Episode 18 Money for Nothing

Some people have lovely rubbish, don't they?

How do you make money for nothing?

-Are you chucking that, really?

-We are, yeah.

The answer could be hiding in the 20 million tonnes of

household waste we throw out every year.

Presumably it hasn't come straight out of the sitting room.

That's why entrepreneur, Sarah Moore...

-My colour?

-..wants to get her hands on things before they hit the skip.

I'm a passionate buyer, maker 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...

-What do you think?

-I think it's beautiful.

-Is that it?

-Yep.

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

Absolutely amazing!

..valuable...

Goodness, I love it.

..and, let's hope, saleable items.

Oh, my word!

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.

I didn't dream it would ever come to anything like that!

Welcome to the Whitley recycling centre in Surrey,

where the rubbish never stops, and neither does Sarah Moore.

Not until she gets what she wants.

It's a bright new day, and I am going to have anything in here that

I think can turn a profit.

I'll take your trousers, your toaster or your sofa.

Trousers? Steady on.

Sarah has her sight set on three items that she can save from certain doom...

..and put back in your living room.

I like the look of your fence.

Thank you.

Sarah has special permission to do what she does,

so don't go taking stuff away from your local recycling centre,

or you won't be allowed back, all right?

What would you do with that?

There's no point in asking me.

The upcycling ideas are your department, Sarah.

Perhaps inspiration will strike with the junk in Tony's trunk.

-Hello there.

-Hello there.

That is a fishing rod habit.

What are you doing with that many fishing rods?

I bought them quite a few years ago, the job lot.

-Right.

-I did. And I've done nothing with them at all.

How much did you pay for that lot, then? Do you remember?

Oh, I can't remember. I bought them from an auction, I did.

For the lot, I think it was about £45, I think.

Right. And do you fish a lot?

No, I don't!

I just... I just thought it was a bargain.

-You know?

-I reckon that's a bargain.

There's something about them. They're really attractive.

I think it's all the different colours and the fittings.

Yeah, they're some nice bits on there, you know?

-They're lovely. Can I have them?

-Yeah, you certainly can.

I don't know what on earth I could make out of them.

I'll tell you what someone did tell me they made with these.

-Yeah?

-A trellis.

-Nice.

-Together, an arch.

And for the fisherman's home, that's ideal.

Look, if it's OK to take them away...

-Yeah, that's fine.

-Do you reckon I could bundle them up and get them

-out of here?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Brilliant.

A bargain's a bargain, Tony,

but what do you think Sarah will do with them?

Sarah will do what Sarah wants to do.

No doubt she will make something good out of them.

She will. And please someone.

Good on you, Tony.

Well, I have fallen for these hook, line and sinker.

What a cracking collection of fishing rods.

They've got beautiful detailing on them,

they've got fantastic fittings and there are hundreds of them.

So the moneymaking potential here is massive.

And Sarah's got some makers in mind who will be up for the challenge.

Meet Josh and his best pal, Ollie.

These dedicated designers have a passion for turning unwanted waste

into must have items.

I think getting the salvage materials from Sarah, it's like,

it gives us a really good opportunity to do something

completely different.

So it's actually a really good design process

and it gets us thinking.

Yeah, something that we would never do normally.

I think it's great to have that vision of how something can be

transformed and then actually be involved in making it happen.

Let's hope the boys are as excited as Sarah by the fishing rods' potential.

With one item safely put aside,

Sarah is back on the hunt for another two.

And... What is she doing?

I'm going to release a tip ten single.

Ah, yes. And there's your biggest fan.

But before you hit the big time,

perhaps you'll settle for a game of musical chairs with Paul.

-Hello there.

-Hi there.

-Hi. Sorry, Sarah.

-Hi, Sarah. It's Paul.

-Paul. Hello.

-Nice chairs.

-They're lovely chairs.

-Can I have a look at one?

-Yeah, take a look.

-Where are they from?

-They are actually from a neighbour.

She's in the process of moving and she would like to keep them,

but it's just, you know, not practical.

-Is she downsizing?

-Yeah, she's downsizing, it's not practical,

so she said, unfortunately, they've got to go.

So do you think...? Are they garden chairs?

Where were they in her house, do you know?

Well, they were just in stowage in the shed.

I think they were stored in the shed.

And, you know, she hadn't used them for a while.

What do you reckon? A pair here, barley twist things on them.

Maybe they're sort of 1920s, 1930s, that kind of thing.

Yeah. She wasn't sure herself.

1920s might be right.

Lovely.

Barley twists are the corkscrew-like details which had a revival in

furniture during Queen Victoria's reign in the 19th century.

-So would it be OK if I took them away?

-Yes, yes, please do, yeah.

I'll be more than happy. It would be wonderful to see somebody do

something with them, to bring them...

You know, that can be used again.

Well, I'm going to take this one away and I'll be back for the other.

-OK, lovely.

-Thanks so much.

-Thank you very much.

A pair of chairs with a bit of barley twist.

Great find.

But what does Paul think is in store for them.

They'll be fantastic garden chairs, maybe conservatory, who knows?

But whatever it is, I know they'll be good.

Well, what do you reckon? What a lovely pair of chairs.

They've got barley twists on the front,

they've got brown seats and cream arms, but that can go,

and what you get left with is a pair of super saleable chairs.

And I know just where to take them.

Norman Wilkinson, AKA the titan of timber.

He uses his years of experience to create handmade,

one-of-a-kind furniture that will last a lifetime.

Oh, the reclaim is great because,

you know, if you're making a table top out of reclaimed timbers,

no two tops will be the same.

So it's tactile, it's always got its own mind, it's beautiful.

I hope that people will see when they buy it that we've put our

heart and soul into it and we have put as much love

as we can, so hopefully that comes out into it.

That's good to know, Norman,

because you're going to have to dig deep for this project.

That's two items set aside, but the day's not done yet.

Sarah still has to find something she can work on herself.

I don't care about the colour.

As far as I'm concerned, it's waste not, want not.

Well, in that case, Steve's got some brown and black things.

But to you, they could be the colour of money.

Hiya. What are you throwing away, then?

Hiya. Well, just clearing my shed out.

Oh, yeah, what's in your shed, then?

-Have you got a good shed full?

-Well, my shed's empty now, I hope.

Ooh! You've got classy stuff.

Is that all going in?

Yeah, that's all going in the skip.

-They're not real ones, are they?

-They are not real ones, no.

Classic Barcelona design, isn't it?

Yes, it is, yeah.

Classy indeed.

The Barcelona chair, with its distinctive curved metal frame,

was first made in 1929, born from the German Bauhaus movement.

They are such a stylish thing, aren't they?

Oh, they're an iconic piece of furniture.

Originally commissioned for Spanish royalty,

their popularity exploded in the 1950s and '60s,

leading to less expensive reproductions being made, like these.

So, what have you got? You've got... Are they...?

I've got two Barcelona chairs and a Barcelona stool.

They look like they might have been...

They've seen better days, yeah.

This one has been scratched a bit by the cat.

-Right.

-So that one is defunct.

And this one is just getting too tatty now.

I really like these.

-OK.

-So would it be OK if I took them away?

-Absolutely, of course, yeah.

-Fantastic. Thank you.

-Shall we get them out?

-Yeah, let's do that.

Reproduction or not, these are some seriously stylish seats.

Wow, thank you so much for all of that lot.

-I'll be in touch.

-No problem. Pleasure.

-Thanks. Bye-bye.

-Take care.

Sarah has struck gold, but what does Steve think she will do with them?

Not a clue what she might do with them, but very surprised that they

can be reused in another purpose and look forward to hearing what she's

going to be doing with them.

These are good solid stylish things.

Loving all the chrome.

Plenty of leather here, so loads of potential.

Well, maybe to make them into something...

Who knows what, really?

And with that, Sarah has her items.

Josh and Ollie will find a new function for the fishing rods.

Norman will give a whole new look to the garden loungers.

And Sarah will create something fantastico with the Barcelona chairs.

Well, the rubbish is in the bag and we've had a great day.

But now the hard work really does begin.

Deep in the heart of the beautiful Sussex countryside...

..Sarah's trundling along with a bundle of fibreglass fishing rods.

Woodworkers Josh and Ollie are always up for a challenge,

but Sarah might have gone too far this time.

We're looking forward to getting started with another project

and seeing what weird things she's got for us.

Oh, Ollie, just you wait.

I was so excited when I found all of these fishing rods in one place

at the recycling centre. They're beautiful, they're colourful,

but I think they might be a little bit tricky to upcycle.

But I've got two great friends in mind.

Josh and Ollie, if they can't do it, nobody can.

Or they could just tell you to sling your hook!

So, first impressions, what do you think?

-Take them away!

-They're not that bad and there's loads of them.

They have to be usable because there are so many.

It's just going to be quite a difficult project

-to "tackle", isn't it?

-Oh.

-Oh.

Sorry, Josh, but I'll make the fishing jokes around here!

I don't mean to be "shellfish"!

They have got some strength in the handles that could mean

they could be used for furniture

and they have got great flexibility in the ends.

-It would be really cool to use the flex in some way.

-Yeah.

That's like an intrinsic part of a fishing rod.

I reckon they would lend themselves quite nicely to seating

because of the flex.

You can kind of form a nice shape with them.

That sounds great because I think they will make a really good

organic shape, so it's just

what kind of seat do you want to pitch at?

Anything with, like, a nice flow to it.

-Like a kind of lounger, something like that.

-Yeah, I'm loving that.

They've decided on a fishing rod lounger chair.

It doesn't sound too comfy but if anyone can do it, it's these boys.

Now, down to business.

Lounge seat price.

What if we were to say 450, 400 maybe?

I think that's fine for a big designer chair out of this lot.

400. If it comes in at 450 I think that will be all right.

-OK, cool.

-I want to make a fishing joke, but I'm just going to say

-good luck!

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

See? Sarah knows better than to steal my jokes.

When I said I liked a challenge, this is a little bit crazy.

-It's probably the weirdest one we've had yet.

-Yeah, but...

Yeah, I'm sure we'll come up with something.

That is one project that is certainly going to keep

those boys busy.

But the world's first fishing rod chair,

that is something I cannot wait to see.

Sarah and the chaps agreed a budget of between £400 and £450.

Was a lounger the best choice for this project or have the boys

made a rod for their own backs?

From West Sussex to he East Sussex village of Hellingly

where the locals enjoy a gentler pace of life.

HORN TOOTS

Whoa, slow down there, fella!

Now, back to business.

Sarah's brought along the pair of dated garden chairs

to the man who lives, breathes and eats wood, Norman.

Well, he probably doesn't eat wood.

But what will he make of Sarah's latest find?

What she brings will be fantastic or I'll scratch my head

and wish she'd turned round and go the other way. So, yeah.

Norman, this is definitely a head-scratcher.

Well, look at them, you probably couldn't get less desirable

and more dated than these chairs.

They've got barley twists, they're beige,

but it's all right because I've brought them to Norman.

He is going to absolutely love them. In my dreams!

Ooh, that's heavy. Ooh, missus!

I don't think you're taking my chairs seriously.

-What is the plan then, boss?

-I thought, reposition these

as steamer chairs so they look like they should be

on the deck of a luxury yacht.

You've obviously been on lots of luxury yachts, have you?

-Only in my dreams.

-Excellent.

So, this is adjustable. It looks pretty uncomfortable like that

but I think better when it's at max tilt like that.

-Now it's comfortable.

-How about having that piece at the back

mirrored with a piece at the bottom

so that they then become loungers for laying out on?

-Loungers!

-Loungers.

Is that how you lounge?

Now, come on, you two, try and take this seriously!

OK, so, if we strip it all apart,

take them to the sand blasters and hope they can get all the paint off.

Take this lot out and then somehow

we're going to make this leggy thing work.

So you'd have a loose cushion on it, wouldn't you,

-so you could bring the cushions in.

-We can have little ties on it.

Yeah, lovely. Your feminine side coming out.

My feminine side again, yeah.

Oh, they're as bad as each other!

Could you fold it away so they could be used as a normal chair as well?

So, the plan is to create two steamer-style luxury loungers

by adding new footrests.

Now, enough of the high jinks, it's time for the serious stuff, money.

So the cushions are slightly tricky to price up at the moment

but can you give me a price for refinishing

and creating this lovely luxury steamer effect?

Um, 175 quid each.

I think that's fine.

We're creating something that is a vintage, luxury-looking item.

-There you go.

-Thank you so much.

-Keep in touch, right?

-We will.

There you have it, Norman.

How are you feeling about that?

I feel as though I've been spoiled, so, I can't wait.

Do I detect some sarcasm?

Well, I don't think Norman immediately embraced

the luxury-liner look but I think, once he gets his head round it,

he's going to be cruising.

With a budget of £350 for the two chairs plus extra for the cushions,

Norman will really have to push the boat out

if he hopes to pull in the pounds.

With her crafty creatives up and running...

..Sarah is back home in Sussex

and is raring to get going with her own set of chairs.

Well, a classic pair of 1929 Barcelona chairs these are not.

These are reproduction and they are ripe for ripping apart

and transforming into something else.

Thank goodness for that!

To begin, Sarah removes the cushions

as she's more interested in what's underneath.

I'm just stripping off the cushions so I can see what kind of shapes

I'm going to have left to work with.

There's something quite decorative about these bits I'm sure.

The Barcelona chair frame was originally designed

to be bolted together.

It was redesigned in 1950 using stainless steel

which allowed the frame to be formed by a seamless piece of metal

giving it a smoother appearance.

So now I really know what my plan is.

These sofa frames are going to become the legs of

a beautiful dining table. They're sleek, they're chrome

with a good finish on them

and they've also got a load of strapping that needs to come off.

So, that's the plan.

A dining table! This just got interesting.

But first, Sarah has to remove the metres of strapping

which have been riveted to the frame.

This is going to take hours. There are hundreds of these things.

The reproduction furniture market is all above board and very lucrative.

Designs which are out of copyright are fair game to reproduce.

Nearly done.

But recent changes to the law mean that the copyright protection

on a number of classics, including the Barcelona chair,

have been extended,

meaning it is no longer legal to produce new replicas

of chairs like these in the UK.

Well, that's definitely the way to put those legs.

I just need to get the table top sorted now.

So, I've had a piece of birch ply cut.

It's inch thick, over six-foot long

and a great generous size for a table for six or eight.

But I've got to find a way of attaching it to the legs.

They were chairs, now they've got to be legs,

a bit of figuring out to do.

No-one wants a wonky, wobbly table

so the chairs that are now legs have to be positioned exactly right.

Oh, this is a complicated one.

So, it turns out these chair frames are not exactly a pair.

Nearly, about that much out,

so I've got to measure where I would like them

and then try and adjust the height of them when it's the other way up.

Are you following that? Good, because I've not got a clue!

Surely it would have been easier to keep them as loungers?

But Sarah's never been one for the easy option.

These are way out and it's going to be really difficult

to make them level. But it won't work as a table unless it is.

So I'd better find a solution.

I could bend them.

Well, if in doubt, bash it about.

This isn't going to be easy to get it right.

But get it right she must.

Sarah's already spent £40 on materials to create the table

but, if she doesn't get it level, this could be a bad investment.

In their West Sussex workshop,

Josh and Ollie are facing up to their most difficult challenge yet,

turning these fishing rods into a chair.

But surely they'll meet it head-on with their usual upbeat, positive,

can-do attitude.

It seems ambitious, doesn't it? The more, the more we look at it,

the more... It's just...

Yeah, not the greatest material to make chairs out of.

Hm, the upbeat positivity is a little lacking.

We've been looking at them for a while now and still

don't really know how we're going to turn them into a chair.

But I'm sure we can do something with them.

It's just figuring out the best way of doing it.

These bearded boy wonders of woodworkery

appear to have lost their mojo.

In order to get their creative juices flowing,

the lads are stripping back the fishing rods to simple poles.

We're hoping that by just, kind of, starting to work with them,

we might come up with a few more ideas

because we haven't really come up with much yet, so...

I think the more I think about it, and the more I look at them,

just the trickier this project seems.

Poor lads. They look so disheartened.

Don't you just want to pinch their little cheeks to gee them up?

Modern fishing rods are typically made of fibreglass or carbon fibre.

Sawing through them releases tiny particles of glass dust

into the air so it's important to wear the correct safety equipment.

Has stripping back the rods sparked Josh and Ollie's imaginations?

It looks a little more like a raw material now

rather than a fishing rod.

It feels like it's got a bit more potential, so, erm, yeah,

let's just do some sketches and see where we go.

They're not quite firing on all cylinders yet,

but they're getting their groove back just a smidgen.

The boys are sketching out ideas for their chair design.

So, if we were to have some kind of frame either side,

and then we can use that to support the fishing rods,

we're hoping that we can bend them down to make it a nice curve.

It's a real challenge.

If it's not really going to work

then we may as well scrap the whole chair idea.

To test out the strength and flexibility of the poles,

the lads are knocking together a tester seat frame.

In the past, the boys have transformed twigs into chandeliers,

floorboards into skateboards, copper pipes into candelabras,

but these fishing rods could be an upcycle too far.

Finished chair. We should call Sarah now!

-Yeah, come and get it.

-Yeah.

-This is our sitting test.

-Yeah, it's the moment of truth, isn't it?

-After you, sir.

-Please.

The pleasure's all yours.

The success or failure of this project

all rests on Ollie's derriere.

Oh, it's comfy!

Oh, it's so nice to see them happy again.

Yeah. It's all right.

We're both really happy with how this has turned out,

-and it gives us a bit of hope for the next...

-Yeah.

-..for the actual chair.

-There's still a lot of work to do.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But we can see where we're going with it now.

At last, the bearded boy wonders and their positive attitude are back.

In his East Sussex workshop,

Norman is getting to grips with his latest piece of trash treasure

from Sarah.

She wants him to turn two simple seats into luxury

steamer-style chairs which, translated into normal speak,

is a fancy sun lounger.

We've got to make them look beautiful

and ready for someone to slouch on it.

Classy people don't slouch, they recline.

So the plan is, we're going to...

We've got to take the seat out and take all the gubbins out.

That's a technical term for "bits and bobs".

Because we need to put in the footrest.

So, somehow, it's got to come down and flop

so your feet can, sort of, like, laze like, something like that.

Such a graceful man!

To create the footrest, Norman has to remove the seat.

Oh, I've just found a £50 note.

In my dreams!

I hate upholstery.

It seems to take hours just to get to where you need, doesn't it?

All the little tacks and the pins.

Steamer chairs get their name from steam-powered ocean liners.

In 2015, one that was recovered from the Titanic

sold for over £100,000 at auction.

No pressure, Norman!

That's a bit of horse hair, there,

so I could make myself a little wig, couldn't I?

You know, I'm a bit thin on top these days.

I think I've got less hair now since I met Sarah,

all the stress she's caused.

Oh, Norman, don't you worry, you've got a lovely-shaped cranium.

Ha.

This chair didn't have this to begin with.

Hm, what have we here?

Look. You see here? Look.

It's had... This has been added later on.

They've added the upholstery and the springs and everything,

and you can actually still see one of the slats, you know,

where they've only slashed some of it off.

So, it started off life in a completely different way.

It's had a Money For Nothing transformation a few years ago,

I expect, so, you know, it's round two on it.

Perhaps it used to be a steamer chair!

Just not one from the Titanic.

Oh, it stinks.

Removing this upholstery is taking almost as long as that movie.

If I had a penny for every one of these tacks, I'd be worth a fortune.

On average, a chair like this would contain 1,024 tacks,

earning Norman £10.24!

All right, I've just made that up, I'm being sarcastic,

it's not big or clever. I'll stop.

I expect the upholsterer's got one of these things that they

just tack them out with. Not like me, doing it the stupid way.

They do, Norman. It's called a tack remover!

Sorry, I did try.

But the good news is this is Norman's last tack...

-Happy days.

-..for this chair.

He's still got the other one to do.

Norman will need to get up a head of steam

to get those steamer chairs finished.

While the crafty types continue with their transformations,

Sarah is shining up the old chair legs, ready to reveal her table.

Well, it really doesn't look like chairs any more.

I just don't know if this one's going to sell. I hope it will.

Sarah seems a bit nervous about this one.

Here's hoping she's succeeded in creating

a sleek and stylish dining table.

There was no need to worry.

This is incredible.

Sarah has combined the retro chrome legs with a birch plywood table top

on to which she has added a Jackson Pollock-styled

splatter paint design.

It's got a sort of starburst, '60s, Space Odyssey type of vibe.

The silver edging ties in with the chrome legs

and adds to the space-age feel. This is out of this world.

What do you think? Massive atomic splash across the top.

Silver highlights to the edges and, to make it a cohesive piece,

I think it's working. It's big, it's useful, it's practical.

Somebody might like this as a quirky individual piece

to have in their house because, one thing's for sure,

you're not going to find another one of these.

Sarah knew she had found some trash treasure

the moment she spotted it in Steve's van.

-Ooh, you've got classy stuff!

-A few bits and pieces.

-Is that all going in?

-Yeah, it's all going in the skip.

Ah, Steve, of course it's not!

Sarah grabbed them to work her makeover magic.

I'm very surprised that they can be reused for another purpose

and I look forward to hearing what she's going to be doing with them.

Steve, I think you're going to be impressed.

Sarah jumps straight online to drum up some interest

and, in no time at all, it was sold.

Now Sarah's in Elstead in Surrey to show Steve

what happened to his chairs and to hand over some profit.

-Hello, there.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you again, Steve.

-Good to see you.

-How are you doing?

-Very well, thank you, yeah.

I said I'd come to your doorstep if there was something

to be done with your old chairs.

Have you been wondering since I last saw you what might have happened

-to your old chairs?

-Yeah, I've had a few thoughts.

But what are you going to do with them? They're chairs.

-So I'd be very interested to see.

-Well, actually,

it was something that I worked on.

They were in our building at home, and I saw them

and I just saw something in them, and I thought, I know.

No more chairs. I'm going to make a table out of them.

So your chairs now look like that.

What I've done is I've taken all the chrome bits off,

-stripped all the fabric off them.

-That is really groovy.

-It's got a splatter top and a silver edge.

-Yeah, that is cracking.

Really, that is just... You should be so pleased with yourself.

-That's a cracking job.

-Oh, that's really sweet of you to say.

Now, would you recognise that as something that

-once was a pair of chairs?

-No, definitely not. No, that is amazing.

-That is so good. Well done.

-Oh, thank you.

-That's brilliant.

It has actually gone off to a wedding venue

and they are using it to put people's wedding cakes on.

-Fantastic.

-So, a new lease of life and some profit.

-I've got £134 here for your old chairs.

-That is really good.

Thank you so much. Who would have thought?

-Have you any thoughts about what you might do with it?

-I haven't really.

I'm pretty intent to give some of it to charity,

but we're looking to get some new furniture ourselves.

It might be nice to spend some of it on a chair or

-something for ourselves so we can just remember that.

-Lovely.

Well, thank you so much. I really enjoyed doing that.

-It was great to catch up.

-Good to see you, Sarah. Well done.

-Thank you. Bye-bye.

-Cheers. Bye-bye.

Sarah spent £61 creating the table.

She sold it for an impressive £195

leaving Steve with £134 to split between the charity

and some new chairs for himself.

Sarah's in Chichester to see if Ollie and Josh have succeeded

in transforming the fishing rods into a seat.

It was a bit of a slog. There was a lot...

Yeah, just trying to work out what we were actually doing with it

was pretty difficult.

Probably won't be looking to work with fishing rods

in the near future, I don't think. They're really difficult.

Sarah gave the boys a big bundle of fishing rods

and they said, we'll make you a chair.

Sounds easy when you say it like that.

And it looks fantastic when you see it like this.

Josh and Ollie have crafted a sleek and stylish frame

made from English oak,

using the fishing rods as the seat and back support.

The oak has been finished with hard wax oil to bring out the grain.

The modern, minimalist design of the woodwork

allows the bright colours of the fishing rods to shine

making them the focal point.

The boys' design ingenuity was tested on this makeover

more than any other, but they've come up trumps once again.

Oh, guys!

You've done it. That's amazing.

-Thank you very much.

-I imagined it might be some sort of

-old-fashioned cane furniture.

-Yeah, yeah.

Was it a total nightmare?

Erm, yeah, to be honest.

Why did I imagine it was going to be a total nightmare?

Yeah, they're just...

It was really horrible to work with those fishing rods.

And actually, like, thinking of an idea that would work was...

It just took us forever.

So it's been a really tricky one.

But, yeah, we're pleased with the outcome.

Well, you've certainly created something sleek and designer.

-It's got all the right profiles, hasn't it?

-Mm, yeah.

So what did you do? It's a nice... It's an oak frame, is it?

Yeah, yeah, oak frame. Well, I think this is nice

because it kind of frames the fishing rods

and we do like how they're all kind of different colours.

So, yeah, it kind of shows them off how they are, really.

You have to look twice to tell they're fishing rods

but you can definitely see that they were something different, can't you?

-Mm.

-Yeah.

-Are you pleased with t?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So, was it a fortune, then? Budget-wise, are we...?

I think we will be slightly above what we kind of agreed on

just because it took us just forever to,

to actually get round to making a decision on it

and kind of just faffing about with it.

OK. So what does that mean the final budget is?

-So, if we say 500.

-OK.

-I think we'd be happy with that.

I think if it was just a well-made chair, that would be a problem,

but people love fishing, and there's all sorts of places

who I think will latch onto this, so I think that's...

500 quid is a big price for a chair but not for a unique one, so,

-yeah, on that basis...

-Cool.

Well done.

As a reward for their hard work, I'm going to allow Josh and Ollie a pun.

So, Sarah took the bait on this one, didn't she?

-Yeah.

-She landed herself a nice chair, there.

Oh, that was a good one! Have another.

We did make a bit of a rod for our own backs with this one.

-We did, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Oh, go on, have a third.

I think we're going to be reeling from it for weeks.

Yeah.

So that's how you make a chair out of fishing rods.

-Those boys went for it hook, line and...

-Er, no, Sarah,

you're not allowed. I'm just going to talk over you, all right?

Tony was about to chuck his fishing rods in the skip

when Sarah stepped in to save them.

-They're lovely. Can I have them?

-Yeah. You certainly can.

While Tony had an idea or two what to do with them,

he knew who the boss was.

Sarah will do what Sarah wants to do! Ha!

No doubt she'll make something good out of it.

And with more than a little help from her friends, she did.

The Arundell Arms Hotel in Devon snapped up the chair,

and general manager Matt was chuffed to bits with it.

The chair is absolutely amazing.

It fits so well in here with the hotel and what we do.

The guests here are just going to love the chair so much.

Now Sarah's in Godalming in Surrey

to show Tony his new-look fishing rods

and hand over the profit.

-Hello there.

-Hello there.

-Oh, hello.

-This is Max.

Hello. How are you? Aren't you sweet? Such a nice boy.

Now, I have been looking forward to catching up with you because

I think you might be a man after my own heart.

-Yeah, I probably am.

-What were you doing with 40 fishing rods?

I bought them because they were a bargain at the time.

Well, I was really pleased to see them turn up

because anything that appears in that quantity must be worth saving.

So, did you have any idea about what we might do with them?

Well, the only thing I thought you might have done with them,

someone said you might make a trellis.

Oh, yeah. They went down to Halnaker near Goodwood.

I've got a picture here to show you how it turned out.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah, fine.

The fishing rods now look like that.

Right, but the chair...

All of the tips of the fishing rods that are just the right size

have been repurposed into caning to go on there.

Oh, right. And they're strong enough to take the weight?

I'll tell you what, I've sat in it and they bore my weight.

They are actually very strong. What do you think?

Well, I'd never have dreamed they were going to be made into a chair.

It has been sold. So I've got profit here for you.

-Oh, right!

-I've got £95 here.

-Have you really?

-Here, that's for you.

Oh! Amazing.

That's lovely. Thank you very much indeed.

Have you got any thoughts about what you might spend it on?

We've both just retired from work

so it'll come in very handy, it will.

I'm so pleased that's going into the family kitty.

-Yeah.

-Thank you so much for your fishing rods.

I'm really pleased with that. Thank you very much indeed.

Absolute pleasure. Nice to catch up.

-Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

-Thank you very much. Bye-bye.

Josh and Ollie's final costs came to £500.

Sarah sold the chair for an incredible £595

leaving Tony with a profit of £95.

Sarah's back in East Sussex

for Norman's grand unveiling of the steamer chairs.

I hope she likes them. We had a bit of a struggle with some of it,

getting what she wanted working but, yeah, I think we've achieved it.

Sarah challenged Norman to create two elegant steamer chairs

upon which to recline, repose and rest in luxury.

Well, Norman's proved again he's no slouch at woodwork.

Stripped back to reveal the luscious wood,

Norman has created two elegant recliners full of old-world charm,

recalling the golden age of the ocean liners.

With a little ingenious engineering from our master craftsman,

Norman has added a foot rest which tucks away inside the seat.

He is a clever one, isn't he?

This was a challenging transformation for Norman

but will Sarah find the result to be shipshape and Bristol fashion?

-Norm, hiya.

-Hello, you.

-Wow, haven't they come out well?

-They have, haven't they?

-That stripping's really worked.

-Yeah.

-It's worked really well.

-Show me how they work, then.

-Is that the mechanism?

-I mean, it was a bit of a...

It was a bit of a job getting them to work

but we worked it out in the end.

So we pull it out and then it all flops down,

and then to stop it from falling down on itself

we've had to come up with the, with the arms.

-So, they lock in.

-Fantastic.

And then, Bob's your uncle. There you go.

Uncle Robert would be well impressed with this.

But while it may look the part, does it feel the part?

-Gosh, they're really comfortable, aren't they?

-Yeah, I know.

I think you've done really well to make them this luxurious,

and it's very clever having that bit.

Well, it did test us a little bit, getting them the right way.

But they actually sit really nicely, don't they?

They are really comfortable. It looks lovely

and I think that must've been an absolute nightmare

-trying to work out how to do that.

-Yes, we did...

Yes, I could have had a meltdown but I didn't, so...

Ha! So now might be a good time to ask about the price, then.

The budget, yeah. We had a budget of 175 each.

-Yeah.

-But with the upholstery,

I was going to have to charge another 25 quid.

So they come in at £200 each

but I think they're a cool-looking chair for that.

Yeah, I think you've done a good job.

They really weren't attractive before and you've repositioned them.

You've made them much more versatile than they were, and that, I think,

is going to help sell them because they're really good.

Well done, Norman.

Why don't you have a little celebratory sit-down?

I could stay here now for the rest of the day, couldn't I?

No, I've got to get these sold.

We're not going to sell them sitting here. Let's get to it.

I don't have to, you do, so, thank you very much!

-Off you go.

-Nice to see you.

-To see you, nice! Bye!

Well, it looks like the barley twist challenge might have given Norman

a couple of headaches but he's done really well.

I've now got comfortable, saleable chairs.

I've just got to see who wants them.

Paul was dumping these chairs for a friend who was downsizing.

-Nice chairs.

-They're lovely chairs.

Luckily, Sarah's eye for potential stopped them

from ending up in the skip.

It would be wonderful to see somebody do something with them,

you know, so they can be used again.

That someone was Sarah, ably assisted by Norman.

And Sarah had no trouble selling them to Slimmeria,

a health retreat in Devon.

And owner Galia is over the moon.

I like the fact that people can really enjoy something

that has been recycled because I strongly believe in recycling

and particularly when people recycle such beautiful pieces.

Sarah's in Haslemere in Surrey to let Paul know

what became of the chairs and to hand over some cash.

-Hello, there.

-Hi, Sarah.

-How are you doing?

-Yeah, not bad. You?

Yeah, very nice to see you.

So you were being really helpful when we last met,

-moving a neighbour.

-That's right, she was downsizing

and she had a lot of stuff that she basically couldn't really retain

and unfortunately, you know, we took the rubbish to the dump

but there was some good stuff in there, too, so...

Well, it was my lucky day because those chairs that came out

of that van had a look to them. Not very commercial at the moment

but definitely worth saving.

-We thought we'd give them a little bit of a twist.

-Yeah.

So I took them down to Sussex where a fantastic maker Norman

decided they needed refreshing.

-So he has actually turned them into steamer chairs.

-Wow.

-So your chairs now look like that.

-Wow. Gosh, that's fantastic.

He took all of the old paint off, gave them some new cushions,

made special sections for the legs. What do you think?

Oh, I think that, well, it's amazing, actually, what he's done.

Well, he did do a good job on them and they've been sold

and I'm pleased to say there's some profit from them as well.

-Oh, really?

-There's 35 quid for those old chairs.

-That's not bad.

Thank you very much, Sarah. That will do, that's lovely.

I mean, profit, who can argue?

And have you got anything you might do with 35 quid?

Maybe bits for the computer possibly or something. So, who knows?

-Excellent.

-No, I'm pleased. I'm just pleased that they, you know,

they've been sold, and someone's made use of them.

-That's a good thing.

-Excellent.

Lovely to catch up.

-Bye-bye.

-Lovely to see you again. Yeah, take care. Bye.

Norman's total costs came to £400.

Sarah sold the chairs for £435,

giving Paul 35 quid to buy bits for his computer.

Lovely stuff.

Sarah's saved once-cherished possessions

from being chucked in the skip.

They could have been heading to landfill.

Instead, they've been given a new lease of life.

Well, I love nothing more than turning old into new

and making a profit along the way.

So that's three more items reimagined and off to new homes.