0:00:02 > 0:00:03Across the United Kingdom there are nearly a million homes lying
0:00:03 > 0:00:09unloved and unlived in, ready for someone to come along and give them a bright new future.
0:00:09 > 0:00:15So whether it's a tired semi or a rambling mansion, we're on a mission to rescue Britain's empty homes.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28When buying a property there's often no point in spending
0:00:28 > 0:00:31extra for the previous owner's design ideas
0:00:31 > 0:00:33when you can pick up an empty property for much less,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37using the cash you've saved to put your very own stamp on it.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42Today, I'm going to pass on my experience of buying and renovating an abandoned building to show
0:00:42 > 0:00:48a couple of house hunters how they can inject character and style into a disused home to make it their own.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51If I could take one thing into a country cottage, some sort of
0:00:51 > 0:00:54contemporary feature, it would be like this, to make it completely open.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59We join an empty property officer as they seek out at vacant dwellings and bring them back into use.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05This one stands out in that the paint's peeling, the garden's overgrown, the windows are broken.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06It screams empty home.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11And we meet the renovators who are resuscitating houses after years of neglect.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17It's like heart palpitations. It's like going to dance when you're 16 and getting the right girl.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23You know, it's a tragedy that so many buildings in this country are left to rack and ruin
0:01:23 > 0:01:26but for canny house buyers boarded-up windows and overgrown gardens can offer
0:01:26 > 0:01:33a great opportunity, the chance to buy in your desired location at a much more affordable price.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Accounts manager Simon Wright and his flight attendant wife Sarah
0:01:37 > 0:01:42would love to find a home in the countryside of Sussex or Kent, close to Sarah's work.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47Married for nearly four years, they've spent that time living in the house that Simon bought for himself,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49so there's another reason Sarah wants to move.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52It's your house at the moment that we live in is so really buying our
0:01:52 > 0:01:55own place together where I can put my mark on it as well.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Being closer to work and the country life are the main moving motivators
0:01:59 > 0:02:02but there are a couple more things to consider.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05We have two fur babies and we'd probably like some...
0:02:05 > 0:02:10- Real ones too.- And I think with the house that's slightly larger is
0:02:10 > 0:02:13going to give us that opportunity and a good start for the children.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16They'd love to buy into the rural dream and find
0:02:16 > 0:02:19a character cottage in a village where they could walk their dogs.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Maybe a village pub or a small shop,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25I think that would be absolutely ideal.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31I think Sarah's got the ideas on the design front and I would say I'm more practical.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34So I tell him what to do and he does it, basically.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40But after a three-month search on their £190,000 budget, they've not find a home
0:02:40 > 0:02:45so they're thinking a vacant property in need of improvement could be the affordable answer.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49But with no experience of renovation, they need all the help they can get.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51How much thought of you put into the idea of an empty property?
0:02:51 > 0:02:55I think it's something we've both always wanted to do but
0:02:55 > 0:02:59we thought it would be something a bit further into the future when we've got more money to spend on it.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03That's kind of what we were thinking, we didn't really think that we'd be looking at that now.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05- Yes.- Well, let's have a think about the money, I mean how much do
0:03:05 > 0:03:10you want to spend in total, including buying the property and doing it up?
0:03:10 > 0:03:12I'd like to spend as little as possible,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Sarah would like...
0:03:14 > 0:03:16I'd like to blow the budget.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- What is the budget that we might blow? - It's not very highly really, is it?
0:03:19 > 0:03:21You hold the purse strings so you tell them.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- The maximum is 190.- 190, OK.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28If we can find an empty home that we can make our own, I could buy it
0:03:28 > 0:03:34at a slightly lesser price and then spend time and money doing it, we can make it how we want it to be.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Part of it, though, of course, is going to be about confidence and how confident you feel
0:03:37 > 0:03:43in taking on what could well be a major project by the sounds of what we were talking about.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46We need a little bit of help and guidance along the way because
0:03:46 > 0:03:50we need to know what our limitations are and what we can actually achieve.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55I'm in a position where I can possibly knock down some walls that Sarah tells me to do
0:03:55 > 0:03:57so I guess we're at that point where we think, "Well, why not?"
0:03:57 > 0:04:02You've certainly come to the right place to give you the right sort of inspiration for this endeavour
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and I hope equip you with some tricks and tools of the trade to enable this
0:04:06 > 0:04:11renovation, wherever it is, whatever it is, to go as smoothly as possible.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12- That would be good.- Great.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16To help Simon and Sarah get a sense of what their project may entail,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20I'll be and introducing them to homeowners with bags of experience.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22But first I want to get an idea of whether they have
0:04:22 > 0:04:25a nose for the possibilities a disused dwelling may offer.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28So without me there to guide them we're sending Simon and Sarah off
0:04:28 > 0:04:34to view a good example of the sort of property they can afford if they go down the empty property route.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Buying an abandoned building isn't for everyone so I want
0:04:38 > 0:04:41to show them what they can expect to find on their budget.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46The picture perfect village of Ticehurst in Sussex is a location
0:04:46 > 0:04:51to die for but Simon and Sarah can't afford a period home around here so
0:04:51 > 0:04:57they'll have to consider something more modern without roses round the door like this 1980s two-bed semi.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58I like it from the outside.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- I think it's tidy, it's got character.- It's new but it's nice.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- It looks good.- Previously the house had been rented out but for more than a year it stood empty.
0:05:06 > 0:05:14Despite the owner dropping the price from 220 to £165,000, so far no-one's spotted its potential.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Straight into the porch, that's good.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20They need to think what they could do with the space through
0:05:20 > 0:05:24clever alterations, and not get hung up on easy fixes like the decor.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28We can put artificial beams up to make it look inside a cottage feel.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Whether you wanted a wooden floor put down, it would give us then
0:05:31 > 0:05:36some sort of country feel but it does feel really spacious, which I like.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41I want Simon and Sarah to look out for every opportunity to put their mark on this house.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Plenty of storage space for clothes.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- Loft area up there.- Yes.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48I wonder if we could convert it, maybe an office space.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49Ooh!
0:05:51 > 0:05:56A conversion at around 30 grand would push them over budget and is unlikely to add enough value to the house.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00For me their money would be much better spent downstairs.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- This is a good size, isn't it? - It is, everything you want with the cupboards, the worktops.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08That's quite good. You could knock this wall down. You could either have it
0:06:08 > 0:06:13one complete long or open up slightly with an arch with a breakfast bar.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14So you can sit on high stools.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Yes, and then maybe look at
0:06:17 > 0:06:19- opening that completely up. - You could have patio doors out into the back garden.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23That would be the thing, whether you could take that out.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I'm talking about now a completely new design of that wall.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32These two have some really ambitious ideas but do they have the confidence to carry them out?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34It's a big job.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Hmm, that would be a very big job.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40They seem a little scared but that's why I'm here to help.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45Later, I caught up with Simon and Sarah to discuss their concerns.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47So Ticehurst, talk me through it.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I get the feeling you were quite enchanted with that one.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53We were, we loved the village, didn't we, the village was absolutely perfect.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55It was exactly what we were looking for.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I love the way you talked about knocking things down
0:06:57 > 0:07:00and putting things through and all the rest of it.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03How much work would you be involved in there, Simon, do you think?
0:07:03 > 0:07:08I think something like that is manageable for the both of us.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Yes, because it was livable as it was.- Yes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Just remind me of how much it was.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14It was 165.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16So comfortably under your 190.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Yes, and that leaves a lot to play with.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Well, we had a word with a local builder who also had a look at it.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26He reckons about 15,000 to do what you want to do to it.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28That's not bad.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- I think that's really good. - We're under a budget!
0:07:31 > 0:07:35If you do a fair chunk of that it yourself, Simon, obviously it's not going to be for free, you've got
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- materials and so forth, but you'd certainly knock a third off that. - I'd be happy with that.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I think the key thing now is to arm you with some tools and tricks of the trade
0:07:43 > 0:07:49and more inspiration and confidence to go forward and actually turn that into your dream home.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54The next stage is to get you into some properties at very different ends of the renovation spectrum,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57one of which is halfway through so you will see it bare bones and all, it's going to be
0:07:57 > 0:08:02hard hats all the way on that one, and then we'll get you into a very interesting property that is
0:08:02 > 0:08:09- now finished and again you can pick the brains of the owners and learn from them.- That'd be great.- Come on.
0:08:09 > 0:08:15Unused buildings come in all shapes and sizes even if they've not been in residential use before.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20With imagination, they can still be turned into amazing family homes.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23This next property may be in another league in terms of Sarah and Simon's budget
0:08:23 > 0:08:29but it's an example of how creative you can be with an empty space. When Henning Stumel
0:08:29 > 0:08:36first saw this former industrial building in Paddington, west London, in 2006, it took real vision to spot
0:08:36 > 0:08:39that it could eventually be an extraordinary conversion.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44It was a wreck. There was an asbestos contamination we had to deal with initially.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50There was a lot of structural work just to make sure that the building would retain its integrity.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53So we had to rebuild one corner for instance
0:08:53 > 0:08:58and sneak in little bits of extra steel, add an extra timber here and there.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Being an architect, he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve
0:09:01 > 0:09:05with this 19th-century former Hackney carriage warehouse
0:09:05 > 0:09:07after paying £1.3 million for it.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13I certainly went out of my way to preserve as much of the structure as I possibly could.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16In fact, these floorboards you see here, they were all
0:09:16 > 0:09:21lifted up, taken somewhere, and did all the building works and they were put back down again.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25When it comes to wiring, plumbing, plastering, everybody knows that's
0:09:25 > 0:09:28going to happen at some point and you can put it in a schedule
0:09:28 > 0:09:35but it's the bits, which as you take it apart and then you open it up and find a can of worms.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36HE LAUGHS
0:09:36 > 0:09:41I think you mentally need to be prepared for that when you take on a project like this.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47The reason we were interested in this project was it had a lot of floor space, which was important
0:09:47 > 0:09:51because in London the shortcoming of little townhouses is always that you
0:09:51 > 0:09:54just have a footprint, which is minimal and then you have it
0:09:54 > 0:10:00stacked up four or five times, so we really understood that this was quite a unique opportunity.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06The considerable renovation took 18 months and cost £450,000
0:10:06 > 0:10:10but when it was finished, Henning was pleased with what he'd created.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15It's like heart palpitations. It's like going to a dance when you are 16 and getting the right girl.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17HE LAUGHS
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It's nice when it all sort of comes into place.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Having spent a total of £1.75 million on the building,
0:10:24 > 0:10:31Henning now has an outstanding family home worth £3.5 million.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39With housing in the UK in such high demand, it's a scandal that so many of our buildings are left simply
0:10:39 > 0:10:44to decay when of course they could be turned into gorgeous family homes in the right hands.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49The amount of waste that regenerates, well, it's unforgivable but the good news is that help is at hand.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53The nation's empty property officers are hard at work trying to turn these
0:10:53 > 0:10:56derelict buildings back into homes again.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Meet Andrew Vickers, he is the empty property officer
0:11:02 > 0:11:08employed by Nottingham City Council, and he's charged with getting vacant buildings back into use.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Seeing any decent property, let alone historically, architecturally
0:11:12 > 0:11:15pleasing one going to rack and ruin is a shame, it's a disgrace.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18It's a waste of resources that has a huge impact on the environment.
0:11:18 > 0:11:25Seeing derelict properties returned back into use as family homes, that's a goal
0:11:25 > 0:11:30and it's very satisfying to the neighbours who've had to suffer the knock-on ripple effect of this
0:11:30 > 0:11:33eyesore amongst their community.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34It's quite satisfying.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37A retired policeman with 30 years' experience pounding the streets of
0:11:37 > 0:11:45the city, in the last two years alone he's successfully found new owners for more than 350 disused properties.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50Personally, I particularly enjoyed tracking people down, tracking empty home owners down.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54I pride myself on having a fairly high success rate in finding them.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I would say it's round about the 99% mark.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Andrew gets about 20 new cases each month but today he is responding to
0:12:01 > 0:12:08a call from a worried neighbour about this 1930s detached house that's been empty for four years.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I've previously been in touch with the owner of this one
0:12:11 > 0:12:16who claims that he was undergoing a divorce and the house was
0:12:16 > 0:12:20the rope in a tug of war.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25I would have thought that 12 months on that would've been resolved by now.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The property is reported to have a large number of foxes living in the garden.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34From the front, it doesn't look too bad but the vine growing up the chimney is a dead giveaway.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39It does look a mess inside, just abandoned.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Nothing much to see through there.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48The first job for Andrew is to have a look around the back to assess the fox situation.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Hello, are you the lady that's called about the property next door being empty?
0:12:52 > 0:12:59- Yes.- Is it possible to get into the back of your garden to see into the state of this garden?- Yes.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01The neighbour's been living next door to this abandoned property for
0:13:01 > 0:13:06four years now and in that time she's seen its garden turn into a jungle.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09It's so dense you can't see in.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Andrew's sleuthing skills have spotted a breakthrough already.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- There is an obvious entry to foxes down here.- Be careful.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22The owners of this house may not be too worried about it
0:13:22 > 0:13:25but the foxes have certainly made themselves at home.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30I don't know if there's a fox's home so to speak. They live in
0:13:30 > 0:13:35holes in the ground, basically, that they excavate, typically in
0:13:35 > 0:13:39neglected areas like this or under rockeries and sheds and that sort of thing.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41I think they've got house in there.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Yes, they have.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47The location of the foxes' den offers them easy access to the neighbour's
0:13:47 > 0:13:50garden and even her house. It's potentially dangerous.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56In light of recent events in London where people are perhaps a bit panicky about foxes nowadays,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00I think she's justifiably concerned about the pests
0:14:00 > 0:14:04that are inhabiting the empty home next door.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10This footage shot from the neighbour's roof shows just how bad the fox problem is.
0:14:11 > 0:14:17Unfortunately for them, they're about to come up against the ex-long arm of the law.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19You don't want to leave that window open because they can get in
0:14:19 > 0:14:23and of course they carry fleas and lord knows what else.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27He wastes no time in contacting the council's pest control agency.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33It's Andrew Vickers. Can I refer you to service request 253023?
0:14:33 > 0:14:38Andrew needs the house lived in again, as soon as the foxes have been moved on.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40I've got to get back to that registered owner to see what
0:14:40 > 0:14:43the state of play is and try and progress this.
0:14:43 > 0:14:51My ultimate goal is to get the house back into occupation, get it looked after, but along the way my more
0:14:51 > 0:14:57pressing issues are the problems that that very concerned neighbour's got with the pests next door.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Simon and Sarah Wright are hoping to move to a village in Sussex or Kent closer to Sarah's work.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10They've seen an empty property cheap enough to get them into their dream
0:15:10 > 0:15:15location without blowing their tight £190,000 budget.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Now to show them just how ambitious you can be,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I'm introducing them to a homeowner who's already taken the plunge.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Now, guys, any idea what this might have been originally?
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Well, by looking next door I thought it would have been something quite small.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Go on, John, tell them.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36It used to be a 1960s bungalow.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41John Compton works in the film industry and certainly needed to draw on all his creative energy
0:15:41 > 0:15:47when he spotted this rundown retiree's two-bed bungalow, which was on the market for £225,000.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52It had been empty for almost a year after the previous owner moved into a care home.
0:15:52 > 0:15:58When I saw the bungalow here it was just crying out to be developed and made into something pretty
0:15:58 > 0:16:05as well as it's a good opportunity for me to put my mark and have something that
0:16:05 > 0:16:07one can be proud of.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11John is halfway through transforming it, radically changing the layout on
0:16:11 > 0:16:15the ground floor and adding a first floor to create a four-bedroom house.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Look at this, wow.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- You've just gutted it, haven't you, completely?- This is it.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Call me old-fashioned but weren't you just tempted to start again and knock
0:16:23 > 0:16:27the whole thing down, given that you've built a complete new storey above?
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Yes, but it wasn't too bad. I mean rather than build one level up,
0:16:32 > 0:16:37it's there so just take the internal walls out and then the timber frame can then sit on top.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Adding a timber frame first floor has allowed John to transform the
0:16:40 > 0:16:44property quickly and for less cost than a brick-built structure.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48And the advantage here I guess, John, it just goes up so much quicker.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53That's right. Basically, once we'd put the platform down, this was up in a matter of about three days.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Is your partner involved in this or is it a case that this is just
0:16:56 > 0:16:59simply your design, because I would be worried if Sarah and I would be
0:16:59 > 0:17:04that's the bedroom, that's the bathroom and there'd be so many crossovers between us.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Arguments.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Arguments, disagreements.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10At the moment, luckily it's just me but I have
0:17:10 > 0:17:15done a lot of it and the guy that does the timber frame, he helped me a little bit with the top plans.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18But it's an important point, though, actually, I think, if you could involve your contractors
0:17:18 > 0:17:23as much as possible in your ambition and your passion for the build, actually that does transmit through
0:17:23 > 0:17:25the whole team and I think you do get a better job at the end of it.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29That's right. If you've got a good team of builders, they'll actually save you money in the long run.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- Now just give us a sense of costs here.- It's actually 100.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35- 100?- Yes, but that is up until
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- getting it completely finished. - That's completely with fixtures and fittings?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Fixtures, fittings, your bathroom, a kitchen, all of the appliances.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Landscaping the garden? - Gardens and the front.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I think that is fantastically good value for money.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Have you always have that in mind, though, when you first started it?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- No.- You'd got in mind how it's going to look when it's
0:17:51 > 0:17:55actually finished because for us I wouldn't know where to start.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59The first thought was about the house, as in the external looks
0:17:59 > 0:18:03and then we went internal and then fit the other bits in around it.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06With something like this, you can actually make it to your design, and that you're happy with it.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10- Are you feeling inspired, Sarah? - I am, definitely, I want to do it.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13THEY LAUGH
0:18:13 > 0:18:15I might need to take you out for a drink.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17I feel a bit high, I think!
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- Is the heat getting to you?- Yes.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26Once John's finished the build his total costs will be around £325,000
0:18:26 > 0:18:31for a stunning home on a street where similar properties sell for 450,000.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35It looks like taking on an empty house will definitely pay off.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Well, this building site is going to be John's garden when eventually he's
0:18:38 > 0:18:41got it finished, he says in a month's time.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43One thing I've really enjoyed, though, about showing this place
0:18:43 > 0:18:45to Simon and Sarah is that I think they really lit up.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48I think they perhaps were a bit daunted when we first got here but
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Sarah certainly has been really inspired by what we've seen up there an it really is quite an
0:18:52 > 0:18:58ambitious build, and who knows, maybe that renovation in Ticehurst isn't big enough for them.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03Later, I'll be taking Simon and Sarah to meet another pair of renovators
0:19:03 > 0:19:08to show them how, with a bit of inspiration, you can be just as clever with the interior.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12But first back in Nottingham. Empty property officer Andrew Vickers
0:19:12 > 0:19:16is following up one of his ongoing cases.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21Today, I'm going to revisit a property that's been empty for a number of years.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24It was by an old lady who unfortunately died and then the
0:19:24 > 0:19:31house was resold over a year ago, and I was hopeful that the property was going to come back into use.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36Standing empty for more than six years, the house was bought in 2009
0:19:36 > 0:19:39with the new owner intending to convert it into flats.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41But so far no work has been carried out
0:19:41 > 0:19:47and Andrew has served an enforcement notice on the owner to improve the appearance of the house's exterior.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51The notice I've served stipulated to cut back the foliage because this creates a screen
0:19:51 > 0:19:55for offenders to hide behind as well is looking unsightly and overgrown,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58and to improve the facade and paint up the flaking paintwork
0:19:58 > 0:20:04and make it look lived in at least even if it's not, and specifically to repair that window at the top.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07This house is owned by a local professional footballer
0:20:07 > 0:20:12so it just shows that people from all walks of life leave places vacant.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16But as it's been burgled on numerous occasions, Andrew needs to investigate whether it's now secure.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19This window's broken, I hadn't noticed that on my previous visit
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and I see there are some obvious leverage points at the side there where somebody has had a screwdriver
0:20:24 > 0:20:29in and tried to lever that open and has cracked the glass but
0:20:32 > 0:20:35I think it's holding for now although it's not
0:20:35 > 0:20:36ever so safe.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42This one stands out in that the paint is peeling, the garden's overgrown, the windows are broken.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46It screams empty home at passers-by.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49In recent months, the house has attracted antisocial behaviour
0:20:49 > 0:20:52and this is cause for concern for the next-door neighbour.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57I think the worst thing about it is the sense of insecurity that you have.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02You know your own property is well looked after and locked but this property
0:21:02 > 0:21:06looks empty, looks deserted, and you worry about people breaking into it.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Andrew needs to investigate further at the rear of the house.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Have you seen any gardeners or any activity from the owner?
0:21:13 > 0:21:20No, nothing at all. If this property is brought back into life again, it means that we'd have some neighbours
0:21:20 > 0:21:25that we can talk to for once rather than looking out at this ghastly facade that's there at the moment.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30It's clear with one month left to comply with the enforcement notice Andrew served to improve
0:21:30 > 0:21:33the appearance of the house, the owner has done nothing.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37If they fail to act, it could result in the council taking them to court.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40The bottom line is compulsory purchase.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41If the owner's not going to do something with it
0:21:41 > 0:21:47to bring it back into use, the council will take it from them and sell it on to someone who will.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50But since the council's visit, the owner has carried out repairs
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and submitted plans for a full renovation.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Now if you're thinking of taking on an empty or derelict property,
0:21:56 > 0:22:02it's worth considering some of the financial aid packages that could be available to you.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07Local authorities can often provide renovation grants and if you're building is of historic significance,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10you can always have a chat to English Heritage and bodies like them.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15But then of course there's also the green grant. If your new scheme involves something that is
0:22:15 > 0:22:20ecologically sound and sensitive, there may be money available just for you.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30Sarah and Simon Wright loved the location of this empty two-bed semi in Ticehurst, East Sussex,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33but were lacking in confidence when it came to the renovation needed.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35- A big job.- Hmm.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40I've already shown them how you can add character to a dull exterior,
0:22:40 > 0:22:45now I want to show them how a tired, uninspiring interior can be changed beyond belief.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50What have we got for you? I think a very interesting property that I hope will give you lots of ideas.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53What they've done to this place, I think you could do to yours.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- OK, sounds interesting. - Knocked down some walls.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58You are going to knock down some walls, you're going to add some doors.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03It did look a bit tired and a bit dated when they bought it but it doesn't look like that now.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Come and have a look.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Polly Faber and Andy Riley were looking for a house that they could turn into
0:23:08 > 0:23:12a perfect family home to share with their two children, Bill and Eddie.
0:23:12 > 0:23:18They hadn't planned on buying an empty property until they spotted this 1930s terrace.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23It was obvious to me that the floor space was good and the light and all the essentials,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28the bones of the house were good if you like and we could update it in a way that would make it our own.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34She had lots of ideas for what to do with it and they seemed all right to me and I took that on trust.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40Polly and Andy have transformed the former three-bed terrace into a contemporary five bed home.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43It's got breathtaking open plan kitchen/living space
0:23:43 > 0:23:47with a roof that defies gravity flowing out into the garden.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52- What do you think?- Amazing. - Stunning.- Yes?- Absolutely stunning.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Where did you get the idea for this huge open plan space?
0:23:55 > 0:23:57It wasn't my idea.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Polly, where did you get the idea from?
0:23:59 > 0:24:03I just wanted a space that would work for all of us for now and for the future as well,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07and we do live in a slightly different way from the way people used to live in the 1930s.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09We don't tend to want a formal dining room.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Well, this is the sort of thing that would suit you down to the ground, isn't it?
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Oh, yes, definitely.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17This may be a much bigger project than Simon and Sarah might manage at
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Ticehurst but they should take away plenty of ideas.
0:24:20 > 0:24:26On the extension there's no pillar on the corner so there's a huge cantilevered girder that weighs
0:24:26 > 0:24:27six tonnes across there,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30and these things slide around over there so you can kind of enclose or not enclose as you like.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Polly, was this your creation, did you have an architect?
0:24:39 > 0:24:43We had an architect and I have to give him due credit that
0:24:43 > 0:24:45he came up with the idea of the cantilever-built corner.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50I just said to him I wanted a big open plan space that brought the inside
0:24:50 > 0:24:53to the outside and vice versa that we could use.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Well, what do you think, guys? I think this is the sort of thing you could think about.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03- Absolutely brilliant. - I think one of the points of this is that
0:25:03 > 0:25:06exactly the same slate that we've got inside the kitchen is also on the patio.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11I think it works a treat actually. In terms of style, is this the sort of thing you'd go for?
0:25:11 > 0:25:17This would be amazing, and if I could take one thing something like this into a country cottage,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21some sort of contemporary feature, it will be like this, to make it completely open.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Yes, but I love the little touches - the swing is terrific, it's great fun.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28It's great, and it's nice you can sit on the edge of the sofa and push them and read the paper.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I go on it quite a lot when I get home from work.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33It's the nicest seat in the kitchen.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Polly and Andy spent £280,000 on their renovation and I hope it's given our house hunters
0:25:40 > 0:25:45the self-belief they need to tackle the transformation of their own empty home.
0:25:47 > 0:25:54How do you feel now, having seen two projects full of people that I hope of giving you a bit more confidence?
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Confidence and inspiration I think is the key.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Seeing this house here, the second house, what they've done,
0:26:02 > 0:26:09I think that certainly opened my mind to knock some walls down, if that's all right with Sarah.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14- Yes, you just need some advice and some help along the way. - So what happens next?
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- I get my chequebook out.- Yes.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20I think we both like to take the Ticehurst option further.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23We'd like to go for that house, possibly, if we still can, but
0:26:23 > 0:26:27if not that house then certainly the area, I know for myself was amazing.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- Yes, we loved the area. - Good, so if nothing else we've put you in the right place.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Definitely. You found exactly what we were looking for area wise.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38And I think we've introduced you to the idea that taking on something that needs a bit
0:26:38 > 0:26:41of love and attention would be the way to go to get you what you want.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Yes.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48I have to say that I've been really impressed with Simon and Sarah.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51They're imaginative, they're open-minded, and above all else
0:26:51 > 0:26:57they've got a terrific sense of fun, all the qualities they'll need in taking on a renovation of
0:26:57 > 0:27:02their own and personally, I think they'll make a great success of it.
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