Michael Hims Britain's Empty Homes

Across the country empty buildings that could be homes

are waiting to be brought back to use.

I'll be finding out why and what you need to do

to rescue a house for yourself.

Along the way, I'll be doing some digging to find out more about our housing stock, our heritage

and why we should be both reinventing and preserving Britain's empty homes.

Rescuing an abandoned house is no mean feat.

They've often fallen into disrepair, need major structural work,

planning permission and a huge budget.

wIt can be pretty intimidating,

but with the right advice and careful planning,

even a first time buyer can take on an empty home.

On today's show I'll be meeting a first-time renovator

who dreams of creating a high-tech bachelor pad on a low-tech budget.

You've restructured the floor?

The whole first floor has had to be redone, to put the screen in.

That's mind-boggling!

We'll also meet people who successfully transformed a rustic ruin

into a modern family home.

As time went on, it became more and more appealing, rather than rent out, to live in it.

And we'll follow the property detectives who track down the owners of forgotten houses

and reinvigorate the neighbourhoods blighted by them.

Seeing how happy they are in that accommodation,

it really, for me, makes my whole job worthwhile.

In Birmingham, 21-year-old Michael Hims

is renovating this previously empty 1930s three-bed semi.

'When I got the house, the house vacant for two years

'and it just generally needed to be completely redone from scratch.

'I'm more than happy to put the work in,'

so it just seems a good investment for me to buy it, really.

The house cost £107,000

and Michael bought it with the help of his mum Fiona,

who is acting at his financial guarantor.

I helped Michael with the deposit,

so I put the deposit up for him to apply for the mortgage.

Everything else since has been funded by Michael.

Michael is currently studying to be an electrical engineer and plans to do the majority

of the works himself despite having no renovation experience.

I think I'm ambitious with what I'm trying to do.

It's a full renovation. Rewire, new plumbing, new drainage, all that sort of stuff.

I'm halfway through, now, and there haven't been any great challenges

that I haven't been able to, sort of, solve myself.

Michael has big ambitions

but a relatively small renovation budget of £15,000.

He's already spent £12,000 of that,

but he's still determined to create a high-tech home.

I'm looking to do an integrated audiovisual system. Speakers throughout the house,

and sound will follow you from room to room.

Make the house react to what you're doing, what your daily routine is, as it were.

Michael sees this as a long-term project,

so he's moved back in with Mum while tackling the construction work.

I haven't got a move-in date, as such,

I don't see that it's something worth having.

When it's ready, it's ready.

There's no point trying to aim for a certain date.

That's interesting. I thought we were working towards June 2012.

But, you know, I appreciate Michael can have as much time as he needs.

No, he can't. He's got to be out of my house by June.

I'm concerned that Michael's taken on an awful lot,

and his budget may not match his ambitions for the place,

so, I'm meeting him to find out more.

-Hi, I'm Joe.

-Nice to see you.

-Nice to meet you.

How are you doing? So this is the place, is it?

-Yes, it is, yes.

-OK, you're an interested investor, is that right?

-Yes.

-You're going to see how your investment is coming along?

-Absolutely, yes.

-Shall we go inside and have a look?

-Yes.

Wow!

This is very much a building site. Is this your handiwork?

Yes. I'm looking to do as much work as possible. All the electrics, plumbing.

-The only thing I'm not sure about is the plaster but I will see how that goes.

-Right.

What happens when you come across something that you do not know how to do?

-How do you learn it?

-There's people you can ask. All the manufacturers give out guidance.

If not, there are online forums.

What is the budget for renovating a whole house like this?

-Yes, the budget originally, well, still is, is £15,000.

-OK.

And, to date, there is about £3,000 leftover.

And how much more do you have to buy in terms of materials?

We're pretty much there. All the electrics I've ordered,

all the plumbing and plasterboard. It's pretty much the kitchen.

You said a minute ago, "I don't know if I can plaster."

From what I've seen of other properties, that is quite a skill

and not something people can just pick up overnight.

Is there room in the budget to bring in a specialist contractor like a plasterer?

There will be room if there needs to be room,

but, the amount of work I'm doing, anyway, I'm happy to do it.

So I just see it as another step.

Tell me about electrics. What is your vision for the house?

I'm looking to have a centralised audiovisual install,

where I can automate all the heating systems and lighting systems.

Even remotely, I can plug-in on the internet and control the different aspects.

A little bit of audiovisual has gone in, is that fair to say?

Yeah, I already fitted out a home cinema screen.

That had to go in at this stage because of the structural changes

-that have been made to accommodate it.

-Yeah, it had to, Fiona. It had to go in. First thing.

You don't need plaster board, you need 100-inch TV screen. Can I see?

-There is a remote here.

-It's actually up there.

Yeah, it's within the ceiling, now.

When it's all plastered over, you won't see it.

-These joists would have gone all the way across?

-Yes.

-But you've stopped them doing that. You've put in an extra one.

-Yes.

-So you can fit this in.

-Yes.

-You've restructured the whole floor for this.

-The whole first floor has been redone to put the screen in.

That's mind-boggling.

What about the rest of the house?

Right. This will be the kitchen, is that right?

-Yes, that's right.

-21 is very young to take on and renovate

your own house with no experience, but I suppose it's showing that

there isn't that much to fear if you can get the right advice

and consult the right people. It's pretty admirable, isn't it?

I'm hugely impressed.

And I think he is showing a dedication to something he believes in.

And when he gets stuck he'll ask information,

but he's got a drive

and a vision that hasn't wavered from the outset,

and I think that's a huge credit to him.

It is good to see what's underway here,

but you can't take away the fact that there's limited experience,

so I think it's really good that, later on,

we can show you another property quite similar to this,

that has been through renovation.

But importantly, I want you to meet the couple involved,

because they have a lot of experience in doing just this,

so hopefully they'll be able to give you some really useful advice.

-How does that sound?

-Excellent, yeah.

-Great.

Well, Mike, he's 21 and you have to admire the ambition,

the tenacity, the energy, really.

OK, he's had a bit of help from his mum, Fiona,

to raise the deposit, and she's sort of acted as a guarantor,

but still brilliant that he can get so hands-on.

That said, there's a couple of key concerns.

There isn't much of the budget left and there's still a long way to go.

The kitchen hasn't been bought.

So it is worth remembering that Mike doesn't really have

a lot of experience.

Therefore, it's going to be useful for him and Fiona

to meet a couple who completed work on their own empty property

to hear just how they managed it.

There isn't always someone like Michael

to come to the rescue of an empty house.

Across the country, it's often our empty property officers

who take on that particular challenge.

Paul Palmer is the empty property officer

for Corby and East Northants.

To be able to go along and see a problem

that I can then personally do something about,

work with an owner to see that property brought back into use, brings me total job satisfaction.

Today Paul is visiting a house in East Northants

which neighbours have reported as being empty.

What we know about this property so far is there is an allegation it has been abandoned.

We understand there's a broken window, which might indicate an attempted break-in.

There might be other anti-social behaviour associated with the property.

But apart from that, that's all we know.

Before he can take any formal action,

Paul must find out if the building is definitely vacant.

There's a little gap through here.

Right, OK.

There's clearly no furniture in here, just empty boxes on the floor.

It would tally with the reports we've had that it seems to have been abandoned.

He takes a look round the back to see if there are any more clues.

Quite a few bits and pieces abandoned in the garden.

We've got fence panels almost completely down

along the whole length here,

which is not very good for the neighbours, obviously.

The worrying thing is just over here.

Obviously, this window's been broken from the outside

because the glass has been punched inwards, as you can see.

Somebody's had a go at this and possibly tried to get in.

What I need to do now is try and get some more clues as to who owns it and where they are,

so I'm going to see if I can get hold of one of the neighbours.

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-Sorry to disturb you.

-My name's Paul, I'm from East Northants Council.

-OK.

-I'm asking about the property next door.

-Yeah?

-Do you know how long it's been empty or who owns it?

-I don't know who owns it.

The property's been empty for seven, eight months, if not longer.

Do you mind me asking, does it cause you any problems, being empty?

-Yeah, cos we don't know who's coming and going. It's been broken into, or attempted to.

-Right.

The fence has fallen down. Our dog escapes.

And it's a bit of a concern with a young child

-and another one on the way.

-Of course, yeah. I'll go back to the office now,

do some investigations, find out who owns it

and we'll contact them, get it secured, so hopefully that will stop more problems for yourselves.

And eventually, we will get that property brought back into use.

-Fantastic. Thank you.

-Bye for now.

That's all we can do here at the property.

Now it's back to the office to start some digging to find out who owns the property

and what they'll do about it.

Since our filming, Paul has contacted the owner

and they've now secured the building.

The owner is also talking with a local property developer

about doing the place up and leasing it out as affordable housing.

If you've got the determination,

the drive, to renovate an abandoned building,

then not only could you end up with your perfect home,

you're also rescuing a little piece of history

and preserving it for generations to come.

Back in 2007, Susan Oliver and her husband Chris

bought these woods in rural Aberdeenshire for £70,000.

But at that point they didn't realise the land's full potential.

Hidden away under five acres of woods was an old ruined croft

which had been empty for over 40 years.

It was a bonus that there was a little croft in it.

We didn't have any intentions of doing anything with it at the start,

but then we decided we might want to make a holiday cottage from it,

so we got in touch with an architect and he drew up plans

for a three-bedroom cottage. And as time went on, it became more and more appealing,

rather than rent it out, to live in it.

But once renovations started,

the Olivers realised they needed more space.

We did a phase 1, renovated the old croft.

Then phase 2 gave the architect a headache because we wanted it bigger.

He then drew up plans for phase 2 and that's where we are now,

in this beautiful, light, airy and warm house.

In total, this epic construction project cost the couple £350,000.

And initially the locals took some convincing

about their modern design plans.

Generally, Aberdeenshire Council Planning Department were quite supportive.

Our local community council were not,

and objected to our planning application.

But in the end, the planning authorities overruled them

and we were able to go ahead. It's a modern build but it's exciting.

You have to move with the times.

We could have built a traditional cottage that looked like the one that was here,

but that wasn't what we wanted.

We were looking for something that was different and modern,

and that's what we got.

This unusual 18-month renovation has paid off.

Susan, Chris and their three children now have an incredible

modern family home in a magical woodland setting.

Renovating the ruin has enabled us to make the extension as we wanted it.

The lounge, dining room and kitchen are my favourite areas

because they are just beautifully light and have a view of the garden

and the woodland outside.

To live in your own little piece of secluded woodland,

you feel lucky, that's just it, definitely.

You feel privileged to do so.

And to have a little stream running through your garden, it's just great.

Model rural living is how we look at it.

Sometimes derelict buildings require a bit of imagination

to help bring them to people's attention.

I've come to the Bankside conservation area in Margate

to find out how the council here is being influenced

by creative residents both past and present.

Council officers have found an alternative way

of drawing attention to an empty historical building

that's perilously close to being pulled down.

Built in the late 18th century, the Fort Road Hotel is one of

the last surviving buildings of this period in Margate's historic Bankside area.

Margate was home to the famous landscape painter JMW Turner,

who it's said used to regularly drink

at the Fort Road Hotel himself.

The hotel has been empty for 20 years now,

and has fallen into serious disrepair.

The Bankside area is currently undergoing regeneration,

and millions have been spent on the Turner Gallery just opposite,

leaving the Fort Road Hotel looking more derelict than ever.

The council's now seeking private investors to help restore

this historic building back to its former glory.

In a true moment of inspiration,

the councillors came up with a unique way of bringing attention to the building.

To find out more, I'm meeting council representative Chris Wells.

-Joe, welcome to Margate.

-Thank you. Nice to meet you.

Now, "iconic site". What's the story behind the neon sign?

Well, it's pretty straightforward.

We have a building here, as you can see, in need of some

tender love and care,

and one of the ways we looked at trying to encourage people to come

and give it some tender love and care was to use

the artistic community that is now very much part of Margate

and create a sign that encourages people to think of it as an artistic endeavour

as well as a piece of architecture.

The sign is bright, it's bold, it's upfront, contemporary.

A little wink and a nod to another artistic resident here in Margate?

Well, perhaps so. Tracey Emin is a Margate girl.

She had her own neon sign over here near the Turner Contemporary

a little while ago.

She told us she thought the town could use more neon.

I suppose what's needed is for someone to spot the potential.

A fantastic building. It could make great flats, or a boutique hotel,

but someone needs to see it and realise the vision.

I think that's so.

They need to see our vision, see this building plays an important part,

and how visible it is.

We want someone with an interest in making something iconic work

for the whole of Margate.

That sign says, "Come and rescue me."

We hope someone will help us rescue that building.

The regeneration of an area like Bankside in Margate

may begin with a multi-million pound project

like the Turner Contemporary,

but to maintain an area's heritage,

it's so important to look after historical buildings.

It's encouraging and fitting

the council chose a creative and artistic way

to highlight the potential of the old Fort Road Hotel.

Fingers crossed, the neon sign will be its lucky charm. And, who knows?

Just perhaps, it's one Turner himself would have approved of.

'Back in Birmingham, 21-year-old electrical engineer Michael Hims

'is rescuing this empty house'

with the financial help of his mum, Fiona.

'Michael's doing the place up himself,

with a budget of just £15,000.

'He's spent £12,000 of that on materials already.

'I'm worried Michael may be more focussed on installing

'hi-tech gadgets than doing actual structural work.

'I'm taking them to get tips and inspiration

'from a couple who've undertaken a similar renovation project.'

Here we are, guys. This is the property I want you to see.

It's 1930s, similar period to yours.

It's been completely renovated from scratch,

which will be very familiar to you.

-I suggest we go inside and say hello. Shall we?

-OK.

Two years ago, Wayne and Elaine Kelly

bought this three-bed semi with a view to doing it up.

Built in 1938, the house only ever had one owner before them.

When they passed away, the house was empty for over two years,

and in serious need of renovation.

It needed completely rewiring.

We knew it needed completely replastering.

We could see the potential for a kitchen extension on the back.

Wayne's a builder, and tackled most of the work himself,

as Michael intends to.

Even with Wayne's experience,

they found juggling their jobs alongside the renovation was tough.

Trying to work all day, and then you have to come here at night.

Work the weekends.

It IS very stressful.

And Wayne's professional experience certainly helped the budget.

ELAINE: The benefits to the renovation

with Wayne being a builder

was just a massive help.

I would say we probably saved over £40,000 in labour charges

by renovating the house ourselves.

'Even though this project was on a bigger scale than Michael's,

'I'm hoping he and Fiona will glean some useful advice from this visit.'

This is lovely. You have experience in doing this kind of renovation.

Is that fair?

WAYNE: I AM in the building trade, and this is our third renovation.

How much of the work does that mean you can do yourself,

when you take on a project like this?

We could probably do about 90% of the work ourselves.

Where do you draw the line between what you do yourself

and when you bring people in?

Michael's been very brave, and pretty much done everything himself.

-Very much cheaper...

-Much cheaper, so we'll weigh it up.

But where do you personally draw the line?

I personally draw the line at electrics,

which have to be up to standard.

And, obviously, gas.

You're very confident with your electrics. Is that right?

I'm doing an electrical engineering degree,

so I understand the electrical aspect.

It's more the plastering, and that sort of stuff

I think it's very much a skill-based thing,

where I would possibly look at getting someone else to do it.

In a place like this, you look at the walls and almost take it for

granted how smooth everything is.

But how important is it to get that exactly right?

I think it's very important, because when you apply the paint,

if the finish isn't just right,

any lights show up any imperfections on the walls.

So, it does pay

to have a professional do the job for you.

It's a similar-sized house.

What does it cost to get a plasterer in for a house like this?

This size of house, if Mike was boarding it himself,

I would say, approximately £1,500.

That's nothing too shocking. I could still afford it if I had to.

I'm giving everything else a go,

so it makes sense for me to see it all the way through.

If the quality's not up to scratch,

I'll happily get someone else in to do it.

'I'm keen for Michael and Fiona to see some more,

'and to talk further about the reality of renovation budgets.'

So this is the master bedroom, is it?

-Yes, that's right.

-It took you about 18 months to do the renovation.

What did you THINK it was going to cost you.

And what did it actually cost you?

We thought it would cost about £30,000

to completely renovate the house.

But it probably cost more like £40,000.

It was mainly the fixtures and fittings.

How do YOU feel about money, listening to that?

So far, because I'm still on budget,

I'm not yet that concerned I'll be over.

Yeah. But, if we break it down,

you have £3,000 left.

And, at least half of that's going to a plasterer.

-Potentially.

-Potentially.

So, it's going to be a squeeze here,

where you don't have to be a maths genius...

If it goes over, it goes over.

So, you're open to that possibility.

You can imagine yourself having to save a bit,

-or put some things on hold?

-Yeah. Very much so.

Thank you. It's been lovely.

It's nice of you to open up your home to us.

I hope it's been useful.

-It's been great.

-I'm pleased it's turned out so well.

Thank you.

'This trip provided food for thought for Michael and his mum.

'I'll catch up with them

'later to find out how they feel about Michael's ambitious project.'

In Corby, Northants, empty property officer Paul Palmer

is on his way to see a house that's recently been brought back to life.

The property we're visiting was empty

for around two years, following the death of the owner.

The family members who inherited it were trying to sell the property,

but were struggling to find a buyer.

They hadn't the means to refurbish a property for lettable standard.

So approached the council for help.

The council put the owners in touch with Jonathan Chapman,

who runs a local property management company.

Paul arranged a grant for the owners and Jonathan

to turn the home into affordable accommodation for the homeless.

Today, Paul's meeting Jonathan, along with one of the owners, Sonia,

to see how the council grant has been spent.

Let me show you around.

It's a bit different from when I was here last time.

How have we got to this stage?

We didn't have to do much in the property.

It was kept in really good order.

We've put in a brand new kitchen, put in a lovely new bathroom,

and given the place a lick of paint.

This is where most of our grant money was spent,

because the kitchen was quite a mess.

It needed renewing, and it's a lovely job.

It's brightened the room up. It's great for the tenants.

Paul wants to talk with one of the people

whose lives have been changed by this opportunity.

Gerry, I'm here with Paul from the council.

He just wants a look round and a chat with you, if that's OK?

Hello, Gerry. Nice to meet you, mate. So, how are you getting on?

Settling in OK. Getting on grand with the rest of the crew here.

It seems it's running very smoothly, so we're really pleased.

Nice kitchen. All the facilities are cool.

-Yeah? That's fantastic.

-Very satisfactory.

-Great.

-Lovely to meet you, Gerry.

-And you.

-And good luck. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye-bye.

This house now provides a good home

for people who've struggled in the past.

The big attraction for me was four people who were potentially homeless

aren't going to be homeless now.

Hearing the stories from the tenants and where they've been,

I'm even more enthused with where we've gone with it.

It was like an 11th hour godsend for me.

I really appreciate it. I feel very lucky.

Very privileged,

and it has boosted my pride.

I feel there is a purpose in the end.

We just need a helping hand.

Thanks so much for showing me around.

I was really impressed with that.

It's a really good scheme.

I'm looking forward to doing some more, so thank you for that.

I'm really happy with today's result. I'm pleased we brought the property back into use,

but the heart-warming thing was meeting those tenants,

and seeing how happy they are in that accommodation.

For me, it makes my whole job worthwhile.

'Back in Birmingham,

'21-year-old first time renovator, Michael Hims,

'is ambitiously doing up this empty house, all by himself,

'and on a very low budget.

'I took Michael and his mum to get some advice from a couple

'who've successfully tackled a similar renovation.

Having seen this place, how do you feel now about your project?

I'm still very excited to get it all finished, and move in.

Has it helped you getting tips,

and speaking to someone that's been through it?

Has that been encouraging?

Speaking to that person who's been in my shoes has helped massively.

It's given me a perspective

on where I should be when the project's over.

It's given me lots more details to finish mine off to a good standard.

When we spoke in your house, you said,

"Maybe I'll need to bring in a plasterer".

Hearing it gain from someone else they'd definitely do that,

does that firm it up in your mind as something that needs to happen?

I realise it's more of a possibility than I thought.

I think I'll gear my spending now

towards leaving that sum of money

to cover that sort of trade.

I imagine if a professionals having a hard time with it,

I'm not sure I'd have much hope myself.

Good. So, it's helped your planning? It's been a reality check for you?

It's helped me fine tune what I was originally thinking,

and brought a bit more realism to it.

The thing to remember is,

everyone has setbacks.

If you keep your enthusiasm and passion for the project

listen and get advice where you need it,

I'm sure you'll be absolutely fine. Good luck with it.

BOTH: Thank you very much.

I hope it turns into the house you want.

And you can move out of Mum's house soon. That's the key, isn't it?

It's not often you meet a 21-year- old renovating a whole house,

with no experience. It's a big ask, especially

when that property's been empty for two years and the budget isn't huge.

So, brave project, lots of challenges.

But I have a lot of respect for Mike.

He's up for it, he's not phased,

and hopefully the advice he's had today will help him along the way.

Whether sooner or later,

I'm sure his passion,

his determination will help him create his ultimate hi-tech home.

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