Dom James and Carolina Fernandez Britain's Empty Homes


Dom James and Carolina Fernandez

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Up and down the country, there are empty properties just waiting

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to be brought back to life.

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I'll be discovering why and how you can turn a diamond in the rough

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into a gem of a home.

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We'll be following the Empty Property Officers,

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

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and get them back into use.

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

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our history and why we should be both preserving and reinventing

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Britain's empty homes.

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Renovating an empty property

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is sometimes the only way

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of being able to afford your dream home

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in an area that's otherwise out of your price range.

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But taking on a place that has sat empty for a few years

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can challenge even the most experienced of renovators.

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That said, it's the promise of that dream finally becoming

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a reality that drives people on to bringing an empty home back to life.

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On today's show, we'll be meeting a young couple who think

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an empty building could be their ideal first home together.

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Given our budget, we might have to go for a one bedroom,

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but a big living room or a big space.

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We'll find out what's being done to preserve

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Britain's oldest properties.

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This is a classic case of a repair, which is closer to conservation,

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because we've followed the same pattern throughout.

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And we'll be following an Empty Property Officer as she aims

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to take houses from dereliction to dwellings.

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They really don't do anything unless it's absolutely in a notice.

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Carolina Hernandez and her fiancee, Dom James,

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are first-time buyers renting in Waterloo, South London.

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They're keen to stay in the area, but a 350,000 budget

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for their first home isn't enough to buy

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the property they want already renovated.

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Given our budget,

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we might have to go for a one bedroom,

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but a big living room or a big space.

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We want somewhere where people can come round

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when they want to come, they want to drop by.

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The couple were recently gazumped on the purchase of a nearby

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run-down empty flat, but that hasn't dampened their enthusiasm.

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Quite the opposite - it's made them even more determined to realise

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their dream of buying an unloved property which they can transform.

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The property that we put an offer in, as well, had no central heating,

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so we were prepared to, you know,

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do the re-wiring of the house, put central heating in.

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Dom and Carolina will be first-time renovators,

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but they have family and friends in the architect trade,

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so they are hoping to get lots of help and advice.

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We've got good parents that have done their own homes, as well,

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so we've got experience behind them.

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Both our parents have done that route of finding some place

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that's, you know, needing a lot done to it.

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Carolina can't join us today,

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so I'm meeting Dom in Hither Green, in South London, to show him

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a disused house that could be an amazing first home.

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They're looking for a flat, but one of the advantages of

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buying an empty property is that budgets can be stretched further.

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Dom, this is the property I want you to see. It's been empty a while,

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it's pretty run-down. This is really an exercise

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to test your imagination and your nerve, to some extent,

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whether you're really up for taking on an empty property.

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What are your first impressions?

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Probably - not, obviously, beautiful.

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But it looks like a house.

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Would you like a house rather than a flat?

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-No real preference, actually.

-OK.

-No, we're really open

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to sort of seeing anything.

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Being open to anything is a very, very good start.

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-I suggest we now take a look inside.

-Let's do it. All right.

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This house has been empty for about eight years.

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Properties like this were built in Hither Green

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in the late 19th century by builder Sir Archibald Corbett

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who constructed 3,000 houses in the area.

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He was a Quaker, so there's a distinct lack of pubs,

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but there are great train links, so Dom and Carolina

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could be back in Waterloo in 15 minutes.

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So a word about budget. This house is on the market for £250,000,

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which is well within your budget and would even leave up to

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100,000 for renovation.

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Typically, the houses sell for about 350 here.

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There's one down there on sale for 400, but it's got an extra bedroom.

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-But that just shows you, this has good potential.

-Yeah.

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But it's not about making money, it's about you guys having a home.

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That's the main consideration.

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What's your vision of where you'd like to live?

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How would your home feel? What's the sort of look or feel?

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Well, I think it would...it would be a warm place that people

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like to come and stop in.

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-You know?

-Do you like these big, open spaces?

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Yeah, I like the open spaces.

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I'm interested to see the kitchen,

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-because we cook a lot.

-Right.

-And so it'd be nice to find a place

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where we...you know, you sort of have some food and everyone get together.

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-So, actually, a through kitchen is more my thing...

-OK.

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-..than a through living room.

-That's interesting.

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When it comes to renovation,

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how much of the work would you take on?

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We'd be keen to do quite a lot of it,

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whether it's knocking down a wall or something...

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My dad's got a lot of experience doing something like this.

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And so has Carolina's dad, so... I have no clue.

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It's all about the vision.

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It seems like you're quite comfortable with that in this room,

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anyway. Let's go through to the kitchen.

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You can have a look at what they've got here.

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Right, so, the kitchen.

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-What do you make of this?

-It's...pretty...nasty.

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Looking around the kitchen, this damp stands out a mile.

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It's a huge alarm bell.

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You'd think, "All right, it's just break in the roof,"

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but this is double storey, this back bit to the house.

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So, I'm assuming the bathroom is at the back and that is sort of

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a bath or a shower has leaked there.

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Or the guttering has gone. Either way,

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something big needs fixing, doesn't it?

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Yeah, so, I think it's important to get the right person to look at that

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and work out what's going wrong.

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If you have to do something to this wall,

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you might as well knock it down.

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In simple terms, if you push out, you get a lovely living area. Also,

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you probably add quite a bit of value to the house.

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But more importantly,

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-it creates the space you want to as a home.

-Although, it might make

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the room behind a bit darker, cos that does have light coming in.

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-So there's a negative to that.

-Yes, but there's also solutions,

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and that's where a good architect would walk you through the options,

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because, I think, if you were to push out,

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-as long as you strategically placed your overhead windows...

-Yeah.

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..you could get a lot of light streaming in that way.

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So that's another thing to consider.

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Out the back, is a barbecue-friendly garden, which needs some work,

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and upstairs, are two double bedrooms

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and a large, if tired-looking, bathroom.

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So, as we suspected, the bathroom is at the back

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-of the property. Good size.

-Yeah, it's nice, big.

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-Needs a lot of work, though.

-Yeah.

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And then this is the master bedroom.

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-So, really light.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

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-Lots of space.

-Yep.

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-Got a good feel to it.

-Yeah, it's nice. Yeah.

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As you come onto the landing, you can see into the roof,

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and there is the potential to do a loft conversion at a later date.

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-Dom, you've seen the house.

-Mm-hm.

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You can see what there is of a garden.

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What do you make of the price?

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I think the house is lovely.

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I think it's the ideal restoration project. It's a lovely house.

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And it would be perfect for turning into a home.

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Is it within the realms of possibility for you to do that?

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I mean, is it too much for you guys?

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-Is it about the right thing you're looking for?

-Yeah, I think

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the level of work required for this house

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is about right. I think it's something that we would take on.

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OK. Well, look,

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it's going to be interesting for you to meet a couple later on,

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because they've taken on a house, which was very similar to this,

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and it was in a very similar state to this house, as well.

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But the couple who took it on have completely renovated it.

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So there'll be loads of ideas, lots of inspiration but also,

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very much like yourselves, they wanted to stay in central London,

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but in the end, the benefits that they could get from moving

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a little bit further out won them over.

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So, it will be interesting to see what you make of them

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and their property. I think they'll have a lot of useful tips

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and advice. So, are you keen to meet them?

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-Yeah, very looking forward to that.

-Great.

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Well, I really like Dom's energy.

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He seems up for taking on empty property.

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He's not daunted by the size and scale of this project,

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which is perfect, because if you're going to do it,

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you need the enthusiasm.

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My one worry is the lack of experience between him

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and Carolina.

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They haven't taken on a renovation before,

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I'm not sure they really know what lies ahead,

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so it's going to be great for them to meet a guy who's been through it.

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They have loads of tips, loads of advice and, importantly,

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whatever project they take on,

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he can tell them the challenges that lie ahead.

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All over the country, there are many empty properties

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lying dormant, waiting to be revitalised.

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Our councils' Empty Property Officers seek out these buildings

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and track down the owners, with the sole aim of turning them

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back into homes as quickly as possible.

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Sue Li is the local Empty Property Officer

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for Amber Valley in Derbyshire.

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She has about 1,000 abandoned buildings on her books.

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Today, Sue's visiting a house, which the current owner bought

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after it was repossessed by a bank.

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Sue wants to check on the current state of the property and find out

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if there's any work being done to get the place lived in again.

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Wow!

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I can see why I've been contacted.

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It's not very often I get a pile of rubble and debris

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quite like this.

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It's spilling over onto the footpath.

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But it also concerns me that there may be harbourage

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for vermin here,

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who can quite typically hide in piles of bricks

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and rubble. There's some carpet over there, as well.

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Soft-textured fabrics, such as that, can provide nesting materials.

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Again, down this end of the garden, more of the same.

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Another sign of an empty property is a build-up of mail

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through the letter box and cobwebs

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down the frame of the door.

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Now, I can't see any mail through there.

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And this door is quite clear of cobwebs.

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So, it does make me wonder if somebody, at least,

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comes in occasionally, goes into the property.

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If I'm having no joy at the address that I've written to them at,

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I think I'll try and contact them here

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and see if I have more luck.

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So, taking one final look at the front of this,

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there's what looks like a CCTV camera,

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which is good as far as I'm concerned,

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cos that shows me that somebody is interested

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in protecting this property, another sign that there might be

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somebody who I can talk to, go through my concerns

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and also see what we can do to help.

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Good.

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With signs that someone may be visiting the property,

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Sue investigates further at the back of the house.

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OK, so, I'm at the rear

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of the property. Now, I've got sandbags here.

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Let's have a look a little further.

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OK, well, this door is obviously quite new.

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Got a window up there that seems to be being bricked up

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on the inside.

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I assume, at some point, the owner is probably going to remove

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that window and install something that matches the rest.

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It's clear that some work has been done at the house.

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What isn't clear is if someone is living here.

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Sue decides to chat to a neighbour to see

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if they know anything about the owner.

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I've spoken to a local resident,

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and they've actually met the owner.

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He's been trying to do the property up,

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but it seems there may be personal issues as to why

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he hasn't actually finished what he started.

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So, er, I'm quite hopeful, really.

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Um, much different to when I first came and first saw the property.

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Since her visit, Sue is now in touch with the owner, who has promised

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to complete the work on the house and move into it within 12 months.

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Sue will continue to monitor the progress.

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Taking on an empty property can be a huge undertaking

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but it often brings with it an equal degree of satisfaction.

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Because not only are you creating a dream home,

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you're also bringing a building back into use

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that has otherwise lost its purpose.

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And that's just what Stephanie and Carl Shaw set out to do

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when they spotted this 17th-century, listed manor house in Derbyshire,

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in 2002.

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It had been empty for five years

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and was in a terrible state when they first set eyes on it.

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I found this particular house,

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I was looking one Friday night on the Internet,

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and found it and it was up for auction the following Wednesday.

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and thought, "Well, that's probably be too quick to raise the money.

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"But we'll have a look at it anyway."

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Came and looked at it with my sister

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and, of course, went to the auction and bought it on the Wednesday.

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They paid £245,000 for it at auction

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and then embarked on an epic renovation that was to take them

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seven years and cost a further £400,000.

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Once we actually bought the property,

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then the reality of what I'd done really kicked in.

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The bulk of the windows at the front of the house

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were cracked or broken. Most of the wooden floors

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downstairs were rotten. With the exception

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of the main hall, every room in the house has been re-plastered.

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During the process of renovation,

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we've been at times where things have been extremely tight.

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And at that point, you question whether it's all worthwhile.

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You get through it and there's another day and, actually,

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it is worthwhile.

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And you just save up. And that's why this will be a lifelong project.

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I think we almost feel like we're guardians of the property.

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It's our home, but we don't feel like we actually own it,

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we feel like everything we're doing is ready to pass on

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to another generation at some point.

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So we need to leave it in the best possible condition we can.

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In 2008, the Shaw's house was valued at just under £1 million.

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So taking on an empty property has certainly paid off for them.

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It has been such a good experience.

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Would we do it again? Absolutely.

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Will we ever find a property that lives up to this

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and gives us so much pleasure?

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I don't know. But this one has been a big chunk of our lives,

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but probably, for me, one of the most enjoyable.

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It's had its pitfalls but, overall, fantastic experience.

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We British have a real affection for our old buildings.

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We love their history, their design, their period features

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but years of decay and countless generations

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of owners all putting their own stamp

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on the decor can mean that some period homes

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end up losing their historic detail.

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Putting period features back into a home can be an expensive

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and meticulous job that's easy to get wrong.

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Peter Rumley is a building conservationist,

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and I've come to take a look at the old farmhouse here in Kent

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that he's been lovingly conserving as his home.

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What state was this originally in when you took it on?

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Horrific.

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It was in an absolutely appalling state - Artex everywhere,

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most of the timbers were covered up.

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And we spent our time taking away the modern material

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to see what actually we had underneath.

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My eyes are immediately drawn to the mix of newer wood

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-against older wood.

-We wanted to do two things. We wanted to conserve,

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but we couldn't conserve the timbers all the way through

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because they'd degraded so much. We had to put in replacement timbers.

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And the replacement and repair that we did was with new timber.

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But it is a replacement, it isn't technically conserving it.

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All we've done is conserve the actual format.

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It doesn't matter that it's new wood, you're not hiding that.

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It's not as if you suddenly stain everything

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so you can't tell the new wood from the old.

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No, that would be falsifying it.

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And that's something which isn't really acceptable.

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Why would you want to disguise it? It's honest to the building

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and honest to the materials.

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Is there anywhere in this room,

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I would see an example of what you would call restoration?

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Over here, on this wall, I can show an example

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of a repair.

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We took away the old wall and discovered this.

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But the timbers were so bad and rotten

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that we had to repair it. So, this is a classic case of a repair

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which is closer to conservation

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because we followed the same pattern throughout.

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Looking around, you put new materials in. Were you ever tempted

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to go to a salvage yard and find older,

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historic objects and materials to put in?

0:17:190:17:21

I don't seem to think it's really ethical to go to salvage yards.

0:17:210:17:24

From a conservation point of view,

0:17:240:17:26

there's nothing wrong in a sense with salvage per se,

0:17:260:17:29

but actually, I would go down the other route,

0:17:290:17:32

which I think is a much more intelligent route

0:17:320:17:34

and a more sustainable route,

0:17:340:17:36

of going to new materials and going to the craftsmen.

0:17:360:17:39

So that's important.

0:17:390:17:41

It's fundamental to the conservation of buildings.

0:17:410:17:43

I suppose the other benefit is, you are keeping crafts alive.

0:17:430:17:46

If you go for something bespoke and you get a craftsman to make it

0:17:460:17:49

and help it fit into your home, that's good for them, as well.

0:17:490:17:53

Absolutely. You're maintaining the country's manufacturing base,

0:17:530:17:56

in the building industry.

0:17:560:17:57

I think it's really important to remember that a home, a house

0:17:570:18:01

is a continuing story.

0:18:010:18:02

Absolutely. Buildings do change. They will change for ever.

0:18:020:18:05

Hopefully, they'll continue to change. It'd be wrong

0:18:050:18:08

to keep a building locked in one time frame

0:18:080:18:10

over the period that we're in now.

0:18:100:18:12

It's remarkable what you've done here.

0:18:120:18:14

Clearly, a lot of love and attention has gone into it.

0:18:140:18:16

What do you get out of it?

0:18:160:18:18

It really is, basically, preserving a historic building

0:18:180:18:20

for future generations.

0:18:200:18:21

-And that's so important.

-Well, it's a wonderful home. Thank you

0:18:210:18:25

for letting me in and showing me around.

0:18:250:18:27

Pleasure. No problem.

0:18:270:18:28

Back in London, I'm taking Dom James to meet a couple

0:18:330:18:37

who took the plunge and bought an empty property

0:18:370:18:40

and have transformed it into a stunning family home.

0:18:400:18:43

In 2007, architect Will McGuinness and his wife, Emily,

0:18:430:18:47

took a chance on a run-down,

0:18:470:18:49

three-bedroom Victorian house in southwest London.

0:18:490:18:52

When we first saw the property, it was pretty daunting.

0:18:520:18:55

No-one had lived in it for about six months.

0:18:550:18:57

It was very damp,

0:18:570:18:58

no central heating, we thought, "That's a lot of work."

0:18:580:19:01

Will and Emily paid £325,000

0:19:010:19:04

for the house and spent 90,000 on the renovation.

0:19:040:19:07

It took them five months to gut it and get it habitable,

0:19:070:19:10

they then moved in whilst building work continued.

0:19:100:19:13

It took a further 18 months until the house was completed.

0:19:130:19:17

The process of taking the house from derelict to where we are now

0:19:170:19:21

is immensely rewarding.

0:19:210:19:23

Breathing life back into and seeing it go from really quite a tired

0:19:230:19:27

house into being something that's fantastic for a family.

0:19:270:19:31

So, here we are, this is the property I want you to see. Now,

0:19:360:19:39

from looking at it, you get the sense

0:19:390:19:41

that it's a very similar property, but it's been completely renovated.

0:19:410:19:44

It was in a pretty bad way.

0:19:440:19:45

I'm going to introduce you to Will.

0:19:450:19:47

Not only has he been through the whole renovation,

0:19:470:19:49

so he'll have some really good advice and some tips,

0:19:490:19:51

-he's also an architect.

-Right.

0:19:510:19:53

A professional. So, quite a good guy to get a few tips off.

0:19:530:19:56

-Perfect.

-Shall we go and say hello?

-Yeah, let's go.

0:19:560:19:58

Wow, look at this!

0:20:080:20:10

Um, so, start at the beginning then, Will.

0:20:100:20:12

What was this place like when you first saw it, when you took it on?

0:20:120:20:15

Um... It was a complete wreck. It'd been empty for a little while.

0:20:150:20:19

And these rooms were pretty derelict, full of rubbish.

0:20:190:20:23

-Really not very nice at all.

-OK.

0:20:230:20:24

Immediately my eye is drawn to the fact that we've got a kitchen

0:20:240:20:27

behind us, right here.

0:20:270:20:28

-Was it always there?

-The kitchen was at the back,

0:20:280:20:31

but we wanted to move the kitchen into the middle of the plan.

0:20:310:20:35

The kitchen is the heart of the house. Putting it

0:20:350:20:37

in the middle means the front room gets used as a dining room.

0:20:370:20:40

It's really an extension of the kitchen.

0:20:400:20:42

At the back, that frees it up to have a sitting room.

0:20:420:20:45

I hate unused rooms.

0:20:450:20:46

So opening it up and making everything usable is brilliant.

0:20:460:20:50

-Great. Well, let's see where your kitchen would have been.

-OK.

0:20:500:20:54

And was at one point.

0:20:540:20:55

And go through and look at what's now the living room.

0:20:550:20:57

-Yeah, fine.

-Great.

0:20:570:20:59

Will and Emily have created a wonderfully open and functional

0:21:000:21:03

living space on the ground floor - something which Dom and Carolina

0:21:030:21:06

are very much wanting in their first home together.

0:21:060:21:09

OK. Right, now we see the full vision.

0:21:090:21:12

We're standing in what was a side alley built

0:21:140:21:17

out of the boundary of the property.

0:21:170:21:19

And put this roof light in here.

0:21:190:21:20

There's a bedroom up there,

0:21:200:21:22

so we couldn't change the height of the ceiling.

0:21:220:21:24

So this was the only way

0:21:240:21:25

that we could make the space feel more generous.

0:21:250:21:28

When you think about that kitchen we were in earlier and the value

0:21:280:21:31

of extending out, you can see how much more space and what difference

0:21:310:21:35

-that makes to a room.

-Yeah. No, absolutely.

0:21:350:21:37

It is a much nicer sized room to what that kitchen was.

0:21:370:21:41

So, whether you did use this as a kitchen or not,

0:21:410:21:44

it would be better for that.

0:21:440:21:46

-Yeah.

-So, seeing this,

0:21:460:21:47

I'd definitely consider doing a lateral expansion.

0:21:470:21:51

Upstairs, the transformation of the house includes

0:21:510:21:55

a master bedroom with an en suite.

0:21:550:21:57

So this is our master bedroom.

0:21:570:21:59

It is the smaller of the bedrooms, but it's at the back of the house,

0:21:590:22:02

it's quieter.

0:22:020:22:03

This was the original bathroom, which we split into a shower room

0:22:030:22:08

-and a walk-in wardrobe.

-Right.

0:22:080:22:09

So it's a small room, but we've got storage off it.

0:22:090:22:13

So it's kind of non-cluttered.

0:22:130:22:15

Dom and Carolina don't have renovation experience.

0:22:210:22:24

You went through this, you've got professional experience,

0:22:240:22:27

what should they be bearing in mind in practical terms

0:22:270:22:29

about taking on a project of this scale.

0:22:290:22:31

You've got to plan everything correctly from the start.

0:22:310:22:34

So you might need to get planning permission if you're extending.

0:22:340:22:37

You will need probably building regulations approval.

0:22:370:22:40

Jumping in on a renovation is probably pretty dangerous.

0:22:400:22:43

It'll be a bit of a roller-coaster ride.

0:22:430:22:46

There'll be moments at the beginning where you think,

0:22:460:22:48

"What on earth am I doing?" But then as the build goes on,

0:22:480:22:51

you'll see the end result. Honestly,

0:22:510:22:52

once it's completed, it's fantastic.

0:22:520:22:54

It's great to spend all that time

0:22:540:22:56

and effort and end up with something you want

0:22:560:22:59

and you love to live in.

0:22:590:23:00

Thank you for opening up your house to us.

0:23:000:23:02

It's great to see it, great to see it in such shape,

0:23:020:23:04

and I'm pleased it's worked out so well. Thanks very much.

0:23:040:23:07

-Thanks, Will.

-Good luck.

0:23:070:23:09

Back in Amber Valley, Empty Property Officer Sue Li is heading to

0:23:140:23:19

an affluent area of Derby to a house she visited in the last series.

0:23:190:23:24

There's a window that's been smashed here.

0:23:240:23:26

The back door is open, so you can just wander straight into the house.

0:23:260:23:31

Oh!

0:23:310:23:33

It looks like...

0:23:330:23:35

someone has been trying to take the copper piping at some point.

0:23:350:23:38

Because there's obviously pipes still remaining,

0:23:380:23:41

I really need to get this property secured and get that window boarded.

0:23:410:23:45

Sue's since been in contact with the owner and today

0:23:450:23:48

she wants to check on the progress being made

0:23:480:23:50

on bringing the house back into use.

0:23:500:23:52

Well, I've asked the owner to voluntarily tidy up

0:23:520:23:56

the general appearance of the property.

0:23:560:23:58

Cut back all the overgrown vegetation, clear the paths,

0:23:580:24:02

so it looks like the rest of the properties around here.

0:24:020:24:04

The front of the property is in a state of disrepair

0:24:040:24:07

but it's at the back where Sue had concerns about a broken window

0:24:070:24:11

which could allow unwanted access to the house.

0:24:110:24:14

Well, I'm really pleased to see that they have boarded the window.

0:24:160:24:20

It's not great in appearance, though.

0:24:200:24:22

But they really don't do anything unless it's absolutely in a notice.

0:24:220:24:27

I mean, they've left all of the glass

0:24:270:24:29

and the property still looks quite untidy from the front.

0:24:290:24:33

So, I really am going to have to put EVERYTHING in a notice to them.

0:24:330:24:38

As the owner has failed to carry out all the work Sue asked them to,

0:24:380:24:43

further action will now be taken against them.

0:24:430:24:45

And it's clear there's still plenty of work that needs to be done

0:24:450:24:48

before the house can be lived in again.

0:24:480:24:51

I'll be going back to the office now to write a notice

0:24:510:24:54

to serve on the owner.

0:24:540:24:55

And I'll give them about two months to do

0:24:550:24:57

all of the other work that I've asked them to do.

0:24:570:25:01

It looks like this property will be on Sue's books for some time yet,

0:25:010:25:05

but she'll persevere with the owner to get the house back into use.

0:25:050:25:10

Dom and Carolina are first-time buyers

0:25:140:25:16

who think an abandoned building could be

0:25:160:25:18

their ideal first home together.

0:25:180:25:20

In southwest London, I've taken Dom to meet someone

0:25:200:25:23

who took on an empty property

0:25:230:25:25

and made it into a beautiful family home.

0:25:250:25:27

Dom, how have you found it, seeing the transformation

0:25:290:25:31

from properly derelict to a renovated home?

0:25:310:25:34

I mean, great. I mean, it's been lovely

0:25:340:25:37

to come and see what Will's done

0:25:370:25:39

with something that was completely derelict.

0:25:390:25:41

You're a novice DIY, you haven't done a renovation before,

0:25:410:25:44

but, after today, do you feel you've got a handle on,

0:25:440:25:47

sort of, how to get started, some of the practicalities involved?

0:25:470:25:50

Definitely. The idea of having good plans in place,

0:25:500:25:56

budgeting properly and calling in the right professionals,

0:25:560:26:00

then, yeah, absolutely that. I'll go forward with that.

0:26:000:26:03

The place you saw earlier, not for you because of the location,

0:26:030:26:06

is that how you feel? But that sort of project?

0:26:060:26:08

Yeah, that's right. Not for us location wise,

0:26:080:26:11

but the scale of the project is about right for us.

0:26:110:26:14

And, you know, something we could definitely take on.

0:26:140:26:18

Brilliant. I'm sure you'll find something, so I really wish you

0:26:180:26:21

-the best of luck.

-Yeah, thanks a lot.

0:26:210:26:22

I'm really pleased that Dom could see this property today,

0:26:250:26:28

because what a transformation it is!

0:26:280:26:30

It just shows you, you don't have to be constrained by what's there,

0:26:300:26:33

you can change the internal layout,

0:26:330:26:35

you can move the kitchen to the heart of the home,

0:26:350:26:37

you can do whatever.

0:26:370:26:39

And, OK, maybe Dom and Carolina aren't going to take on a property

0:26:390:26:42

this size, maybe they want somewhere

0:26:420:26:44

more central. Now, it's up to them to go and find an empty property

0:26:440:26:47

and turn it into their dream home.

0:26:470:26:50

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