Roberta Bickerstaff Britain's Empty Homes

Up and down the country,

there are empty properties just waiting to be brought back to life.

I'll be discovering why and how you can turn

a diamond in the rough into a gem of a home.

We'll be following the Empty Property Officers

whose job it is to track down the owners of these forgotten houses

and get them back into use.

And I'll be finding out more about our housing stock, our history

and why we should be preserving and reinventing Britain's Empty Homes.

The sight of an empty property,

whether it's in a picturesque village or an inner city borough,

can be a sad and thought-provoking sight.

Whatever the reason for its demise, and there are many,

there will always be people with a passion for taking them on,

people who will put it back on the map,

reunite it with the local community and make it a home once more.

On today's show, I'll be meeting a lady

who's eager to buy an empty home,

but anxious about taking on a huge renovation.

I've had bathrooms fitted, kitchens refitted,

-and quite bad experiences with both.

-Oh, no.

We'll be getting some essential do's and don'ts

for transforming a listed building.

It's not about fossilising a building or creating a museum,

but about understanding what's important about it.

And we'll be following one of Britain's Empty Property Officers

on his mission to get derelict dwellings back into use.

Typical advert for an empty property.

Quite frankly, an advert saying, come and break in.

Roberta Bickerstaff has been living in this four-bedroom detached house near Reading for the last 30 years,

but now she feels the time is right to downsize.

Ideally, what I would like to do is shrink this home,

pick it up and put it where I want it now, really.

With a grandchild on the way, she wants to move closer to her family

and is looking for a more rural location in Wiltshire.

My ideal property would be a property with a country feel.

I'm a country girl at heart, really.

But possibly within the village environment.

I have two chickens

and I'd like to keep them and have a reasonable garden.

I'd still like to have a small vegetable patch.

Roberta has a healthy budget of £500,000,

but is anxious about overseeing a big renovation

as she's been let down by builders in the past.

I don't have a lot of experience project managing

and that really does worry me a little bit.

I would like to project manage it,

but maybe this is something I can get advice on.

Roberta clearly has some concerns about taking control of such a big project,

but later I'll take her to a finished renovation to show her just what can be achieved.

But first, I'm in Wiltshire to show her an example of an empty property that she could take on

and to see how daunting a prospect it really feels.

Morning, Roberta, I'm Joe. How are you?

How do you do? I'm fine, thank you.

Good. Good to see you. Now, this is the property I want you to see.

It's believed to date back to the 18th century.

What are your initial thoughts?

Um, I like the look of the house.

It's definitely the sort of thing I'm looking for.

Let's go inside, have a look at how it's laid out

and see what you'd do with it, how you'd play around with it.

-Does that sound good?

-That sounds good.

-Great, let's make a start.

-OK.

This cottage is on the market for £350,000,

so well within Roberta's budget.

It's been vacant for a year, but is still in a very habitable state

which would allow her to live here while she does the work.

So here we are in the sitting room.

Nice fireplace. Wood-burning stove.

This, to me, feels quite cosy. What do you make of it?

Yes, I like this very much. I like the beam.

I like the colour of the beam.

I like the traditional cottage look, but I like it to be open and light.

So that I find very appealing - the beam and the floor.

I'd like to explore the idea of losing this wall

and making this into a kitchen and breakfast room combined.

Would that be the right size if you did knock through?

I think so. I don't want it too big.

I don't want to lose the cottage-y, cosy look.

OK. The only thing to mention at this point

is this building is Grade II listed.

Which doesn't mean things can't be done,

it just means you have to bear that in mind

when you're applying for planning.

You would have to get permission to change the layout.

Let's go through to the other side of the property.

-Right.

-Follow me.

So here we are on the other side of the property.

What are your initial thoughts?

-Um...small.

-Small.

-Yes, very small.

-Do you like the red brick?

-I do.

I know a lot of people don't like brickwork,

but I think it goes very well in here.

When we talk about these kind of projects

and taking on an empty property and renovating it,

any sort of relevant experience,

anything you've done before that might help?

That's my biggest worry

because I've had bathrooms fitted, kitchens refitted,

-and quite bad experiences with both.

-Oh, no.

That is tough. I know if you've had a bad experience,

it can really knock your confidence

so you're very brave to consider it again.

What I would say is there are a lot of good people out there,

a lot of good builders, a lot of good craftsmen.

We'll get some advice later on about how to pinpoint good workmen

and get them doing the best for you.

But don't be put off, there's still lots of hope.

I really like Roberta

and she's clearly got a good eye for looking round empty properties.

It really helps in this case that the property is furnished and in quite a good state.

It's helping her visualise where she'd put furniture,

how she'd use the space,

but also, on a practical level, it means she can move in very quickly

and live in one side whilst renovating the other and vice versa.

The big worries are that Roberta doesn't have a huge amount of renovation experience

and that she's concerned about how to choose a builder that she can trust.

So it'll be good for her to meet people who have been through this,

they've taken on a renovation and come out the other side.

They'll have some great advice and can hopefully ease some of those worries.

Empty properties can fast become a real eyesore, bringing down the whole feel of an area.

But there's a dedicated team of local authority empty property officers

who scour the streets for these abandoned buildings

and make it their mission to turn them into homes again.

On the Kent coast, Mike Thompson has dedicated the last five years

to working tirelessly to turn derelict dwellings into habitable houses.

Today, Mike's visiting a bungalow

which has been reported to be in a bad state

with overgrown gardens that could be harbouring foxes.

Wow. Just look at that.

Typical advert for an empty property.

Quite frankly, an advert saying, come and break in!

He's here to assess the damage and get to the bottom of who owns it.

We've got condensation at the windows,

heavy condensation in there.

You can see that's causing the formation of black mould internally.

That's doing the inside no good at all. Probably got water on the sills.

If they're timber, they'll be rotting on the inside as well as the outside.

It's just bad news all round.

I always look through the letterbox. That usually tells me quite a bit.

No sign of conventional habitation there.

It can't stay like this.

Mike calls upon the next door neighbour

to see if they know anything about the owner.

Do you know anything about the ownership next door?

No. I knew the lady that had it.

When she died, it was handed over to a relative.

You don't see anything of him?

-Or hardly ever at all?

-Once in a blue moon.

Any chance we could have a look at the back garden through your property?

-Yes.

-Thanks very much.

-I'll hold the steps.

-Thanks.

That's atrocious at the back. I thought the front was bad enough.

It's in a terrible condition.

Quite easy to see that it could actually harbour vermin.

I'm not surprised if foxes are using it.

If they can get underneath anything, they could have their den there.

The front, together with this rear,

we can't allow a situation like this to continue.

Back at council HQ, Mike's on a mission to find out more.

He puts in a call to the council tax department

to see if they can give him any clues.

I want to find out some information

about a council tax payer for a property in Broadstairs.

Paid in full...but liable at the address.

OK.

We've got a bill payer the resident at the address,

we know they're not living at the address.

At least I've got a name now, I've got an initial,

so that gives me something to go on.

Now Mike has some information on the bill payer,

he's hoping the land registry will reveal the owner.

We now have, potentially, an owner's name and a responsible person

so I think, if I can't get what I want from the probate registry,

I can certainly employ a tracing agent

to get down to finding out where that person lives.

Now we've made a start, we won't let go.

If the owner needs any help to bring that property back into use,

we will offer it and we will do all we can

to bring that back into decent, family accommodation,

which is what it should be rather than the empty property,

detracting from the area

and spoiling the amenities for all those people that live near it.

Mike has since tracked down the owner

who's improving the property and is now living there.

Taking on an empty property can be a huge financial commitment,

not to mention losing most, if not all, of your spare time.

But, surely, overriding that is the huge sense of personal satisfaction

of knowing you've returned a distressed or dilapidated building back to its former glory.

And that's exactly how Andrew and Karen Smith felt when they took on

this 500-year-old cowshed - yes, cowshed - in North Wales.

We've always liked the idea of renovating somewhere,

a barn conversion - that type of project.

We looked on the internet and this came up under Wreck Of The Week.

And it certainly was, it was terrible.

We looked at it and thought,

"You must be mad to do something like that." But we came along

and had a look and it was a beautiful, sunny day.

Just lovely. There was a magic about the place that just caught us.

We just found ourselves saying,

"Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could make this liveable?

"Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could bring this back to life?"

You could see the potential. You could imagine a patio out there

and gin and tonics overlooking the bay. It was just...

You had to have the vision, but we could both see that we could do something with it.

They bought the property for £205,000

and spent a further 250,000 renovating it.

It took 16 months of hard graft,

but they now have this stunning three-bed family home.

Our key was to keep it as traditional as we possibly could

and not have it look like a modern, glass and steel building

with views over the bay. We wanted it to look like it should look

-and be a traditional build.

-We still have the original brickwork,

big stones that were put up 500 years ago.

It's awesome, really.

Our input into the building has been very much one of project management.

We haven't got our hands dirty putting walls up and woodwork up.

When you're going to be living in it yourself,

you need to be able to change things if they're not quite right

and, because we project managed it quite closely,

we were able to do that.

I think it's important... Life is so frantic for most of us

um, and, rightly so, if you've got a dream, you should go for it.

The worst that can happen is it fails.

But at least you've tried.

If you don't try, you'll never know.

When you embark on the renovation of an empty property,

you can be faced with many challenges.

Taking on a listed building can be fraught with some unique problems.

A historical listing often comes with a strict set of rules and regulations

that can all seem a bit daunting.

But don't let a listed status put you off.

There's plenty of advice and support out there to help you create your perfect home.

This Grade I listed building in Essex dates back to the 14th century.

It was originally a medieval hall

before becoming an inn in the late 17th century.

It now belongs to Douglas Kent, who's the technical director

for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

He's got some invaluable advice about taking on a listed property.

-This is great. Clearly a renovation in progress.

-Very much so.

When it comes to renovating a building like this,

you have to study, learn and, I suppose, really understand

what's here to begin with before you can restore it or add to it?

That's exactly right.

The idea is you work out what's important about the building

so you can appreciate and protect it.

It's not about fossilising a building or creating some kind of museum,

but about understanding what's important about it

and then making it suitably fit for the 21st century.

And then, when you decide to make changes,

you have to be very sensitive with materials, don't you?

The absolute key thing with an old building

is to retain as much as you can of the physical fabric

and the overall spirit of the building.

You do that by carrying out only essential work,

that's essential to the life and the wellbeing of the house

and also using compatible methods and materials.

You can't supply new techniques to the old building.

That's exactly right.

Old buildings don't just differ in their architectural look,

they differ in the way they're constructed and in their whole performance.

I'm keen to see much more, so shall we head to the back of the building?

Head through here. Mind your head just there.

So, looks like a Victorian range there.

-That's right, with the gas mantle above.

-Brilliant.

When it comes to taking on a listed property,

I imagine many people will have presumptions of what's involved.

-Do they all stack up, or add up?

-Not always.

There's a common myth that it's only the outside of a listed building

that is affected by the listing protection.

In fact, it's the outside and the inside.

I know there are subtle distinctions between Grade I, Grade II, Grade II*,

but the point stands that it's the whole thing that's listed.

Not just the outside but the inside as well.

-That's right and that applies regardless of the grade.

-OK.

Just how possible is it to take on a listed building when you're on a budget?

I think it's feasible if you go about it in the right way.

If you do your investigations properly in the first place to cut down the risk

and also plan the work logically and employ the right people,

I think it's perfectly feasible to do something on a budget.

People often say double the time and triple the money.

Hopefully, it won't come to that in my case.

That gives you an idea of the scale of work involved.

Douglas has a lot of work to do

to restore this medieval property to its former glory,

but he's certainly passionate about preserving this wonderful place

and making it into his dream home.

The purpose of listing a building is to protect it for the future.

So if the building and the future generations who are going to live there

are best served by adapting it for modern living,

then those changes may well be permitted. So don't be put off.

If you can get your hands on one of these amazing buildings,

then you too could play a role in preserving Britain's history.

Back in Wiltshire,

I'm taking Roberta to meet the owners of an impressive renovation.

They had to project manage their build from scratch

and will have some crucial advice for first timer Roberta.

OK, Roberta this is the property I want you to see.

1840s to early Victorian. Bath stone, really nice.

-Ian I want you to meet inside, he's got lots of expertise.

-OK.

It took builder Ian Callaway and his wife Helen 11 years

to renovate their dream home.

Located in an area of outstanding natural beauty,

this delightful family house needed complete modernisation.

-Very dark.

-Damp.

-Unloved, just really unloved.

-Yeah.

They bought it for £155,000 and spent a further 40,000 renovating.

It was a real labour of love,

but the hard work was worth it in the end.

It's been really stressful. I remember a time when I said to Ian,

"Are we ever going to live in this house?"

But now, when I look around, you forget.

It's so fabulous what you've got and what you've done.

-So you don't want to put it on the market next week, then?

-No.

All right, what do you think of this?

-It's very nice, isn't it?

-It is.

So, Ian, here you have a lovely, historic, period property,

what did you do to it? I can see where walls have come down.

-Is this where the property stopped?

-This was the back wall of the house

and the kitchen was smaller. We extended out to this bit

and then went upstairs and put another bedroom on.

You've divided up the floor space.

So although it's open plan, you still have a kind of demarcation

of where your dining room is and where your kitchen is

cos you've got stone here and you've got wood there.

It breaks the space up and gives you that break between the rooms.

Roberta, what do you make of it?

I don't think it's anything I would have thought of myself

but I can see how it works.

I like this idea because it's not a conservatory. It's a useful room,

but you've got all this light. The sun's coming through now,

right the way through to the dining area.

It's just ideas. When you're looking around empty properties now,

these are all ideas that could spring to mind

and might fit something you do in the future.

-Let's carry on the tour.

-After you.

Ian's house also boasts a lovely light and airy living room...

and upstairs are four bedrooms, including this magnificent master.

This is really nice, isn't it?

A lovely space.

-Nice, big, long space. Big, long room.

-Open plan. Definitely.

What do you think, Roberta?

Lovely. Yeah.

I could not imagine doing this myself, actually, but it does work.

I know you've got a burning question to ask, so go ahead.

Yes. The project management side of it.

Would you say a novice like myself could handle that side of it?

The most important side is co-ordinating the different trades

to come in as and when they need to come in

to get the end product and to keep the project moving.

And that is quite difficult.

If you've got a good builder,

he will actually take that stress away from you

-and manage his guys as and when they need to come in.

-Right.

That leads us on to how do you choose a good builder?

Just try and go for someone that's been recommended.

Moving into a local area,

talk to people and there'll be names that come up straightaway.

While a good builder is going to work up a schedule of works

and be in charge of the timeline,

that's not to say that you have to back off completely.

It's good to understand the process, what's going on

and talk to them and keep those lines of communication open

so you know if there's a problem in the pipeline.

It's been a pleasure to have a look round.

Incredible what you've done to the place.

A really big project over many years. And some great advice.

It'll stand you in good stead. So thank you very much.

-You're welcome and good luck with the project.

-Thank you.

-It's definitely given me more confidence.

-Fantastic.

Empty Property Officer Mike Thompson is back in Kent,

checking up on the renovation of a disused shop

dating back to the early 1900s.

The council can award interest free loans to people

who need financial assistance converting their empty property

and Mike's eager to see

if new owner Graham Hutchings could be helped by this scheme.

But first, he needs to see what Graham intends to do with the building.

-Pleased to meet you.

-You too.

What a building. Wow! It's fantastic!

All this brilliant, original Victorian steelwork!

-These columns are spectacular!

-Yeah.

-Tell me what your plans are

-for downstairs here.

-Well, this is one department store.

On the ground floor, we're going to turn it into three retail units.

Split into smaller units, it's letable, people take it on,

they can afford the rents and chances are they'll stay.

I'm thrilled, I really am.

Graham plans to transform this spacious three-storey building

into nine flats and three retail units.

-Another fantastic space.

-Amazing, isn't it?

-Yes!

These pillars are fantastic. They come through to this floor. Are they on top of the others?

They are, yeah. They're not as ornate as the ground floor,

but you often find that as they move up from floor to floor.

So this space we're looking at, this will be the basis for two flats?

Yeah, two flats. One flat will face the front, one will face the back,

-go into that well.

-OK.

Mike is pleased to see that Graham has been careful to retain

some of the fabulous period features.

What do you think about that?

-Isn't it fantastic?! All intact!

-Perfect condition.

-No broken panes.

I love the use of coloured glass, I really do.

Impressed with what he's seen so far,

Mike wants to take a closer look at the plans before he can decide

whether it's a worthy case for a council loan.

Getting this space into use above shops, I'm so sold on it as an idea.

-It's a real waste, isn't it?

-Well, it works.

We've got lots of nice features - Victorian steelwork, windows.

It's a big job, there are more costs than I thought.

-There always are, aren't there?

-Yeah.

The contingencies never work out enough, do they?

I tell you what, I'm so impressed with this project,

and I love everything I've seen about it,

and the fact that your attention to historic detail is something we don't often get, I'll be honest.

What I'd like to say to you is, would an interest free loan

through the No Use Empty campaign that we're a partner in...

-Interest free?

-Interest free.

..would that help you to get cracking?

Rather! Blimey!

I've got a smile on me face. Thank you!

That's a pleasure. OK.

I'm absolutely delighted! I think it's been a fantastic experience

to see attention to detail quite like that.

We'll do everything we can to support it

and I daresay I'll be making many site visits during the course of those works. Delighted.

Back in Wiltshire,

Roberta has been getting some helpful advice

about transforming an empty property into her perfect home.

Having seen the empty property earlier

and now this completed property,

is it easier to visualise that jump forward?

It is, yes. It's given me ideas that I hadn't even thought about.

I think the advice is the most important thing.

Get out there, talk to people, take your time, find the right builder.

Then I think I can be a lot more confident about going ahead and doing the project

and, hopefully, having something that I'm really going to be delighted with at the end of the day.

Well, wherever you find,

whether it's the place we saw earlier or not,

I wish you all the best with it.

Be bold, decide what you want

and I'm sure you'll make your dream home out of it.

Lovely. Thank you for your help.

I think today has been really productive for Roberta.

It just shows you don't have to be a seasoned developer to consider taking on a major renovation.

What you do need is the right guidance.

Finding the right builder, the right architect -

good, solid professional advice.

And then, with all that and a little bit of luck,

you could be giving one of this country's many empty properties

the chance to become a home once again.

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