Tim and Deborah Dovey 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 what you can do

to rescue a home for yourself.

We follow the Empty Property Officers

who find the owners of forgotten houses and get them back into use

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

our history and why we should be both preserving

and reinventing Britain's empty homes.

Taking on an empty house can be the best way of making it truly yours -

there'll be many highs and lows and it will be a challenging journey,

but the motivation is you're not just rescuing an abandoned house,

you're also creating your dream home.

'Today - a couple who bought a house in Shropshire on a whim,...'

Masses of work to do, totally inexperienced, clueless,

but an eternal optimist.

'..a regeneration project in Stoke-on-Trent

'inspired by the revival of the UK's oldest pottery factory...'

This area hasn't had a lot of investment for many years

and something like this is a catalyst - it brings hope.

'..and an Empty Property Officer in Kent

'who's on the case of a house that's been abandoned for eight years.'

It's like the Mary Celeste.

They were here and then left.

'Tim and Deborah Dovey from Shropshire

'weren't on the lookout for a new home,

'but when Tim passed this abandoned building,

'he knew it was something special.'

Never been here before, I came across this property

and I thought "I love this idyllic spot",

beautiful sunny day, nothing but animals in the fields -

it strikes me as great.

Tim was really keen, I thought I'd go and have a look -

I didn't think much, to be honest. I was quite shocked.

'Tim convinced Deborah they should buy it to renovate and sell on,

'so they paid ?201,000 for it in a sealed bid.'

I thought "That'll keep him busy for the next 12 months."

Out of your hair. Yeah, out of my hair.

But then, as time went on, he said "How about us moving over here?",

which, to be honest, I did take some persuading

and Tim did say "I won't force you to move."

But, if I didn't, I'd be thinking "What if?",

so we're going for it.

'Tim will take on the lion's share of managing the renovation

'and what he lacks in experience he makes up for in enthusiasm.'

I have no idea whatsoever in respect of what I'm taking on

and what's involved, especially a project of this magnitude.

The fact that it is falling down is actually a plus for me

because it allows us to do literally whatever.

'They estimate it will take six to eight months to complete,

'but they have concerns that the ?250,000 budget won't be enough

'to turn this dilapidated cottage into a modern home.'

The financial side of it is completed on my shoulders.

The last thing I'd want to do is find ourselves in a situation

where we have to compromise on our dream home

because we've run out of money -

for me, it will feel like a little bit of a failure.

Doom and gloom. I don't think it is, but you've got to consider it.

I think you've got to be optimistic and try and enjoy the whole thing,

as opposed to looking at all the negatives.

For me, it's seeing the end result in a beautiful location,

with the house of our dreams,

relaxing and looking back

and thinking "I'm glad we did this."

I can't wait to see the first wall coming down

as long as the rest of the building doesn't come down with it!

'They've completed on the house

'and they're now deciding on the style and layout.'

'Hopefully, I can help them with the next step in the process.'

Deborah. Morning, Joe. Tim. Tim, how are you doing?

Tell me about this place. It's looking sorry for itself.

It's been unoccupied for 16 years,

it was part of the nearby farm buildings, occupied by farm workers.

At one point in time, there was up to 14 people living here,

which you'll see - goodness knows how that was happening.

All right, let's go and have a look inside.

'This 18th-century cottage sits on a quarter of an acre of land

'and isn't a listed building.'

'Tim believes his budget of ?250,000 will go furthest

'if he uses it to expand the existing property

'by an impressive 110 per cent,

'rather than pull it down and start again.'

Wow, look at this. What was your first impression?

Masses of work to do, totally inexperienced, clueless,

but an eternal optimist.

I think it's going to turn out fantastic.

I just thought "Oh, my God, what have we bought?"

Really? Yeah. What won you over?

I just think it's the lifestyle change

and if we don't do it, we'll probably regret it, so...

Got to try. Yes, definitely.

Very brave. Well, what is the plan? What do you want to do here?

We've basically taken the existing footprint of this shell

and we're going to double the size of the house.

That will remain the front door,

this will be the hall and then you would be walking through a door

into the large kitchen-dining area,

looking out the back with a view across the fields.

So very open-plan. What's the final look and feel going to be?

Are the beams going to stay? I want to create a modern feel inside.

We're still having discussions

because Deb is keen to retain some of the old features.

Yeah, I saw you sigh, Deborah,

when he said "modern stuff".

No, I do like modern, I just think that, because it's so old,

it would be nice to retain some character... There's a compromise.

This is positive. I've no doubt that we'll reach it.

We'll have to. Are those beams in your plans? Not at the moment.

This big beam is where the stairs are going to go.

You've got stairs where the beams were - you can't keep the beams.

I'll let you discuss the rest.

I think that's a discussion for later!

Well, let's see a bit more. Shall we pop upstairs? Sure.

'The first floor needs a complete overhaul

'and will be expanded from three bedrooms to four,

'with two ensuites.'

This will be the guest bedroom. So it's a good-size room.

So this will be a total renovation - rewiring, replumbing -

it's a shell you'll add to. What do you want to do yourselves?

The novelty value may bring me down here every day

until I get fed up with it.

Have you got a contractor in place?

We've got some close friends that have a building company

and we're able to use them literally as a one-stop shop.

If something goes wrong, I've only got one person to go to

to say "It needs fixing."

It's clear where responsibility lies. And where will you be living?

Are you keeping the family home? When we get consent for the build,

we'll put our existing house up for sale -

it gives us time to not need to take the first offer,

but if someone comes along in a couple of weeks

and says "I love your house", we'd be homeless.

Are you uneasy about this, Deborah? Yeah, I'm not moving into a caravan.

The family can move into the mobile home and I'll go to a hotel.

Do you worry about your lack of experience? Is it exciting?

Or daunting because you don't know how it'll work? I like a challenge.

As soon as this is complete, I'll have to think about what to do next.

Oh, dear. Mm. Ominous, isn't it?

'Clearly, Tim is incredibly ambitious.'

'But, with very little experience,

'he needs as much input as possible before work starts.'

You're both up for this challenge?

Yep, just have to stay optimistic.

What'll be useful at this stage

is to see another building that's also in an agricultural setting

and it has been thoroughly transformed for modern living,

which is what you face here, plus you'll meet the guy who's done it

and tell you how it was. Does that sound helpful? Very. Sounds great.

As challenges go, this place is right up there,

especially given that they haven't taken on anything like this before.

There are still a few points they're unsure of,

particularly the final look and feel of the house,

so it'll be good to see a place that's been renovated

and thoroughly modernised

just to help them visualise how their future home is going to be.

'In the UK, there are many abandoned houses like Tim and Deborah's

'that could be restored to use and, with imagination and hard work,

'the results can be surprising.'

'In Gloucestershire, Matt and Amanda Aitkenhead

'wanted to take on a house in a rural setting,

'so when they found this vicarage, originally built in 1856,

'they knew they'd found their new home.'

All of our family and all of our friends said "You must be mad",

but we both knew, from our first viewing, that we wanted it.

'So Matt and Amanda took a gamble

'and paid ?750,000 for the old vicarage

'that had lain empty for three years.'

It's a building that deserved a second lease of life

and it wasn't so far gone that it was beyond our budget to do that.

We knew there was money to be spent,

but it would be money well invested.

'In a bid to keep costs down,

'Matt, a builder by trade, carried out a lot of the work himself,

'but the reality of such a big project came as a shock to Amanda.'

I had got no history whatsoever of buying a property,

an empty one at that, and doing it up,

so I was very naive.

I had no idea that Matt would be leaving at five in the morning

to come and start the project going

and then, after work, he would be back at the house.

At that point, I realised what we'd taken on

was having a massive life impact.

Do you remember those bad times that you had

when you thought you'd taken too much on?

Yeah, there were some dark moments, I accept that,

and, if I may step in,

the point at which we started talking about finishes

and you became more heavily involved in those decisions,

that made it feel a more combined effort, not just a building project.

When it was talk of floor finishes, kitchens, detail,

that was when you came into your own.

It wasn't that I made the decisions and you chose the paint colours!

But you did! That's not true.

I'm a builder and I know the impact these things have on people

because I see the stress that it gives other couples,

so there's no excuse for me feeling battered by it, but I was.

It was very demanding, both physically and mentally.

'But, despite these trying times,

'Matt and Amanda have created a unique and luxurious home.'

The house has a lovely, lived-in feel now the children are here.

I really feel the house has come back to life again.

We've had family weddings here - we've got a big lawn space,

so we've had marquees up.

The church fete - they have that here, as the old vicarage.

It's a lovely link to the village.

There were tough times for us both,

but it was a good experience.

It was absolutely worth it.

I'm really happy here. I love the family that we have created in here,

I love Matt for doing it

and I really don't want to do it again, thanks.

'Restoring Britain's forgotten buildings

'and turning them into family homes is undoubtedly rewarding

'and in some areas can even inspire a community regeneration.'

Empty homes and economic decline often go hand in hand,

as is the case in Stoke-on-Trent.

Traditionally, the city was reliant on pottery and ceramic industries,

but when they hit hard times, so too did the local area,

resulting in row upon row of these abandoned terrace houses.

'Indeed, Stoke-on-Trent has the highest percentage of empty houses

'in the West Midlands,

'but, thanks to investment from the Prince's Regeneration Trust,

'that's hopefully going to change.'

'The UK's last working Victorian pottery factory, Middleport Pottery,

'is being revived

'and so too are the rows of houses that surround it.'

'Teresa Fox-Wells is involved with the project.'

Teresa, tell me about Middleport Pottery -

how long's it been operating on pottery on this site?

Well, the building was built in 1888

and Burleigh, the manufacturers, have been producing here since then.

What is the state of these buildings today? A bit on the sad side.

They were all in a bad way, they'd been left in disrepair for years,

so there was a lot of work to get them watertight and up to standard.

This has caught my imagination. I was expecting automatic processes,

but it's very labour intensive.

There are some machines on site, but even those are 1930s, 1940s,

but these are traditional techniques by skilled work people

and people do love to see what's happening here.

What's the local area like now?

It hasn't had a lot of investment for many years

and something like this is a catalyst, it brings in investment,

it brings hope.

It's not just the buildings, there's an increase in jobs and tourism.

So it just needed that kick-start.

It's a lot of money - how much are we talking? 8.5 million.

It's quite a lot of money, but in future,

the building will bring in its own income from rent, events,

from all sorts of things that'll be happening here.

'Just outside the factory,

'the housing phase of the regeneration is underway.'

'A partnership involving the council, Empty Homes charity

'and a local housing association

'is offering a 25 per-cent stake in a house for just ?1.'

'The remaining 75 per cent and responsibility for the renovation

'will be taken on by the housing association.'

'Ruth Rosenau is the city council cabinet member for regeneration.'

Ruth, there's a row of empty properties here,

next to the Middleport Pottery site - what were they originally?

These would originally have been for the workers from the pottery.

Why are so many empty now? What sort of change has happened locally?

A lot of it is where industries have been decimated

and people have moved away.

People trapped in those houses that wanted to move out couldn't.

Nobody wanted to buy in a row that's half empty. That's right.

So it was about finding innovative ways of bringing them back into use.

How much work needs to be done here?

They'll need a different amount of structural work.

Some will need underpinning because of the pottery waste underneath

and there are some mineshafts.

You've got to be careful

that people don't see an opportunity to just flip a property.

That's why we've said people have to live here for five years,

they have to commit to the area.

How important is that site for regenerating the area?

Very important. It's made people realise that the industry is alive

and it's brought focus - people are aware it's a tourist attraction.

And that can spill out onto these streets. It can.

It's brought so much focus into this area, it's been a step forward.

'As well as affordable housing,

'work is underway on nearby streets

'to create two- and four-bedroom houses for the private market.'

Hey, look at this. So historical architectural features outside -

lovely brickwork and the same style sash windows have gone back in.

We've tried to keep the original features, or replicate them.

So here you'll have people who own the buildings outright -

round the corner, people who have a stake in the building.

But the stake is what's important. Some sense of ownership.

That's right. It's about creating that community

that's an established community that was somewhat fragmented,

but is now beginning to be rebuilt.

A turnaround for the area. Very much so.

It's great to see Stoke-on-Trent taking advantage of the momentum

generated by the rescue of the Middleport Pottery site -

hopefully it'll be a catalyst for change

as row upon row of these terraced houses are regenerated.

That's the buildings taken care of - fingers crossed the people follow,

a community will grow here

and families will once again be living in these houses.

'Sadly, not all of Britain's forgotten buildings are rescued.'

'But, behind the scenes,

'local-council Empty Property Officers are hard at work

'tracking down these buildings and restoring them into housing stock.'

'In Folkestone, Kent, Iain Cobby does just that

'and he's on his way to one of the more mysterious cases on his books.'

'The owners abandoned this house and vanished eight years ago.'

'Numerous complaints had been made by neighbours over the years

'and the most recent was just last week.'

I've been told by a member of the public that it may be being squatted

so I'm going to check that the property is secure.

Well, it certainly looks overgrown, to say the least.

'As of today, ensuring the safety and upkeep of the house

'is legally the council's job

'as a court order has handed them ownership of the building.'

And in we go.

It's quite dark because the back of the property's been boarded up.

I wouldn't do the front because it says "Hello, this is empty."

The rear stops anyone that's likely to break into the property.

Doesn't seem to be any evidence of any forced entry at all.

It looks, for all intents and purpose, like somebody lives here.

There's videos, ornaments

and calendar on the wall

from 19... 93.

'Iain looks for signs of squatters,

'but it seems the possessions are from the original owners,

'who disappeared.'

I've had the rear boarded up.

It was previously used to gain entry by burglars, so we've cut that off.

I still can't find any signs of any squatters.

It's almost like the Mary Celeste.

Somebody looks like they were here and then left.

'The council plan to sell the house in its current state at auction

'to recoup its costs.'

'With downstairs clear of break-ins,

'Iain needs to make sure upstairs is secure too.'

Anyone about?

Amy's room.

There we are. Look at this.

Somebody left in a hurry.

If we look out into the garden,

the weeds are as high as the house now.

This is just like it's a time warp.

Unfortunately, time hasn't been that kind to this property.

This seems like the main bedroom.

The effects that are in here

will have to be stored for the person.

I've never had a case where we have to put property into storage

for an indefinite amount of time.

'The boarding and security measures Iain put in place

'have kept squatters away

'and finally he can give neighbours some good news about the building.'

Good morning, sir. I'm Shepway Council's Empty Homes Officer.

A neighbour has reported seeing people going into the property.

Can you tell me if you've seen anything?

I did see a van turn up under suspicious circumstances

and some young people were hanging around and we got worried.

We eventually saw the van move away,

but I think it was after one neighbour called the police.

The only real occupants are foxes coming in and out

and there may be vermin.

The property is now owned by Shepway District Council

and we will be selling the property, hopefully at auction.

I'd like to attend the auction as I've lived next door for three years

and having weeds and other problems because it's not looked after.

So I look forward to the auction.

Thank you. Goodbye.

Never, ever come across a case like this before -

the property has been a blight on the neighbourhood

and such a waste.

I'm really pleased now that this is going to be a family home.

'If you've noticed abandoned properties in your area

'and fancy taking one on,

'contact estate agents, neighbourhood-watch groups

'and local traders for information

'or get in touch with your local Empty Property Officer.'

'In the West Midlands, I'm with Tim and Deborah,

'who've taken on a derelict house they intend to renovate completely.'

'I've brought them to Staffordshire to a similar project

'in the hope that the owner can shine some light

'on the realities of what's ahead.'

Right, this is the place. It is a lot different, isn't it?

Very different. But I can see it's been renovated, certainly.

This was originally a ramshackle collection of barns and add-ons

that's been unified into one home by Kit, who you'll meet.

The point is it's had to be renovated and modernised

for 21st-century living. Yep.

I think Kit will have some really good advice

and also little touches here, despite the differences,

that you can use in your own home. OK. Great. Let's go and say hello.

'Kit Whiteman took on the challenge of converting a barn

'that had sat empty on his parents' farm for the last 30 years.'

The building was in a pretty poor state.

The interior was very ugly

and it was all concrete-lined -

you couldn't have tarted it up and moved in. It was a full rebuild.

'Once Kit took it over from his parents,

'he discovered that the barn had no concrete foundations

'and to fix it without breaking the budget, he needed to get creative.'

I was advised originally to do underpinning,

which was a huge amount of money.

It had been specified that an internal wall be load-bearing,

so we thought that that would sit on a proper foundation

and the old foundations would be tied to that and halve the cost.

'And the issues went right to the top of the barn as well.'

The roof had to come off - that was quite a big job

and getting the big oak trusses into position was a lot of manpower.

They were really quite heavy.

I did a lot of the work myself to save money.

I spent many a night working till 12 o'clock and later sometimes

just to get projects finished.

When it did get tough, I really had to focus on the end result.

Going into a space that you've created and designed -

it is a nice feeling.

The oak beams are a favourite of mine.

That was something I was really keen to go in

and gave it a lot of thought how to light them

and make a feature of them.

It's a real relief to see everything in place as I imagined it.

All the little features and design areas that I've concentrated on

have come off and I'm pleased with how it's turned out.

I'd be mad to take on something like this with no experience,

which, luckily, I am.

'I'm confident this barn will not only inspire Tim and Deborah,

'but also give them food for thought on issues they're yet to agree on.'

What do you think, guys? Fantastic. Lovely.

This is almost identical space to what we're proposing having.

I like it. Can you imagine yourself here? Definitely.

Kit, what advice would you give about dividing up the space?

I was keen that you could stand in the kitchen and cook,

but still mingle with your guests and entertain,

so it was quite a big part of the build.

What do you think of this wood? There's contention in your household

whether you keep beams on show or not. This is great. It works.

It doesn't look overly old to me.

Yeah, it is quite new.

The big oak beams with the steel pegs makes it quite contemporary.

If you had it, you'd want clean lines? Yeah, personally.

Whereas you don't mind it looking like it's old wood?

I do like the rustic look, but now I'm seeing more of it,

I do kind of like this!

Oh, good!

We're thinking of having bi-folding doors. Would you recommend?

Absolutely. It's a great way of getting the light in.

On the ones I've installed,

it's amazing to open all that up

and it makes the whole room feel like you're outside.

You'd've struggled with the bedroom, getting enough light in.

These guys have got their plans on paper, waiting for approval -

did you tweak your plans much from that point onwards?

Yeah, I probably ended up on the tenth plan or something like that

by the time we finished.

The end the bedrooms are in,

I decided the night before the builders started

to have ensuites in every room.

Did the builders turn up unsure what they'd be facing?

Sometimes, yeah. But I'd try and be on site to explain it

and if you do get the opportunity, get involved with the project.

You will appreciate the outcome.

'Throughout the barn, Kit has taken care

'to combine features to fit with the history and style of the building

'with more modern additions.'

So this is the master bedroom.

Lovely. You've got the doors opening onto... The courtyard, yeah.

The doors are lovely too. Yeah, I love those.

I was quite keen to keep the character of the house.

Kit, what was the budget for this project? 150.

But we did go over budget.

A lot of that was in the finishings.

I've put in a 10 per-cent overrun. But that doesn't take into account

things such as the lovely tiles we've seen here

and those types of finishes that give it that extra wow factor.

To give it that extra edge, 10 per cent probably won't be enough.

Anything you'd've done differently?

I would've liked to have planned the budget in more detail,

but, on your first project, anything can happen.

What would be your parting advice? You need to know in advance

exactly what's happening.

And make sure you understand the plans as much as the builder.

It's been great to see your place. It's amazing!

And thanks for your advice. It's a pleasure. Fantastic, thanks.

There's been a lot here for you to think about, right?

It's been really beneficial. Potential pitfalls we talked about,

gave us loads of ideas - certainly you've picked up, Deb. Definitely.

Has it helped you visualise the space more? A lot more.

You're warming into your project now, aren't you? Yes, I am.

You're doubling your place in size, it'll be quite some family home.

We certainly hope so. Best of luck with it. Thank you. Thank you.

There's loads of ideas here for Tim and Deborah to take away with them,

but perhaps more important than that is the advice on offer.

Money can't buy experience

and the next best thing is hearing from someone who's been through it.

Hopefully, with all that, they can go back to their empty shell,

their project, and soon create their own wonderful home.

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