John and Sue Derham Britain's Empty Homes

Across the country, empty properties that could be homes are just 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, we'll be following the property detectives,

who track down the owners of these forgotten houses

and help breathe new life into the communities blighted by them.

And I'll be doing some digging of my own

to find out more about our housing stock,

our heritage and why we should both be preserving and reinventing

Britain's empty homes.

When it comes to buying a home, there are few things more rewarding

than taking on an empty property and giving it a new lease of life.

And, of course, if you do jump straight into a big renovation,

you can make it a perfect fit,

tailoring the property to meet your every need.

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

who've just bought their ideal retirement home

and plan to overhaul it to match their new laid-back lifestyle.

Where would everything go, roughly?

-Haven't got a clue.

-Right, OK.

I'll be visiting an area in Lancashire

at the beginning of a regeneration which will bring

life back to these abandoned streets.

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

in Suffolk working to bring forgotten houses back into use.

We've got a food source down here. We've got old cans of dog food.

It's kind of set up for rats.

I can see why there has been complaints.

Having recently retired,

John and Sue Derham were on the lookout for a property

that would fulfil their dreams of moving to Somerset

and custom-renovating a home.

And just recently, they found the very house.

This move is the last move we're going to do.

-I hope.

-We hope, yes.

So we were thinking practically that we need to be ground floor.

This classic 1960s bungalow lies in a sleepy village.

From the outside, it's an attractive proposition,

but inside doesn't quite match the Derhams' needs.

We're at a time in our lives

when we're trying to cut down on bills and things like that,

so we need to make the building work for us.

We're absolutely considering reconfiguring the whole footprint,

the whole plan.

We just need to reshape it so that we've got proper rooms,

rather than going out of one door, along a corridor and into another.

It's clear the current layout doesn't quite work for the couple,

and they are anxious to get it right the first time.

My main worry, I think, is where they're going to replace the staircase.

The staircase there at the moment is extremely dangerous.

Always like to look at new ideas

and see the things that we might have missed.

We can put our own mark on it, do exactly what we want to with it,

and make it a comfortable place for us to live in.

I'm meeting John and Sue at their new bungalow,

where I can hopefully help them figure out

their next step in the process.

-Hello, guys.

-Hello, Joe.

-Nice to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-How are you doing?

-Fine, thanks.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Yes!

I understand you've just literally, a few days ago, got this place.

That's right. Yes, we have.

-How does that feel?

-We're very pleased.

Now, what state's it in?

Does it need a bit of work? Are you keen to do something to it?

Lots of work.

It needs dragging into the 21st century.

I think we should go and have a look.

-Yeah.

-All right, lead the way.

The Derhams recently sold their five-bedroom house in Oxfordshire

to fund this project,

and they are already brimming with ideas and plans.

Right. So.

Take me through the layout, then. We're standing in...

From what I can see here, it would be a master bedroom, would it?

-That's right.

-Absolutely.

Yes, this part was extended, which has made a very big room.

Yeah, it has. Really huge.

It's got en suite as well.

-Yes.

-A big en suite, yes.

We feel it'd actually make a very good kitchen-diner, this area.

Right!

So if this wasn't your master bedroom, where would that be?

-At the back.

-Where the kitchen is now.

OK, so it's like a diagonal swap?

-Yes.

-So where would everything go, roughly?

-Haven't got a clue!

-Right, OK.

-No idea.

But we've got a good architect on board,

and we're hoping he's going to come up with some really good ideas.

We obviously don't want to be railroaded into his ideas.

It's our house, and we need it to remain our house.

And we may put the hallway through in that part.

Well, if you move the hall, what would happen to the staircase?

-It'd probably take up part of what is now the kitchen, I think.

-Yes.

Which is going to be one of your bedrooms.

We have lots of thoughts,

it's just how we convert that into the final product now.

And within the constraints of the budget.

Very, very good. OK. Well, look,

if we go to where the kitchen is now, which will be swapped,

we'll look at that, shall we?

-BOTH: OK.

-Great, after you.

It's clear the couple are planning

to reconfigure the downstairs layout completely,

and while they're not novices,

it's been 25 years since they took on a big project like this.

And this is the kitchen.

Ah, OK. So, the existing kitchen.

BOTH: Yeah.

So this now goes over there, where there's more space,

and this becomes a bedroom.

-Partly bedroom, partly study, I think.

-OK.

So, a big project. How much is it going to cost?

How much do you budget for something like this?

Our initial thinking is it'll be somewhere between 80 and £100,000.

All up. That's everything.

We have done it before, so we've got some idea,

but, of course, costs have changed a lot

in 25 years since we last built.

-Yeah.

-So we are hoping that that's going to be enough.

And a contingency fund hopefully in there as well?

A little contingency, we hope, yes.

OK. Shall we continue?

OK.

This is lovely. It's a bit of a sun trap,

and it's a really nice size.

I imagine there's a lot you could do with this.

Yes, we both enjoy the garden, both enjoy pottering.

This is a very manageable size.

Yeah. So, I know there's some money concerns,

because you want to keep it on track and on budget.

You want to get in and get it done reasonably quickly, don't you?

BOTH: Yes.

And you've got to nail this layout to get it right first time.

So it'll be really good for you to see another property.

It's very similar, also a bungalow, had a complete transformation.

There's a lot you can take away, even things you don't like.

-That means you can rule something out.

-True, yes.

So have a look at the light,

the fittings and fixtures, how the layout works.

See what you like and don't like, and see what you can take away.

-Right.

-OK.

-How's that sound?

-Great. Yes.

-Yeah?

Yeah.

A problem affecting many areas right across the UK is

that of derelict and abandoned buildings.

Often attracting unwanted attention, they can become

a cause for concern for local residents.

Fortunately, many councils have a dedicated team of people

who find these properties and take on the task of getting them

lived in again.

And in Waveney, north-east Suffolk, Jason Hall is doing just that.

He's an Empty Property Officer on the trail of a new case.

Today, I'm going to a property that I believe to be a long-term empty.

I've carried out a Land Registry check to see who the owner was

and attempted to contact them,

but have been told that they're not the owner.

So today, I really need to go down to the property,

have a little look around

and see if I can obtain any more information

with regards to who is the owner of the property.

This end of terrace house lies beside a busy road,

and for many arriving into the area by car,

this is one of the first sights they'll see.

OK, the door looks really weathered, very old,

and it's not had anything done to it for quite some time.

They've got some rotten sections around it.

We've got Georgian wire in the front here,

so that's quite secure, and it's locked up quite well.

And inside, it just looks like it's being used as storage.

There are quite a few letters in there,

but I can't see anything with a name on it.

The main issues local people have reported to Jason

include fly tipping and vermin in the back garden.

With the complaint of rats, we've got a food source down here,

we've got old cans of dog food.

There's also dirty nappies that have been left down here.

It's kind of set up for rats.

I can see why there has been complaints regarding it.

This building here is just an old, disused toilet.

If we've got a rat problem,

the main issue with that being there is,

if it's still connected to the drains at the back here,

then it's a route in and out of the sewers for any rats.

That needs to be capped off to make sure nothing can get in and out.

The house is known locally to be empty,

but there's a possibility someone could be living there.

This window's looking into the kitchen.

Very strange in its set-up,

in that it looks like it's still being lived in.

There's food, there's breakfast cereals,

there's everything in there that a normal kitchen would have,

but it's just been walked out and left.

With the preliminary search completed,

Jason heads back to the office to ascertain if anyone is legally living there.

Terry, it's Jason...

He's hoping a call to the council-tax office may provide

the information he needs.

Yeah. Thank you, bye-bye.

We've now established that the property has been empty since 2008.

She's moved to a different address, of which I've just been informed.

That's where we'll serve her notices,

and we'll see if we can get the work carried out as soon as possible.

Since filming,

the property has been bought by a developer, who's now renovating.

The people who take on empty properties

often share the same attributes.

They're determined, they're imaginative

and they're not afraid of a bit of hard work.

Because abandoned dwellings demand a lot from their new owners.

Thankfully, though, when the dust has settled,

the transformation is complete, it's all over,

there are rarely any regrets.

That's exactly how Carole Layfield felt

when she and her family took on this derelict barn in Nottinghamshire.

When I first walked in,

the whole of both rooms were knee-deep

in all sorts of animal rubbish and old hutches, old bits of wire,

but we didn't really notice any of that, to be honest.

We came and looked and said, "Oh, what lovely beams. Oh, it's nice and high here,"

and, "Oh, we could do this and this." But it was a huge job.

It took about a month to clear it.

The barn had been empty for several years

before the Layfields paid £275,000 for it.

Not everyone was convinced it was such a good idea.

A lot of our friends thought we were bonkers,

and I don't think very many people understood what we saw,

and I don't really know why we saw it.

We're certainly not terribly creative in that way.

We've never done anything like this before.

It didn't really daunt us terribly.

We just thought, "Oh, yes, we could use this for this

"and we could do that for that." And we just plunged in.

One year later, the family had a home most people only dream of,

with six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a beautiful open-plan kitchen-diner

and even a room for their teenage sons.

Keeping the budget under control can be a full-time job in itself,

but the Layfields managed to pull off what many find impossible.

We had a budget of 300,000, and we stayed in budget, which was amazing.

I don't really know how we did that,

because managing the budget was not easy.

The builder and I sat in the kitchen for hours on end,

writing endless lists of where the money was going,

but it was all very vague, really,

because everything that's expensive

that goes into doing a building like this

gets hidden under the floor or in the walls,

so that when you come to the end of the building,

there's very little left for all the pretty bits,

and probably that's what we didn't take into account enough,

that you have to be careful that your budget doesn't run out.

Perhaps one of the reasons

the couple had such a successful renovation is that

they were aware of their weaknesses

and made sure they hired the right people.

The key thing is to have a good builder and a good project manager.

Because we didn't know enough.

We didn't know how things fit together,

we don't know which order to do things in.

So that was extremely important, but I also think that he couldn't have

done it without us being here either,

because nobody's ideas are your ideas,

and there were quite a few things where the builder would say,

"I've asked the chap to come and do the doors,

"and we've got eight panels in that door,"

and we'd say, "No, I just want a big piece of glass."

And so they were only small things, but I think

most of the day-to-day progress of the building

will have hinged on having a good builder.

And now that the paint has dried and life is back to normal,

the house suits the Layfields perfectly.

Certainly, we're really pleased with the way it's all turned out

as a family house,

and we can all live here and live in our own space

and we can all get on with

what we're doing with enough room around us, really.

And I love that.

In some areas of the UK,

rows of empty and boarded-up houses blot the landscape.

Due to the decline in local industry

and the economic downturn, these streets have been abandoned.

But a project here in the north-west is breathing life

back into one such area.

This part of Pendle in Lancashire is on the up.

The community here is expanding

and there are plans for a new school,

but just six years ago, it was a very different story.

In 2006, Pendle went through a big change.

Many of these houses did not meet modern living standards

and were deemed unsuitable for tenants.

Thankfully, the area is being revived,

and the local council is bringing people back.

I'm meeting Senior Regeneration Officer Iftekhar Bokhari

to hear all about it.

You've had a real problem here with derelict, empty properties.

What's happened?

Properties in this area are

predominantly two-bedroom terraced houses,

and the housing, what was built in 1880, is not actually suitable for modern-day living today.

Now, here we have Every Street,

and that seemed to be the focal point of your development.

Why there? Why start with that?

Well, the whole block was completely derelict,

and we felt the fact that we needed to concentrate on that block

and bring that block up to a particular standard.

So, what did you do? What solution did you come up with?

The solution that we came up with was that we were going to retain

the properties and bring them up to heritage standards.

Second thing was to actually create that variety

to make sure that the housing reflected the needs of the community,

so we're going to go to two-into-ones.

So, in other words, creating two-bedroom, four-bedroom,

six-bedroom houses in an area that was

predominantly two-bedroom houses.

And this street's a really good example, isn't it?

-This is what you were dealing with before.

-Exactly.

So you've just got the row of derelicts.

These have just been finished, final lick of paint going on,

ready for families to move in.

-Shall we take a look inside one?

-Yes, why not?

Oh, wow. It's very smart.

So, you've got a front room there.

This is a kitchen, also a big dining room. It's knocked through,

and that would be one property originally,

-but you've knocked through to make it two properties into one?

-That's right.

And upstairs, you've got four bedrooms.

And a family bathroom.

My goodness. And this is on the market for how much?

It's on the market for 135.

Wow, OK. And in terms of money,

you would say you spent far more than 135

-renovating this and bringing it up to scratch?

-We have, yes.

So the idea is that we're putting the investment in now

that for next 30, 40, 50 years,

we have a sustainable community making full use of these houses,

and as and when their circumstances change,

the houses are flexible enough to accommodate for that.

The council hopes to bring 200 boarded-up houses

back into use to build a real community

and eradicate these ghost streets for good.

What's happened here in Pendle is really important.

It shows that large numbers of empty properties can be

brought back to life.

You don't have to go down the demolition route.

Of course, it takes money,

but you can't put a price on the fact that,

now, people want to live here again.

So, finally, a real community is being re-established.

Back in Devon, I'm with John and Sue,

who have recently bought a 1960s bungalow

they plan to completely reconfigure.

To help them decide on the layout, I'm going to introduce them

to a couple who also renovated a bungalow,

but did something quite different to what the Derhams have in mind.

Right, guys. This is the place I want you to see.

As you can see, it's a bungalow, a bit later than yours, 1970s,

really good one for you to look at, cos it laid empty for 18 months.

Needed a complete renovation, new windows, new doors, everything.

It's quite big, maybe a touch bigger than yours,

but I think you'll like the layout.

It's quite different, how they've used the space.

Retired restaurateurs Carolynne Kortzeenietz and Karl Heinz

bought this dilapidated villa-style bungalow in 2004

and set out on a renovation

that would take them seven years to fully complete.

The property itself was in a sad and neglected state

when we first saw it.

It just looked unloved, uncared for and neglected, and dirty,

but you can see by the wonderful garden

and by the beautiful view that it had such potential,

we just fell in love with it.

The location was undeniably a huge draw

for the couple, who have maximised the available light and view

to create a bright open-plan three-bedroom home.

We did do quite a lot of work with the conservatory area,

because that at the beginning was just a lean-to conservatory,

so that had to come down,

and there was a great deal of thought spent on that,

and the rest of it was pretty much left as it was by room,

but just decorated and the bathrooms and the kitchen were put in new.

And one thing Carolynne's learnt from the experience is

to hire the right people.

The renovations were stressful only to the point of being tired

and finding the correct people,

the correct tradesmen to do the job to the satisfaction we wanted.

That was the most stressful thing.

When I think back to how the property was,

now, it's absolutely amazing.

We just love living here. It's absolutely fantastic.

Oh, wow. Oh, that's beautiful.

-Oh, look at the view.

-Yes!

So much lovely, natural light, and a feeling of space. Beautiful.

Fantastic. How is it you get so much light?

Obviously, you've got a lot of glass here,

but how do you keep bringing it through?

What tips do you have there?

Well, yes, obviously we've got this huge conservatory with this big, high roof,

which brings in a lot of light. A lot of light furniture.

-Sort of painted a lot of furniture as well, actually.

-Oh, right.

Yes, to make it light. Kept playing around with it all the time.

-Yes, I was just wondering whether we should go open-plan.

-Oh, right!

-It's a big change.

-Another wall gone.

Were you going through the process these guys are going through now, where you think one day,

"OK, we'll do that there

"and have that there," and then you come back to it,

"No, actually, that's got to go back there"?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Constantly. Absolutely.

We would discuss and think and change all the time.

-I mean, you have to throw ideas at one another, don't you?

-Yes, yes.

And bounce off one another about what you're going to do,

what you think is right, and what he thinks is right.

-Yes.

-You're not going to agree all the time, are you?

-No.

Staircases, for example!

You might have different views on that, or whatever.

-And the point here really is a point of considering all the options.

-Yes.

We need to spend time there and look at the plans

and walk through the plans and make sure they are going to work.

-Lovely. Well, I think we should see some more, shall we?

-OK, yes.

-Do you want to lead us through, Carolynne?

-Yes.

-Oh, this is lovely.

-This is nice, isn't it?

-So, this is the master bedroom?

-Yes.

-It's lovely.

It's a really nice view, isn't it?

And if you've got this nice bedroom to come to,

-then you've got your private space as well.

-Other options.

It just shows even with open plan, you can divvy up

and have more private, cosy corners to rooms.

-Yeah.

-So let's talk about budget. It was a very big project.

-Yes.

-Took a long time.

-Yes.

Did you have any idea of what it would cost?

-What did it end up costing?

-I think around 80,000

in the end, really, the majority of which went on the windows

and the conservatory, obviously.

-And the kitchen and the two bathrooms.

-That gives me

-some hope, then, I think.

-Well, it certainly is within the ballpark

-you were talking about, isn't it?

-It's good.

When it comes to bringing an empty building back to life

and working with what you have,

and I suppose, to some extent, being flexible,

what is it they have to bear in mind? Is it perseverance?

Is it just trying to stay very buoyant and positive

even though it can be a long project?

Yeah, positive. Yes, yeah.

Enjoying every day and being pleased with what you've done that day,

and if things don't go quite right, well, it doesn't really matter,

-does it?

-No.

-I always say don't worry about it,

you can always put it right.

-It's not life-threatening.

-Exactly.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Well, look, thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-Very helpful.

Back in Waveney, north-east Suffolk,

Empty Property Officer Jason Hall is on his way

to check up on a house he knows well.

It was vacant for three years

until a local developer bought it,

and, with a grant from the council, is now

in the throes of redeveloping the house.

Today, basically, I'm going along to have a look at progress,

to see how the works are going

so we can get some people moved into the property.

Jason is meeting the developer, Philip,

to see how the plans are coming along and to find out

when new tenants will be able to move in.

-Hi, Philip. How are you?

-All right.

Much of the house was not only uninhabitable, it was also unsafe.

While there's still a lot to do,

things have clearly moved on since Jason's last visit.

It looks a lot different out here.

I take it that's obviously a new addition.

What have you done on the roof?

I've reroofed it and reinsulated the roof.

-OK.

-Put a new dormer on.

Yeah. What's in the dormer?

-That'll be a shower room up there.

-OK.

The windows have all been replaced.

-This room here, from memory, this was the old kitchen, was it?

-Yeah.

Obviously, you've taken the whole lot down. What's it going to be?

-This'll be kitchen, small utility room and a bathroom.

-Yeah.

There's lots going on. Have you come across any problems?

Main problem is this entire house is built on filled land,

so we had to go down six feet to hit sound soil

to put the foundations in.

But we've got past that stage now.

Obviously, there's a lot of stuff gone on in here.

There was a large hole in this room, wasn't there?

Yeah, well, the roof had gone above, pigeons were getting in.

We stripped the ceiling out, renewed the ceiling,

it's been rewired,

-and basically, that's ready for decoration.

-Fantastic.

-Thank you.

-Great.

Along with those changes, new foundations have been laid,

and also a new staircase has been installed to allow for safe access

to the top floor of the property.

Wow, this one's a lot different to when I came last as well.

I mean, that section there was all timber, falling in,

broken, wasn't it?

-That's where the pigeons were getting in.

-Yeah, I remember it.

-Skirtings to match the character of the house.

-Yes.

-So, the taller ones, yeah?

-Yeah, taller skirtings.

Big question now is when's it going to be finished?

Well, the extension goes up next week,

so I reckon you're talking six weeks, two months at the outside.

Not too long to wait now, then.

-No.

-Excellent.

You can see from now, the way it is and the way it's coming together,

it's going to make a fantastic family home, and yeah,

we can't wait to get some people in it. Excellent. Thank you.

Thanks. Cheers.

Today's visit went really well.

When I think back six months ago, it was in a real mess.

It was a local dumping ground, it had been empty for years,

but once it is completed, it'll look absolutely fantastic

and make a lovely family home for someone off our waiting list.

I've been with John and Sue, who have found their ideal bungalow

in Somerset, which they plan to customise.

They've been getting some useful advice from Carolynne,

who carried out a similar redesign.

Having seen this place, how are you feeling about your project?

-Excited, yes. Looking forward to getting started.

-Absolutely.

Yeah, I think it has shown me, certainly,

that there are some factors we hadn't thought about before.

Good, and particularly open-plan.

-You seemed quite taken with that today.

-Yes, yes.

-Yes.

Has it helped you visualise steps forward?

Because you've got to remember,

this place probably looked very similar to how yours looked now,

and yet it has been transformed.

Hopefully, we can achieve something, you know...

-Somewhat approaching...

-Yeah.

Yeah. Well, I'm really pleased your day has been useful.

You've got a great place.

It's going to suit you perfectly for years to come.

-You just have to get that layout right, don't you?

-Absolutely, yes.

Here, you've got lots of ideas. I'm pleased you're taking that away,

and I've got no doubts at all before long

you're going to have your perfect home, so really,

the best of luck with it.

-Thanks very much indeed.

-Thank you.

And thank you for today.

-It's been lovely.

-Yeah. Enjoyed it.

Well, I'm so pleased that John and Sue could see this place today.

In many ways, it really is very similar

to the bungalow they've just bought.

So, some great ideas, plenty of inspiration.

That's really good advice.

So now, they have to decide what they actually want,

pin down their final designs.

And I'm sure, before long, they too will have their dream home.

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