Camilla Hanchet Britain's Empty Homes

Across the country, empty properties that could be homes

are waiting to be brought back into use.

I'll be finding out why and what you need to do to rescue a house for yourself.

And along the way I'll be doing some digging of my own

to find out more about our housing stock, our heritage and why we should be

both reinventing and preserving Britain's empty homes.

The barebones of an empty property can hold surprising promise with a

creatively-minded buyer.

If you've got the vision

to see past the tired exterior and shabby interior,

you can not only turn a building into a home but you can also give a property a new lease of life.

On today's show, I'll be meeting a novice renovator

hoping to turn a derelict thatch into a chocolate-box cottage.

It almost feels like the bottom of a boat.

I love all this bowing and quirkiness.

We'll meet a couple who fell in love with a view

and bought a property to go with it.

You turn round and look at the view and you think,

"It's going to be worth it."

And we'll be on the streets of London saving derelict buildings from falling into disrepair.

There's some wires here, I can't tell, just by standing

looking at them, whether they're live or not but they could be.

Camilla Hanchet became the new owner of a rundown 300-year-old thatched cottage

when, two years ago, she decided to make some major changes to her life.

I had what you could call a life-changing accident.

I slipped and fell, broke my right arm, upper arm into four pieces.

I was also burgled twice in the house that I lived in.

And then I had a car crash.

So I thought, "I'm going to do something completely different."

I remember saying to my colleagues, "I fancy moving somewhere beautiful."

After 25 years of living in Berkshire, Camilla decided to move closer to some of her family

who now live just minutes from her new home, in the picturesque village of Yarrow, in the Cotswolds.

I've taken on a cottage that I felt very much, when I saw it, needed some love, some TLC.

The property is in need of major modernisation

and, with help from her artist brother David,

Camilla is rolling up her sleeves and preparing to turn the cottage into the dream home

where she'll start her new life.

I want to restore it and make it beautiful again.

Camilla has never lived in a listed property, or under a thatched roof,

so later I will be introducing her to a couple with experience in those areas.

First, I'm keen to find out more about her plans.

-Hello there, I'm Joe.

-Hi, I'm Camilla.

-Camilla, nice to meet you.

-My brother David.

-Hi.

-Hello, David, how are you? It's a beautiful place.

What do you know about it? How long has it been empty?

I believe it has been empty for about three years

and nothing had been done to it for a very long time either.

-It's Grade II listed.

-Intriguing.

About 300 years old and it had just been neglected for a long, long time.

And what was your reaction when you found out your sister had bought this?

Pretty brave, to be honest.

It's not something I'm sure I'm ready to do, but fantastic.

Well, let's find out just how brave, shall we,

and pop inside and explore?

Camilla bought the two bedroom cottage for £230,000.

Wow, look at this.

Her builders started three weeks ago and have gutted and stripped the inside,

leaving Camilla to work out just how she's going to renovate the property

and look after the 300-year-old thatch.

-This will be the sitting room.

-So you come straight into the sitting room.

What will you do with the walls, are you going to plaster?

We'll have all the inside of the inglenook exposed and the rest of the walls will be plastered.

-That is great. You've really got a lovely feature here to work with. It's stunning, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It is the focal point of the room.

-It's quirky and I like it.

It's got some interesting little features.

There's a little seat in there which the builder only uncovered last week.

-Possibly somewhere the homeowner would have sat to keep warm in the winter.

-To keep warm.

-It's a lovely idea, isn't it, going back 300 years?

-Yeah.

-Mmm.

And then there's this little cupboard which, I've been told,

would have been used to store salt.

-Salt?

-To keep it dry.

David, you saw this property when Camilla first bought it,

how's it looking, you know, because of the changes?

It's incredible. It's a complete transformation, it feels a lot bigger, a lot roomier.

-I know Camilla will make it into a beautiful home.

-Yeah.

Next door to the living room is a small dining area,

leading into the kitchen, which Camilla has stripped back

to the original stonework and plans to turn into a modern country kitchen.

Upstairs, the layout will remain the same with two bedrooms to the left of the property

and a sizeable bathroom to the right.

This is going to be the bathroom.

There's some great head height in there, that's very nice.

I know, I love that high ceiling.

-So presumably this is going to be your bedroom?

-It is, yes.

It almost feels like the bottom of a boat, dare I say?

So what is going on here?

Well, I've been told by the neighbours,

about 25 years ago whoever owned the house decided to make it open plan downstairs

and took out this main supporting wall.

The roof then started to dip, like so,

and they very quickly had to reinstate a wall which they've done.

It's block work wall, right the way up.

You can see it goes up into the roof space.

So it did move but I've had a structural engineer sign it off. It's all OK.

It's stopped moving now.

I love all this bowing and this quirkiness.

It's all fine now.

That's the point with empty properties, isn't it? You do have a chance to strip it right back.

This is the first time you have taken on a renovation like this,

what are your fears, what are the big challenges that come with this?

Dealing with the fact it's a listed building, although I don't want to modernise it too much.

I want it to be in keeping with the style of the property.

Do you know where you go with that?

Do you know what sort of style you aim for?

I'm uncertain, I've got a rough idea.

In the garden is an original stone outhouse which,

like the cottage, is Grade II listed.

Camilla is currently waiting to see

if her application to extend the outhouse,

and turn it into a downstairs shower room and home office, will be granted.

When you have a definite plan in mind like that,

how much of a worry is the planning application?

It is quite a worry because when I bought the house

I automatically assumed, "Yes, I'm going to extend that."

I'd taken it for granted I'd be able to use that as part of the living space.

So it would be quite a disappointment if you couldn't at this stage?

When dealing with an empty property it's always advisable to speak to the council

about your building plans from the outset.

It will be a real blow if Camilla isn't allowed to proceed with her ideas for the outhouse.

Now, standing out here it just looks beautiful, doesn't it?

The stone's great but the thatch, what a striking feature of the house.

Is it the first time you've lived in a thatched cottage?

Yes, it is, I'm looking forward to it.

I'm really pleased that Camilla has rescued this beautiful little cottage,

and later I will be introducing her to a couple

who are brimming with useful advice on the pitfalls and plusses of a similar project.

Britain's empty properties come in all shapes and sizes.

Thatched cottages aren't abandoned too often,

probably thanks to their association with idyllic rural England,

but there are other properties up and down the country sitting vacant.

And it's the job of the empty property officers to ensure

that these forgotten houses are turned into homes once more.

Jason Hall oversees the affluent London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames

where houses tend to fetch between £500,000 and £10 million.

Not a location, then, you might expect to find empty properties

but, at present, Jason has over 350 empties on his books.

It seems crazy that people would leave the properties empty

and run the risk of having squatters break into them,

or damage done to the property and lose value on them.

It never ceases to amaze me.

There's a story behind every single empty property that I come to

and it's good to investigate the reasons why such,

sometimes amazing, properties are being left empty.

Today, Jason is on his way to a house that is has been empty for 15 years.

Having visited the property on several occasions,

Jason has instructed the owner to improve the appearance of the house and find a tenant.

In the first instance we had quite good engagement with the owner

but over the past year he's just disappeared.

In the time that it's been empty, it's fallen into a poor state of repair.

There's numerous holes in the roof, which has allowed water penetration,

which has affected neighbouring properties.

If, on this visit,

Jason discovers that the owner hasn't complied,

he'll take action to stop further damage to the building and neighbouring homes.

Yes, as you can see there's no-one here.

The garden's quite well overgrown.

It shows that there hasn't been any one here tending the garden for some time.

Jason can't gain access to the property

but needs to check for signs of squatters.

The property is being used as a storage.

It's full of old newspapers, magazines, filing cabinets

and, strangely enough, the section of guttering that's causing all the dampness

to the side of the property, is laid in the hallway.

He wants to ensure that the back of the property is secure

but has to fight his way through the overgrown garden

which has become a local dumping ground.

Somebody has had a crowbar into there

and, obviously, had a real good attempt at trying to get that door open

but, being in this kind of condition,

it's all shelter for anyone who wants to come and try and break into it.

There's some wires here, I can't tell, just by standing and looking at them,

whether they are live or not but they could be.

That is something that is going to have to be checked

because, if they are live, if anyone touches them they could be killed.

Having made a full inspection of the property,

Jason feels it's time to take action and calls in his line manager

to approve a compulsory purchase order of the property,

the first step in turning the house into a home once more.

We've given the landlord plenty of opportunity to bring the property back up to scratch

which clearly isn't happening.

I think the next thing we need to do is take further legal action.

-I will see you back at the office and we'll get the ball rolling.

-OK.

All right. Lovely. Thank you.

It takes determination, patience and real vision

to see the potential in a place that has been left to ruin

but, with hard graft, these empty properties can be turned into fantastic homes.

And, with a little bit of imagination, really anything is possible.

Five years ago, Neil and Liz Fox bought an empty part-Georgian,

part-early Victorian farmhouse

overlooking Chew Valley Lake in Somerset.

We'd seen lots of properties that had been renovated very, very thoroughly

but we couldn't help feeling that we would prefer

to find somewhere that we could put our own mark on.

Empty for three years, the property was in a serious state of neglect.

The first time we saw it was very murky May afternoon

and it did look rather foreboding with all of the old farm buildings

crumbling away around us.

But then when we turned the corner, around the side of the house,

and saw the views we thought, "Wow, this could be really amazing."

Following three years of intense renovation, the couple have created a stunning property,

in arguably the most breathtaking part of Somerset.

It's an unbelievably big undertaking,

and I think we were unprepared for that,

but the thing that keeps you going, almost, is that you turn around

and you look at the view and you think, "It's going to be worth it."

Neil and Liz have created a double gable oak-frame extension,

a two-storey office building, horse stables

and a music room.

I do occasionally think back to how it looked when we first walked in

and imagine how it was then and the transformation, that's a really great feeling.

You don't invest the amount of time, money, energy, will almost, you know,

unless you're going to live here pretty much for as long as you can see.

We've built this house and done it for us to be here for as long as we can possibly imagine.

Hopefully we'll stay.

Bringing an empty property back to life is a challenge

that takes time, passion and commitment.

Unfortunately, sometimes the restoration and regeneration of empty homes

can be delayed by planning hold-ups and building complications.

So much so that sometimes these houses can be unused for years.

Well, I've come to find out about a solution to some of these properties in limbo.

Westminster Housing Cooperative takes on properties

that are waiting to be redeveloped.

In the interim they move in temporary tenants, who pay a reduced rent,

to look after the buildings and prevent squatters.

Today, I've come to meet Simon Thurston,

development officer from the Westminster Housing Cooperative,

to find out more about the benefits of putting these homes back into use.

Give me an idea of how this cooperative actually works.

Well, the prime focus is to bring back empty properties into use.

Those properties might have been empty for a number of reasons,

the owner waiting for planning permission,

waiting for funds to refurbish the property.

We step in, sign a lease with the owner,

we maintain the property, we let the property at an affordable rent

and give it back when the owner wants it back.

Is there a balance here in your priorities between

trying to find people housing who desperately need it,

but also trying to preserve the properties themselves?

It becomes a problem where houses,

through deterioration and dilapidation,

become a source of nuisance and annoyance to neighbours.

If you're one of only a few tenants living in a big block,

and all the rest of the properties are empty,

then you're going to feel quite isolated and alienated but with other people living alongside you,

albeit in the short-term, that can alleviate those fears, possibly.

The scheme is open to anyone looking to rent in the Greater London area.

Next, I've come to meet a couple of friends that have been members of the housing co-op for five years.

When you first moved in, what state was this property in?

Cecilia came in here and she said, "We're never moving in here, it's too much work."

And I said, "No, look at this property, it is amazing."

Once you do it you get the sense of achievement that,

yeah, we actually made it quite nice and cosy and liveable.

Yeah. So how were you received, within the neighbourhood when you came in,

because this obviously had been empty?

Do you know if there's a sense of relief when actually someone moves in and starts taking care of it?

I think so, actually.

Like we did all the garden, it was all overgrown with weeds

and they were all like, "Nice work, girls.

"It's good to see you're clearing up the garden."

Can you see any drawbacks of the scheme because it seems to suit you quite well, doesn't it?

I think you just have to be sort of flexible as a person.

You have to be prepared, you might have to move out.

But as long as you are open-minded

and willing to do that, it's not a problem.

I really love the sense of community in this cooperative.

That people are coming together to make such good use of these empty properties in London.

It's such a great scheme and can only be a positive thing

if more properties across the UK are saved in this way.

Earlier, I met Camilla and her brother David who are looking for inspiration and advice

on renovating her 300-year-old thatched cottage.

So I've brought them to meet a couple who've excelled at a very similar restoration.

Right, guys, here we are.

Take a look at that, does it look familiar at all?

It certainly does.

-Yeah.

-Little bit newer looking.

Yeah. Actually it is slightly newer than yours,

it dates back to about the mid 1800s.

It is also Grade II listed and, of course, it's a thatched cottage.

-So shall we have a look inside?

-Yes, please.

-Come on, then.

Lynn Newland and her builder husband Dean bought a three-bedroom thatched cottage in Oxfordshire

that had been standing empty for two years.

It was a one up, one down cottage,

the old traditional cottage with an old washroom at the back, no bathroom.

I was bowled over by it.

Despite the building needing a lot of work,

Lynn and Dean were determined to fulfil its true potential.

We've tried to keep the property as traditional as possible

and the way we've done that is by sourcing local materials.

We just tried to be sympathetic to the cottage.

Now everything is completed in this cottage,

our day-to-day lifestyle is just so relaxed, isn't it?

Yeah.

Guys, thank you for having us in the cottage. The first thing I'm struck by is the similarity, actually,

as we walk straight in here to a really cosy room, exactly like you have.

Here we have a wood-burning stove. Was this always here, or something that you had to put in?

Actually, that wall was plastered up.

We decided that we'd just put a little French stove sticking out into the main room

and then you drilled a hole through the wall, didn't you?

-Yeah.

-And said, "Have a look in there."

It's really exciting when you uncover things like that, isn't it?

Yeah, definitely but that's what these places are all about, I think.

How tricky is it putting this in

and having an active chimney when you've got a thatched roof?

Basically, you have to have the chimney lined

and, on top of the chimney pot,

you have to have what's called a spark arrester.

Once the fire is on, it's great, yeah.

Is this how you picture it, in terms of the snugness of your room?

-It's so similar to mine.

-Is it?

-Yes.

It's making me feel quite excited again,

it's such a shell at the moment.

Yeah.

Lynn and Dean paid £295,000 for their cottage

and have so far spent £50,000 on renovations, adding underfloor heating,

opening up the kitchen, to make room for an Aga,

and turning the extension into their main living space has made this a cosy home.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms

that have been lovingly restored to make the most of the period features.

Oh, that's lovely.

Instantly the exposed stone catches your eye.

Is that something that you would consider, Camilla?

Definitely, I'm really liking this mixture of exposed stone and plaster.

Yeah. Really nice on an end wall.

How is it to actually be in here, does it cause any problems?

It's lovely, but it does get very dusty.

So you have to hoover the wall?

Outside, Lynn and Dean have nurtured a picturesque garden

which is complemented by the rustic thatched roof.

These type of roofs need regular care and upkeep

and, having lived in the cottage for nine years,

they understand exactly what the maintenance involves.

Well, this is great, I have to say.

I love it out here and, for the first time,

we can really clearly see the roof. Let's start there,

have you had to do any work to the thatch since you moved in?

About six months ago we had the ridge redone.

The ridge gets the main part of the rain.

So that ridge will stop it seeping into the top

which is going to be the most vulnerable part of the roof.

Of course, with thatch you don't have gutters, or any of that rigmarole.

The water what, just drips off?

Yes, it just literally pours off the roof.

So you have to definitely have a good bit of drainage, on the ground, so that it runs away.

As well as renovating the cottage, Lynn and Dean have also converted their outhouse,

joining it to the main building with a conservatory,

an alteration which Camilla hopes to undertake at her property.

It's nicely linked up, your downstairs area here, and, Camilla,

if planning permission could be granted,

it's something you could consider to link up your outside

with a conservatory or a glass corridor.

The man who lives next door said that he had an idea of putting glass between the two

so you could link them with the conservatory definitely, like this.

Yeah. Very good.

Is there a certain amount of satisfaction, bringing something back to life,

something that wasn't used and can be used again in the future?

Yeah, definitely, you've saved a little part of history, really.

It's like having an antique, isn't it, you've got to look after?

Yeah, definitely.

Today, Jason is on his way to an old coach house which has been empty for five years.

Bordering Richmond Park, the house is situated on one of the areas' most sought-after streets.

It's a very desirable postcode and lots of very large houses,

detached houses with an average house price of well over £1 million

and, even in a road such as this, we still have a problem with empty properties.

Jason originally fought to save the coach house however,

no developer was willing to restore such a small dilapidated house, in an affluent area

where demand is really for large family homes.

Keen to both avoid having an empty property and to make best use of the site,

Jason eventually persuaded the owner to sell the house

to local property developer James Holt who plans to demolish it

and rebuild on its footprint.

There's only three bedrooms, they're small, there's one bathroom.

Unfortunately it's in such a state of disrepair, there's rising damp,

there's issues with the plaster, there's a whole host of issues

and for us to just redevelop the property as it is

is going to be a very, very expensive process.

To make something worthwhile, that the area deserves,

we need to really knock it down and start again.

The houses down here are quite significant in size,

aren't they, and it kind of doesn't fit in with the area, does it?

The council rejected James's initial planning application

and Jason is keen to discuss the new proposal.

As the old coach house has been designated as a building of townscape merit,

any replacement property must be of equal architectural integrity,

and be in keeping with the style and tone of the street.

Jason is keen to help James with his application

to make sure the site is redeveloped quickly and the empty eyesore eliminated.

We're now at the stage where we have resubmitted our preplanning application,

which has changed radically from our first application.

It's a more traditional style of building which has detailing

which matches all the other properties on the street.

It's Jason's job to help James submit a design which the planners will look upon favourably

so the site can be developed and become a home once more.

It's in a poor state at the moment and it's something that,

obviously, we'd like to see it brought back into use.

Sometimes you've got to look a bit wider and, obviously,

if it's not something that's sellable in this area, as it is,

then we've got to look at redeveloping it in other ways.

Fingers crossed you'll get the planning.

And, while James awaits the council's decision,

it's important that the property is made safe from squatters, vandals and thieves.

My main suggestions for the site would be to tidy all the front garden area up

so it doesn't look obviously empty.

And, to the rear, perhaps look at your shuttering option.

If you get all the rear made secure then it's highly unlikely anyone would break in

because, for them to break into the front, which is on full view to the public,

it's a lot more unlikely that's going to happen.

-We'll get that sorted.

-Fantastic.

-Thanks ever so much.

-Thanks for your help, cheers.

I think today's meeting with James was very positive,

I think his plans for the building are fantastic

and I think they will make a really, really good family home.

Back in Oxfordshire, Camilla Hanchet has been visiting a beautifully restored 200-year-old thatched house

in the hope that she can take home some practical tips to use on her own recently-acquired cottage.

Camilla, a lot to take in. How do you feel about what you've just seen here?

Externally, it's interesting what Dean was saying about the drainage from the thatch,

so I will have to talk to my builder about that.

Internally, I love that exposed stonework upstairs.

I was wondering if you would come round to that

because, having seen that there is so much of it at your cottage, it just seems to be crying out to be...

Well, I think the bathroom upstairs is probably where I'll do it and use it as a feature.

Just overall now, how much confidence does that give you,

does it help you see a little bit further forward?

Yes, it does and it's very interesting to see.

They've put their mark on their property

and it's quiet individual the way they've done it.

It's made me want to get into my house quickly and start enjoying living there.

And you're going to be there on hand whenever your sister needs,

I'm sure, David?

Pouring the drinks at the housewarming.

I can hear the popping fizz now.

Of course, taking on an empty property that has sat languishing

isn't for the fainthearted, but it doesn't have to be an ordeal either.

Providing you know exactly what you're dealing with,

and you're happy to get your hands dirty,

the rewards in buying one of Britain's empty homes can be boundless.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd