Episode 23 Money for Nothing

I've got to be able to do something with that, haven't I?

How do you make money for nothing?

I'll take one and be back for the other.

The answer could be hiding in the 30 million tonnes of household waste

we throw out every year.

-They're beautiful.

-That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore...

Have you got two of them?

..wants to get her hands on things before

they hit the skip.

I'm a passionate user,

maker and buyer of old stuff and I've turned my passion

into a moneymaking business.

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

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

-Stop.

-You like to set a challenge for me, don't you?

-Nice!

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

Isn't that clever?

-..valuable...

-What an original piece of design.

..and hopefully saleable items.

Oh, no way!

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 amazing!

Today, we're at the Altrincham recycling centre in the North West

of England, where the great and the good bring their unloved

and unwanted items to their final destination.

Somebody's got to stand up for this rubbish.

You might think it's on the ropes, but once I've knocked it into shape,

I could have some heavyweight champions on my hands

and some big prize money to boot.

Well, if you didn't follow that long-winded metaphor,

Sarah will be searching for three items that could be reimagined

-and sold on for a profit.

-What are you chucking out?

She's got special permission from the dump to do so and she's hoping

to meet a lot of interesting people along the way.

-I'm called Carl Lewis. Remember the runner?

-Yeah.

Well, I'm off!

Well, you have to be fast around here.

Fortunately, Sarah has spotted a familiar face in Adrian,

who has given her things in the past.

This time, he's back with a boot full of mirrors.

I think they're lovely.

So, was that something that was on a dressing table?

Originally, yes.

A long time ago!

The mirror on it has got a little bit...

Yes, a bit of foxing on it.

The older I get, the more damage I like mirrors to have!

There are some lovely pieces here that I think are charming,

because they're old. The shape on this is particularly appealing.

Yes, anything with this nice bevel on the end is always a sign

of an older, better quality mirror, isn't it?

I think they're lovely.

If it would be OK to take them away, rather than throw them in there?

I would love the opportunity to see what could be made from them.

I hope they do find a good home,

because, if there is someone who can get the pleasure...in the past,

I suppose, we have had from them, then great.

I'm going to pop them over here, if that's all right.

Bevelled edges on mirrors are sought after as they scatter light and

produce an attractive prism effect.

Sarah is happy to have them and, for Adrian, it's time to say goodbye.

We were clearing the attic.

We have grandchildren and they like to play up there.

This makes a little bit of room for them.

You can accumulate only so much.

I am so pleased with this little "haul of mirrors" here.

They have got so much potential.

I know a person to take these to who has all the skills to make these

mirrors reflect their true value.

Daniel Heath has a passion for all things sustainable.

An award-winning wallpaper and textile designer,

Daniel loves adding an artistic flair to reclaimed materials to

create made-to-order furniture and contemporary design pieces.

I love what I do because of the challenges that come from every project.

There's never really two projects that are the same.

Every brief is different and every client is different and wants me to

produce something unique for them, so that obviously has an array of

challenges that I have to face every day.

Each one that comes along is different and that's the joy of it.

Well, this one might be very different.

I don't know what he will be able to do

with this collection of cast-offs.

The hunt continues for two more items.

You never know what is going to pop up at the tip.

If you're quite finished with all the funny jokes,

you might be interested in what Wesley has in the back of his van.

-What's that?

-I've been doing my floor and I found it under the floor

-of my house.

-That's for me.

-Is that for you?

-Yes, it's for me. Do you know something?

My family are Salters.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-This is quite a find for Sarah as her

great-great-grandparents were indeed founders of the Salter's scales

empire. Interesting.

I'll be able to find out how old it is,

because they will all have different styles and a different name tag.

I might see if I can do something with it.

Make it into something else.

Then can I come and show you what I've done with it?

-Of course you can.

-Yeah?

-I'd love you to, yeah.

-I'm so pleased I found that.

It was peeking out of there.

Excellent. Thanks so much.

No problem.

Because of the family connection,

Sarah has decided to work on the scales herself.

I'm sure it's a weight off Wesley's mind.

It was found under the floorboards of my kitchen that we are redoing,

so we think it might have been there since the house was built,

so about 50 or 60 years, roughly.

I would imagine it would make a nice little fruit bowl or

something like that.

It's a fine balance between a load of old rubbish

and a potential profit, but I think there's just enough left

with this lovely set of scales to make something really pretty.

I hope to give it one more chance at a new lease of life.

And make a few pennies out of it, too.

Sarah sounds pretty excited about this find and I can tell

she already has something in mind for the old scales.

We'll find out exactly what that is a bit later on.

With just a final item to find,

it's back to the boots of cars and the back door of vans to make sure

no hidden gems end up in the skip.

This place is rocking today!

You're on fire today, Sarah.

As daylight fades, you'll have to get a move on.

Luckily, John has arrived to save the day.

Wow, that's a big chunk of something you've got in there.

-What is that?

-It's a wardrobe.

Going in there?

If I can get it out of the car.

-Can I have a look at it?

-Of course.

It looks amazing.

What's the story behind this?

We've just bought a house and it was left by the previous occupiers.

Oh, my word. Is it whole?

This is the top half... Well, top four-fifths.

There is a small piece I've already popped out on the side there.

This just sits on the base.

Perfectly good.

Even an operating lock, still.

How cool is that? Well, I think it's quite cool.

It's not to everybody's taste, is it?

No, our furniture is a bit more modern than that, unfortunately,

so it just doesn't fit with the rest of it.

What do you think that is? 1930s, something like that?

Yeah, probably the Deco kind of era.

-It's certainly old.

-It's so heavy, it's made of oak, isn't it?

I would love to see if I could take it away

and make something out of it, maybe make some money out of it.

Can I take it away?

Of course. Absolutely.

The best part of recycling is reusing it, absolutely.

Yeah, I think that's fantastic.

Can I just say, thank you so much for letting me have it.

-You're must welcome.

-I will be in touch, hopefully, with a glamorous

makeover or a re-use for it.

-I'll look forward to seeing it.

-Lovely, thank you.

Now, what are we going to do with it?

If it's not modern enough for you, John,

what do you think Sarah will do to bring it up to date?

It certainly needs a new coat of varnish and it should be good.

John may not have liked this big old chunk of Deco wardrobe,

but I absolutely love it.

It's got bags of Deco quality about it, it's solid,

it's untouched and there's lots of potential to make money here.

A project of this scale requires some real woodworking expertise

and Sarah has just the man in mind.

With over 25 years' experience in building furniture,

if you've got wood, go to Norman Wilkinson.

I love the timber, I love the finishing of it, I love the product,

it makes me tick. There is a passion for it, because there's no point

getting up in the morning, and not doing something you don't like.

Coming in and picking up the wood and turn it into something lovely,

that makes me happy.

Norman's passion is creating handmade bespoke furniture from

reclaimed and unwanted materials.

And also using second-hand materials, it's a great joy.

The old saying, another man's rubbish is another man's...

I can't think of the saying now!

Lost for words, Norman?

Well, you won't be when you see this big beauty.

At the close of a successful day,

Sarah has managed to save three items from the skip.

The mirrors will be looked after by Daniel.

The Deco wardrobe will be turned around by Norman,

and Sarah has a set of scales awaiting her attention.

It has been a lucky day.

I have scoured this site and saved some amazing things from recycling

but I have made some big promises

about making marvellous moneymaking makeovers from my throwaway finds.

And so, to Walthamstow, a London borough bulging with design talents.

One of the brightest and beardiest among them is Daniel Heath.

Sarah is hoping Daniel will see potential in the collection

of old mirrors she has saved from the skip.

It's really surprising what people throw away,

but then obviously Sarah sees a value in it.

Whether I'll see a value in it or not is yet to be seen.

Well, that looks like a really classy collection of mirrors down there.

The moment I saw these at the tip,

I thought of Daniel, because he does fantastic things with mirrors.

I just hope he likes the shape of all mine.

Right, OK, mirrors.

Various conditions.

Sarah has brought these mirrors to Daniel,

because he specialises in glass etching design.

He designs a nice pattern and then it will be lasered

straight onto the mirror to make it decorative and dainty.

You've got a good range of shapes here.

We can definitely do something with that, maybe an etch.

Quite strong, isn't it, that shape?

Yeah, it's a good shape.

It's also quite sellable, because of the size of it.

It's something that's giftable.

The others, however, maybe a bit more work on them.

Generally, if I get vintage mirrors,

I won't work on them if they are chipped,

but this is so close to the edge,

I might be able to see what we can do in terms of reframing it,

so that that bit is basically concealed within the frame.

So, if you do think there's a chance of using it,

what kind decoration might you put on it?

I think something quite delicate.

People still want to use it as a mirror,

so we don't want to have too much imagery on it

that it doesn't function in people's homes any more.

So, it's a fine line, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Literally.

-You don't want to go to town on it.

Oh, come on, go to town on it.

We need these to be worth a fortune.

How much is it going to cost, by the way?

This one is the least work.

We can probably do for £90.

-OK.

-This one needs the most work and is the most up in the air,

because of the damage. We could do this one for £140.

For these two, £120 each.

So, altogether, that's a shade under 500 quid to do all of them.

Oh!

I think, from what you say about people buying them as gifts and that

kind of stuff, we stand to make a profit on that price, don't we?

Certainly.

Well, you're not going to make much if Daniel can't fix that chip.

If I leave them with you, when I come back,

hopefully they will reflect their true value!

Oh! OK, thanks, Sarah(!)

-Always a pleasure.

-Better leave that one with us!

What Daniel is doing to them is

going to turn them into miniature works of art.

That comes at a price, but they are going to make money, too.

Well, we will wait and see.

With the mirrors coming in at a steep £470,

will Sarah be able to get back any kind of profit?

With the mirrors in safe hands,

we're travelling out of the city to the quaint village of Hellingly in

East Sussex, where woodworking wizard Norman is just slapping

some table legs about.

Sarah has brought along the 1930s wardrobe

to see what Norman makes of it.

We try and have a go at anything, so what Sarah brings today will

obviously be a great challenge and let's run with it.

I am delighted that I was at the recycling centre

the day this turned up.

It's got so much charm about it,

but I've got big plans for it to be turned into something

that isn't a wardrobe, with the help of my friend Norman.

I've got a feeling your friend Norman

is not going to have a choice in the matter.

I love this.

-Do you?

-But...

-But...

..I don't want it to be a wardrobe any more.

I want it to be something that goes into a kitchen.

A saucepan?

A saucepan!

You're so cheeky! Are you listening? Because this is really important.

In fact, I've even drawn you pictures.

-Do you want to see my picture?

-Yes, please.

-OK.

-Ah, there's a big kitchen cabinet thing.

So keep the drawers, maybe new handles on the drawer,

-and then some sort of fitting inside.

-Yeah...

Got to chew it up and give it some substance.

I have to be slightly careful, because I know there are kind of

purists, who are going to say, you shouldn't cut up a 1930s wardrobe,

but I have thought it through, because this rail...

I've tried it with hangers and this isn't even a hanger's width any more

and if it's not useful, it just doesn't sell.

If we, sort of,

honour it, I feel comfortable in cutting into it.

You're in charge. Do what you want!

I know these kind of things get used in kitchens all the time.

-There are very fashionable now.

-They are.

Oh, Sarah has spied some old crates that could be used to make

shelving that would hold your fruit and veg, or pots and pans.

Shelves for your baked beans.

Or a shelf of beans.

OK, I can imagine what it's going to look like.

-How are you doing?

-I have your picture,

I have what you've given me and I am sure, between the two,

we can make something with it.

How much can I get away with?

I'm asking, can you think positively about this?

Making it look hopefully super sexy...

..£500, no problems.

-Speak soon.

-And it's a deal.

-Take care!

-Bye.

Sarah has been fairly specific about what she wants

from this one.

The question is, will Norman stick to the plan?

It is going to be a bit of a challenge,

getting Sarah's ideas across. We have her sketch,

so we will put our twist on it as well and, hopefully,

the two will marry and hopefully work.

To make this super sexy kitchen cabinet will cost £500.

Sarah is confident about the design,

but is she confident that it will be a money-maker?

Our two makers are getting started, so it's back home for Sarah,

where she is about to get going with the rusty scales.

She doesn't yet have a plan as to what she...

-SCALES CRASH Oh, sugar, are you OK, Sarah?

-Yes!

Don't worry, no-one was watching!

SHE LAUGHS It was very graceful.

I've completely broken the scales.

-You've what?

-I'm joking.

Oh, thank goodness.

Look at that, dusts herself off and gets cracking with the job at hand.

-What a pro!

-These could translate into lighting.

I've got the scale pans and the other bits and I'm sure, together,

I can make something decorative out of them

that someone would like to have as a light in their kitchen.

But first of all, they really need cleaning up.

To make her kitchen light, Sarah first dons a pair of rubber gloves.

And then begins to rub off the loose layer of rust from the pans,

with the kind of brush you use to do the dishes,

and then with a steel wool scourer.

I think she got all those things from her kitchen.

It turns out I'm really good at this cleaning malarkey. In fact,

I think I'm too good, I've worn straight through that bit.

I hope that's not going to be a problem.

Why don't you take it easy from now on?

Oh, there goes another chunk.

Perhaps calm it down a bit, Sarah,

there will be nothing left at this rate.

Oops! I still think that's fine, it's still all right.

Maybe I can use it in the lighting, it might be helpful.

With the surface rust removed,

Sarah applies some clear furniture wax to seal in the remaining rust.

Oh, that's more of it away.

Why don't you just put it down and get started on the scales?

Because Sarah is unsure of the type of paint used on the surface...

-It's a bit like a beak.

-..she is wearing a protective mask.

Lead-based paints are harmful if the particles are inhaled or ingested.

So, if you're thinking about rubbing off mystery paint,

be on the safe side and get yourself a mask.

Salter's still make scales and they have been making scales for years.

We've got tiny ones where I grew up, little miniature ones for fish,

for everything up to huge great ones for flour sacks.

If I'm hoping this is going to be a kitchen light,

I'm thinking that kitchen utensils and other kitchenalia is the way

forward to bring this all together into a light and I have found...

..one of these.

That cost 50p, so I'm hoping this might be a really nice way

of diffusing some light at the front.

Sarah has her bulb and wiring at the ready, but first she has to assemble

her various bits of kitchenalia into a light base.

Sometimes, with things like this, you've just got to get on with it.

Make a plan as you're going.

Alternatively, make a plan at the start and at least, that way,

you have a rough idea of what you're doing.

Then I've just got to attach the light fitting.

So, does that mean you're nearly done?

From where I'm sitting, it looks like you've barely started.

Between the various bits of kitchen equipment and the bulb,

Sarah has spent £25 in total so far.

It's a long way from being something saleable, or maybe it isn't.

I'll wait and see.

And back we go to Norman.

Got to chop this off here.

And we've got to knock them off.

He's about to start work on the old wardrobe-cum-kitchen cabinet.

-It's going to be hard, is it?

-Yeah.

Well, yeah, maybe it will. But it's going to be a challenge.

Norman's even roped in his stepdaughter Charlie

to help out after school.

-Are you going to help me get the hammer and smash it apart?

-OK.

And the screwdriver and everything?

Excellent. So, we'll start from the bottom and work our way up.

See these feet here?

These little feet there, we're going to actually take them off.

Hopefully, when we've finished it, you know, it won't be recognisable.

Norman begins by removing the old feet with a hammer and chisel.

You just sit there and be the assistant, you know.

-Am I doing it right?

-Yeah.

OK. Look at that, beautiful.

Charlie can then draw out the shape for the new legs,

using a Georgian-style template...

So, we're going to obviously just follow the jigsaw round.

..which Norman can cut out, using a jigsaw.

Once they have a couple of them - hey, presto - a new leg.

So, it's changing its appearance already.

Where we had the little dumpy feet, it's changing that already.

Spot on, isn't it? Excellent.

Norman leaves the legs to attach later and moves on to

the cupboard door and... Oh, not another mirror!

Oh, Norman, watch you don't crack it!

He can then start to remove the front panels,

which will later be replaced by new cabinet doors.

This is where it starts getting interesting.

It'll be like the thing that is coming out of the ground

and turn it into something fantastic.

Or you're going to look and go, "Tut, tut, tut, that's no good."

What are you talking about?

Do you want to glue that next one for me?

Norman turns his attention back to the legs.

He's using strong wood glue to attach them to the base.

And pins them in place using a pneumatic nail gun.

So, what do you think, Norman?

It's not feeling kitcheny.

I suppose it doesn't help with a pole in it, but if you take the pole out,

I'm a bit concerned it's still going to look like a wardrobe.

I think we need to

make it a bit less like a wardrobe and make it a bit more kitcheny.

But like everything we do,

we are gradually making it up into a food cupboard.

Ah, that's the spirit, Charlie.

We'll check in with you a bit later

to see what ideas you've come up with.

Back in Walthamstow,

Daniel's preparing to start work on the old mirrors.

He's looking through some of his designs to see which ones

might work best to be etched straight onto the glass.

So I have a range of imagery that I can translate onto these,

but what I need to do first is take them out of the frames,

measure the glass that we are going to engrave onto,

and then design something that compositionally will work.

Daniel starts by taking off the backs, so he can remove the mirrors

from the frames. For these two long, thin mirrors,

he'll be discarding the frames completely,

as they are a little old-fashioned.

-Ooh!

-Or a lot old-fashioned.

Really old.

Very, very old.

So it says here, "Albion, March 12th, 1908."

Nearly 108 years old.

Over 100 years without breaking.

No pressure, then, Daniel.

I haven't broken a lot of mirrors,

but I've broken a few

and so I've probably got...

..quite a lot of bad luck

stored up there for anyone who is superstitious.

It's lucky we're not all superstitious.

Oh, that was close.

Nearly put my favourite tool through my hand!

That wouldn't have been good.

We're doomed.

Daniel carefully removes the mirror from the frames

and sets to one side.

He can now begin to remove the larger chipped mirror from its frame

to see how much damage has been done.

I wonder what we'll find!

Might find a treasure map or

the deeds for something.

Or a mirror.

Nothing.

The simplest option for Daniel will be to remove the mirror from

the frame completely and simply glue the chip back on.

But when he takes it out, all around the edge is...

Well, jaggy.

It's got this kind of nibbled edge.

I think that just signifies that it's quite old

and, actually, they had no purpose to finish that edge really,

really well, because it was always going to be inside a frame.

OK, so plan B.

So, what I'm thinking is to actually rout out this section here,

so it's deeper and then I'll cut either side, so that the frame

is a bit shorter. And therefore, we should be able to hide the chip.

Sounds like a lot of effort.

You said it. Whatever you do, just be careful.

And back we go to see Norman, where hopefully we'll find some good luck.

As long as there's no ladders to walk under or a black cat...

Oh, we're doomed.

Norman!

Oh, there you are.

Now we are going to do the corners.

We've got to put a top on it.

We normally use a standard one, like that.

But it's not big enough and imposing,

so we can put that up and make it up as we go along and build it up

and see where we go. Nine times out of ten, it normally works.

Making it up always does.

Cornice, from the Italian meaning "ledge",

is a decorative moulding that crowns a building, room,

or piece of furniture.

Norman feels the existing cornice

isn't big or exciting enough for Sarah.

So he's making grooves in some wood,

which he will then add to the smaller cornice,

making it bigger and more imposing.

Yeah, brilliant. Let's go and fit it.

There we go. Definitely looking less wardrobe-y now.

Good job, Norman.

Norman fixes the various levels of cornice to the base,

first with strong wood glue...

..and then pinning in place.

It's looking good.

It is. But I think I remember Sarah saying crates for shelving.

And I don't see those crates about any more.

Oh, no. You're deviating from her plan.

It'll be make or break time.

Especially when Sarah gets here.

And I, for one, cannot wait.

Oh, yeah.

Our makers are well on their way,

so it's time to check in with Sarah and that kitcheny light.

She was using a thing you strain your chips with

and I think I saw a flan dish.

Ah, there it is.

Are you happy with how it's all come together, Sarah?

-Who made this?

-You did, Sarah.

Before, the old scales had spent years

under the floorboards in the dark.

But now...

..they are ready to light up someone's life

as a snazzy kitchen lamp.

Sarah threw in everything but the kitchen sink to make this quirky

and unique piece of lighting.

And the result is certainly original.

Well, I love the idea that these kitchen scales are seeing the light

of day again, because they spent 50 years under the floorboards

and I'm hoping I've hooked up a recipe for success and that there

is profit to be made out of them.

Well, to cook up a profit,

we're going to have to turn those scales into sales.

What's that?

That, as Sarah discovered, was Wesley's dusty scales.

I found it under the floor of my house.

-That's for me.

-Sarah loved them instantly.

My family are Salters.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-And Wesley made a guess as to what they would become.

I would imagine it would make a nice little fruit bowl

or something like that, so...

I don't think anyone would have guessed that Sarah would stick

a bulb in it and make it a light.

Sarah got in touch with regular customer Nick of online retailers

Smithers of Stamford,

to see if he might fancy it for his shop.

And you know what? He bought it.

Someone who likes their cooking might like it,

a nice quirky light for the kitchen.

Sarah has travelled to Sale, outside Manchester, to meet up with Wesley,

but has she come with cash?

-Hi there.

-Hi.

-Hi, Wesley.

-How are you doing?

-I'm good, thank you.

Is this what you were busy converting when I saw you at the tip?

Yeah, yeah. I was renovating the house and that, yes.

I took your scales.

-Now, they weren't in great condition, were they?

-No.

Where did you find them? Under here?

Under the kitchen floor, it was, actually.

The plumber was there, doing a bit of pipework

and wondered if they were ours and we'd never seen them before.

They were definitely old, weren't they?

There was something about them. They had that lovely sort of vintage,

retro quality about them. So, do you want to see what we did with them?

-Yes, yes, please.

-They were turned into...vintage lighting.

Oh, very good.

-Very good.

-So, all I did was use an old spatula,

one of those things you lift the chips out with...

-Yeah.

-So we just bend that round and this is the pan that was

-originally the weighing pan on it.

-Right, very good.

-Were you surprised?

-Yeah, very surprised.

Yeah, I ought to have kept it and done it myself.

Well, other people liked them as well, because they sold.

I've actually got some profit to give back to you.

I've actually got 95 quid for you.

-Wow! Brilliant.

-Was that what you were expecting?

Not at all, no. No.

What will you do with that? Any immediate ideas?

Treat the kids, I suppose, with it.

-Something like that.

-Oh, brill.

That sounds great. Thank you so much for taking the time and for talking

to us at the tip. I hope you and the kids have some fun with that.

-I'm sure we will.

-Excellent.

-Thank you so much, lovely to see you again. Bye-bye.

-Bye.

Sarah spent £25 on the bulb and all the kitcheny stuff,

so, with an impressive sale of £120,

Wesley is walking away with £95 to treat the kids.

Sarah's travelled back to Hellingly to see if Norman has had any luck in

making the 1930s wardrobe a little less wardrobe-y.

Sarah had very specific instructions

about the kitchen cabinet she wanted,

so, Norman, how close is the finished piece to that brief?

Oh, it's a lot different. It's not quite the spec that we talked about,

but we had to change it as we went along, so it's going to be

interesting to see what she says, but I think she's going to love it.

Well, I left Norman with a real challenge.

I wanted that old-fashioned wardrobe completely repurposed into

a good-looking kitchen cabinet.

He should have been more than up for the challenge,

but I just can't imagine how it's actually going to look.

When Sarah picked it up,

this whole thing looked like a wardrobe malfunction.

Now, it's a practical and pretty kitchen cabinet.

Norman used blackboard paint on the new doors to add that kitcheny vibe.

And if you still think that's not enough, get a load of the inside.

Instead of old crates, Norman's used new wooden shelving,

which makes enough space for all your kitchen appliances

and your tins of beans.

-Hello, hello.

-Hiya, Sarah.

-How are you?

-I'm very well.

-How are you?

-Nice to see you again.

It's covered up. Is that because it's a surprise or a shock?

We'll let you make that decision.

How fabulous is that! It's very cool.

-Seriously.

-Open inside.

-Norman, it's amazing!

-I was trying to think of, like,

an Irish food cupboard or something and trying to give it a twist.

It's lovely. It's come a long way.

It's come from that attic bedroom to right in the middle

of somebody's house, and getting all of that detail in it is lovely.

It looks like a kitchen cupboard.

You know, there's no wardrobe about this.

-The proportions of it...

-Yeah.

But it's a great thing and I think people will invest in something

-like that and that's, you know, a clever repurpose.

-Yeah.

-Can I open the drawer?

-Yeah, open the drawer as well.

Yeah, the drawer works.

They're great handles, aren't they?

Yeah, really chunky. Nice.

It's a good-looking, lovely piece.

-You've done really well.

-I'm really, really pleased with it.

So, 500 quid budget on it.

You've done a lot of work for that, by the look of it.

We're happy to keep it in budget and, yeah, 500 quid's good.

Norman's played a blinder and, for £500,

there could be real profit potential with this one.

Well, it was never really in doubt, was it?

Norman has absolutely transformed that old, dated wardrobe

into a beautiful kitchen unit. My job, the easy one, is to sell it.

-What's that?

-At the end of a long day,

Sarah spotted John throwing out his 1930s wardrobe.

Just bought a house and it was left by the previous occupiers.

It was a bit old-fashioned for John.

No, our furniture's a bit more modern than that.

But it put a big smile on Sarah's face.

I think it's amazing.

So she took it away,

leaving John wondering what could be done with it.

Certainly needs a new coat of varnish.

And it should be good.

Well, John, we managed more than that.

Norman transformed it into our one-of-a-kind kitchen cabinet.

Keen to get it sold,

Sarah listed it on online marketplaces

and reached out on social media.

But were there any takers?

Sarah's travelled to Hale in Altrincham

to show John what Norman got up to with his wardrobe.

-Hi, John.

-Hi, hello.

-Nice to see you again.

-And you, and you.

Come down here and tell me,

did you get your old wardrobe down from all the way up there?

Yes. It's a couple of flights up.

So, it was a really good quality wardrobe,

but it wasn't very functional, was it?

I don't know if you ever put clothes in it?

-No.

-The hangers...

-It just... It just took up storage space

in a corner, looking kind of out of place,

particularly with the rest of the furniture in the house.

Did you think, when I took it away, what we'd do with it?

I mean, the creative juices weren't really flowing too much for my mind.

But a wardrobe, maybe?

Maybe... You know, zhuzhed up a bit.

-I don't know.

-It wasn't far off.

I've got some pictures to show you how it ended up.

So your old wardrobe is now like this.

-Oh, wow.

-It has been given a brand-new coat of paint.

It's got new handles on it.

It's chalkboard on the front and it is a very useful kitchen cupboard.

Excellent. I quite like it now!

I'm really pleased to hear you say that.

-It looks fantastic.

-Do you approve?

Yes, yes, absolutely.

It took quite a long time to get it to look like that,

so I haven't had much opportunity to sell it,

so I'm hoping I'm going to be back in touch with some profit.

So, as soon as I've sold it,

I'm hoping there'll be a couple of hundred quid coming your way.

-Excellent.

-It was great to catch up.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you for bringing the pictures round.

It looks fab. Really pleased with it.

Thank you ever so much.

-All right.

-Have a good day.

-Cheers.

-Bye-bye.

With Norman's labour costs coming in on budget at £500 and the wardrobe

yet to sell, it does mean we may have a loss of £500,

but I'm sure it will find its forever home soon enough.

In Walthamstow,

Daniel's been working very carefully on those fragile mirrors.

Sarah dropped off four

and let's hope that's what she'll be picking up.

Well, I left Daniel with a really interesting selection of mirrors

and I'm hoping, like many things around here, if he got it right,

the price of them should only be going up.

Well, let's see.

Mirror, mirror in the skip.

You were old and worn and had a chip.

But now...

..you certainly are the fairest of them all.

Daniel's designs have been etched beautifully onto the mirrors,

creating a leafy, birdie motif.

His plan to shorten the large frame to hide the chip

has worked perfectly, and, to set it off,

he's painted it a pastelly blue.

All the mirrors have new, shiny fittings, ready for the wall.

Hi, how you doing?

I'm very well, thanks. Very well, thanks.

-So have you broken them all?

-No, we're going to go for a reveal.

-I didn't know they were under here.

-Oh, yes.

Yeah, yeah. So, are you ready?

-Are you braced?

-Oh, yeah, definitely.

Wow! Yep, they've got it, haven't they?

-They have, they have.

-They've definitely got it.

We managed to sort of hide the chip underneath the frame as well,

by shortening the frame...

-That's really clever.

-..on this one as well.

So that one's back in action.

These two, I think, are going to be good sellers.

They are lovely. They look brand new, don't they?

Yeah. Yeah, and considering that these ones are about 100 years old,

it's just miraculous that, when you clean them back,

you're not sure how scratched they're going to be,

but they're in really good condition.

-They're lovely.

-Thank you.

They look... I don't know how you do it,

but it's a really good thing!

Now, I left you various money on the table.

I think we had something like 90 quid on that one,

120 on these and 140 on that.

Yeah. All on budget, all fine.

This one, obviously, was a bit more messing around, but as I say,

it came off in the end, so that's all right.

I had no idea we'd end up with something that felt so high-end and

-delightful, really.

-Thank you.

Daniel's done a great job and on budget.

But selling all four, Sarah's got her work cut out.

It's a nice end to this project,

because I'm glad they didn't get thrown out.

So long as the mirrors aren't scratched or cracked,

then they can always be reused,

so it was nice to do that and put them back out again.

Well, Daniel, he pulls it off again.

Four fantastic mirrors that I'm definitely going to be able to

sell for a profit.

-I think they're lovely.

-When Sarah stopped Adrian at the dump,

she saw potential in his collection of mirrors.

So, was that something that was on a dressing table?

A long time ago.

Sarah wasn't put off by their age.

The older I get, the more damage I like mirrors to have!

So Adrian sadly had to say goodbye.

We were clearing the attic.

We have grandchildren and they like to play up there.

This makes a little bit of room for them.

Well, they're not gathering dust in the attic any more.

Sarah then had the challenge of getting them sold.

She put them on display at her regular barn sale.

She also listed them online to see if there were any takers.

And it worked!

But did she manage to shift them all?

Sarah's travelled to Hale, outside Altrincham,

to let Adrian know how she got on selling them,

and maybe hand over some cash?

Hi there, hello, Adrian.

-Hello, Sarah.

-How are you?

-Sarah.

-Sarah, hi there.

-Another Sarah.

-How do you do? Now, I said I would be back in contact

and, the last time I saw you,

there were all sorts of things coming out of the back of your car.

But it was the mirrors that I particularly liked.

Was that something to do with you, Sarah?

Yes. I've had them for a long time,

but I bought them at jumble sales and things like that.

So did you wonder what we might have done with them?

We didn't think there was a market for them at all.

And beyond painting the frames, I don't really...

I couldn't imagine what you could do with them.

Well, one of the frames did get painted and they went to Walthamstow

to a fantastic guy called Daniel Heath.

So I've brought you some pictures to show you what he did.

He has etched the surface of them, so this pair of long mirrors,

he's taken the frames off to reveal the lovely bevel and then engraved

-them all.

-Oh, wow!

-That's lovely, with the birds as well.

-What do you think?

-Lovely.

-Lovely things.

-Yeah. I'm amazed that they're

actually created from something that we were going to throw away.

I have had them on the market and I've managed to sell two of them.

-I've actually got £30 here for your mirrors.

-Oh, lovely!

So there are two more still to sell and they will sell easily,

I know, so, as soon as they have done, I'll be back in touch.

But there's £30 here for the moment.

What might you do with that?

My mother died ten years ago suffering from Alzheimer's and Dad

looked after her for a long time, so it will be going to

the Alzheimer's Society to support those people that are in need.

Well, that sounds like a lovely thing to do with that money.

-Thank you very much.

-Very best.

Thanks, Sarah, nice to meet you.

Thanks. Bye.

For the two mirrors that Sarah's sold,

Daniel's labour and materials came to £210.

The total sale was 240, meaning there was a £30 profit.

As for the two remaining mirrors,

we still have £260 of Daniel's costs to make up.

But given a bit more time,

I'm sure they will get snapped up and we can hand a bit more to Adrian

and Sarah for their charity donation.

Thanks to Sarah, three items have been rescued from the rubbish.

Sarah transformed the rusty scales into a quirky kitchen lamp.

Daniel's mirrors went from dated to designer.

And Norman worked his magic on the 1930s wardrobe.

Well, we rescued, revitalised and retailed that rubbish with some

really ravishing results.

You try saying that!