0:00:02 > 0:00:04Houses across Britain don't fit our needs...
0:00:04 > 0:00:08- We are going to feel like sardines in a can.- ..or our dreams.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11We really want to strip it out and start again.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I'm here Piers Taylor and I've hand-picked a team of experts
0:00:17 > 0:00:19to transform everyday homes.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23If you feel that, it doesn't feel like you'd think it would.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27- From bold changes...- Your room, as it is, would disappear.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31..to stunning interior ideas...
0:00:31 > 0:00:35- This is beautiful. - ..and finishing touches.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37It's a bit of a focal point.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Together, we will show you what's possible in any home...
0:00:40 > 0:00:44- We thought it was beyond our wildest dreams.- ..and on any budget.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47All of that is really just five scaffold boards.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49We'll use every trick of the trade...
0:00:49 > 0:00:51You want to give it a bit of a "wow" factor.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55- ..to prove a limit on your funds... - This stuff is free.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58- ..does not mean a limit on your imagination.- It's amazing.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05This time, my challenge is to turn a former butcher
0:01:05 > 0:01:08shop into a stunning interior with just 8K.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- I don't want anything really naff. - 'I push Lisa to mix the unusual...'
0:01:13 > 0:01:15To have something that is really back.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17'..with the off-the-shelf.'
0:01:17 > 0:01:19They are really cheap.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22'And Judy and Richard hate their outdated home.'
0:01:22 > 0:01:23It is hideous.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27'Will a dramatic mix of tricks make them change their minds?'
0:01:27 > 0:01:29There is a bigger change that you could consider.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I'm not sure I'm totally convinced by all that.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46In 2014, medical photographer Lisa bought this property in Matlock
0:01:46 > 0:01:48for just over £200,000.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52She desperately wants a family home, but in its current state,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55it just doesn't work for her and 12-year-old son Max.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59So, what did you have for lunch today?
0:01:59 > 0:02:03They are struggling to live in the building, which is split into two.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05There's a dilapidated lounge on one side
0:02:05 > 0:02:07and a former butcher's shop on the other.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12When I took it over, there was a big counter here,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17there were big metal bars all around the ceiling where the meat hooks,
0:02:17 > 0:02:18where they used to hang meat.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21There's nothing that doesn't need doing in here.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24The floor needs to come up
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and it has had dead animals on it.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30SHE LAUGHS
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Lisa and Max don't have a kitchen,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36so are struggling with a makeshift one at the back of the old shop.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40The only thing, really, for me is not having a kitchen.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Which is a big thing, especially when you are a mum.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45All mums need kitchens.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I think I was very optimistic buying this
0:02:48 > 0:02:53because I didn't quite realise exactly how much work was involved.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00I'm racing to Derbyshire with a challenge of turning the old
0:03:00 > 0:03:02butcher's shop into a stunning home.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- Hi, Lisa.- Hi.- I'm Piers. - Nice to meet you.- Can I come in?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- Yes, come on through.- Thank you.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19So, this is the kitchen area.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22When you say kitchen, when you say kitchen, you mean YOUR kitchen?
0:03:22 > 0:03:27It is MY kitchen and it's actually what the shop used to use to store
0:03:27 > 0:03:29meat and wash their hands, and...
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- So, this is, presumably, where you do your cooking.- Yes.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37- And these look suspiciously like camping stoves.- Oh, yes, they are.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Yeah.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Fed up with the makeshift kitchen, Lisa is desperate for a proper
0:03:42 > 0:03:46one and has increased her mortgage to pay for the building work.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53I'd have, really, a maximum of 8,000 to spend in here,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55but that would be for absolutely everything.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00That would be all the building work and the kitchen itself.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04This window is really beautiful. I'm kind of drawn through this way.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07It's strange, though, that you are not using this space.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09No, not using it at all, really.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Just to dump stuff in at the moment.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14When you're in the kitchen area, it's almost as
0:04:14 > 0:04:17if this is a completely separate area, I think, because of the wall.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19If this wall wasn't here,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22then you would be more inclined to just wander through.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25I mean, this doesn't matter in a way.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It's clearly, you know, seen better days.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31I mean, in a way, it shows that good space isn't about the decor -
0:04:31 > 0:04:34it is about the qualities that exist in it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- I think we should look at the rest of the plan.- Yes.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Can you show me the other spaces? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41From the old shop, the long,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44narrow corridor leads to the lounge on the other side.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48This feels like a real rabbit warren
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and then it opens out into this, which is amazing.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- You don't expect this. - It is a great space, isn't it?
0:04:53 > 0:04:57You expect a funny little back parlour
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and yet it is a big grand room.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Lisa wants a new kitchen,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06but actually the whole ground floor needs a total overhaul.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14I want to do everything, but actually Lisa only has £8,000.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The worry for me is that it sounds like an impossible challenge
0:05:18 > 0:05:21but actually, if I'm really careful, it might just be possible.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27I'm going to dive straight into the organisation of this.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32This house would benefit enormously from having a big
0:05:32 > 0:05:36opening into this room, and equivalently, the other side,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38a big opening into your living room.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42I do like open-plan.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44'I think Lisa should create large doorways to open up
0:05:44 > 0:05:47'the ground floor and then put a show-stopping kitchen
0:05:47 > 0:05:50'island at the heart of it, right in front of the shop window.'
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Have you thought about putting the kitchen down this end?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I gave thought to both ends,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00but the end result of that was that it needed to go this end.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- See, I think it needs to go this end.- Oh, do you?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06You could be preparing food right here, while friends were
0:06:06 > 0:06:09dropping in, sitting in the window seat, all that sort of stuff.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13You could live in the kitchen in a slightly more theatrical way
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and get all of your kitchen contained in
0:06:16 > 0:06:19one big kitchen cube.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Really? Never even considered that.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I didn't even know you could do that, really.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28My plan could totally transform this property,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32but Lisa is going to have to keep a tight rein on that 8K budget.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35The critical thing is getting all of the trades to
0:06:35 > 0:06:38happen at the right time
0:06:38 > 0:06:40and I think money is so tight
0:06:40 > 0:06:43that £1,000 spent in the wrong
0:06:43 > 0:06:45place will blow this budget apart.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58In January 2015, engineer Richard and HR manager Julie
0:06:58 > 0:07:02moved from a town in Hampshire to the Shropshire countryside.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Having both suffered serious health problems,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11they wanted a complete change in lifestyle.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Life is too short.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16I just wanted to be close to my family so I could
0:07:16 > 0:07:20see my nephews grow up, and I knew Richard would love it here, too.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24As soon as we got out of the car and saw the location, it was just,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26it was fabulous. It was like it was meant to be.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31The location may be fabulous, but the house they bought isn't.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36They paid just over £300,000 for a tired '60s house
0:07:36 > 0:07:38set in the grounds of a grand hall.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45Stunning building and then we have our bungalow.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47You just look at it and you think, well,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49there's so many things that need changing on it.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Like homes across the country, it's been extended without much thought
0:07:55 > 0:07:57and is now a mishmash of styles.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00It is hideous.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02But the confusion at this house begins the moment you
0:08:02 > 0:08:04arrive at the building.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09This is the front of our house.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Front door, back door, so very confusing when people come in,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15particularly when people come down the drive,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19the door that they see is actually the back door, not the front door.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23The front door leads into a rabbit warren of dark corridors.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26The amazing views are hidden from many of the rooms.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30This is our dining table.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It's in a rather dark part of the kitchen.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36We'd like to have it in a position where we can look
0:08:36 > 0:08:38out of the window from the table.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39It's also covered in crap!
0:08:39 > 0:08:42THEY LAUGH
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Richard and Julie have £40,000
0:08:46 > 0:08:50to try and turn this muddled dark house around.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53We see this as our forever home and so we want to get it right.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56We can't afford to get it wrong.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04Helping transform these homes is my hand-picked team of architects,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07each attempting to create extraordinary spaces
0:09:07 > 0:09:09with ordinary budgets,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and taking on the enormous challenge of Julie and Richard's house
0:09:13 > 0:09:14is Meredith Bowles.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Meredith needs to solve the biggest problems of layout
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and circulation if this house is to work for the couple long-term.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Hi, you must be Meredith. I'm Julie, very pleased to meet you.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29- This is Richard.- Hi, Richard.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32First of all, I suppose we ought to start with this hallway.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35We're stuck in this horrible dark, long, windy corridor
0:09:35 > 0:09:36and, in fact, to get to the kitchen...
0:09:36 > 0:09:38What's the other side of there?
0:09:38 > 0:09:39This is an L-shaped kitchen-diner,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42so we have to go through the lounge to get into the kitchen.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Well, corridors are generally wasted space.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47If you could get rid of corridors, you're better off.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48Take me to the view.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- Probably the best room in the house. - It is. So, things are picking up.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- Do those doors open up? - They do, but the steps are rotten.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59OK, so here's the kitchen.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- It's really dark at that end of the kitchen, as you can see.- It is.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07- This is what's known as miserable. - Yes!
0:10:07 > 0:10:09We can't really have the table round as we'd like to,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13to be to sit round, and I want to be able to have the whole family
0:10:13 > 0:10:15to be able to sit all around together.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18At the moment, you're not using the house, really,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21because you're feeling like you haven't got the right kind of space.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Yeah, that's the problem.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Meredith has been responsible for some of the country's best
0:10:26 > 0:10:27contemporary architecture,
0:10:27 > 0:10:32but also has the rare talent of creating new homes out of old ones.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37He utterly transformed this dated bungalow in Cambridgeshire,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40outside...
0:10:40 > 0:10:42and in,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44but turning Richard and Julie's house around
0:10:44 > 0:10:46will still be a massive challenge.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49The original bungalow wasn't that great to start off with.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52We've got a history of problems to try and put right.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54What was that, I wonder?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I mean, I think you always start with the things that would make
0:10:57 > 0:11:02the biggest practical difference to the way of living.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03So, is it a comfortable house to live in?
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Can people walk in and know where they're going?
0:11:06 > 0:11:10When they get there, it feels like the right place to be?
0:11:10 > 0:11:13The arrangement of space and quality of life,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15that's the first thing to do, I think.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Meredith's first idea would remove one of the doors.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Given that you can't find the door,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31is there a way that this should be or could be the front door?
0:11:31 > 0:11:32Because if that's the case,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36potentially we can get rid of a lot of internal corridor space.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39What it will also do is allow the possibility of
0:11:39 > 0:11:41not having to wait until we go round the corridor
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and round the corner and into the room,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47because you step through the door and you're there straightaway.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50If that's all one room, you've got a huge window here.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Why didn't we think of that?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Meredith's big vision is to tackle the confusing layout
0:11:56 > 0:11:58by having just one entrance.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Blocking up the existing front door
0:12:00 > 0:12:04and making it a window means the internal walls of the corridor
0:12:04 > 0:12:08can go to make a large, open-plan kitchen-diner.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Investing in two new sets of glass doors will improve the way
0:12:13 > 0:12:14the house looks.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Light will flood into the heart of the building
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and will finally make the most of the surrounding countryside.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26When you see it with these square French doors downstairs,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28it doesn't look so offensive.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29It looks more balanced.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32There's a lot to do on 40K here -
0:12:32 > 0:12:34it could easily cost double that.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36If they do pull off this bold plan,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40it could completely change how they feel about their home.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- We fell in love the property because of where it is anyway.- Yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48If we could fall in love with the fabric of the building as well...
0:12:48 > 0:12:49perfect.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Six weeks later, Julie and Richard start on Meredith's plan.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05They've blocked up the old front door and are installing new windows.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Any significant work we do to our homes must be approved
0:13:10 > 0:13:12and signed off by building control.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18It's just great be able to actually see some work taking shape now.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20The couple are replacing more windows and doors
0:13:20 > 0:13:21than Meredith suggested.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25It's costing them £14,000,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29which is more than a quarter of their total budget.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32For Rich and I, we both feel really strongly that they should
0:13:32 > 0:13:33match in terms of shape.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37They should be in proportion to each other,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40so that's why we are spending money
0:13:40 > 0:13:43to replace the windows that are rotten but also the ones...
0:13:43 > 0:13:47a couple of the windows that were actually in pretty good nick.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Before they can refit and redecorate,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51they need to knock some walls down.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Richard is doing as much of the work as he can to save money
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and starts by taking down the kitchen ceiling.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05The joists are running that way and I was hoping they'd run that way,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07which would have been easier.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Unpicking a house is always a risky business as there's no
0:14:10 > 0:14:12telling what you'll find.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Any nasty discovery could end up costing Richard and Julie thousands.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Richard's saving money by doing it himself,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29but Lisa's taking a different approach.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32She's hired local builder Rocky.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35He's quoted just over £6,000 to do the building work,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37leaving just 2K for the new kitchen.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Ah. Looking cleaner now.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48It feels a lot bigger.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50It feels better already, actually.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Next, the builders remove interiors walls to open up the ground floor...
0:15:04 > 0:15:07..and fit two steel beams to support the ceiling.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Whereas we were going with one steel initially,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13the engineer has picked up that we need two steels.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17That's it. Now they can go up.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21This will cost an additional £450,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24but Lisa's already losing track of the finances.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I'm not particularly good at maths,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32so I've avoided adding things up, to be honest.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Yeah.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Unless Lisa keeps control of the costs,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43she could spend all her money before she gets to the interior fit-out,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45leaving her without a kitchen at all.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55In Shropshire, Richard and Julie are embracing Meredith's
0:15:55 > 0:15:59radical plan to improve their confusing, dark home.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Today, Richard is taking down an old low ceiling
0:16:04 > 0:16:06with help from Julie's dad Malcolm.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Yeah, I know. I just want to see what's here.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I mean, that's part of the problem we had with the room anyway, was
0:16:12 > 0:16:16the low ceiling, and the bit where Meredith found it really gloomy.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20If you are able to increase the ceiling height in a room,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23it will make a space feel bigger and brighter.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28A simpler way to tackle dark areas is to invest in good lighting.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Richard and Malcolm are unpicking
0:16:30 > 0:16:32a house which has been chopped and changed for years.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37It seems like the same stuff. This is very compressed.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Is that chipboard?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48They've uncovered an old roof buried in the ceiling.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56The house is more of a bodge than they'd feared.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57Whose idea was this?
0:16:58 > 0:17:00I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end
0:17:00 > 0:17:03but, in the meantime, it's bloody hard work.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05I'm fairly knackered.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08I'm doing seven days a week, I'm doing ten hours at least a day,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10I have been for months.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15I think some days it gets to him how much work he's still to do.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17I certainly don't want Richard to
0:17:17 > 0:17:21get into such a stress over it that he's affecting his health.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24You know it's going to be bad for a while,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27but the bad time is going on and on.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I fear that, with these setbacks, Richard and Julie have
0:17:31 > 0:17:33totally lost faith in their home.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Meredith and I need to come up with a plan.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41In a way, this house is typical of many houses built in the 1960s.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44It's been extended over the years and no-one has ever really
0:17:44 > 0:17:47considered it as a piece of architecture or as a complete
0:17:47 > 0:17:48building, even, have they?
0:17:48 > 0:17:52It's ended up being a mishmash of things that has never really
0:17:52 > 0:17:54hung together - it's true.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It looks like a building that no-one has ever really loved, as well.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59That's the biggest problem, I think.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01I think Richard and Julie don't love it either.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04The challenge is to get them to see there's something
0:18:04 > 0:18:07good about the 1960s that they can get excited about.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13The mid-20th century was a radical era for architecture.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17Houses were often oblong-shaped with plain walls clad in concrete
0:18:17 > 0:18:18tiles or vertical timbers.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26It will be interesting to see what Richard and Julie make of this
0:18:26 > 0:18:30house, which, like theirs, started life as something fairly ordinary.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34And what they've done is not huge but it's transformed the house.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36OK, so this is the house I wanted to bring you to.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39I thought our house was ugly when it was first built,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43but the original building here is probably even worse...if anything.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Come on in.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Wow, look at all the colour.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Originally built in 1967,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58this house has recently been extended and remodelled.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00It's now flooded with light,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03making it feel larger with views extending beyond the rooms.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06But that is beautiful. I love that.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Making Julie and Richard's new living areas feel connected
0:19:09 > 0:19:11is critical to their success.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Meredith wants them to consider using one material throughout.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18There's something to me about the consistency of this,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21having so much of the timber, which is really appealing.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23So rather than thinking of the living room
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and the dining room as two separate spaces,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I think it would end up feeling much bigger
0:19:28 > 0:19:30if you managed to unite the two.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33There would be ways in which you could get the quality
0:19:33 > 0:19:35of these expensive finishes
0:19:35 > 0:19:39without rebuilding your house out of solid Douglas fir.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Cheaper alternatives to Douglas fir are widely available,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44like Scandinavian Redwood,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46but any wood you do use
0:19:46 > 0:19:49must be coated to restrict the spread of fire.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53As an interior finish, wood is a great way you can bring pattern
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and texture into a room as an alternative to wallpaper.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59It also saves on the cost of plastering.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02I love the patterning through this particular wood.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04I think this is really nice.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08This has already given me an idea for what we could do in the kitchen.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10The architects, Maccreanor Lavington, have also punched
0:20:10 > 0:20:12a hole into the room next door -
0:20:12 > 0:20:16a simple design trick you can do to link rooms in a house.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20This part of the wall has been removed, which allows you not only
0:20:20 > 0:20:23to see onto the next room, but you see right out into the street,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25so you get borrowed light and view.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27I think it's great.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30We talked about putting some glass bricks in to borrow the light
0:20:30 > 0:20:32through from the lounge,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35but actually I like the fact you've got the view way beyond.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40These standard flat pack units have been given a '60s feel
0:20:40 > 0:20:44with a striking citrus colour and sourcing different handles.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47You can do this by spraying or hand-painting basic white units.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Vintage furniture doesn't crowd the living room
0:20:52 > 0:20:54and adds to the period feel.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57You can find originals in antique shops,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00or good reproductions are available on the high street.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02So when we first got out of the car
0:21:02 > 0:21:06and saw a row of '60s terraced properties, I think
0:21:06 > 0:21:09we wondered what on earth we were going to be shown inside.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14But actually this one, as '60s go, I think is quite attractive.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18There's so many good ideas
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I'd like to incorporate in our house if we can.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33In Derbyshire, most of the structural work is complete but
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Lisa is having second thoughts about where the kitchen island should go.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42The design for the kitchen is still up in the air,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46so I've got to try and make some decisions over the next day or so.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Well, today or tomorrow.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Well, if we don't get the information in time then, yeah,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54definitely, it will delay the build.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59I think Lisa is struggling
0:21:59 > 0:22:01to see how the kitchen will work in the space,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05so I've arranged to take her to a mill in Bath that's now a home.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I think the kitchen really needs to be more than something that's just
0:22:09 > 0:22:13tucked away in a corner of the room, and I want to show her and Max
0:22:13 > 0:22:16a kitchen that is the dominant feature of a space.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Wow. Well, this is amazing, isn't it?
0:22:23 > 0:22:25This relationship between the kitchen
0:22:25 > 0:22:27and the living space is what you'll have at your place.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I think we should go down and have a look.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35This dramatic open-plan room has been created from
0:22:35 > 0:22:38an old cow barn on the side of the main building.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Feels completely different when you're down the stairs, doesn't it?
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Yes.- Wow, look at the view, Max.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49You can see here how important it is to have a kitchen island
0:22:49 > 0:22:51that actually faces the room.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Cooking is a social activity, isn't it?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58And this sort of shows that the dialogue you have here with that
0:22:58 > 0:23:01table is really important because this will be as it is for you.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Yes. Yeah. Apart from we've not got that beautiful view, of course.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08But you've got a great view out onto a street,
0:23:08 > 0:23:09which I think is beautiful.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12And there's also just this very finished,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16polished kitchen in what was quite a rough space.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24The reason I wanted to show you this house is that there's
0:23:24 > 0:23:27such a range of different textures and materials.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30There's timber. This is plywood with steel on top.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32There's this spray-painted MDF.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37The lesson here is that you don't have to follow
0:23:37 > 0:23:40the rules of the usual kitchen showrooms.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Threefold Architects have combined a bright designer Italian kitchen
0:23:44 > 0:23:48with a basic, poured concrete floor and rustic, unfinished walls.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Stainless steel is an expensive option for a worktop.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57A trick for more modest budgets is to avoid the obvious.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And also the thing I'm really interested in is whether you have
0:24:00 > 0:24:03something that is the standard thickness, which this is, or -
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and I really want to persuade you to do this -
0:24:06 > 0:24:09to have something that is really thick.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10Something that thick.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15That is 80mm, so that's twice as thick as a normal worktop.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Then actually having timber or something else in something
0:24:18 > 0:24:21that was chunky and something that spoke of the history
0:24:21 > 0:24:24of the butcher's shop, with a reference to a butcher's block.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28- That could be really good, couldn't it?- Yeah, I definitely like chunky.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Yeah.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33You really don't have to do what everyone else does when
0:24:33 > 0:24:37creating a kitchen and I want Lisa to be really brave with her choices.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43I've got quite a few ideas from it, particularly
0:24:43 > 0:24:48the layout of things, the colour of things, using different textures.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52I think the really exciting thing is encouraging you to be really
0:24:52 > 0:24:55bold in that space and do something that's incredibly bright,
0:24:55 > 0:25:00and not do something that's beige, and, you know, actually celebrate
0:25:00 > 0:25:04the fact that it's a non-domestic space, or was a non-domestic space,
0:25:04 > 0:25:05it was a butcher's shop,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and do something that's colourful and beautiful.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18In Shropshire, Richard and Julie have opened up the ground floor
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and can now get on with the interior fit-out.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Despite tackling most of the work themselves, they're already
0:25:24 > 0:25:27forecasting an overspend on their £40,000 budget.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31I am worried about the budget and
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I'm sure I haven't got everything listed in my spreadsheet yet.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39They now must fit out the interior as cheaply as possible.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Julie and Richard need a massive 80m of flooring.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Meredith is on a mission to find a cheap solution
0:25:45 > 0:25:48which adds some quality to their bodged-up home.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57He's brought them to a derelict school
0:25:57 > 0:26:01and has a radical strategy for finding some high quality materials.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Is this looking promising for you? - It's looking very exciting.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Amazing, yeah. I didn't expect this at all.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11It's looking a bit crabby from outside
0:26:11 > 0:26:13but there's some exciting stuff inside.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16How are you doing at the moment on unifying that space we
0:26:16 > 0:26:17talked about last time?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20I think the issue we've got now is budget for the flooring because...
0:26:20 > 0:26:22What are you looking at using at the moment?
0:26:22 > 0:26:25We wanted to use some kind of...probably wood effect.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30- No! Wood effect?! Eurgh! - Stick down vinyl flooring.- How much?
0:26:30 > 0:26:33But that would be thousands anyway because of the amount of space
0:26:33 > 0:26:36we're looking at, and we just don't have that money now...
0:26:36 > 0:26:38So it's thousands of pounds for wood effect.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Demolition sites are exciting because you're seeing,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46like a magpie, what you can take out of a place.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48This is all going to be skipped basically
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and, inside there, there's some fantastic material that
0:26:52 > 0:26:56I'm sure we can find use for in Richard and Julie's house.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Most demolition sites aren't open to the public,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03so another way you can find salvaged materials is to look out
0:27:03 > 0:27:05for local houses being refurbished.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Ooh. How about this for kitchen doors then?
0:27:08 > 0:27:10The handles are pretty cute, don't you think?
0:27:10 > 0:27:15- They're not bad, are they? - Wow, look at this.- Oh, wow.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20- Remember your old school hall? - I do. I do. Crikey.- Nice floor.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- It's like a proper dance floor, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25HE HUMS A TUNE
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Didn't know we could dance.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- You're a dab hand at that, aren't you?- We met dancing.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33- Haven't done it for a few years. - Oh, my goodness.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35I've never done it in safety shoes.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39- You definitely need to this floor in your house.- We do need this floor.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- Perfect.- Is this similar to the fake one you're thinking of having?
0:27:42 > 0:27:46- It's better cos it's real. - So this is pretty solid stuff.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47These are all tongue and groove,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51so I think they'll be able to go back down pretty well.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52The wood looks great but how
0:27:52 > 0:27:54on earth would we get all that stuff off the back?
0:27:54 > 0:27:56We wouldn't lay it like that, would we?
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Obviously, this old bitumen, that needs to come off.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04There's a bit of work to clean them up but, you know, this stuff's free.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Parquet flooring is hard wearing and low-maintenance.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Bought new, it starts at around £40 per square metre
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and would cost Julie and Richard over £3,000.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Had you thought about how you might lay it?
0:28:20 > 0:28:23This is obviously in a chevron pattern.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I must admit, I do like that.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28This is the most complicated way of laying it, I suppose.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- OK.- Yeah.- So that'll take a bit of time, then.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33You could do other, simpler ones.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36There's one that we've used before, which is making it much
0:28:36 > 0:28:40easier where you're just using the same pieces like that,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43and it means that, if you go slightly wrong, it doesn't matter
0:28:43 > 0:28:45if they don't quite align.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50- That sounds good.- I always refer to that as a train track pattern.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52You know, if they can get these materials,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56then they'll make such a big impact, it's going to transform the house.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01This vintage parquet is a staggeringly good find,
0:29:01 > 0:29:05but they'll need to put in time and effort to clean it up.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09We can save money by using these new materials that are salvaged,
0:29:09 > 0:29:13but then there's more work to get them ready for us to use.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17We've got so many things we are doing, we haven't got the money
0:29:17 > 0:29:22to pay anyone to do it, so it's just a matter of slogging along with it.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25They go ahead and salvage the parquet flooring.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28I've got to get it unloaded at the other end.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35Richard begins hand cleaning the old bitumen from the tiles.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39It's a great cost saving move but is a monumental task.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43When I first started doing these, I could do 20 in an hour,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45so I cut down on the amount of cleaning I did
0:29:45 > 0:29:49and managed to get it up to 40 in an hour.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Richard is a real perfectionist.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53He wants to be able to do things in his own time and his own way,
0:29:53 > 0:29:55and do it right, and, to be honest,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58although sometimes it's frustrating that things take longer than
0:29:58 > 0:30:02I might imagine they're going to take, at the end of the day,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05you know, there's a good finish. It's worth it.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08It's definitely worth it. He does a good job.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10I could probably not bother with this edge
0:30:10 > 0:30:14but I like doing things thoroughly, so...
0:30:15 > 0:30:18To be honest, I wouldn't have done it.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21There's no way I would have wanted to spend all that time doing it.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35Back in Derbyshire, the builders are fitting Lisa's new kitchen units.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37She's spent £1,200 on them.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Her £8,000 pot is now all spent
0:30:40 > 0:30:43and she's forced to dip into life savings.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47It's a classic problem - running out of money when it matters most.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54We have to start thinking outside of the box because the budget has gone,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58so anything over and above that is not good really,
0:30:58 > 0:31:04so everything's got to be finished off as cheaply as possible now.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08Lisa has decided to stick with my original plan for the kitchen
0:31:08 > 0:31:12but, at the moment, it's a blank, white canvas and risks being bland.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15It's essential she doesn't choose the cheapest, bog-standard
0:31:15 > 0:31:17finishes just to get it done.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21I don't want anything really naff.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Obviously, spending all this money and then having a naff kitchen...
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Lisa's only has a tiny amount of money left to finish her project,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33but just because she's got a very small amount of money left
0:31:33 > 0:31:36doesn't mean she needs to limit her ambition in terms of what
0:31:36 > 0:31:38this new kitchen is going to feel like.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41There's an awful lot she can do with very little.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46I'm back with some low-cost design tricks that could make the interior
0:31:46 > 0:31:51amazing, but only if she's willing to think differently about finishes.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55- Hi, Lisa. How are you doing?- Hi. All right. You?- Good to see you.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00Look at this. Wow. And you've got the kitchen in as well.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02I mean, this looks amazing.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04It's very light, isn't it?
0:32:04 > 0:32:08But now some of the character is in danger of going.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10- Do you know what I mean?- Yes.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15It feels as if this could be any number of sort of refurbs.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18I think coming in and seeing something amazing on that wall,
0:32:18 > 0:32:23which has some of the drama of the old shop, could be amazing.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28It may seem crazy to add back in some tiles,
0:32:28 > 0:32:34but what about adding back in an enormous wall of tiles above that?
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Tiles would be good because the oven's there,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39so that would protect the wall.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Specifically, what about black and white tiles?
0:32:42 > 0:32:44- Mm, good.- OK, good.
0:32:44 > 0:32:49- Lisa, I've brought a few packs of tiles.- Oh, I like those.
0:32:49 > 0:32:50- I do, too.- Yeah.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53They actually look like the sort of tiles that would have been here.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56- Yes.- There's lots of ways you can arrange these.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00'These are from a DIY store and a bargain at just 36p each.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02'I love simple black and white tiles
0:33:02 > 0:33:05'because they suit period and modern homes.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08'They're versatile and a cheap way you can bring a smart,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11'classic feel to hallways, bathrooms or kitchens.'
0:33:11 > 0:33:14I mean, I really like them like this and you can see how different
0:33:14 > 0:33:19it is if you do something that is stretcher bonded, which is that.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23By stretcher bonded, it's like a brick wall, basically,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26and then you would go back to that.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30But there's a sort of simplicity to this,
0:33:30 > 0:33:34which is really clean and sort of refreshing, isn't it?
0:33:34 > 0:33:37It's a pretty cost-effective way of doing something amazing, I think.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39And, of course, they're practical
0:33:39 > 0:33:42because this is where your cooker is.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44'Following on from our trip to the old mill, I'd like to
0:33:44 > 0:33:48'show Lisa how she could inject colour into her new kitchen.'
0:33:49 > 0:33:54So, looking at this now, there are lots of places you could add colour.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56I mean, what colours do you like?
0:33:56 > 0:33:59I'd start probably by choosing warmer colours.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- That's quite a warm colour, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07And that is a very nice warm colour.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10Actually, I think that is a very warm colour.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12I mean, it's quite theatrical.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17'Many people worry about using strong colours but don't be scared -
0:34:17 > 0:34:20'it's a great way to add character and drama to a room.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22'The trick is to add accents of colour where they'll make
0:34:22 > 0:34:24'the biggest difference.'
0:34:24 > 0:34:27The new opening, these doors need...
0:34:27 > 0:34:30I'm kind of thinking a sort of aubergine colour -
0:34:30 > 0:34:32something sort of deep and rich.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36I think dark colours can suck the light out of rooms,
0:34:36 > 0:34:37but this is so bright now,
0:34:37 > 0:34:41and there's also something about acknowledging the Victorian aspect
0:34:41 > 0:34:45of this and, in a way, these dark colours are quite sort of Victorian.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47I think doing this on those doors
0:34:47 > 0:34:50and the architrave could look amazing.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53I think that the inside of the lights, you could have some
0:34:53 > 0:34:57fun with and spray them yellow or something.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00'Painting the inside of lights with a bright yellow is another
0:35:00 > 0:35:02'really useful design trick.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04'It gives a warm glow and helps brighten a room
0:35:04 > 0:35:07'even on the dullest days.'
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Paint those as blocks of colour.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12'Colour could also be used to make an eye-popping
0:35:12 > 0:35:14'feature of the kitchen island.'
0:35:14 > 0:35:18What if that was an amazing colour, that side and this side?
0:35:18 > 0:35:22- I can't really imagine it.- You look shocked.- Yeah.- It's pretty bold.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26- Is it going to look really naff or cheap?- Red is a universal colour.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29It doesn't date, it doesn't age, anything goes with it,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32but the brilliance of it in here would just be amazing.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36Lisa's yet to be convinced, so I want her to see first-hand
0:35:36 > 0:35:39how colour could make a big difference to her home.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43As you can see, I've brought you somewhere really glamorous.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49A car body shop might be an unlikely place to be experimenting
0:35:49 > 0:35:53with home furnishings, but the guys here are experts at spray painting.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57'I want to use their skills to create colourful fixtures
0:35:57 > 0:35:59'and fittings for Lisa's kitchen.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03'You can find places like this in every town and city.'
0:36:03 > 0:36:08What we'd like to get is something really bright and glossy.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Yeah? What sort of colour are you after?
0:36:10 > 0:36:13I think, for this, we'd like to look at tomato red, something
0:36:13 > 0:36:18very bright. And for the inside of the light, maybe a bright yellow.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22For the red, something like a motorcycle colour?
0:36:22 > 0:36:25- These are motorbike colours, are they?- Ducati red that is.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28- So, that's pretty nice, isn't it? - Mm.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32- It's bright.- Very bright. It's beautiful, actually, that, isn't it?
0:36:32 > 0:36:34'After prepping, the surfaces
0:36:34 > 0:36:36'are sprayed with commercial vehicle paint.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39'It creates a resilient and hard-wearing finish.'
0:36:39 > 0:36:41The moment of reckoning.
0:36:41 > 0:36:42It's going on now.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45'Any paint you use must be fit for purpose.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49'It's worth checking the label or with the manufacturers.'
0:36:49 > 0:36:51It's really lustrous.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53- What do you reckon?- I love it.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I think the red will look great with the black and white actually.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02'Here, they charge £42 per hour for spray painting.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06'The trick is to get multiple items sprayed in one go to make it
0:37:06 > 0:37:07'more cost-effective.'
0:37:09 > 0:37:12I think it looks amazing, that. It's also so unexpected inside a light.
0:37:12 > 0:37:18- Yeah.- It's getting a little bit of colour that'll have a big effect.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Wow.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25- I love that colour.- And it's a beautiful finish as well, isn't it?
0:37:25 > 0:37:27With the light on it. It's amazing, that, isn't it?
0:37:27 > 0:37:31So, the red is great but I think the lights are beautiful.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36- I'm amazed by that.- Wow. - Imagine that with a light in it.
0:37:36 > 0:37:42And somehow keeping the outside black...
0:37:42 > 0:37:45I mean, the sort of contrast between the black outside
0:37:45 > 0:37:49and the yellow inside is really amazing, isn't it?
0:37:49 > 0:37:53- Yeah. I love it. Yeah, definitely. - Good.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55It's great Lisa likes the test we've done,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58but it's up to her to take the idea forward.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08In Shropshire, Richard and Julie's kitchen units have been fitted
0:38:08 > 0:38:11and they've invested £1,700 in a granite worktop.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16They've started decorating but, like many of us, they're doing the
0:38:16 > 0:38:20bog-standard thing - pale colours on the walls and a white ceiling.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27While I'm encouraging Lisa to think about small accents of colour,
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Meredith's been hard at work on a bigger scheme for
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Richard and Julie's walls.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33- Hello again.- Hello.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35But will they be brave enough to go for it?
0:38:35 > 0:38:38So you recognise the place, then?
0:38:38 > 0:38:41The first thing he wants them to do is paint the base of the
0:38:41 > 0:38:45kitchen island a strong, dark colour to enhance the expensive granite.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Shall we have a look at one of the cupboard doors?
0:38:49 > 0:38:50This is one of the doors.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Would it be better if it was a darker colour?
0:38:53 > 0:38:56This will look slightly different against it.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58I don't know whether we've got anything...
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Well, my bag is a reddy colour.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05- You know, suddenly, I think... - Looks totally different.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08This has a very different quality against that
0:39:08 > 0:39:09than it does against this.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12This is picking up the kind of whites in it.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14This, suddenly, the grey has become richer.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17This will suddenly really sing.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20I must admit, that's a very dark colour,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22which I'm a little bit surprised by.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24We'd never have thought of that,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26but I actually think it makes it stand up
0:39:26 > 0:39:27- and say, "Look at me."- Yeah.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31And this is the crowning glory of the kitchen, so...
0:39:31 > 0:39:32It totally is.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36But Meredith has a bigger change he wants them to consider
0:39:36 > 0:39:39that goes against what we all do when painting a room.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41You can see the whole thing in situ.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44He wants them to repaint the walls white to disguise the cheap
0:39:44 > 0:39:48white units and then put the colour on the ceiling instead.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50That looks a bit brighter, doesn't it?
0:39:50 > 0:39:52By having the colour around the kitchen,
0:39:52 > 0:39:58it's making those cabinets a centrepiece on that wall.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03What I was thinking is, if you make the wall sort of disappear,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06you're not interested in the walls, they are just white
0:40:06 > 0:40:08and the cupboards are white, and they all sort of go together
0:40:08 > 0:40:10and you've got this fantastic thing
0:40:10 > 0:40:12full of the richness in the middle of the room,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16you've got a really beautiful floor with a lot of lustre
0:40:16 > 0:40:18and warmth to it, and you have a contrasting
0:40:18 > 0:40:21ceiling in a complementary colour, which is the colour that you
0:40:21 > 0:40:26love, which... This ceiling is now really high enough to take that
0:40:26 > 0:40:29and that is going to be more unusual.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33And the reason to do that is to make everything feel a bit bigger
0:40:33 > 0:40:36and then have the surprising sandwich of colours
0:40:36 > 0:40:38of the ceiling and the floor.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41I think that would work well.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Yeah... I'm not sure I'm totally convinced by all that.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48We could end up with a sea of white, couldn't we?
0:40:48 > 0:40:49It would be really flat.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52You won't be without that sense of colour.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54You would experience it in a different way.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58It could be stronger, a bit punchier...
0:40:59 > 0:41:04..and make this really work more for you, having invested in this.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10Exhausted after months of hard work, is Meredith's bold colour scheme
0:41:10 > 0:41:12just too much for them at this late stage?
0:41:20 > 0:41:24In Derbyshire, it's the last push to finish Lisa's new kitchen.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29She's learning the lesson about accents of colour
0:41:29 > 0:41:33and has decided to paint the double doors.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35I wasn't sure how to introduce colour into the room.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39You sort of think that you need to introduce colour into the walls
0:41:39 > 0:41:41when, actually, you don't.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45You can just use colour with accessories.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49- What do you think to the purple, Max?- I like purple.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52- It's one of my favourite colours. - Is it?- Yeah.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Lisa has returned to the car body shop with some more low-cost
0:41:56 > 0:41:57light fittings for spray painting.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- Can I leave that with you? - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02- I'll get them ready for you for tomorrow.- Oh, great.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- Thank you very much. Bye. - See you soon.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I've shown Lisa lots of design ideas for this build,
0:42:08 > 0:42:10from colour to tiles to worktops.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Together they could give her a stunning kitchen,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16a far cry from the derelict butcher's shop.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17But has she pulled it off?
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Oh, wow.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Three and a half months after my first visit,
0:42:27 > 0:42:29I'm back in Derbyshire.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32I've tried to give Lisa a vision and guide her at key
0:42:32 > 0:42:35points of this project, but it's always been a struggle with
0:42:35 > 0:42:39such a small budget converting this butcher's shop into her home.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43Previously, the ground floor had the old shop on one side
0:42:43 > 0:42:45and a lounge on the other.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47It was divided and disconnected.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49The makeshift kitchen was a nightmare
0:42:49 > 0:42:52and there was nowhere for Lisa and Max to eat together.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59I know Lisa ran out of money a while ago, so how far has she got?
0:42:59 > 0:43:02- Hi, Lisa.- Hi. - How are you doing?- Come in.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04- Look at this.- Yeah.- Wow.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09'Lisa went for my idea of big openings to link the ground floor.'
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Are you glad now that you've made these openings?
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Oh, yeah. I love it. Absolutely love it. It works really well,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17especially when you've got both sets of doors open.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20It's almost like an open-plan feel.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22That purple is working really, really well.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25I'm dying to open them and see what's beyond. Can I do that?
0:43:25 > 0:43:27Yes, absolutely.
0:43:35 > 0:43:40This is fantastic. This is amazing. Really amazing.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42I almost can't believe it.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45To think this was two dingy rooms
0:43:45 > 0:43:49and now it feels like the most amazing kitchen.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52It's better than just a kitchen because it really celebrates
0:43:52 > 0:43:56the fact that this did used to be a big butcher's shop.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Lisa's put the new kitchen island at the front of the old shop,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02creating a fantastic space to cook and prepare food.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07I think what's great is that this island,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10which probably seems, again, a bit of an indulgence,
0:44:10 > 0:44:15having something that took up so much space, really makes sense now.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19Yes. And the thick worktop and the lights and the tiles, it's all...
0:44:19 > 0:44:23- Yeah.- ..just like a butcher's shop, really.- Absolutely.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Lisa took my advice and went for a really chunky worktop.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35She bought beech ones from an online auction.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39Then her builder just doubled them up to create an 80mm thick one.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Just taking standard worktops and doubling them up,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47and then cutting the edges square, really is so much more effective
0:44:47 > 0:44:51than a very expensive bit of granite or marble,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54or even stainless steel or something.
0:44:54 > 0:44:55What I like about it is that these
0:44:55 > 0:44:58are ordinary things that anybody could do.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01These aren't super high-end, expensive things.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06The tiles are so dramatic.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Coming in and seeing them,
0:45:09 > 0:45:15it's amazing what you can do with 120 very standard tiles, isn't it?
0:45:15 > 0:45:19The checkerboard arrangement of tiles adds character to the room
0:45:19 > 0:45:20and cheaply, too.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23This whole wall of tiles cost just £52.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30And then these lights, which you've had sprayed up the yellow again.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32The lights were sourced online
0:45:32 > 0:45:34and then spray painted at the car body shop.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37They cost less than £40 each.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39As well as thinking about how lights look in a room,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42it's important to consider where you place them.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45These lights work really well because there's just two
0:45:45 > 0:45:50groups of four where you need them, which is over these two key areas.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52I think it's interesting with all this white,
0:45:52 > 0:45:56and the brightness of that afternoon light coming in, that actually
0:45:56 > 0:46:00it could have felt quite stark without a bit of colour,
0:46:00 > 0:46:02but the lights do give a really warm glow,
0:46:02 > 0:46:05don't they, with that yellow inside?
0:46:05 > 0:46:09In the evening and night, it is a very warm light.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Very... It gives a very homely feel.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16There really was something abandoned about this space, I think,
0:46:16 > 0:46:20when you bought this house. How does it feel to be in here now?
0:46:20 > 0:46:25I'm still enjoying that newness of it and the space is amazing.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Lisa's been brave enough to go for lots of low-cost design
0:46:31 > 0:46:33ideas for this kitchen, except one.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35I think it's just like the drawing.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38I mean, the only thing that isn't like the drawing is
0:46:38 > 0:46:40- the cupboards aren't... - Red.- They aren't red.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43But they could be at some future dates, couldn't they?
0:46:43 > 0:46:44In future, yeah.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47I also really want to go and sit down at the table
0:46:47 > 0:46:50because this is where it all started.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53Lisa's whole reason for taking on this project was to have
0:46:53 > 0:46:57a family kitchen she and Max could finally eat together in.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59How does Max feel about this space?
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Oh, he loves it. He really loves it.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06As soon as the worktop went on, he wanted to do some baking.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Lisa, initially, you had a budget of about £8,000
0:47:08 > 0:47:11to make a new kitchen here.
0:47:11 > 0:47:12How much have you ended up spending?
0:47:12 > 0:47:16- It's definitely over budget. - How much over do you think?
0:47:16 > 0:47:18Probably at least 2,000.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20So...about £10,000.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22I think you've done an amazing amount for the money.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25- A lot of people would spend £10,000 on a kitchen.- That's right, yeah.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28- It's the whole thing. The whole thing.- The whole thing.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33The kitchen and opened-up ground floor have transformed this
0:47:33 > 0:47:36property from a disused shop and an unloved living room
0:47:36 > 0:47:38into a fresh, contemporary home.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44I think what Lisa has done here is to show that design is really
0:47:44 > 0:47:47affordable and really accessible.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49It isn't something out of the reach of ordinary people
0:47:49 > 0:47:53and everybody could end up with a kitchen as good as Lisa's.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08In Shropshire, Richard is starting to lay the reclaimed parquet floor.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10Having hand-cleaned all the blocks,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13his next challenge is to fit them.
0:48:13 > 0:48:14Right, let's get this open.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Hm.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22If anyone's got any advice, feel free to chip in.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Richard's using a special parquet flooring adhesive to glue
0:48:29 > 0:48:34the pieces in place, but he's never attempted anything like this before.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Right, here goes nothing!
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Scary stuff, this.
0:48:41 > 0:48:42Now, then...
0:48:45 > 0:48:47The couple are going for the straight train-track pattern
0:48:47 > 0:48:49suggested by Meredith.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52It's a race against time to get them in the correct position.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56This stuff's meant to dry in about 20 minutes,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59so you want to make sure you put it in the right place.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07Richard's laying the floor from the centre of the room
0:49:07 > 0:49:09and then working outwards.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13I marked this out last night and made sure it's going
0:49:13 > 0:49:18straight across the room rather than... Like you say, if you start
0:49:18 > 0:49:21in the corner, you'll probably end up with it looking a bit funny.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23It's all a bit of a toss up cos you'll have parts of it
0:49:23 > 0:49:28that are going to be awkward anyway, whatever way you do it, I think.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31Richard and Julie have worked tirelessly for months to get
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Meredith's vision, but will all the effort be worth it?
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Nine tiles down so far.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Only another, what, 1,500, 1,600 to go?
0:49:42 > 0:49:43Yeah, 1,600 for this room.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Seven months since his first visit,
0:49:51 > 0:49:55Meredith is back to see if they've managed to transform the dark
0:49:55 > 0:49:58and confusing home into a light-filled and well-ordered one.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03Well, I'm really intrigued to see the quality of the interior.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05I mean, when it's a building site, you get a good idea
0:50:05 > 0:50:08but it's not until it's finally painted
0:50:08 > 0:50:12and finished that you really get a sense of what it's like to live in.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Before, the house had mismatched windows, a disastrous layout
0:50:15 > 0:50:18and two confusing entrances.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20Has Meredith's plan changed all that?
0:50:20 > 0:50:24- Look at this!- What do you think? - Look at this. It's fantastic.
0:50:24 > 0:50:25Isn't it great?
0:50:25 > 0:50:29You walk down the driveway and it's just in front of you.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31There's no confusion at all. It's the way in.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33And, of course, with my new kitchen window,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36I can see when people come to the door.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38- Yeah.- You think, "Ah, we have a visitor."
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Right, let's go inside, out of the cold.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44Previously, the kitchen was impractical and gloomy.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47The dining area, with its low ceiling, was the darkest part.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Meredith encouraged them to knock through into the corridor,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55improving the layout and creating a new, larger kitchen-diner.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56So, what's the result?
0:51:05 > 0:51:08- Oh, wow. Look at this.- What do you think?
0:51:08 > 0:51:10That is fantastic.
0:51:10 > 0:51:15The light and space, it's so different. It seems huge.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21Especially from the last time you were here and the walls were dark.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26- Yeah, so...- You remember that.- I do remember that. I do remember that.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31So, the space here is fantastic, isn't it?
0:51:31 > 0:51:33And these new windows give...
0:51:33 > 0:51:35It opens the whole lot out.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Julie and Richard at last have a dining area where they can eat
0:51:39 > 0:51:42and enjoy those amazing views.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45I mean, instead of being in a corner
0:51:45 > 0:51:49and away from the reason you bought the place in the first instance,
0:51:49 > 0:51:53now the place where you're able to sit and enjoy
0:51:53 > 0:51:56is between the garden and the cooking,
0:51:56 > 0:52:00instead of being tucked away in that miserable corner over there.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04- We don't miss the dark, gloomy corner there.- No.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07What a nice place to be able to have dinner.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11The white table and transparent chairs, which cost just £65 each,
0:52:11 > 0:52:13help add to the feeling of space.
0:52:15 > 0:52:16So, who bagsed the best view?
0:52:16 > 0:52:19Well, that's me, obviously. It's a cook's prerogative.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22But there are no bad seats in this table cos you get the views
0:52:22 > 0:52:26- all through the different windows and the mirrors.- It's true.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34- And you've done the floor. - Yeah.- Look at that.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37Was that...? That must have been hard, Richard.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40There was a lot of effort, time - most of it cleaning them.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45Richard spent 40 hours cleaning the bitumen off the bottom of the tiles.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49- That's a lot of work.- Yes. - But what do you think of the effect?
0:52:49 > 0:52:52- Absolutely worth it. - Chuffed with that.- We love it.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55But the main thing, isn't it, that it just adds to a kind
0:52:55 > 0:53:01of layer of history, of weight, of authenticity, of real materials?
0:53:01 > 0:53:04It's lovely the way these different colours come up in it.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06- I think it looks beautiful. - Great, yeah.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08The only costs?
0:53:08 > 0:53:11For transportation and adhesive, just £300.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- It's a priceless floor for £300. - Exactly.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21Despite initial reservations, Richard and Julie have
0:53:21 > 0:53:26been brave enough to go with Meredith's colour scheme.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29So I love the combination of the colour of the floor
0:53:29 > 0:53:31against the colour of the ceiling.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33I think that was a really good choice,
0:53:33 > 0:53:35the kind of greeny, grey colour.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37I love the greeny, blue colour,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40but when you said about putting it on the ceiling...
0:53:40 > 0:53:41But it works so well.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45And I love the freshness, the brightness of the white walls.
0:53:45 > 0:53:50You know, now these cabinets just sort of disappear in with that.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53I think, to me, that feels really spacious, bright.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58And you have a kind of sandwich between the warmth of the floor
0:53:58 > 0:54:01and the depth of the colour in the ceiling.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05A bit like sitting under the canopy of a tree, where the vista is the
0:54:05 > 0:54:09space and there's something that's sort of protective above your head.
0:54:09 > 0:54:10- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15The colours are tied together with a painting created by Richard's
0:54:15 > 0:54:18daughter, blown up into a stunning piece of wall art.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22I love the scale and the size of this, which is now, you know,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24it's the size of the wall.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26It's a real impact when you come in the room.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30Printed by a company they found online, it cost £100 and came with
0:54:30 > 0:54:34an adhesive backing so they could stick it straight onto the wall.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38And the contrast is why it works colour-wise, as well, isn't it?
0:54:38 > 0:54:41So, you know, picking up the reds and yellows which come from the
0:54:41 > 0:54:45floor and then the greens and the blues which come from the ceiling.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48- And this contrasting base works really well.- Yeah.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51Gives it a weight in the centre of the room,
0:54:51 > 0:54:53which is what I was hoping it would do.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57We'd have never had the courage to put a colour that dark on anything
0:54:57 > 0:55:01and, when you explained how it makes the worktop shine,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04then we just decided to go for it and we love it.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06We do love it.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09Meredith's solved the fundamental problem of layout
0:55:09 > 0:55:11and circulation in this house.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14So you used to come in from over there, didn't you?
0:55:17 > 0:55:21So now this connection between the two, it's so completely different.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25So now it's just a sense of the whole thing being one space.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28But it's still got a cosy corner, which I really wanted for a lounge.
0:55:28 > 0:55:29Yeah.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34Inspired by their trip to the '60s house,
0:55:34 > 0:55:37the couple have punched a hole between the living room and kitchen
0:55:37 > 0:55:42and, in a cost-saving move, even recycled parts of the old house.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47- That's a double glazing unit taken out of the old windows.- Brilliant.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50- A bit of up-cycling there. - Re-used. Yeah.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56And this space is now just much more generously proportioned, isn't it?
0:55:56 > 0:55:58It does, it feels more generous.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01You've got the added bonus that, if someone comes to the front door,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04you can just stand up from over there and see who it is.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Previously, the exterior was tired and mismatched.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Richard and Julie hated how their house looked
0:56:12 > 0:56:14compared to the grand hall next door.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20Let's just walk down and see how the house looks against the hall.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25It's been a lot of work but it just looks a million times better.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28It's no longer embarrassing next to the hall.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31So it was expensive, wasn't it?
0:56:31 > 0:56:34The amount of money you put in to change all the windows.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37It's not 100% symmetry across the back of the house
0:56:37 > 0:56:40but it's balanced now.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45So this transformation has been a huge amount of work.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48It seems that Richard has done an awful lot of that.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51I'm so proud of him. He has just put in so many hours.
0:56:51 > 0:56:52I think he has had one day off,
0:56:52 > 0:56:54where he hasn't been working on the house,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56in all the months we've been working on it.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01He's done a fantastic job and he knows how proud I am of him.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03Their commitment to this project has been extraordinary,
0:57:03 > 0:57:05but how has their 40k budget fared?
0:57:07 > 0:57:10So, after all of that effort,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12and you've got to this point,
0:57:12 > 0:57:14how much has it actually cost you?
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Well, we had 40,000 set aside for renovating the house,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22we've actually gone a bit over, so we're about 41, just over 41.
0:57:22 > 0:57:23So, a tiny overspend.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25There is a transformation.
0:57:25 > 0:57:30It's not remotely the same house that I came to visit last year.
0:57:30 > 0:57:34You know, it's open, it airy, isn't it? It feels generous.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38We always loved where the house was and we saw the potential,
0:57:38 > 0:57:40but we certainly didn't love it the way it was.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42- We feel really proud of it now. - You should be.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45It's given it a completely different quality.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02Next time, there's a radical rethink on shared living.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04I hadn't expected it to be that separate.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06But is it a step they're willing to take?
0:58:06 > 0:58:10The door was open for some change. That door is gradually closing.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12And how to double your floor space...
0:58:12 > 0:58:13It looks amazing.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15..without extending...
0:58:15 > 0:58:18You could actually take out the ceiling and get a sleeping platform.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21..with a budget and deadline that can't be moved.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24We HAVE to come back and it HAS to be liveable.