0:00:02 > 0:00:07There are nearly one million homes lying lost and abandoned in the UK,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10waiting for someone to put life back into them.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12So whether it's a tired semi, or a rambling mansion,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16we're on a mission to rescue Britain's Empty Homes.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31It's many a person's dream to escape from the rat race and find
0:00:31 > 0:00:35a derelict cottage or a rundown barn that they can turn back into a stunning family home.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40But often the reality of renovation is far away from the romantic idyll.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44'Today, I'm going to share my knowledge of renovating a wreck
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'to help a couple work out how big a project
0:00:47 > 0:00:49'they're prepared to take on.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:53We know when we are out of our depth. We are pretty close to being out of our depth!
0:00:53 > 0:00:58'I'll introduce them to other homeowners who have taken on ambitious rebuilds
0:00:58 > 0:01:00'so they can learn from their experiences.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:05I've loved seeing how you have made this so crisp and sharp and modern but it works
0:01:05 > 0:01:06so well with the old bits.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'Plus, we follow an empty property officer, charged with
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'finding residents for rundown residences.'
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Cobwebs, all the way up, it's never been opened in a long time.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Buying a house is far and away the biggest purchase that any of us
0:01:20 > 0:01:21will ever make.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25But the idea of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a building
0:01:25 > 0:01:29that's tired, derelict and pretty dated may seem like a bit of a gamble.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32But, provided you're prepared to put in a bit of hard work,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34it's a leap of faith well worth taking.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Nick and Laura Tipper are both engineers in the aerospace industry.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45They tied the knot three years ago and now they want to find a house in the countryside near Preston
0:01:45 > 0:01:47to turn into their very own marital mansion.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52We're passionate about properties that we can put our mark on.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The period properties that we've been looking at have not been
0:01:55 > 0:01:59cared for and need help, just need someone to take care of them.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03They're not afraid to get stuck in and get their hands dirty.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Laura did a plastering course
0:02:05 > 0:02:08when she couldn't get a plasterer one weekend.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10She got cross and went off and did a plastering course.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14And then plastered out the utility room when she got back!
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Nick did a tiling course. He's already tiled the whole bathroom!
0:02:17 > 0:02:21They have £500,000 to buy and do somewhere up.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But there's one small flaw in the plan.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27You look at some properties and you think, "We could do this in here."
0:02:27 > 0:02:30We've looked at some others
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and you think, "I haven't got a clue where we would begin in this house
0:02:34 > 0:02:37"to make it work as a 21st-century home."
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Hi, Nick, nice to see you. Hi, Laura.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45'I'm here to equip them with some know-how and confidence to help tackle their renovation.'
0:02:45 > 0:02:49It's really nice to see you here up in Yorkshire.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Quite an endeavour that you're thinking of undertaking.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Give me a sense of how you've got to this point.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Well, about three years ago,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01we bought ourselves a Victorian semi-detached house and we have
0:03:01 > 0:03:06knocked some walls down, put new kitchens in and new bathrooms, and we've enjoyed that.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09We're keen now to do something a bit bigger.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Give me a sense of the sort of building that would be of interest to you.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16We're in a town now, and it's a nice town,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19but we'd like something with a bit more space and land.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24The bigger the better, the more interesting the better. As long as we can do it with the budget.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28I get the sense that it's the scale of the project that will sell it to you.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33Whichever building you fall in love with, it's going to have to be a real whopper.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Yeah, we don't want another decorating,
0:03:36 > 0:03:41get a new kitchen and bathroom and it's done project. We've done that.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46On the face of it, this sounds very doable for the pair of you. Quite gung ho, if I might say so.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48There must be some real concerns underneath it?
0:03:48 > 0:03:53The real underlying worry is that there is some aspects that we haven't thought about.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57The schedule gets blown apart and consequently so does the budget
0:03:57 > 0:04:00because you come across something that you didn't envisage.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04- The can of worms scenario is the big headache?- Yes.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08We can give you a few tips and tricks, you've come to the right place.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- That's great.- Fantastic.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15'I'll be introducing them to couples who have taken on projects similar
0:04:15 > 0:04:17'to the one they're planning.'
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Nick and Laura seem to have the enthusiasm to tackle
0:04:21 > 0:04:24an empty property, but I'm keen to see if they have a real eye for it.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Without me there to guide them, I'm sending them off to have a look at
0:04:28 > 0:04:32a fantastic if daunting example of the sort of thing they could take on.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36The question is, will they fall in love with it, or will they run a mile?
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Oh, look at that. Look at that!
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- Oh, my God.- It's in the hillside.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51This fantastic Victorian pump house building is in Cranshaw Booth.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53It's covered in plants and ivy.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Completely shrouded by woodland and a cloak of nettles,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01the building sits in the grounds of a local manor house.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05- This is amazing!- It's got tonnes of windows. One, two, three, four...
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Seven doors, windows?
0:05:07 > 0:05:12Yes, there may be plenty of windows, but for £299,000,
0:05:12 > 0:05:17- there's no electricity, no gas and no running water.- Oh, my.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Unless you count the damp running down the back wall.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22There's stuff coming down from up there!
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Look, it's like an arched tunnel! Has it been like a drain?
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Some sort of washing type thing?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31There's a lot of sort of heavy plumbing round here.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Were they storage pits for things...
0:05:34 > 0:05:39OK, given we don't know what it is, what do we do with it?
0:05:39 > 0:05:44What could you do? We have these columns. It's one big space.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Blast these columns, and make them... They're all rusted.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50How does it become a living area?
0:05:50 > 0:05:55Crucially, there is planning permission to convert it into a four or five-bedroom house.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58But can Laura and Nick spot the untapped potential?
0:05:59 > 0:06:04I am blown away by the building. It could be something really special.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09I'm struggling to kind of make that leap as to how you do it well.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- It is a bit overwhelming. - It is absolutely vast.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16If you put a sofa in here, it would be lost!
0:06:16 > 0:06:19You're trying to think how you make it into a four-bedroom house
0:06:19 > 0:06:22without turning it into a bunch of boxes.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27I can see these two were slightly overwhelmed by the pump house and are struggling to see it could be
0:06:27 > 0:06:28a truly remarkable home,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31but I'm hoping they won't be put off just yet.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Lots of questions to be answered. Definitely, one to pursue?
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Yes, definitely something to pursue.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Very excited about it, the more I think about it.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The renovation required here would be a major challenge
0:06:46 > 0:06:50even for an experienced developer, let alone complete novices,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54so I want to make sure that these two are not getting in over their heads.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Now, you said you wanted a big, monumental project,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01so we sent you off to have a look at that old pump house.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Quite a number. What did you reckon?
0:07:04 > 0:07:07It was a bit of a shock when we first saw it.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11You still have in your head that it will be an empty home,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15not just an empty structure that was never a home.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17But it grows on you pretty quickly.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I get the sense that this building isn't just of interest,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24- this is a real goer?- Definitely. We're very excited about it.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28As soon as we had done looking at it, we looked at the planning permission
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and we tried to figure out what we could and couldn't do.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34I mean, this will take some vision
0:07:34 > 0:07:38to turn this into something that will fulfil a family home?
0:07:38 > 0:07:43We know when we're out of depth and are pretty close to being there! LAUGHTER
0:07:43 > 0:07:49Yeah, we want the challenge, we want the risk, but this is pushing the boundaries a little bit.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Let's get you off to see a couple of projects at various stages of renovation.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56One very much at the beginning, one at the end.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59We can meet the owners and, hopefully, it will arm you
0:07:59 > 0:08:02with a few things that you will need to take this one on.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04It's a really exciting project.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07'Taking on a complete wreck is a major undertaking and Nick
0:08:07 > 0:08:11'and Laura will have to be prepared to be in it for the long haul.'
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Just as Roy Gaskill found
0:08:13 > 0:08:17when he bought Westwood Lodge near Manchester back in 1995.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21When we found it, it was actually all overgrown so you couldn't see
0:08:21 > 0:08:23as much of the property as you can now.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Immediately, I thought this is the place
0:08:25 > 0:08:29for me to buy. It was what I wanted all my life.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33He may have paid a reasonable £90,000 for the lodge,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36but there was one major stumbling block.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40The hardest part with the property was getting the planning permissions.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- The red tape.- That is the hardest part of it.
0:08:43 > 0:08:49It took five years to get permission to carry out the renovation.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52He and wife Yvonne have carried out an extensive renovation on what
0:08:52 > 0:08:56was a semi-derelict building.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00It was just really like living in a cave.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03There was no paint on the walls.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Obviously, the floors had been lifted.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08It was just horrendous, you know.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Even just to be able to make it habitable
0:09:11 > 0:09:14took a matter of quite a few weeks of hard work.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Following a £100,000 spend on the transformation,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Roy and Yvonne now have a home worth more than £600,000.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26It's nice to know that it's got that value in it, but in one respect
0:09:26 > 0:09:31it doesn't mean a lot, cos it's our home and we're going to stay here.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36We have put so much into it, it would be very hard to move on.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39The kitchen is my favourite room.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43I find it wonderful, to just sit there and look round and think,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47"Gosh, from what it was, to what it is now, it is like a palace."
0:09:47 > 0:09:51It used to be derelict. Now it's a home, and it's our home.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54It's a really nice place to come home to.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56I would do another property again.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I don't think you have that much time left!
0:09:59 > 0:10:04- That is the problem!- The mind is willing but the body has gone.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I'm now 59 and I think if I was looking to spend
0:10:07 > 0:10:11another 15 years on a property, it would take me past my sell-by date!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Often houses sit empty and decaying
0:10:16 > 0:10:19because nobody actually knows who owns them.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23In many parts of the country, it's the job of a person called an empty property officer
0:10:23 > 0:10:27to find out whose name is on the title deeds, to try and track them down
0:10:27 > 0:10:30and, with any luck, get the building back into use again.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35In Nottingham, the man on the hunt for new owners
0:10:35 > 0:10:38for disused buildings is Andrew Vickers.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43It's very satisfying seeing derelict properties returned
0:10:43 > 0:10:45back into use as family homes. That's the goal.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48After 30 years in the police force,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52he joined up with the city's housing department
0:10:52 > 0:10:56where he's managed to bring 350 properties back from the brink.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58I particularly enjoy tracking people down,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00tracking empty home owners down.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I pride myself on having a high success rate in finding them.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I would say it's roundabout the 99% mark.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09It's an impressive track record and today he's been called
0:11:09 > 0:11:12to another empty house by a concerned neighbour.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17I want to see the complainant and see what the situation is with the garden.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20This detached house is on a quiet residential street
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and, as yet, Andrew has no idea who owns it.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Drawing on his years of experience as a policeman,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Andrew needs to look for any lead that could provide a clue
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- as to who the owner is.- No...
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Cobwebs all the way up it. It's never been opened in a long time.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Lean-to outhouse full of jam jars. Perhaps she liked making jam.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45This is the garden that's causing the problem.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49It's got brambles and obviously it's had years of neglect.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52True to form, probably home to foxes.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Andrew has found the house empty, so goes next door
0:11:56 > 0:11:59to meet the neighbour who made the complaint.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05- Where are the foxes getting through? - They come from that side and they have created a hole down there.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Every time I block it up, they move the bricks.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11They will, they are powerful diggers.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14They dig away at the ground and they will move those.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15There's a shed on the other side
0:12:15 > 0:12:20and I bet they have an earth underneath the shed.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Dense brambles on the other side.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Is there anything that the city council can help me with this problem?
0:12:27 > 0:12:31We treat the foxes as wild animals and try to deter them
0:12:31 > 0:12:33rather than exterminate them.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38What we need to do is trace the owner to get that garden sorted out,
0:12:38 > 0:12:44to get the shed and the fox earth sorted out, get it blocked up, to deter them and drive them away.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50The overall thing is to get to the bottom of the ownership of this house.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56He's got a problem with foxes, you can see where they have been digging.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59The garden is densely overgrown with brambles. It's a mess.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02It has newspapers piling up at the door.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Andrew is no nearer to discovering the identity of the house's owner.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08But he prides himself on hunting people down.
0:13:08 > 0:13:14With his track record to uphold, we'll catch up with him later to see how his investigation is going.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20If the idea of taking on a wreck without a roof or windows
0:13:20 > 0:13:24floats your boat, there are a couple of places where you can start your search.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Local estates and auction houses are a good place to start.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31You can also try some of the charities, like Save Britain's Heritage,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34or the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Both of them carry lists of properties crying out for a bit of renovation.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Nick and Laura Tipper are after a project.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49They've seen an old Victorian pump house they think
0:13:49 > 0:13:51could be turned into their perfect home.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55I am blown away by the building. It could be really special.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58'But their lack of major renovation experience could be
0:13:58 > 0:14:02'holding them back and they aren't sure whether to go for it.'
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Come on through. 'So I'm going to introduce them
0:14:05 > 0:14:10'to a couple who have done this sort of thing before in the hope that
0:14:10 > 0:14:14- 'their experiences will inform and inspire.'- Pleased to meet you.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17As far as wrecks go, they don't come much more ruined
0:14:17 > 0:14:20than this agricultural building near Skipton, North Yorkshire.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23David and Karen Shuttleworth, are farmers
0:14:23 > 0:14:25and have had the property for years.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29But until recently, they had never given it a moment's notice.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33We hadn't used the sheep pens for seven years and they were derelict.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38There was a lot of nettles and thistles around it. It was a mess.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Everything was to do to it.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44This place will be lived in by their extended family.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48It's a long way from completion, but should give Nick and Laura a sense
0:14:48 > 0:14:51of the scale they're contemplating taking on.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52I love it.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55The stone windows, the reveals, the sills.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Have you designed this yourselves?
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The windows and the sills, they all came
0:15:00 > 0:15:04and I had a look at them, and I said, "I don't like them,"
0:15:04 > 0:15:06so we sent them back to the stonemason
0:15:06 > 0:15:10and he chamfered the edges off a bit more.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14We want to make it look good, cos we're looking at it every day.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17As it's never been used as a dwelling before,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Karen and David have started from scratch.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23When you build a house in the middle of nowhere, getting mains gas,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26electricity and water is a big consideration
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and needs to be planned to avoid any unexpected problems.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Did you have to bring utilities in?
0:15:32 > 0:15:36They're not on site, but there was a development going on down the field.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40They've got electric, so we have sorted out with them,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44which would have cost us £20,000 if we hadn't had that opportunity
0:15:44 > 0:15:47to get the electricity to there.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Now it will cost us just over £1,000.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54The guys were worried about opening the proverbial can of worms.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57A bill for £20,000 is exactly that.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00That's the sort of thing that worries us,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03that sort of unknown quantity that just kills your budget.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05'With this build, the Shuttleworths
0:16:05 > 0:16:10'have meticulously planned everything down to the last detail.'
0:16:10 > 0:16:13I love what you have done with the big sandstone blocks.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17What's the idea here? Are you going to plaster up to them?
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It'll be plastered and then painted in between the blocks.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26'They have also thought about how future residents may use the house in years to come.'
0:16:26 > 0:16:27That big gap, what is that?
0:16:27 > 0:16:32That will be a dining room. We did put that wall up.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Because we've made the house sort of wheelchair-friendly,
0:16:35 > 0:16:40in the event we don't need it as a bedroom, it can be an office, the dining room, a play room.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It depends on the people that will live here.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Was that a planning constraint, the disabled access?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49No, it is something we wanted to incorporate.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52And pushchair-friendly, we've widened some of the door ways.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Interesting.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57If anything happened to David or myself or David's parents,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00it needed wheelchair access, it's always there.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04It's better to do it when you're building it rather than retrofit.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09It is interesting to stand here and hear what you are saying about
0:17:09 > 0:17:13the forward planning and be in the middle of that forward planning.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17It is not just looking at a drawing, you have really thought about it.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Both in the sympathetic nature it sits in the landscape,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and practical nature of building, it's fascinating.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26This really is a major project.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I wasn't sure whether Nick and Laura would be put off by the scale.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35Look at all the mess and the mud and unexpected costs that can crop up.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37But so far, so good.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40They're still pretty gung ho, which is good news.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43As for David and Karen, they're creating a building
0:17:43 > 0:17:46that will look as at home in this landscape for the next 200 years,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48as the fields around it. I love it!
0:17:52 > 0:17:57Back in Nottingham, empty property officer, Andrew Vickers,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02is continuing his investigation into the house he was called to earlier.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04In order to solve the vermin problems,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Andrew needs to trace the owner of this vacant property.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10I have various tools that I can use to help me.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14My first one is access to our council tax data.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16In this particular instance,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20the council tax data wasn't able to help me.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22They indicate that the owner is deceased.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Not letting this stop him, his next port of call is the Land Registry.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32The Land Registry reveals that the title, the registered title
0:18:32 > 0:18:36reveals that the owners seem to have Eastern European names.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Now that he has a name,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43Andrew can tap into the sources of a genealogy website.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46It's ideal for people interested in tracing their family tree.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49But equally, it's useful for Empty Homes Officers
0:18:49 > 0:18:52in tracing births, deaths and marriages of people
0:18:52 > 0:18:55who may be the owners of empty properties.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58The website provides a breakthrough.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02The beauty of this Eastern European name is, it is unusual.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06It only brings back 14 of that surname in the entire country
0:19:06 > 0:19:11and there's only one in Nottingham and he died in 1995.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Andrew now needs to get hold of the death certificate,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17which will give him some vital information.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24The person who reported the death is usually a next of kin
0:19:24 > 0:19:30or someone close to the deceased who may be dealing with the estate.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32In this case, the house.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36His trip to the city's register office
0:19:36 > 0:19:39throws up a surprising twist in the tale.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42The death certificate has informant details
0:19:42 > 0:19:45who only lives three doors away from the actual empty.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Great. Good result.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51It turns out the person who registered the death
0:19:51 > 0:19:55of the owner of the empty house lives just a few doors away.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58So Andrew heads back to the same street to see if anyone is at home.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Well, that's disappointing.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10No reply. I've left a calling card.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14If he doesn't call, I'll chase him up. I want to get this moving.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18I'm hoping he might be able to point me towards who's dealing with this house.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20It could be a firm of solicitors, extended family,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23or it could be family in her homeland.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27The death certificate says she was born in Lithuania.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32So there's a possibility that this investigation may go overseas.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37It's an unusual and slightly frustrating case, but progress has been made
0:20:37 > 0:20:42and Andrew is hopeful that he'll track down the owner before too long.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49Nick and Laura Tipper have seen a fantastic but daunting ruined Victorian pump house.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Oh, look at that! Look at that!
0:20:52 > 0:20:56They'd love to buy it, but are worried they might be biting off more than they can chew,
0:20:56 > 0:21:01so I'm trying to give them the confidence they need to put an offer in
0:21:01 > 0:21:05and have introduced them to a couple in the thick of an ambitious renovation.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09'Now I want to show them why these projects are so worthwhile.'
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- Have a look at that. - That's fantastic.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15This is how it was originally.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It's just a bit different.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20When Karl and Janet Zaldat
0:21:20 > 0:21:25found this old, agricultural building in Woodplumpton in 2001,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28it had been out of use for two years.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32It was a barn, there was chippings in the lounge.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34It was full of cobwebs.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38The space was there and the fabric and the build of the place
0:21:38 > 0:21:40would really make something decent.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43They started out with a very clear vision
0:21:43 > 0:21:48which helped motivate the transformation into a unique home.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Come on in. ..Nice to see you again.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56'Having snapped up the building for just £65,000,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01'architect Karl and his wife Janet spent £160,000 on the renovation.'
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- Fantastic.- Lovely wood ceiling.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09It's no longer a mess, it's no longer a nearly tumbled down barn.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14- It's what we hope is a very nice home.- It's our home and house which we made our own.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20'The Zaldats were inspired by the work of the famous early 20th-century architect
0:22:20 > 0:22:24'Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The results are outstanding.'
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Do you feel like you're living in a museum?- No!
0:22:28 > 0:22:31We just love the design of the furniture.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34We already had some pieces so we wanted to use them
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and enhance what we like.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41This is our (but it's my) dressing room.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42Next to the bedroom...
0:22:42 > 0:22:47- Right.- ..I've made a storage space on both sides.- Amazing!
0:22:47 > 0:22:52Then another door, to let the light through from outside,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54another door with the panels on.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59- That's great.- I'm going to come in this way and keep exploring.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- It's great this. Karl, you must never tire of it?- Not at all.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07It's a pleasure waking up thinking this is ours.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11What would be your top tip as an architect,
0:23:11 > 0:23:16for Nick and Laura taking on a building which is historic
0:23:16 > 0:23:20but has to be radically transformed to provide a modern home?
0:23:20 > 0:23:23You've got to be honest with yourselves of what you want,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27what spaces you want and how you're going to live in it?
0:23:27 > 0:23:30See it as a home, not just bricks and mortar.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33I've loved seeing how you've made this so crisp, sharp and modern
0:23:33 > 0:23:36but it works so well with the old bits of the building.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38'By taking on an empty property,
0:23:38 > 0:23:43'Karl and Janet have created a bespoke home that fits their lifestyle.'
0:23:43 > 0:23:48I get the sense that as an architect you must have lapped this one up.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52- This is you doing your thing? - It is. I'm probably my worst client!
0:23:52 > 0:23:57I'm that pernickety trying to get the detail right, thinking should it be here or there?
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- Did you do that at the drawing stage?- Yes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06You probably poured over your drawings again and again until you isolated that detail.
0:24:06 > 0:24:12We even had a cardboard model, a card model, to show us the scale of it.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17- This is planning, you know, in some measure.- It's fantastic.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21We're already thinking of how you live in the space
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and where you'd want electricals and plumbing,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27just making sure you get those details done ahead of time.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'I hope that seeing this place has given Nick and Laura
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'the confidence they need to take on the renovation
0:24:33 > 0:24:35'of that incredible pump house.'
0:24:35 > 0:24:39We set out this morning with you saying we're up for a major project.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Have we put you off big projects?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44- No, not at all.- Not at all.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- It's gone the other way?- I think so.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52We have a bit of confidence, we're thinking about the right things.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56I suspect, if anything, you're feeling that bit more inspired?
0:24:56 > 0:25:01Absolutely, that's what we are going to do and we've set our hearts on the pump house at the moment.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05If it turns out that the pump house isn't for us, because it's too much, so be it.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08We're not going to find out unless we pursue it.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12What would you say are the three key things you've taken away from today?
0:25:12 > 0:25:16The end of today and seeing what Karl and Janet have done here
0:25:16 > 0:25:19is really inspiring, how they've created a whole space,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23a whole coherent thing that's more than the sum of its parts.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27That really inspires me to try and emulate that in some way.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30I think having the vision, some of the things
0:25:30 > 0:25:35that David and Karen were saying about putting in the wheelchair access ahead of time
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and thinking about how people are going to use the space
0:25:38 > 0:25:40so even though they're not going to necessarily live in it,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44they're designing it with an idea of how it's going to be used as a proper home.
0:25:44 > 0:25:50The key thing is planning. It's all about the planning that Karl and Janet here demonstrated.
0:25:50 > 0:25:57The level of detail they put into their planning before they did any building work at all.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02We'll take that away. It's really important for us with the listed building, the pump house,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06to get it right on paper before you even start, get all the permissions in place,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09know what you're doing before you start.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12That certainly is a big project.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16You have it running through your veins that this is what you want to do next.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Whether it is the pump house or not, it's going to be fantastic.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25- Best of luck and let us know how you get on.- Great.- Fantastic. Thanks very much indeed.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29It certainly can take a lot of nerve to take on a building
0:26:29 > 0:26:34that doesn't have a roof, maybe is missing one or two walls not even a water supply.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39Certainly renovation can feel like you're pouring money into a bottomless pit.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44Hopefully, today, we've managed to prove to Nick and Laura that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46If they DO take on the pump house,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50I'm sure when they finish with it, it will be truly remarkable.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54'Since I met up with Laura and Nick, they've put in an offer which has been accepted.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57'If all goes to plan,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01'they'll be working on their own renovation very soon.'
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0:27:24 > 0:27:27E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk