Episode 8 Money for Nothing

-Can I have a little rummage around in your rubbish?

-Yeah.

How do you make money for nothing?

I love that.

The answer could be hiding in the 30 million tonnes of

household waste we throw out every year.

It's so heavy, they don't make them like this any more. Look at that.

That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore wants to get her hands on things

before they hit the skip.

I'm a passionate maker, buyer and user of old stuff

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

I make new stuff out of old stuff and I sell it for a profit.

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

Say something nice about it.

My juices are flowing in this one. They are going to be wow!

She can transform her finds into desirable...

Isn't that stunning?

Valuable...

Oh, wow!

And, hopefully, saleable items.

That is bonkers.

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.

We've got £350.

No!

Welcome to Walsall recycling centre.

A nonstop hive of activity.

With the nation becoming more and more aware of the benefits of

regenerating unwanted possessions,

one woman is on a mission to turn your trash into hard cash.

I love turning a profit where others see trash.

Making old stuff that's drab into desirable and fab

is just so satisfying.

But before you make a beeline for your local tip, take note.

Sarah's been given special permission to seek out two items

that can be rejuvenated and sold on for a profit.

And Brian, with his broken up sofa, has caught her eye.

-Nice sofa.

-It was a nice sofa.

What's happened to it?

We broke it up because it's not very good now

-so we just got rid of it.

-Have you got the bits, or not?

Little bits in there, but they're broken.

-Come on, let's see, I like the back of it.

-We've jumped on it.

-Have you?

-Yes.

-You boys have all the fun, don't you?

-I know.

Let's have a look.

All the rest of it's broken.

-Have you got the arm bits?

-Have you got the other bits?

-It's in there somewhere.

-Are those its legs?

-Those are the legs.

-I'm loving it more by the minute.

So that goes on there.

Come on Sarah,

you must be well used to the game of furniture jigsaw by now.

Oh, yeah, that bit goes there.

-Great.

-All the cushions are in the back of me car.

Brilliant, so you...

That's 1970 that sofa.

Check out the expert eye. I'm impressed.

-It's written all over it. It's got a date on it.

-Oh, right.

Expert, you see.

That's cheating.

Now I've got all those bits that you've smashed up do you think I can take them away,

put them back together and see if I can make it back into a lovely sofa again?

I don't know, because part of it's broken.

-You could try.

-I shall definitely be able to get that fixed.

Fine.

The question is, what will become of Brian's old sofa?

I don't know to be honest, I don't know. It would be good to find out.

I know what you're thinking, she's bonkers.

Correct.

But this is going to be brilliant.

I know it's in pieces but it is going to look fantastic

when it's finished. Trust me.

Watch.

Oh, we will Sarah, we will.

But who's Sarah picked to help her transform this item?

Say hello to Josh and Oli, designer makers,

business partners and best pals.

These lads use natural and recycled materials to create bespoke,

handcrafted and high-end furnishings.

We've been friends for years, I don't know how long, but ages now.

We teamed up and it's quite a nice combination of skills that we have.

I think we've got a lot of ideas between us,

a lot of fresh thinking and it just works together

quite nicely as a team.

The fact that we haven't fallen out completely and we've been working

together this long kind of shows it's working.

Yeah.

Here's two young lads full of positivity and optimism.

Hopefully Sarah and this old sofa won't put an end to all that.

It's all me, me, me with Sarah, but for good reason.

It's now time to find a project for herself.

I would say if it's made out of chipboard I can't do much with it.

And it doesn't take long for Barry to present Sarah

with a toy from the good old days.

What's in your bag then, throwing anything good out?

Well, an old railway station.

That does look cool.

-Can I have a look at it?

-Yes, you can.

So this was yours, was it?

Funnily enough, I was working in a toy shop.

-Right.

-In the late '50s.

-Right.

-And all through these years I've kept them,

my children have played with them.

-Yeah.

-The grandchildren have played with them.

It was a well-loved toy.

But for the past few years it's been gathering dust in Barry's attic.

So, age wise it looks kind of Art Deco, or...

It is old, very.

So it's the Trix Manyways station set made in England, number 22.

Beautiful cast aluminium, it's lovely.

So I definitely don't think that this can go into the metal.

No, I would like to do some research on it and find out if it's

collectable, if it's the kind of thing that people are still buying.

It's lovely, look at that bit.

That must be the middle of the roof somewhere I think, mustn't it?

-Yes.

-It's got such lovely styling, somebody'll want to buy this.

Someone will have all the other bits. I love it.

For Barry, the idea of Sarah breathing new life into a toy

so close to his heart is one which he's clearly happy about.

My whole family's played with them.

They've enjoyed them. We've fixed them up together.

It's so nice.

How cool is this?

I really don't know what I've found here,

it looks like the kind of thing that might have been made

in mass production in the '30s, but I love the styling on it.

I am loving the aluminium and that it has such great colour on it.

I'll have to have a really good think about this because this could

go in all sorts of different directions.

Quite cool though, isn't it?

Very cool, Sarah.

It's been a good day at the tip and Sarah has two very different items.

Josh and Oli will be dealing with the broken up sofa

and Sarah will get creative with the toy railway station set.

Transforming today's eclectic selection of items is going to be

just the challenge we love,

but there is going to have to be some radical transformation

if we're going to really bring the money home.

This is Chichester in West Sussex.

A vibrant town with a thriving music, film and arts scene.

While it may be forward thinking,

it's hard not to be impressed by the town's illustrious history.

Its medieval architecture is striking.

This dynamic link between the past and present inspires designers

Josh and Oli to create contemporary bespoke furniture

with traditional materials.

And if that happens to involve a blowtorch,

they're a couple of happy chappies.

I wonder what they'll make of the '70s sofa Sarah's

wheeling their way.

We love what Sarah does because we are into restoring old items

and keeping things going. So always interested to see what she's going to bring us.

We are kind of on the same page in that respect, aren't we?

-Yeah.

-We're looking forward to seeing what she's going to bring us today.

Hello? Hiya.

Hello.

Come and see my flat pack.

OK. Wow.

It's not supposed to be a flat pack.

-Cool.

-Yeah.

-What is it?

-Sofa.

-1970s, beautiful styling, lovely lines.

-Shall we get it in?

-Yeah.

I think it's fair to say first impressions were underwhelming.

It might be easier to get rid of the cushions because I think whatever we

do they are not going to be part of the plan, are they?

It has been smashed up.

-Yeah.

-I thought that it has got '70s style

oozing out of every broken pore.

I think, yeah, '70s are back in but for me, like,

the kind of lacquered mahogany look

isn't really that fresh at the moment.

So maybe we do something with the frame, like,

we love to scorch things so why not try that?

-Just go at it with a blowtorch.

-Burn baby, burn.

Yeah, let's just burn this thing and forget about it.

But no, if we scorch this entire frame,

so what you see here will be a really nice matte black

with a lot of texture going on.

And then the idea is to put some really contrasting,

maybe maple or sycamore slats on it.

And just turn it into like a really clean, crisp,

stylish '70s looking seat.

How much is it going to cost to turn this into cool, crisp, high-end luxury living?

-Lots!

-Lots?

-Yeah.

Well, it's going to be a fiddly one, isn't it?

There's a lot of things that we've seen already that could cause us trouble.

-I'm reckoning about 700.

-Yeah, I think so.

How does that sound?

You're going to burn it and charge me 700 quid?

-Pretty much, yeah.

-Well, if you think you can pull it off,

-if I can come back here...

-It will look good in the end, yeah.

..and make profit.

-Best of luck.

-Thank you.

I'm getting a scorched sofa and a 700 quid bill.

Let's hope that's the right decision.

We're quite excited about this one actually.

There's a lot of work to be done.

I think it could look really cool in the end.

Yeah, after we've put our touch on it, I think it will be a nice,

sleek looking seat.

Done a bit of scorching, put a bit of fresh wood on there.

Bish bash bosh, done.

Josh and Oli have a whopping £700 to spend on this sofa.

Let's hope that budget won't go up in smoke.

Sarah's now travelled home after dropping off the sofa.

Come on.

Once Bramble's been for walkies, Sarah can get started on her item.

She picked out the Art Deco style train station set.

It's definitely cool.

That deco styling is so strong in these pieces.

Altogether now, finally.

It's got bags of style.

Sarah had hoped she could sell the well-loved station set as is

to a collector but it's too scuffed and scratched.

So she's had a bright idea.

Sarah's going to make five desk lights.

She's already had Perspex, which will make up the light housing,

made to order and she'll combine them with pieces from the train set

and her LEDs to make lovely little lamps.

So these are the bits back from the fabricators and these are the

windows, roof and side sections.

I'm hoping they all fit together with our train set to make

a lovely little desk light.

But it's not looking very impressive at the moment.

Each Perspex light box is made up of eight separate pieces,

which Sarah will have the oh so fiddly job of gluing together.

There is one set's worth there.

I have got some two-pack glue...

..with quite a long working time

so I don't have to hurry too much with it.

You just mix these equal quantities together,

give it a stir

and then it makes this really strong bond when it's all mixed up.

Let's hope the measurement Sarah supplied to the Perspex cutter

were right. If not, disaster.

That's a great fit.

I never doubted her for a second.

That's beginning to look quite cool, isn't it?

Here comes the hard bit though.

I'm not quite sure how to do this.

She's now got to glue the roof and side sections together.

Those fix together.

And then that goes on there.

I get the feeling this is all a little bit more complicated

than Sarah imagined.

This requires precision, dexterity, patience.

I don't have any of those, it's a nightmare.

This is so fiddly.

Next time I go to make something can you remind me to go the simplest

route, doesn't have to be surprising.

Just make a few pounds, that's all I'm after.

Come on now, Sarah, stay positive.

This is easy, this is a walk in the park, this is a great thing to do.

That's more like it.

Uh-oh.

Sarah has spent £70 on the Perspex and LEDs.

Let's hope it's money well spent

and she actually manages to finish all five lights.

Not far away, Josh and Oli are getting started on the sofa.

All right, shall we start with getting these old straps off, then?

Yeah, OK.

The lads made their reputation creating bespoke furniture.

Transforming the likes of this is a brave new world for them.

I've never done anything like this before.

Once we've worked out how the slats are going to go across

and probably once we've worked out what we are going to do

with the legs,

I think they're really the two most difficult parts.

The rest of it should be all right.

So, aside from the seat part and the legs part,

everything else is fine.

Hmm... That's comforting.

The sofa frame was constructed using the traditional mortise and tenon

method, a technique which has been used for thousands of years.

But the mortise holes and tenon tongues are badly damaged.

It's all feeling a little bit rickety,

so we've just got to try and work out the best way of getting it back

to a state where you can sit on it again.

The only option is to repair the joints.

I was a bit cheeky about these boys earlier,

but their expertise is beyond reproach.

The traditional craftsmanship they use to mend the joints

is second to none.

It's nice when you get to the end of it and it's kind of looking fresh

again and you've just got a nice match

and a nice filling there. So then we can put the tenon back in

and glue it just as it was.

Should be as strong as it was brand-new, then.

When the repaired tenon is slotted back into the mended mortise,

it's a perfect fit.

The lads use strap clamps to hold the sofa in position

while the glue dries.

I don't think we're going to make a sofa any more.

It's just a big, old sort of bass guitar now, so...

Scrap that idea.

Right then, lads. Let's get a groove on.

Nice!

Let's slow it down.

And back up for the big finish.

Yeah, man!

But it's back to business and there's some blowtorching to be done.

A charred finish is a difficult technique to master,

but, if they get it right, it will give the sofa a striking look.

It just gives a nice, like, texture to the wood.

It also preserves the wood as well.

It's like a natural way of doing that.

It just brings it back to a nice, even, matte black finish.

The lads are taking safety precautions against fumes

released from the old wood stain.

Although Josh could do with pulling up his trousers.

Fingers crossed this gives the sofa the sleek and stylish look they're

after. If they get this wrong, it could warp the wood.

Elsewhere in the Sussex countryside,

Sarah's putting the finishing touches to her desk lamps.

Well, that's five lights completed.

They're quite crisp and clean for me.

This toy train station set provided Sarah with a bright idea...

Which she has brought stunningly to life.

The addition of the toy figures pinched from her daughter's toy box

lend the platforms scale and prospective and add to the fun.

The LED lights are battery-powered and remote controlled

so there's no electrical wiring.

I can see these being snapped up by a train enthusiast

who is still a kid at heart.

Well, they're a little bit play-worn and definitely quirky,

but I think somebody will give these a good home.

Three generations of Barry's family had played with the toy train set,

so he was happy Sarah saved it.

The whole family's played with them.

They've enjoyed them, we've fixed them up together.

It's so nice.

Then it was Sarah's turn to have a play.

Makeover's complete,

all five desk lights were snapped up by Mark from Keswick Collectables,

an antique shop in the Lake District.

Oh, wow!

And now Sarah's on her way to Barry's home

to show him what became of the toy he was about to sling in the skip.

-Hi, Barry.

-Hello.

-How are you doing?

-Nice to meet you.

-Very nice to see you.

-So, is this the house where the train set was in the attic?

-Yes.

-Lovely.

Well, it was a lovely piece, but it had been played with by quite a few children.

So was that your children or grandchildren?

Yes, grandchildren... All of them, they've all played with it at some time.

Well, it was my job to take it on

and it was a lovely thing and I made it into... Are you ready?

-Yes.

-It has been turned into desk lights.

-Smashing, yeah.

-Put it together on a little block

and turned it into five individual desk lights.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Because it is such a worry.

You take somebody's stuff and do something to it.

So you approve, then?

Yes. Now it's not scrapped or buried, it's of use at last.

They were lovely to work on and somebody has bought them,

a collectables shop, so I've got a little bit of money

to give back to you for your old train set.

So I've got £50 for you.

So, what might you do with £50?

Well, could I please give it to Children In Need?

That... If you'd like to do that, that would be lovely.

-Please.

-Yes.

-Very nice. So that's a lot of people it's done good,

Plus it's...

The station itself, the old station is put to good use.

-I'm happy.

-Really?

Yes. Well, that's really generous of you.

There are five little lights that will go off into five new houses.

Your station is going on another journey.

-Brilliant.

-It was really good to see you again.

-Thank you ever so much.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

Well, that was really lovely to see Barry's reaction to his old train set

because he and his family had obviously had so much fun using it

and I really enjoyed making it into something else

and I think he was really enthusiastic

about the fact it was going on another journey.

Sarah paid 70 pounds for materials.

They sold for 120,

making a profit of £50, which is now on its way to charity.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how Josh and Oli

have got on with the '70s sofa.

And I'm not the only one.

No, not them.

Her.

I left the boys with a massive challenge,

a completely smashed up sofa,

and I can't wait to see what they've done with it.

It was beat up and broken down, but with Josh and Oli's help,

Sarah hoped it could be brought back to life.

Wow! It's been born again like a phoenix from the flames.

The scorched wood has been sanded down

to create a smooth matt-black finish.

This contrasts beautifully with the light American maple timber

used for the seat.

Craftsmanship on display here is second to none.

It's unique, bold and super stylish.

-Hello?

-Oh, hello.

Oh, lads!

We're just having a little coffee break.

-Hey!

-Hello.

Wow!

How cool is that?

Let's see it without the rug on it.

Oh!

Work of art. Did you scorch it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, we scorched the frame.

-It's genius.

I don't know what to say.

It was so badly broken and beaten up beforehand.

It's beautiful.

-Is it comfortable?

-Yeah.

Try it out.

Oh, yeah.

It's lovely. Isn't it?

Oh, the finish you've got on this...

-Nice and smooth, isn't it?

-Yeah, great contrast.

It's... It's fantastic.

I mean, the actual frame itself is really nice

and there's loads of curves and it's really well put together.

So I think once we actually had it reassembled and fixed up...

Yeah, it's a really nice shape, isn't it?

And then just sorting out the two colours,

I think just works really well.

But this looks sleek and designer

and the contrast between the dark and the pale is just brilliant.

It's such a lovely piece.

Cool.

Sarah is overjoyed.

The boys have done a bang-up job and it's bang on their £700 budget.

Are we calling it a sofa? Bench? What are you calling it?

-What have you been referring to it as?

-Indoor bench.

I kind of see it in a nice kind of conservatory, or something.

It's not your sofa, but it's like a...

It's a place where you might sit and read a book or something.

I think we're getting all of the 1970s essence that was, you know,

part of its charm, but with a bang up-to-date makeover.

It's a very stylish thing now.

-Real credit to you.

-Thank you very much.

I'm impressed.

And, more importantly, so is the boss.

I was a bit worried about it when

it turned up, but I think

we've managed to get something quite nice out of it.

Seeing it now,

it's like a brand-new sofa, isn't it?

Indoor bench, Josh.

It's an indoor bench.

Sarah spotted the sofa just as Brian was about to chuck it in the skip.

All the rest of it's broken.

He was flummoxed as to what Sarah would do with it.

I don't know, to be honest. I don't know.

It would be good to find out.

Don't worry, Brian, you're about to.

Sarah has made her way to Brian's house,

where, hopefully, he'll be as impressed as we are.

-Oh, hello!

-Hi, Brian.

Hi, there. How are you doing?

I'm fine, thank you.

Now, I said that I'd be back in touch

if there was something I could do with your sofa.

Now, you had had a good time smashing it up, hadn't you?

I did, yes.

I'd got to get it loaded on the trailer, so, yeah, it was smashed up.

Yeah, it made quite a few people laugh

that we had taken something that had been through that process.

So, did you think we'd rebuild it?

What did you think we were going to do with it?

Not with the way it had been smashed up. No, I didn't.

Well, I've got some pictures to show you

and brace yourself because, I took it to some lovely young lads

and they set fire to it.

-Oh, right!

-OK?

-Yes!

But it ended up like this.

-Oh, wow!

-So, this is the bit they burned.

They scorched the frame to make it black

and it's got a beautiful texture to it and a lovely finish.

-It's lovely.

-Do you think it's all right?

-I do, yes.

-Have you ever seen anything like that before?

No, not really, no, but it's good. I like it. Yeah.

-It's really nice, yes.

-I'm pleased you like it.

Well, it's still for sale.

It's out there now and I'm sure we're going to get a great buyer for it.

So, as soon as I have money, I'll give you a call

and send it over to you.

-Great.

-I really liked seeing what the boys had done to it.

-Yeah.

-To see it in the flesh, it's a lovely thing,

so I really appreciate you letting us have it.

Great, that's lovely Thank you very much.

-Thank you ever so much. Nice to catch up with you. Bye-bye.

-And you. Bye now.

Josh and Oli charged £700 for the makeover,

but, at present, the seat remains unsold.

So, for now, that remains a loss.

But I've no doubt Brian will be seeing a little profit

in his pocket sometime soon.

Sarah saved two unwanted items from the skip

and now rather than being chucked in the landfill,

they've been given a new lease of life.

Well, making money for nothing is definitely satisfying,

but saving stuff and seeing it transformed, well,

I think that might be even better.