Episode 5 Britain's Empty Homes Revisited

Over the years, Britain's Empty Homes has been on a mission to show what can be done

to revitalise and transform some of the UK's estimated one million

empty properties.

-Jeremy.

-Good to see you again.

-Karen.

In this series I'll be catching up with some of the people who took

the plunge, and staked everything on turning unloved houses

into bespoke family homes.

Today I'll be catching up with a lady from an earlier series

who made a brave decision to take on one of Britain's empty properties.

You imagine family Christmases here and going for walks on the Downs.

-It somehow gives it a sense of purpose.

-Fantastic.

I'll be seeing just how far she's got with creating her dream home.

We'll also be visiting some of the derelict dwellings

our property detectives have been working hard to save,

to prevent their owners from leaving them as a blot on the landscape.

It's incredible.

It was in quite a bad state the last time I saw it

but it's been done up really, really well.

And we'll be seeing how Housing Trust is trying to revitalise

swathes of derelict housing that's been a blight on London's

North Circular for almost 50 years.

Over 14 months ago, I met theatre director Alison Grant,

who had recently returned to the UK with her heart set on a quaint

English cottage. And what do you know?

She found one right here on the Sussex coast.

But as with most empty properties,

she soon discovered some unexpected issues.

Alison had a big job ahead of her.

Alison spent 25 years in the USA.

She returned to these shores after separating from her husband.

Soon after her return, she bought this abandoned ranger's cottage

in Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex, paying £300,000 at auction.

But the joy of winning the bidding war was soon tempered

by the reality of what she had actually purchased.

Everybody dropped out of the bidding at a certain point,

and it was between me and one other lady,

and we were obviously both emotional bidders, not investors.

So, we bid each other up

and I finally came to the point where I went,

"I mustn't bid any more," and she didn't bid anything.

I longed for all sorts of things that England has that America doesn't have

and a lot of that is history.

What I want is the idyllic English dream, a cottage

with chickens in the garden and a dog and a cat.

But Alison's romantic vision was given a tough reality check

when she had a closer look at what she'd actually bought.

I was very pleased to find that it was structurally sound

and it had a solid roof, it didn't leak.

What it did have was an infestation of death watch beetle,

which apparently nests in old oak only.

Death watch beetles attack old timbers, and over time can cause

some serious damage.

But with the correct treatment, it is possible to eradicate them.

There have been times over the last year

where I've wondered about my sanity.

There are times when I have woken up in the night and gone,

"What have I done?"

'When I met Alison, she was full of enthusiasm and ideas

'for how she would transform this empty property.'

Hello, Alison. I'm Joe.

-Hi, Joe, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, too.

This is it. What an incredible property in a stunning area.

Yes, that's why I bought it, obviously.

It had been empty for two-and-a-half years,

it was covered, you couldn't see the view because it was so overgrown.

It was pretty... it was pretty dire.

-Let's have a look, you can show me around.

-OK.

Crikey, look at this, it's all opened up.

It is, indeed.

What was it like before, when you first walked through that door?

Very closed, very dark,

which is why I'm going down the route of opening it up

and we've raised ceilings

to try and make it a bit more bearable to walk around in.

-You've raised the ceilings for the ground floor?

-Yes.

We were able to do it because upstairs it's got a sloped ceiling,

so there's more headroom.

We had to make the decision whether to go down

or to take the ceilings up.

We decided we would take the ceilings up

because you get into a whole mess of problems if you try to go down,

I understand, with damp and so on.

It feels the right height, it feels natural.

-It's still quite low but it's... for a cottage, it's OK.

-Yes.

What is this behind you? It looks incredible.

Ah, this was entirely concealed.

It's too high for a fireplace, is it some sort of oven?

Yes, it is a bread brick oven, is what it is.

A bread oven.

It looks as if it's in working order, I haven't fired it up,

but Jamie Oliver cooks with one all the time.

'I was keen to see what plans Alison had for the upstairs.'

-So, this is going to be the master bedroom.

-OK.

The fireplace is going to be raised up,

-so that it's a see-through fireplace with a fire on both sides.

-Ah.

Then through there, there's going to be a whirlpool, spa bath.

Which is why we've had reinforcements underneath,

to bear the weight of that. And built-in closets.

So, it's going to be this one magnificent...

So, a sweeping bedroom, all the way along the front of the house.

With the views, yes.

You look out there, and there is such a view.

-It is, it's iconic.

-It's just breathtaking.

Yes, OK, you had to take out some of the woodwork

because of beetles and that kind of stuff,

but great that you've got these chimneys and the bread oven

-and a couple of fireplaces. Plenty to work with there.

-Oh, yes.

Looking ahead, now, at the project, is the greatest worry money?

Yes, I would say the greatest worry is money,

not where the money is coming from eventually,

but how to utilise the money that I've got at the moment,

to make it work in the best possible way.

Later, we'll see what happened when I took Alison to meet a couple

who overcame the structural problems of a run-down barn

to create a spectacular new home.

Across Britain, there are many gems like Alison's just waiting

to be discovered and taken on.

And local councils' empty property offices are constantly carrying out

detective work to find abandoned homes and bring them back to life.

In Cardiff alone,

there's 2,000 properties on the long-term vacant list.

18 months ago, empty property officer Steve Reid was on his way

to visit a house in the city which he was already well acquainted with.

The property I'm visiting today is one that

I have been dealing with for three or four years.

Work has started on the property but we still need to keep

monitoring it to make sure that work keeps progressing.

Morning, Mr Khan. Steven Reid from Cardiff City Council.

Wow, what a difference.

I remember the problems that this property caused over the years.

There was two joists that had been broken in the middle up there,

and it was totally... The house was like that.

So I had to take that old joist out and put steel in there.

There was a big hole next door as well, all rotting away.

Can we go have a look at that?

The difference in here as well from the last time I saw it.

There was no floor over there at all.

And there was a hole in the ceiling, I had to pitch the new ceiling in.

You're a very brave man taking on such a big project.

Today, nearly 18 months later, Steve's returning to the property

to see the success story for himself.

The work's been completed, the house has been rented

and is now home to a local family.

Steve's keen to take another look inside

and finally tick this property off his list.

When I first came here four years ago, there were no windows.

Part of the roof line had collapsed.

The sills on the top two windows had collapsed where the bay had dropped.

There's a massive difference.

-Hiya, Zahr.

-Hi, Steve, all right? Come on in.

-Thank you.

The new tenants were delighted to find a family home in this

part of town.

Wow, this has changed so much.

It's incredible. It was in quite a bad state the last time I saw it.

But it's been done up really, really well.

-Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?

-Yes.

Is there any particular reason why you chose this area?

It's close to my family, my parents.

And it's close to the city centre.

-It's very convenient.

-Yeah? Do you mind if I have a little look around?

-No, carry on.

-Thanks.

Originally, when we came here about four years ago,

all the floorboards were loose.

There was a huge hole on the floor there, where a lot of the beams

had rotted and the floor had collapsed.

There was a huge hole in the ceiling.

And obviously they've replaced some of the joists up there,

put this laminate flooring down, plastered the walls.

A bit of paint and it just looks like a family lounge,

part of a bigger family house.

Which is great.

Steve has seen this property through all the different stages

of its development,

from abandoned wreck to building site,

to comfortable family home.

Knowing it from four years ago, the condition it was in,

virtually derelict and literally falling down.

And then coming back, seeing it now completely renovated,

and to see a young couple with their kids living in there,

it's just fantastic. It's exactly what our remit is.

So it's a good job all round.

Bringing an empty property back to life may be a worthwhile pursuit,

but let's face it, it's never going to be easy.

However, when you speak to people who have been through it,

they'll tell you the hard slog, the long hours,

the late nights are all worth it in the end.

Searching for the right vacant house to turn into a dream home

can be a long and arduous process,

but sometimes the perfect property can be found right under our noses.

Ian and Deborah Tanner's local church had a special connection

to the couple. It sat right at the end of their garden in Devon.

Little did they know that one day they would end up living in it.

We've lived here for 25 years.

Plus, our children used to go to playschool

when it was in what was the Sunday School in the church hall,

so we've known the place for a long time.

It closed a couple of years before we bought it.

There was dry rot, wet rot, woodworm here that we've had treated

and I'm sure another 12 or 18 months and it would have been

in real trouble and probably too much for us to have taken on.

Hymn books were still on the pews and the organ was intact when

the couple took a leap of faith and bought the church at auction

for £125,000.

I used to say it would make a really nice home.

It's just a beautiful building to maintain as well,

rather than it go to rack and ruin. We were up for a challenge

and it was a good time in our life to do something.

The Tanners made every effort to honour the style

and history of this prominent local church.

All the window shapes have stayed the same,

the doors have stayed the same.

Even the paint colour is pretty similar outside to what it was before.

And the renovation also presented Deborah with the chance to gain

some new skills.

We really enjoyed looking into all the different aspects

of the building and, because I had all these windows

that I knew I would need to do, I've done the City & Guilds

stained-glass window making course,

so I've just put the first window in, which has given me a lot of pleasure.

It's like an extra hobby that I've discovered.

Of course, the couple enjoy the entire house,

but they do have their favourite features.

The stairs and the lounge are the best bits, for me.

It's a bit of a decision.

Do you chop it up, do you go for a big open-plan space?

And we've gone for an open-plan space.

I think we both really love it.

I especially like the woodwork that we had sandblasted.

It was all painted black and it has come up really nice.

We've used the pulpit of the church in the corner as a bar,

and we've turned some pews into the dinner table.

As with many renovations of this size,

budgets and timescales can often spiral, but the Tanners managed

to stick to a 20-week schedule,

spending £250,000 on the process.

We have spent more money than we thought

we wanted to spend at the start, but it's not about the money.

It's about having what we've ended up with.

It's a great place to live in and if you want something badly

enough, you will just carry on and do it.

I'm really proud of the house and I'm really proud

of what we've achieved.

We've managed to get through it all without any kind of...

We haven't had any domestics

and it is a joy every night to come home and see it all.

And it takes over your life, to a certain extent.

But it's a great place to live in and we're both really proud of it.

Earlier in the programme, we met the intrepid Alison Grant,

whose determination to realise the home of her dreams

led her to buying in this derelict ranger's cottage in East Sussex.

There have been times over the last year

where I have wondered about my sanity.

There are times when I have woken up in the night and gone,

"What have I done?"

Alison was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed

and was falling behind schedule.

So I thought it'd help to meet someone else who had tackled

a similar renovation project.

To inspire Alison, I took her to meet a couple who successfully

married the old with the new,

and turned a run-down barn into a spectacular home.

When Ian and Jan Law first spotted this derelict barn

in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, it was love at first sight.

We were going down to Hastings for the morning, and saw it

advertised in the estate agents' window, liked it that much that we

rang the agents again the following morning and came in and had a look.

It was then that they told us it was also going up for auction.

Ian and Jan were given a six-week deadline to

get their finances in place or the barn would definitely go to auction.

Just in time, the Laws got the money sorted.

And then realised the full extent of what they had taken on.

It was looking sorry for itself,

but you could see that there were a nice lot of beams inside.

You know, it had a nice lot of potential.

The actual ridge of the thatched roof, the straw, had all gone,

so it was leaking inside.

Every weekend Jan would be working with us.

You know, we'd be humping beams about on blocks and tackles.

A digger was sat in here holding beams up while we were trying to jiggle them in.

This was Ian and Jan's second barn renovation

but it wasn't all smooth running -

they came up against some unexpected challenges.

What we hadn't budgeted for was the costings on the thatch.

We ended up spending a lot of money on the bespoke windows and joinery.

But the windows and joinery were the least of their worries.

They spent a whole year and a half without mains electricity.

And that was a nightmare!

The barn was nearly finished before we got electric supply connected.

Despite all these challenges, Ian and Jan created a spectacular home.

We've actually said now,

it's something we ought to have done years ago.

Although this build was on a different scale to Alison's,

there were many similarities,

and I was hopeful she'd glean some useful tips and advice.

-Hello, Ian.

-Hi, guys.

-Hi, can we come in?

-Yeah.

Great, thank you.

'As soon as we arrived, it was clear -

'this was a huge restoration project.'

So was this just one, big open barn?

Yes.

-There were no levels in it at all?

-No levels in it at all.

Just the open space with the lower levels on the outside,

which were cow pens and animal runs.

So, where you have got the kitchen, that was another outbuilding?

Yes, just like a lean-to on the side, which was animal pens.

I see you've got some wonderful beams

that look like they've had some sort of infestation in them?

Can you tell me a bit about that, because I have that problem.

Yes, we had them all treated. We had them all sandblasted.

They come in and put a treatment on all the timber, the old and the new,

because you are importing more bugs in, in the new timber.

You bring your new timber in, you put it up alongside your old timber,

and then you just treat the whole place?

I know some of your wood had to be taken out,

but there's definitely hope for what's left,

that you can treat it and it'll be fine.

Yeah, and I would really love to save as much as I possibly can.

One, for the look, but also for the authenticity of the building.

So, it's really good to hear that I might be able to say some of it.

Shall we have a look up in one of the bedrooms?

-That one's probably the biggest one.

-OK.

-So, this is very much the master bedroom, right?

-Yeah.

Great head height, there's a lot to play with here.

To bring it all back down to earth,

how much did it cost, and did you have to go over budget?

We thought we could do it for around about 100, 110,

and it ended up at 160.

-Wow. That's half as much again, on the budget.

-A little over!

Were there any sacrifices you had to make

to allow your budget to go that little bit further?

Kitchen units, just bits and pieces

where we haven't quite spent the quality in there

that you would have liked to have done.

But the budget forces you into those little areas,

and it still looks nice

but not quite how you would have done it the first time round,

but it's something you can always alter at a later stage.

I think the key example is just over my shoulder,

you put a chimney and flue in.

There's no wood burner at the moment.

But it's there for when you want it and you can afford it in the future.

That's it, once we have saved the pennies we can pop it in.

I don't want to do something that's got to be redone,

but upgrading, I think, is a really good way to save money in the moment.

It's been wonderful to look round your home, thank you for letting us.

Yes, thank you.

And, I trust, it's been the right balance of inspiration

but also some good advice coming across.

Yes, it's really helpful to me,

because I do tend to lose sight of where I'm going

because it is such a construction site at the moment.

So, to see the end result and to see the marriage of the old

and the authentic with the new is very exciting to me,

so it has been inspirational.

Plus, you've told me a few things that I will definitely use,

so, thank you.

-Oh, my pleasure.

-Thank you very much.

How are you feeling about your project,

is it encouraging to see this?

I think it's been incredibly useful,

so to actually see that old wood can be used again

and more old wood brought in,

and actually get the look that I want, has been quite inspirational.

Just reminding me of what I... to keep the vision.

Later in the programme we'll be catching up with Alison again,

and we'll find out if she's managed to stay true to her vision

and realise her ambitious plans.

There are many reasons why properties become derelict

and fall into disuse.

Last year, I visited an area of north London that had fallen foul

of a road-wide new scheme back in the '60s that never materialised,

leaving hundreds of homes falling into disrepair.

The area around the North Circular here in Enfield has suffered

decades of neglect. Years of problems with fly tipping,

squatting, arson and vermin have made places uninhabitable.

But with 75,000 people on London's waiting list,

these homes are resources that need to be used.

More than 40 years after the failed scheme,

plans were finally put in place to regenerate the area.

I went to meet Ken Barnett, the project manager

for Notting Hill Housing Trust, to find out more.

So, Ken, remind me.

How did we get to a situation where so many properties along

this A406, the North Circular, were just sitting empty for years.

It started back in the 1960s when the Department Of Transport were

starting to buy up properties,

planning to make the road into a dual carriageway.

That decision was subsequently shelved but in the meantime,

total uncertainty and total blight of the area.

The Housing Trust had purchased the buildings from Transport For London,

and they were in the process of bringing them back into use.

What's the cost of doing this? What sort of money is involved?

We're spending just in excess of £10 million on refurbishment costs

on that, and that includes the clean up of the gardens

and everything where they were squatted.

In terms of the works we're doing, we're doing broadly new roofs,

new kitchens, new bathrooms.

We're reconfiguring some of the properties, just to make them

more usable, bringing them up to modern-day standards.

And finally, what difference does this make? How important is it?

I think the community is getting back on its feet following the blight

and uncertainty, which has gone on for a long, long time.

For so many years, when you drove down this road you just see

boarded-up house after boarded-up house.

But now finally the area is being brought back to life.

Today, a year later, we've come back to the North Circular

where the regeneration programme is almost finished.

250 houses that were once squatted

and derelict have been refurbished and families have started moving in.

Danielle Lennon, one of Ken Barnett's colleagues,

has come to talk to new residents about the impact the scheme

has had on their lives.

You've been here less than a month.

How long were you actually waiting for a three-bedroom house?

-I've been waiting for nine years.

-Nine years for a three-bedroom house?

I think the existing residents here and then the new residents are

really integrating with each other and becoming friends,

joining up, visiting each other, helping each other out,

which is really nice to see and really nice to hear.

One of the new residents is Grace,

who moved in with her family last summer.

I know my neighbours, three of them, we just moved at the same time.

Our kids like playing together, especially at summertime.

We're taking each other's parcels

and they are definitely good neighbours.

Regenerating the area around the North Circular has brought

a new lease of life, not just to the homes but also to the community.

Just over here ago, I met theatre director Alison Grant,

who had bought an abandoned cottage at auction.

She was hoping to turn this derelict building

into a picture-postcard retreat.

Well, 14 months after our first meeting,

I'm excited to be back on the rolling downs of East Sussex

to see how Alison has been getting on with her ambitious project.

From outside, there are signs of progress.

But is Alison's 300-year-old cottage anywhere near being completed?

I'd love to tell you that all the work's finished

as she's moved into her dream home.

But it's immediately obvious things haven't moved as quickly

as Alison hoped.

-Alison, hello, how are you?

-Good, thank you.

Really good to see you.

-It's lovely to be back in this stunning part of the world.

-Amazing.

How has it all been going?

-Well, that's an interesting question.

-My eye is drawn to the skip.

-Yes, stuff is still coming out.

-OK.

-Shall we go inside and see what has changed?

-Let's do.

-OK. After you.

Ah, wow.

-So that's the first thing. A staircase.

-Yes.

That definitely wasn't here last time.

We had ladders going up here, didn't we? How long has that been in for?

This has been in... This was one of the first things that went in

so it's probably been in about nine months now.

And what you can't see is that this is all open up to the skylights.

And there's going to be a curved banister going round

-here for a mezzanine.

-Ah.

-Is it all safe to go up there?

-Yes, indeed.

-And we can have a look at your skylights.

-Lovely.

-After you.

-We can try out your new staircase.

-Let's go.

-Excellent.

Oh, wow.

-And these are new, this is how you're bringing the light in?

-Yes.

The whole purpose of bringing the light in and having this

really open entryway is because I didn't want a dark, cottage-y feel.

-I like cosy but I also wanted light and bright.

-Brilliant.

-It's going to be lovely.

-Really does work.

Yes, and the vision is to have a great big fan hanging down here,

one of those old, opulent fans, and then maybe a chandelier.

I don't know.

-This is the bit you get really excited about?

-Yes.

That's when I'll really come into my own,

is when I'm actually trying to get the feel that I want.

-That flair.

-The gypsy feel or the Moroccan feel or whatever.

Do you imagine you might do that?

-You'll have different themes in different rooms?

-Yes.

The big master bedroom, I'm going to have a whole Moroccan theme in there

with all sorts of deep reds and lovely Oriental pillows.

It's going to be a Moroccan boudoir.

Ooh. Very nice. Yes. Can I poke my head round the corner?

Have there been any unexpected setbacks at all?

One of the ones was the fact that the walls were slightly spreading.

Once we'd taken all the interior walls out,

it was not as stable as it could have been

and so we've had to do a lot of framing in order to anchor the whole,

to keep it in a square, to keep it all boxed so the roof didn't fall in.

-So extra money, extra time, extra effort.

-Yes.

It would've been lovely to have the right amount of cash

at the beginning and just do it. That's the ideal way.

But this is piecemeal and so, by its very essence,

it's slightly frustrating, I have to say.

I know the project probably hasn't gone as quickly as you'd wanted

it to, but I guess, on the plus side,

-your feel for the place increases.

-Yeah.

I think that's exactly right.

-Since I saw you last, I've now got a gorgeous little grandson.

-Oh, wow.

-Who was born in April. Tyler.

-Congratulations.

-Yes.

So, in a way, that's me becoming a grandmother and has made me

want to create a home base and a space for the whole family.

-That's lovely news.

-It somehow gives it a sense of purpose.

It's so interesting to be back here to see Alison

and see how she's getting on with her cottage.

This is a really good example of the reality of taking on

a big project. Unless you've got loads of cash and, let's face it,

most of us don't, it is going to be slow, it is going to be frustrating.

And it's probably going to cost more than we thought.

But it's going to be great,

and before long she really will have the most fantastic home for her,

her children and, importantly, that new grandson.

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