hi, there.

-Hi!

-Lovely to see you again.

-Yes, you too.

-How are you?

-We're fine, nice to see you.

-And you. Lovely day, isn't it?

-It is.

I've got a bit of an update about the ladders that you dropped off,

so I've got some pictures and things to show you.

In the end, we actually ended up only using one because

they were quite tricky to work with.

We have a fantastic maker called Rupert Blanchard

and he was really enthusiastic about them,

-had a few different ideas but in the end he transformed them...

-Wow!

..into... It's a chair.

But it's not only a chair, it's actually a metamorphic chair, so

it changes from substantial sitting piece back into a stepladder again.

Oh, that's fantastic. That's really clever.

And we've actually sold it as well.

We managed to make £100 profit on it.

-Wow!

-Fantastic.

-And that £100 is for you.

-Well, that's fantastic.

-Thank you very much.

-That's unbelievable.

Any ideas what you might do with £100?

Well, it's my late aunt's ladder

and she had lots of charities that were very close to her heart,

so it might go to one of those,

-or we could treat the family to a drink...

-And a curry!

-Yeah.

Well, thank you ever so much for letting me come back

and show you what happened, and I hope you enjoy spending your money.

-Thanks.

-It was lovely.

-We will do. OK.

-Bye-bye.

Spending on costs and materials

transforming Mike and Judith's ladder came in at £200.

The metamorphic chair sold for £300,

meaning Mike and Judith are stepping out with £100 profit.

While Mike and Judith decide what to spend their money on,

back in Sussex, Bex and Dave are clearing up for Sarah's arrival.

"A tidy workshop is a happy workshop."

Before, the rusty springs may not have been fit for a car.

But now, they can drive a hard bargain.

The elegant curve of the overhanging lamp is balanced at the base,

with polished concrete weighed precisely

to keep the structure stable.

Bex has added details, mirroring the spring's original shape

to hold the cable flex onto the frame,

and the metal is finished with jade oil to reduce tarnishing.

All in all, it's as far away from its original use

as you could imagine.

I hear Sarah's on her way, so I'm very keen to find out

what she thinks of it, so fingers crossed.

Well, because we've worked our guts out on this one,

-she'll probably go, "Hmm, yeah."

-Yeah.

BEX LAUGHS

-Hello!

-Hello?

-Hiya.

Hi, how are you doing?

Where is it, then?

Oh, my word.

BEX LAUGHS

It's fantastic.

I love it! Can I touch it?

-Yeah.

-Or you touch it. I'm too scared. You do it.

Come on, it won't break! Again.

Give it a wobble.

-It's not lost its spring at all.

-No!

-How about you?

I'm really pleased with it now.

I love the fact it's still got that reference to where it came from.

-Yeah, exactly.

-And up here. That is really sweet.

-Yeah.

Amazing. And this bit.

Do you think you'll be able to sell it?

Do you think it's a nice product?

Definitely, definitely.

How did we do on budget?

Because I think I only left you with 200 quid,

but that was before we talked about you finishing it like this.

We had to spend £50 extra on the concrete and then...

What was the light fittings altogether? Was that about 40?

Because it was an extra £90 on top of that.

If that's, you know, 300 quid's worth of cost,

I think you've done a great job.

Because that scale of lighting and that kind of finish

has got to be worth a lot more than that, hasn't it?

I get the impression that Bex and Dave will be glad

to see the back of this one. Now all Sarah has to do

is find someone to pay more than 290 for it and she's in the money.

-That was good, went well.

-Yeah.

-She seemed to like it.

-Yeah, no, definitely. I'm really glad.

So, yeah, we can...

# Let it go! Let it go!

# Can't hold it... #

Anyway...

Come on, Dave, you know the words!

Onwards and upwards, eh?

Back at the dump, Sarah sprung into action

when she got a look inside Andrew's boot.

-Have they just come off this, then?

-Yeah.

-Really?

That's what keeps the car on the road, basically.

Andrew and his car had a special relationship.

She's my absolute baby.

But he was happy for Sarah to take its old springs and try something.

If she had four she'd have a coffee table or something like that.

It's something to bounce about on, I suppose, but...

That something became a bespoke standing lamp.

Sarah knew that Martin would also be keen on this,

and so dropped it off at his London shop.

Sarah is back in Stockport to give Andrew the good news.

Martin loved the lamp.

But how much did he love it?

-Hiya.

-Hi.

-Andrew, it's Sarah.

-Hi, Sarah.

-How you doing?

-Not too bad.

-Come outside and talk to me about your fantastic Jaguar.

I could talk about that all day long, unfortunately.

-Is it your pride and joy?

-It is, it's absolutely fantastic.

So when you came to the tip with your springs, and we took them from you,

-did you then think about anything we might make with them?

-Not really.

I'd assumed you could make a small table or something like that.

I have a great designer that I have worked with before

called Bex Simon. We had a quick chat about the design

and what we might be able to make out of them, and we actually came up with

the idea of making a large lamp.

-Wow.

-A really high-end interior design piece.

I think it's amazing.

I must admit... I'm gobsmacked, I really am. It's brilliant.

We gave them £290 to convert that from your spring,

-and we've actually sold it.

-Right.

-So we sold it for £450.

-Wow!

-Which means I have £160 to give to you.

-Oh, thank you!

Wow!

That's not bad for nowt, is it?

So have you got any ideas about what you might spend 160 quid on?

-I'm going to take the family out for a meal.

-Lovely. That's so nice.

£290 was spent on work and materials

transforming the springs to a standing lamp.

It sold for £450,

meaning Andrew is cruising off

with £160 profit.

Every item saved from the tip has turned a profit,

from the paint-spattered ladders,

now a terrific transforming chair,

to the old car suspension springs,

reworked as a stunning contemporary lamp,

and silver-plating the Monopoly pieces was a chance worth taking.

It is such a good feeling.

There's all that rummaging and then the designing and the selling,

but the icing on the cake is the look on people's faces

when you hand them over money for nothing.