0:00:02 > 0:00:04Over the years, Britain's Empty Homes has been on a mission
0:00:04 > 0:00:08to show what can be done to revitalise and transform
0:00:08 > 0:00:12some of the UK's estimated one million empty properties.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- Jeremy.- Good to see you again. - Karen.- Hi.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15'In this series,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'I'll be catching up with some of the people who took the plunge and
0:00:18 > 0:00:21'staked everything on turning unloved houses
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'into bespoke family homes.'
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Today, I'll be catching up with a couple from an earlier series.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33They took on a 200-year-old cottage
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and I'll be seeing how their renovation has gone.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39The end result, to have something that's so pleasurable
0:00:39 > 0:00:41and easy to live in, it's really great.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45We'll also be catching up with the dedicated empty property officers,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49whose job it is to turn derelict dwellings back into homes again.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Right.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Again, this looks very different from the last time I was here.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Well done.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57And we'll be finding out how a London council has taken
0:00:57 > 0:01:00an innovative approach to solve their funding problem.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08A year ago, I met Jason and Gail, who had just bought a 220-year-old
0:01:08 > 0:01:11cottage in the picturesque village of Southwell in Nottinghamshire.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Well, they were planning a complete renovation,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17with Jason tackling many of the jobs himself.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26To be honest, I think we fell for it a bit, even with the agent's
0:01:26 > 0:01:28photograph on the front of the details.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31It was obviously taken on a sunny day
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and it did look really nice and classic and cottage-y.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37The previous owner had moved into a retirement home
0:01:37 > 0:01:39and the house had fallen into disrepair.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42So Gail and Jason had planned a total renovation.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46You almost felt sorry for the building, because the brickwork
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and everything is so lovely at the front and then you've got
0:01:49 > 0:01:53this utterly hideous '70s flat-roof extension on the back.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56But such a large-scale project was new for both of them.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59While Jason had done some renovation work before,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02for Gail it was a step into the complete unknown.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06I have no experience, no physical, manual skills.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10But I do have vision of where we're going to get to.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14'When I first met up with Jason and Gail at their cottage,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17'I was keen to hear about their plans for the transition
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'between the old part of the house and the modern extension.'
0:02:21 > 0:02:24So, guys, tell me about your beautiful cottage here.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27It was previously empty for over six months
0:02:27 > 0:02:29and we're in the process of renovating it.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31- Can we go inside and have a look round?- Absolutely.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Brilliant. Lead the way.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37At the time, the house had three bedrooms and a small living area,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40but Gail and Jason had big plans for it.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44So, we're in the main part of the cottage, the living room.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- That's correct.- It's beautiful, really cosy size.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Now, where do you start on a project like this?
0:02:49 > 0:02:52The first thing we had to do was get the house dried out.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56It was absolutely damp, you could smell it as soon as you came in.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00So, the first brief was get as much off the walls as you possibly could,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04which... Jason has done all the work in here, as you can see.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07- Already, the house is drying out. - What's the grand plan?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10What's your vision for the place, what do you want to do with it?
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Well, it's a home for life.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14It'll be three stages,
0:03:14 > 0:03:19so renovating and repairing the old two-up, two-down cottage.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25Stage two is an extension, so big, family...a modern kitchen.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27So, everything outside of this two-up, two-down
0:03:27 > 0:03:29will be modern, new and contemporary.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34And we'll be living as a family in that part of the building.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37And then we're putting another annexe outside of the house.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40A completely separate new build at the north end of the property.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42And the wood burner here is temporary?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45It's going to help you to dry out the place and give you some warmth
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- while you work.- Yeah.- Are you on gas here? How does it work?
0:03:48 > 0:03:50There's been nothing to the property whatsoever.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53We're currently researching all the renewable options,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55which we're interested in, apart from the cost.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58So tricky, isn't it? Because you're plying all your efforts and energies
0:03:58 > 0:04:02into making this a home for life, and all the energy solutions
0:04:02 > 0:04:04out there that are perhaps the greenest
0:04:04 > 0:04:07do require quite a lot of investment upfront.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08I'm curious where this extension would go.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- Shall we go through to the back? - Yeah, sure.- After you.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14'The cottage was certainly compact on the inside,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18'but it was still a massive renovation job to take on.'
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Where are we here? What was this on the back of the house?
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Well, this was the previous owner's kitchen.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Really small space. This is like a warren of rooms here,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and you've got, I can see, more modern brick there,
0:04:32 > 0:04:33so that's an add-on again, is it?
0:04:33 > 0:04:36That's the 1970s flat-roof extension coming off
0:04:36 > 0:04:38of this very tiny original kitchen.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42What is your budget for a project of this size?
0:04:42 > 0:04:43It's a big, big project.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46We're going to try really hard to stick within the £75,000.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Obviously it doesn't include stage three,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52which is a complete new build at the other end of the property.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- Are you living somewhere else at the moment?- Yeah.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56Are you having to pay rent, or...?
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- No, we're actually paying another mortgage.- OK.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01But as soon as we can get a bathroom of sorts
0:05:01 > 0:05:06and some sort of living conditions, then we will move in.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Where would you like a bit more help?
0:05:07 > 0:05:10What is it you're still exploring and thinking about
0:05:10 > 0:05:12and developing ideas with?
0:05:12 > 0:05:17Well, we've already mentioned the heating and energy efficiency,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and also the transition between old and new.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22We're quite adamant... In effect, it'll be two houses,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26so you've got old at the front and brand spanking new at the back...
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Making sure it's a smooth transition,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31but a wow factor at the same time.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Later, we'll see what happened when I took Jason
0:05:34 > 0:05:35and Gail to meet Peter Tasker,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38someone who had fallen for a detached redbrick house
0:05:38 > 0:05:42and completed a lot of the renovation work himself.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Throughout the country, it's not just private buyers rising to
0:05:45 > 0:05:48the challenge of turning deserted properties into functioning homes.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Local council empty property officers work tirelessly
0:05:52 > 0:05:54to track down the owners of abandoned homes
0:05:54 > 0:05:58and use their powers to bring these properties back into use.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Back in 2009, empty property officer Dave Carter was on the trail of
0:06:04 > 0:06:09a case that had blighted a community in north London for far too long.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12We're going to visit a property this morning which has been empty
0:06:12 > 0:06:15for 15 years and has been subject to vandalism
0:06:15 > 0:06:17and accumulations of rubbish.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22The three-bedroom, mid-terrace house had lain abandoned for so long,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25it had become a cause of concern for the neighbours.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27I've lived here 20 years.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29A couple of years ago, after the door got boarded up
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and it attracted attention, there was a lot of rubbish being dumped
0:06:33 > 0:06:35in the front garden, becoming an eyesore.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39The back garden was overgrowing, there were foxes around.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Basically, it's been used as a tip.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44It's just a shame that it's left the way that it is.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Eventually, Bill lost patience and picked up the phone
0:06:47 > 0:06:49to the council, which is where Dave came in.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53The background is that there's been a relationship breakdown
0:06:53 > 0:06:55between a couple of co-habiting people.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57They lost contact with each other
0:06:57 > 0:07:00and it's been difficult trying to put them together
0:07:00 > 0:07:05so that they can come to some sort of solution to this property.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Dave had made contact with the owners
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and informed them that they were at risk of the council using
0:07:10 > 0:07:13official powers to take control of the house.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17OK, you'll see that we've actually
0:07:17 > 0:07:20obtained a compulsory purchase order on this property.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24But we've put the notice on the door for the time being.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29The inside of the house was just as dilapidated
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and dirty as the outside.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35And while Dave waited to hear from the owners,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37the house remained in an abandoned state.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41Today, four years on,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Dave Carter has come back to visit the north London property.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Since he was last here, the fortunes of this house have been completely
0:07:48 > 0:07:52turned around, and now Dave is here to meet the developer, Kevin.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Hi, Kevin. Nice to meet you. - Good to see you, Dave.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It's a lot different from when I was last here.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02There was a huge tree that was blocking all the windows and I'm glad
0:08:02 > 0:08:05to see that's gone, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you've done.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07OK. Come on.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Before Kevin began the renovation, the lounge was one large,
0:08:12 > 0:08:13dilapidated mess.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Oh, it's a lot different in here.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But now the space has been transformed,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24dividing the lounge into two homely rooms.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30This room, it was just full of pigeon mess, fox droppings, cold, nasty.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- It's just got a warm feeling about it now.- Definitely.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36You've made it a nice, cosy home, as you say.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Previously, the kitchen was on the verge of being swallowed up
0:08:41 > 0:08:42by the garden.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45But now it's modern, compact and fit for purpose.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51So, Kevin, this is the new kitchen. Again, it's a lot different.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Yeah, well, basically there was a boiler here when we got it.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Kevin has completely refitted
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and rewired the kitchen to a high standard.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Let's have a look out here.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Yeah, we can get out the back door now.- Yeah!
0:09:05 > 0:09:10The back garden was once an overgrown jungle, but not any more.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14When I came the first time, I came over two garden fences
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- and I took this photo from there. - That's unbelievable, that.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It was the only way I could get in to have a look.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22And the door was wide open.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24That was the four-legged tenant.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29The house has been completely overhauled from top to bottom,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32including the grotty upstairs bathroom.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34So, this is the bathroom.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Right!
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Again, this looks very different from the last time I was here.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42It really was nasty, not very functional
0:09:42 > 0:09:44and very dated.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46You've done it well. Yeah, well done.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53So, Kevin, thanks for showing me around.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57I'm really pleased that we've finally got somebody living there
0:09:57 > 0:10:00after all these years of trying to track the owner down
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- and get the work done. - You're very welcome.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- I'm just glad we've got a nice place, some nice people living there. It's great.- Brilliant.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Cheers, Dave. All the best. Bye.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10It's another property off Dave's books,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14and another one of Britain's empty homes brought back into use.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Breathing new life back into an empty property can be
0:10:17 > 0:10:20a difficult and delicate balancing act, particularly if
0:10:20 > 0:10:24you're squeezing a renovation around the demands of work and family life.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28But when you speak to people who have come through it to create
0:10:28 > 0:10:32their perfect home, suddenly all that effort makes perfect sense.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Barbara Charton had spotted this disused and uncared-for house
0:10:38 > 0:10:42in Cambridgeshire, and she was instantly captivated by it.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45There was no For Sale sign, but it was clearly empty,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49clearly in very poor condition, the garden was horrendously overgrown.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53And we looked round the house, and as we went room to room,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56every room seemed to have something really special.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59There was just so much in it that we just thought,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01"Well, we just have to have this place."
0:11:01 > 0:11:06Barbara spent £485,000 buying the house,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09and made the decision to carry out a slow renovation
0:11:09 > 0:11:12so the property could guide the rebuild.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13It's got a character of its own,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17so you're not going to come into a place like this and transform it.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21You've got to live here for a while and get the feeling of what works.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Really, to make the house what it wants to be,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26rather than what you want it to be.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32The fact that the house is a listed building added another dimension
0:11:32 > 0:11:33to the renovation.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Taking on a place like this,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38one of the things to take on board is that you are going to be dealing
0:11:38 > 0:11:40with the listed building people in the council.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44In our case, because it's two-star with English Heritage as well.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It can be very frustrating when you want to do something
0:11:46 > 0:11:50and there's always a three-month wait or a six-month wait before
0:11:50 > 0:11:54you can put it through the planning and the listed building approval.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59The previous tenant had refused to carry out any refurbishment work,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02which left many of the original features intact.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09It was vital to keep as much of the original in place as possible,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12so wherever we've been able to, we've reused,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15recycled the original fixtures and fittings.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20The Chartons spent £60,000 on the renovation
0:12:20 > 0:12:23and firmly believe they've gotten more out of living there
0:12:23 > 0:12:25then they put in.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29All in all, this project took over our lives for the best part of nine years.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30But I can't say I regret it.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33A lot of the pleasure we get out of this place
0:12:33 > 0:12:36is seeing all the little things that we've done.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Living here is a real pleasure.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Looking at what we've achieved and what we've built
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and what we've grown, it makes the experience of living in the house
0:12:45 > 0:12:48that much more rewarding and enriching.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Earlier, we met Jason and Gail,
0:12:54 > 0:12:59who had spent £200,000 on a 200-year-old abandoned cottage.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02They planned to project manage the large-scale renovation,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05despite minimal experience of such a big job.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10I have no experience, no physical, manual skills.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13But I do have vision of where we're going to get to.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16To help Jason and Gail, I took them to meet the Taskers,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19a couple who had undertaken a major project
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and completed much of the work themselves.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27When interior designer Peter Tasker and his wife Vicky laid eyes
0:13:27 > 0:13:31on this redbrick Victorian detached house, it had sat empty
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and on the market for more than a year.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36The front of the house was what first drew us to it,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39because there were so many nice architectural features.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42But then, the inside was quite a different story.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Yes, very damp and there were lots of cracks everywhere.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49The couple bought the house in 2005 for £300,000
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and to save money, they lived in the property
0:13:52 > 0:13:53whilst work was ongoing.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Well, we got the keys, and then we literally all moved in
0:13:57 > 0:13:58and started working.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Yeah, we piled all our possessions in this room
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and started painting throughout.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Impressively, Peter has done most of the work himself,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09only calling in the professionals for the specialist jobs.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11We wouldn't have been able to do the project without
0:14:11 > 0:14:14basically deciding we were going to do the work ourselves.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17We dug out the floor, we mixed the gobo...
0:14:17 > 0:14:20- I mean, we did all of that, didn't we?- Yeah.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23And for those who don't know, gobo is concrete,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and these two clearly know their stuff.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29They had some great ideas and inspiration for Gail and Jason.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34- It's quite an extension, isn't it?- Wow.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Yeah. Absolutely.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- It's a fantastic space.- Yeah.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42So, it strikes me as something quite similar to your plans,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45in that it's extending out the back, it's getting that width
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and that one big, open-plan space.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51As soon as you walk in, you feel it's cosy.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54And the light, have you thought about where you'd bring light in,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56or how you would use windows in your extension?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Seeing the amount of natural light you've managed to bring in here,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02it's something we're going to maybe pay a bit more attention to
0:15:02 > 0:15:04before we make any big decisions on that,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07because it is really impressive and it helps to set the whole room off
0:15:07 > 0:15:09with so much natural light. It's lovely.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I love this, I think it's an amazing space.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14As you said, it really does have that wow factor.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17But, I think we should also look around a bit further,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- so shall we pop to the front of the house?- Yes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Peter and his wife carried out
0:15:26 > 0:15:28a complete renovation from the ground up,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31creating a truly stunning family home.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Right, this is your front sitting room.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Huge project, it's a big house, what did you budget for that?
0:15:40 > 0:15:45We budgeted about 40,000, initially.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47As the project has taken more and more time,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50obviously we've eaten into that,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- but we seem to be pretty much on budget.- Really?- Yeah.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57How much of it was spent on the extension, as a proportion of that?
0:15:57 > 0:15:59I think the whole extension,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02just the infrastructure of getting it built,
0:16:02 > 0:16:03was about 15,000.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07It's encouraging you can add on such a big space
0:16:07 > 0:16:09like you have for that kind of budget.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13When you first moved in, did you have a clear idea that
0:16:13 > 0:16:16you were going to keep the old part of the house very much separate,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19or did you feel that you wanted to integrate?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Well, we always quite liked the idea of eclectic,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26in the sense that you may have old pieces and old bits,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and then you walk into the new,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30but you've still got old elements there.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I think here, it's quite unapologetic, quite honest...
0:16:33 > 0:16:36You just go from quite new to a bit older.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38You don't have to feel that you have to sort of...
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- Stage it.- Yes, exactly.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42We've got a 200-year-old cottage
0:16:42 > 0:16:46and it's going to... We can't modernise it,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48we don't want to modernise it...
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I feel quite comfortable with it, don't you?
0:16:50 > 0:16:53The change in between the two.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56I think it's quite nice that you've got effectively two houses.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Peter, thank you for showing us around.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Amazing to see that kitchen,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02and how well also the rest of the house works with it,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05so it's been really great, and I hope it's been really useful.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- Absolutely, yeah.- Fantastic. - Thank you very much.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Later on, I'll catch up with Gail and Jason to see
0:17:11 > 0:17:14if everything they've learned helped them to put the plans
0:17:14 > 0:17:17for their large-scale renovation into practice.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21From countryside to town,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25many areas of the UK can be affected by the problems of abandoned homes.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Over a year ago I was in east London,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31where a stalled regeneration project had led to run-down,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34vandalised houses and an influx of squatters.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42John McCollin, a senior project manager from Newham Council,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45talked me through the impact this had on the community.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51At its height, the council had to carry out a programme of 120
0:17:51 > 0:17:54or so squatting and repossession cases.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And how long were these properties going to be empty for?
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Was there a problem with the funds coming through?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Well, what actually happened was that due to the slowdown
0:18:03 > 0:18:08in the economic climate, that meant that the phase programme in which
0:18:08 > 0:18:12the regeneration was due to take place actually got delayed further.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Empty properties, they take a lot of money to keep them secure,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18they're a blight on the neighbourhood and ultimately
0:18:18 > 0:18:20no-one is living in them. So you came up with a new approach.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22What was that? What did you do?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25We entered into a contract with a private company,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29whereby we leased a number of properties to the private contractor.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34The private contractor was then required to refurbish these units
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and find tenants to move into the properties,
0:18:37 > 0:18:43so that they became occupied and again started to regenerate the area.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So the council still owns the properties but you leased them out
0:18:46 > 0:18:48to a private company, they refurbished them
0:18:48 > 0:18:51at no cost to you, and then leased them out to tenants?
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Seems like it works very well for you.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56This has been a real success story for Newham.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02We've now put something like 193 properties back into purposeful use,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06which would otherwise have been empty for at least another five years.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10John invited me to take a look at one of the properties
0:19:10 > 0:19:12that had already been renovated.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The house was still boarded up for security reasons,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19but it was ready and waiting for a family to move in.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Oh, wow. So here we are. It's a big room.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Actually, a pretty big place overall, isn't it?
0:19:31 > 0:19:37This is a four-bedroom house. As you can see, it's fully refurbished,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- fully redecorated throughout. - Wow.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42New bathroom fixtures, all the kitchen fixtures, new boiler,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44everything's gone in.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It's just ready now for a family to come and move in.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50So how does this make you feel when you come and see this?
0:19:50 > 0:19:51It's very satisfying.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55The first step of the programme was almost complete,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59but a key element was missing - people, to bring life
0:19:59 > 0:20:01into these houses and back to the area.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Today, one year on, the shutters have come off
0:20:07 > 0:20:11and more tenants have now moved in, creating a thriving community.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Through their partnership with the developers Tando,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Newham Council have brought 47 more properties into use
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and housed 240 families, including Terry Curran and his family.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28A few years ago, they was derelict. I mean, they've done them all up,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31they've done everything to them, new windows, everything.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33The inside's completely refurbished.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Having spent his whole life in the borough,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Terry can clearly see the benefits of the regeneration.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43If it's all run down and that, it just, like, encourages crime,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47people breaking in and things like that, yeah, when they were empty.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51But now they've all been done up, families have moved into them.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54There's more of a community feeling round here than what there was.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Everyone's a lot happier. Everything's fine.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02John McCollin from Newham Council is still managing the project.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10It's a success story for Newham, both in terms of the revenue
0:21:10 > 0:21:13that we're now saving in terms of the properties being empty.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Also the loss of council tax revenue.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Small businesses have started to revitalise
0:21:17 > 0:21:20because they're getting more business through the local residents,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24so we're quite proud of what we've been able to achieve to date.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27When I first met Jason and Gail,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29they had taken on an exciting project
0:21:29 > 0:21:32in this 200-year-old derelict cottage.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35They wanted to update the 1970s extension, yet keep the feel
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and features of the original building.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Well, here I am back in Southwell a year after my first visit.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Now, this was a really ambitious project for Jason and Gail,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56but it seems, from first glance, things have gone really well.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59This looks incredible and I can't wait to see inside.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- Joe, hi.- Jason, how are you doing? - Nice to see you again.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Good to see you. This looks incredible.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- As you approach, everything is so clean and so neat, beautiful.- Yep.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19It has all been repointed, with line-based pointing and yeah,
0:22:19 > 0:22:20it's made a real difference.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- The little porch that was here before has gone.- Correct.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25I took it down one Sunday morning
0:22:25 > 0:22:27and straightaway I thought it actually makes the house
0:22:27 > 0:22:31look a lot bigger and just a much nicer front elevation.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33- That's right, it's back to its original, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- Shall we have a look inside? - Certainly. Come on.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- Come on in.- Hey. Look at this. This is very homely.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43And a stove, very welcome on a cold day!
0:22:43 > 0:22:45All this actually runs all the hot water
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- and all the under-floor heating. - Does it?- Yeah.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- So you've got a back boiler on there?- Er... It's...
0:22:50 > 0:22:53What it is, it goes through to a thermal store
0:22:53 > 0:22:56at the back of the house, and it's kind of future-proofed
0:22:56 > 0:23:00as well, which means we can slot some solar thermal
0:23:00 > 0:23:01into it, eventually.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Last time you stripped all the plaster back off the walls,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06you were trying to dry out the house. What happened next?
0:23:06 > 0:23:10- How did it work?- It dried out very quickly, in actual fact.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Took all the old concrete-based mortar on most of the walls
0:23:13 > 0:23:16in the house and, after we spent a few weeks taking that off,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19you could literally see the moisture coming out of the walls
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and the windows were steamed up for a number of weeks
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and that's purely moisture that had been trapped in the brickwork.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Another thing was this floor,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30very old-fashioned quarry-tile floor. Actually, as you see now,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34it's dry as a bone, working fantastically, because it can breathe.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Before there was a vinyl-based covering on that they'd tried
0:23:37 > 0:23:38to keep damp down in.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- Since you've re-plastered, you haven't had any problems?- No.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Not at all. This is lime-based plaster.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47So it's designed to be able to breathe with the building.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Great! So often on the programme we've talked about using
0:23:49 > 0:23:52traditional methods with traditional buildings.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53It's exactly what you've done here,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57lime mortar on the outside, lime plaster on the inside.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59It's breathing nicely and you haven't had any problems.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01No, it's worked really, really well,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03so traditional methods have won through.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05What about next door?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- You were thinking about going a bit more modern. Have you?- We have.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I'll let you judge, so if you're ready, we'll go through
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- and have a look.- OK, let's do it.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Wow. So this is...
0:24:20 > 0:24:23This is mind-blowingly different. This is incredible.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24It is quite different.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Before, it was very compartmentalised.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30All these little rooms. It's amazing what you can do when you've got the vision
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- to ignore those walls and just open it all up.- Yeah.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35I think it's something not to be scared of really, let yourself
0:24:35 > 0:24:38go with it, imagining how you want it to be and see if it can do it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Yeah. When we went to see Peter Tasker before,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45you both seemed quite struck at how it was a traditional house and,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49in many ways, quite traditional in how it had been laid out,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51but as soon as you went to the back, it opened up and was very modern.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54You quite liked that. Has that influenced this?
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Definitely.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I think one of the things we took away from that
0:24:57 > 0:25:01was the importance of natural light, hence we've put in
0:25:01 > 0:25:03very large bi-fold doors
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- and obviously the windows at the side.- Fantastic.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08I'm pleased it's worked out so well.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11You've added to your upstairs with the extension as well?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15- Can we go and take a look?- Yeah. Let's go and have a look upstairs.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Gail and Jason have lovingly revived the bedrooms on the first floor.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23And they've added another room above the extension.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- Wow. This is great. This is your master bedroom?- Correct.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31When I first saw the bedrooms I was sort of worried
0:25:31 > 0:25:33they might feel too small when they were done, but they don't.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- You must be very happy. - They're really good-sized bedrooms,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39They're actually larger than they felt originally.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42This is a six-foot bed in here and you've still got plenty of room.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Originally you wanted to be very hands-on with this project.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- Is that how it worked out? - No, it didn't work out like that.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52A lot of the work on this project was quite skilled work.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53And, as it turned out,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57I could fulfil a much more effective role as a project manager
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- than I could getting involved and getting in people's way.- I see.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- So you were keeping it as efficient as possible?- Yeah.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Yeah. As efficient as it could be.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07These projects, of course, are expensive.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08You were hoping to do stages one and two,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12which was the old cottage and the new extension, for £75,000.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18- How did it work out?- We've gone over, I would say, by about 25,000.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21A lot of it was coming down to doing things the right way.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24There could've been shortcuts, but we've done it the right way
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and hopefully this building can look after itself for a long time to come.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31- So, no regrets?- No, no, no. A few grey hairs, but...
0:26:31 > 0:26:33THEY LAUGH
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Well, I think Jason and Gail have been really sensible
0:26:39 > 0:26:41by sticking to what they do best.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Jason became the project manager, which such a big project needed,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and left the major jobs to the professionals.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48And it's worked out.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53It's a stunning house and they now have an absolutely brilliant home
0:26:53 > 0:26:56with all its original features intact.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd