Mike and Angela Sheppard Britain's Empty Homes

Up and down the country,

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

I'll be finding out why

and what you can do to rescue a home for yourself.

We'll be following the empty property officers,

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

and get them back in to use.

And I'll be doing some digging of my own

to find out more about our housing stock, our history

and why we should be both preserving and reinventing

Britain's empty homes.

Renovating an empty home can be a life-changing experience.

It will push you to your limits and can be a major logistical challenge.

But the benefits can be truly rewarding.

You get to breathe new life back into a property

and tailor it to your tastes.

On today's show -

a couple who have taken an ambitious step

up the property ladder by purchasing an abandoned chapel

they plan to turn into a home for their young family...

Mike's very ambitious and he's a dreamer

but I have to rein him in a little bit.

..a project in Chichester

dedicated to regenerating a former hospital site

and creating a new community hub...

We've got, ultimately,

buildings that are going to be for community uses

so there's a community hall, there's the listed chapel.

So, yeah, there's a lot here.

..and one of Britain's empty property officers

who's on a mission to bring an abandoned period building in Kent

back into use.

That's an original feature, isn't it? It is, yeah.

This actually was the main staircase of the hotel.

And you can see the two big arch windows, here.

Mike and Angela Shepherd were in the market for a home

for them and their two children

that was close to their extended family,

where they'd grown up, in Lincoln.

ANGELA: We just came across this property.

We just had a look to see what we could get for our money in Lincoln

and we just instantly fell in love with it, didn't we? Yeah.

We drove up, well, I drove up here in the snow,

this really big snowdrift, just because it was like,

"Right, let's go and see this house," very on an impulse.

Yes, yeah. But good.

It felt right.

With total faith in the project,

Mike and Angela paid ?280,000 for two adjoining buildings -

a disused Baptist chapel

and the attached four-bedroom Victorian house.

I restore historic buildings for a living -

stone masonry and that sort of work.

So this type of project didn't faze us at all.

We knew that we wanted to take a renovation project on

in the long term.

Mike's very ambitious and has a lot of dreams.

He's a dreamer but there are going to be certain things

where I'm going to have to say,

"Look, you know, this needs doing first."

And just...you need to prioritise a bit, don't you?

Angela may take a more practical approach whilst Mike dreams big

but they're both focused on one goal -

to turn these abandoned buildings

into a sizeable home for their family.

My dream for the children was to have a nice garden

and just be able to let them be free

and obviously be close to the family.

I want the kids to get to know their cousins and things.

So it's ideal, really.

With a renovation budget of ?80,000

and two large buildings to combine into one family home,

they certainly have a big challenge ahead.

We've got a huge space to deal with.

We're just toying with ideas, designwise. Aren't we?

I mean, we're in no rush.

The house is liveable and then this space,

which is obviously just redundant but, you know,

we could renovate this bit at the same time

and it not affect our family life.

With the chapel being one of the first things you see

as you enter the village,

local neighbours are pleased Mike and Angela

have plans to spruce it up.

It's nice to have new neighbours.

It's nice to have it renovated.

It will give a good entrance into the village,

as you come in from town.

It could be good.

Mike and Angela have already moved into the Victorian house

and they're raring to go to join it up with the chapel.

Hopefully, I can help them with the next stage of the process.

Good morning, I'm Joe. Good morning. Angela, how are you doing? Morning.

All right, good to see you. And you. Well, first of all, congratulations.

I understand it's just a couple of weeks ago you got this place?

Yeah, two weeks ago. Amazing. Yeah. How are you feeling? A bit nervous.

A bit nervous! Tell me about it, then.

It's quite an unusual building. What is it?

Yeah, it's a Baptist chapel.

Right. And then the church house, which is next to it.

And it's a fairly decent-sized space. It is a good size.

For what we got for our money, we were just...

It was a no-brainer, really. Really? Yeah. Why not?

Well, let's go and have a look what you did get for your money.

Shall we start in the chapel, as we're right here?

Yeah. Yeah, lovely. Great.

Goodness me, this is a tremendous space. Yeah.

It's absolutely huge, isn't it? It is, it is big.

It's got a lot of ceiling height, which is good.

Yes, it certainly has got that!

What did you think when you first saw this?

I just thought, "Wow, what a big space." You know?

Just imagined our kids running around in it and, you know,

it's everything we'd dreamed of, really. Yeah.

Yeah, it's plenty of room.

What are you dealing with here?

I mean, I can see some of the windows are broken.

What state is it in? How bad is it?

It's dry. It is dry. No, it is dry.

The construction of it is quite good, actually.

You know, they've not scrimped on things when they've built it.

So tell me the grand plan. How would you like it to be?

Hopefully we'll be stood in the kitchen, where we are now,

and then lounge, dining space, living space over the other side.

You know, full height, it's got a lot of potential, really,

for a first floor. We'll have some sort of mezzanine,

but we're not sure how we'll go about it yet.

We could just have it all open, but we'd be losing floor space.

It'd join to the house, so you could continue a first-floor across.

Exactly, yeah. And what about the features of the chapel?

I mean, you've got these great big windows.

I notice you're doing some digging here. What's going on?

Yeah, this is the baptismal font that I heard was here,

so I set about with a pick and a hammer

and started breaking it out at the weekend, wasn't it?

And, yeah, found the steps going down into it and the water in there,

and the original floor level with quarry tiles,

nothing out of the ordinary, you know,

but it's just great to find an original feature.

It's incredible. What a find.

It would be nice to see what's under that rubble. Yeah.

And so you would try and incorporate a feature like this?

You want to, don't you? Yeah.

'Mike and Angela are clearly taking on many challenges here,

'turning two buildings into one home,

'modernising the 19th century chapel,

'and deciding whether a mezzanine floor maximises the space.

'On top of this, I have a feeling

'Angela is finding it hard to visualise the end result.'

Very good. I mean, this is great, isn't it?

This is a fully kitted out, furnished house.

Must be very comfortable. This is ideal.

Exactly what you're looking for, bolted onto the chapel. BOTH: Yeah.

Definitely. A bit old-fashioned, not really to our taste at the moment.

There's the question of taste,

but it's in pretty good condition, isn't it? Oh, yeah, it's fine.

You can live with it for now. Yeah. Absolutely fine, yeah.

And upstairs, it's two, three bedrooms? Four bedrooms. Four?

Yeah, four double bedrooms. It's going to be big when it's all done,

with the chapel on the side. Yeah. It's quite big.

Who is going to do the work on this project?

Will you bring in professionals? Depends on money, doesn't it, really?

If we could just project manage it, then that would be ideal. Yeah.

But, you know, we will get our sleeves rolled up

and we'll get on it, you know?

'When Mike and Angela show me the garden,

'it's clear why they've fallen in love with the building

'and the outdoor space it gives the children.'

It's a great space, isn't it?

A really good size for your kids to run around and play in.

It's about right for us, I think.

I have to say, I find the stage you're at now so exciting,

because it's all possible, isn't it? It's all up for grabs.

You've just got to make your mind up and decide how you want it,

so you're open to inspiration, and because of that,

I think it'll be really good for you to see a property which,

I said at the beginning, isn't a chapel,

doesn't have a religious connection, but it does have some features

I think you'll find really interesting. OK. And besides,

you'll meet a couple who've been through a renovation like this.

They've faced so many of the challenges you'll face here,

so I think it would be a great opportunity to get some advice

and get some guidance alongside a bit of inspiration as well.

So that sounds good? Sounds very good. Yeah.

This is such a brilliant project.

This building that sat empty for so many years

is about to be given a new lease of life.

It's the first thing you see as you come into the village,

and it's going to be perfect to have people living here.

And for Mike and Angela, this is the most exciting moment, really,

because they're not quite sure how it's all going to work,

so it's the perfect time for them to see a property

that has been renovated, and they can speak to the people behind it

to get some advice, to get some guidance to help them on their way.

Restoring an abandoned chapel may not be everyone's idea of heaven,

but for those with imagination and dedication,

the rewards can be enormous.

In Winchester, Alice and Peter Dudgeon were living

in a building that was originally part of a larger manor house

that had been split in two in the 1950s.

When their neighbour in the adjoining house died,

it led the Dudgeons on an unexpected journey.

We'd been living in the major part of the house

for about seven years at that point,

and we weren't actually looking to move.

It was just because Nancy died,

and the house was going to go on the market,

and we were a bit concerned about what would happen to it.

And I guess, also, we did have an eye to downsize a bit,

this obviously being somewhat smaller

than the very large bit next door.

Are you saying we were getting old? Yes.

The house had sat empty for seven months before they decided

to downsize and buy it for ?700,000.

It had formerly been the servants' quarters for the Earl of Airlie,

and was built in 1856. It was very, very run down.

The fabric of the building was deteriorating greatly.

The roof was leaking, the guttering and the downpipes

were all very much leaking, rusty.

This was the first time that we'd actually used an architect

in doing a renovation, and it certainly was a revelation.

They came up with a lot of ideas that we wouldn't have done,

and as Alice was saying,

certainly incorporating the old cellar by using

the lightwell to build a creator, a living space down there,

and of course, my wine cellar. It was really a very good idea.

After months of negotiations with architects

and planning authorities, they finally got to work

on a modern glass extension to the rear,

and that was when the fun really started.

The big challenge was the glass structure.

They came with a big crane to install the ceiling panels,

and they said, "There's a bit of a problem.

"They've cut the ceiling panels six inches too short."

There they were. They've been busily installing these things,

and there was a six-inch gap at the top all the way along.

Next minute, I heard a very large crash.

One of the central beams, glass beams, collapsed.

Very lucky it didn't kill anybody, I suspect.

Instead of having a complete glass structure at the end of it,

we ended up with most of the ceiling panels in place,

all six inches too short, and a gaping gap in the middle

where the two panels were no longer there.

And then it rained that night. Yes. And we had a swimming pool.

And we had a swimming pool. That was very, very upsetting.

And it did delay the whole project by a good three or four months.

Alice and Peter went on to spend ?400,000

and three years on the project, which has exceeded all expectations

and given them a truly unique place to live.

I think we are here for a while, hopefully.

We've done what we've done.

I can't see us moving anywhere, so as far as I'm concerned,

I think we are here for a while, aren't we?

I think another four or five renovations,

we might just about get it right!

And we think the building's fantastic.

It's a fantastic surprise.

You arrive in front of a traditional Victorian facade,

you open the door, and you open up this beautiful, big, high,

white glass interior, flowing through to the garden.

The glass staircase and the cathedral ceiling

and all the light there.

It's a great feeling when you walk through the door.

Restoring Britain's forgotten buildings and turning them

into housing stock is undoubtedly rewarding,

and importantly, can also revive our communities.

Across the south of England, three in every 100 homes lie empty

and unused. Here in Chichester,

over 20,000 families are currently on the housing waiting list.

I've come to see a substantial new development that's aiming

to create an entire community, and rescue some historic buildings.

This former hospital site in Chichester

sits on 34 hectares of conservation land,

and includes two Grade II listed buildings.

Construction first began here in 1894,

with the hospital finally closing its doors in 2001.

Three years ago, Linden Homes,

along with the Homes and Communities Agency and Affinity Sutton,

agreed to rejuvenate the site, creating new homes

and upgrading buildings to meet modern standards.

Peter Yule is part of the project.

I can see looking around a mixture of new build and old.

That's the point here, is it, to re-use some of the old buildings,

but also put new homes alongside them? Yeah.

Naturally, there are buildings on the site that

are listed and therefore obviously protected,

and there is the heart of the site that we are standing

on the fringe of, that it would have been a real shame

and a travesty to take those down.

The project will not only create much needed housing stock,

it'll also hopefully provide facilities for a whole new community.

We've got, ultimately, buildings that are going to be for community

use, so there's a community hall, there's the listed chapel,

which is already in use.

We've got some artists' studios, which Graylingwell

and Chichester particularly, from the local university, wanted us to

produce some artists' studios for them

to kick off their budding careers.

We've got some offices, we've got a pub planned.

There's a lot of different uses here.

And the homes themselves, a mixture of different bedrooms,

different sizes? Yeah, that's right.

There's refurbishment properties here.

We've got a lot of new-build houses, new-build apartments,

and 40% of the site is dedicated to affordable homes.

So, yeah, there's a lot here. Fantastic.

And this development is particularly notable for its attempt to

provide the best energy efficiency across all of the buildings here.

Tell me about this water tower.

It's a very splendid redbrick building.

Great to see that still standing. What's it being used for?

In essence, it provides a great flueing option for our energy centre.

We produced an energy centre here that will drive

all 800 homes on this development.

They get one feed for their hot water and central heating needs.

So all these homes, none of them have boilers.

They all get their hot water this way. That's right.

Instead of hundreds of boiler flames going all the time

you've just got one centre. That's right. Very impressive.

OK, shall we go and have a look inside? That'll be great.

Inside the hospital itself, work is about to start.

But renovating such an old building comes with its own set

of unique challenges.

Although the structure is here, it does actually cost us

more to develop and redevelop and convert old stock like this,

not only because it's not standard,

there are just risks inherent in these buildings that you

can't see from the outside -

damp, treatments to the reroofing and all sorts of structural issues

we've got to deal with.

Not that they weren't built very well, but we've got to

introduce new structures to divide them up into homes.

Yeah. I mean, these are big, high-ceilinged, long rooms.

Typical kind of hospital wards, aren't they? Yeah.

How do you divide them up?

Do you make apartments out of them,

do you cut across them to make houses...? We do a mix of both.

So we use architects, and they work out whether it's better to

vertically split the accommodation or horizontally split it.

Vertically will naturally produce houses

and there's the horizontal splits, where it'll be more apartment-led.

So this is very much the before state.

Are there some that have been completed and are ready to show?

Yeah, absolutely. We've converted several blocks already.

Great, let's take a look. Yeah.

Wow, look at this!

It's a bit different from the old hospital ward we saw.

Yeah, so here we go. Fully converted apartment.

This is a two-bedroom apartment, so, yeah,

pretty typical of what you'll get in the refurbished buildings.

I see, so talk me through this flat. It will be four rooms, will it?

So an open-plan kitchen-diner, sitting room. Two bedrooms...

A bathroom and en suite in the main bedroom. OK.

Yeah, as you can see, the high ceilings, new doors and windows,

all fully restored.

Very good, well, the best of luck with that.

I'm pleased to see these old buildings actually being used.

I think this is a really interesting project.

It's obviously going to come to fruition over many years ahead.

Essentially, what they are doing is taking these old dilapidated

buildings and sculpting, together with new-build,

a working, functioning community.

And I really like the communal focus here.

The emphasis on one shared source of power, which is very efficient.

It's going to make all these homes

as environmentally friendly as possible.

So hopefully at the end of it we will not just have a well preserved

redbrick heritage, but also new homes

and affordable housing where they are really needed.

Sadly, not all of Britain's forgotten buildings are found

and regenerated.

But luckily, local council Empty Property Officers are taking

action on behalf of communities.

In Folkestone, Kent, Ian Cobby is on his way to a building

he knows well. A former hotel, then bedsit,

the 15-room property was bought four years ago, but the owners

ran into financial difficulty and the council got involved.

This is the final stage in a long process for Ian

and he's hoping the building is close to being signed off.

Renovating this property hasn't been easy.

It's taken the owners at least three years to get this far,

with two loans, one from Kent County Council

and one from Shepway District Council.

So I'll be happy once it is completed.

Ian is meeting John Emmerson,

who's project-managing the renovation on behalf of the owner.

Ian has to make sure the loan has been used properly

and the project meets the council's high standards.

You'll notice the heat straightaway. Yes.

As you know, the services aren't on yet,

but we've got double glazing, which we had to fight for through

the conservation guy, because they just wanted us to put timber in.

And every external wall has been dot and dabbed,

stuck with plasterboard and 75mm Celotex. Wow.

And that's why you can feel this tremendous heat.

It's really, really warm. So if I can just show you the windows, Ian.

Certainly, John.

Remember when we originally started here,

the Conservation Officer just wanted us

to literally put new timber ones in or repair what we had, which was

impossible because when we opened it up

it was so rotten it was untrue.

So we got a company to make them up, but make them up

in the exact identical design looking from the outside.

Whoever buys these is going to reap the benefits... Really?

..because the heat retention is amazing.

It seems every effort has been made to restore the original

elements of the hotel.

This is one of the bedrooms.

This actually was the main staircase of the hotel.

And you can see the two big arch windows here. Yes.

That's an original feature. It is, yeah, and we couldn't change that.

But this is where we first started to expose, literally,

all the damage in the building, which was...

The rot in this building was from every single floor to every

single lintel in this property has been changed. I can imagine.

So there was roughly a ?75,000 bill on top,

and that's why the owner went back to get a second loan,

and that's why it's literally taken three years to get it to this stage.

For Ian, this lengthy project is hopefully close to providing

much-needed housing in the area,

as well as reviving this large building.

I feel that the internal works that I've seen

so far are exemplary, of a standard higher than I would expect.

My next visit will be when John calls me to come back

and have a look at it. Hopefully then the services will be in,

all the snagging will be finished and I'll be able to sign the job off.

If you've noticed abandoned buildings in your area

and fancy the challenge of taking one on,

then get in touch with your local Empty Property Officer,

or contact estate agents or neighbourhood watch groups

about derelict buildings you've seen.

Back in Lincoln, I am with Mike and Angela

who have taken on an abandoned chapel in the attached house

that they plan to combine and turn into a sizeable family home.

They're just starting to put plans together,

so I'm going to introduce them to a couple

who've done a large conversion

and can hopefully offer some useful advice.

All right, guys, this is the place I want you to see.

It's quite an unusual home in that

this was originally a collection of different buildings.

We are on the edge of a farm here.

You are about to meet Dean and Louise.

And this was a chicken shed,

it was stables, it was hay loft and a sort of pig shed.

So, it has been fully converted into their family home.

They finished at just over four years ago.

It was never designed to be lived in, and that's the challenge

we'll come across with the chapel.

So they've got a few good ideas.

You can see how they've done things.

And I hope it could be quite useful for you

at this ideas stage of your project.

Yeah. OK? Shall we go and say hello? Let's do it. Come on then.

Louise Carpenter's dream for her parents' out-buildings,

goes right back to childhood

when the residents of the barns were her treasured chickens.

Years later when she and husband Dean were planning a family,

Louise hatched a plan to turn the barns into her home.

Growing up here I always knew I wanted to renovate this property,

because I just knew the building was a great space and would make a fantastic home.

I was quite excited, to be honest.

I'm not a big chicken fan,

but I know Louise was very eager to do it,

and it was a good challenge.

If you take on a restoration project of any kind

you have got to be passionate about whatever it is you're doing.

It's got to be your dream that you want to see through to the end.

Having bought the barns from Louise's parents,

they immediately worked on the tricky plans for combining

the buildings into one family home.

To actually turn what was a chicken shed

along with past-use stables for horses and pigs -

to turn that into a home,

you had to have a real good vision of what you wanted it to look like

before we even started the process.

Having never housed people before, the barns were uninhabitable,

but with a renovation budget of ?260,000,

and some careful planning,

they turned the chicken sheds into a modern home.

The biggest issues that we came across when doing this project,

was the planning application.

We had such an issue with what we actually wanted,

and what we were allowed from the planning office.

There were obviously lots of things that we had to go back and think about again.

Our first ideas didn't come to fruition.

I love the fact that we now live in

what was a shed that housed our chickens,

and I think the chickens are really pleased

because they've got a brand-new palace.

We still hear them every morning. Yeah.

Hello?

Hiya. Hi. How are you?

Come on in. Thank you very much.

I'm confident this barn renovation will give Mike and Angela some ideas

and extra knowledge when it comes to tackling their chapel conversion.

Very good! This is quite impressive, isn't it? Yeah, it's lovely.

I think there's a clue why we brought you here.

Any ideas? Mezzanine. Yeah, mezzanine?

Mezzanine. What's your first impressions?

It's gorgeous. Yeah, I really like it. Absolutely.

Well, we wanted to keep this room, which was the original barn.

We wanted to keep the height in this room.

And we also needed to get up there into the bedrooms,

and it was the easiest way.

And the ceiling would have been very low in here

if we'd had a room on top.

OK. And you chose to go with glass? Deliberate?

It was, because we struggled with light in this room.

We liked the look of the wood as well.

We just thought it worked really well, it was quite in keeping.

ANGELA: Yeah, if it was...a chrome banister or something,

it wouldn't have the same feel.

It's contemporary, but it's traditional at the same time.

I wouldn't have thought of glass either. And it does work really well.

When you do start from scratch,

like you have - and these guys are too, with a chapel -

what decisions did you have about heating?

It's all underfloor heating.

It's absolutely great for us,

because the heat rises. When you've got big spaces to fill,

they're not draughty, at all, because the whole of the floor is heated.

You've obviously built that chimney breast in?

That's right, we have.

That's not original, obviously.

And we needed a double skin of bricks, so that's why we opted for that.

Would you like something similar?

Are you thinking a wood burner...? Yes. Yes.

How happy are you with it? Now it's done,

do you look at it and think, "Yeah, that's just right." Yeah.

All the time. Love it.

Of an evening, when I sat down, I always look round

and can't believe we've done it, really.

Yeah. Great, let's see some more, shall we?

It's clear from the stunning layout downstairs

that Louise and Dean took real care during the planning phase to utilise

the space and ceiling height.

And the same thought and care went into the children's room upstairs as well.

So this is clearly your very open-plan kitchen-diner.

And you wanted this spectacle, looking out on your garden,

and getting that light in as well.

We knew with it being so short of light in the living room area,

we knew that, coming in here, we pretty much needed it all glass.

That was what we were aiming for.

Well, guys, thank you for your time. It's been amazing to see your place.

And it is quite incredible what you can do with a chicken barn.

So, congratulations, and thanks for your advice, as well.

So, guys, how have you found it looking around here today?

It is obviously not a chapel, but the are quite a few similarities.

Yeah. I've certainly got a bit more inspiration than I had before.

Yeah, brilliant. I have really enjoyed it, actually.

It's nice to chat to people and get ideas. Yes, it's been really good.

Because I suspect you are all very much into structure,

and you can see how this pieces together.

And maybe you were struggling a bit.

Especially the finishing touches.

It's so far away, it's difficult to visualise.

Has this helped with that? It's helped.

I still struggle to imagine it like that,

but, you know, that is the sort of finish I'm looking for.

So I can certainly imagine it a bit more now, I think.

Good, well there's a lot of looking and things to do.

You've got a busy few months ahead of you.

But hopefully this helps, hopefully it unifies the vision a little bit,

or gives you a few ideas to try out on paper.

And good luck with it.

I think today has worked out really well.

Clearly Mike and Angela are hungry for ideas,

and there's inspiration aplenty here.

This style of the mezzanine, the use of space,

the open-plan living - there's lots to take away.

And quite frankly, yes, they've got a lot of work ahead of them

but they have a truly spectacular property.

And I have a feeling they'll make of great job of it

and have a very special family home before too long.

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