Episode 14 Getting the Builders In

We're all obsessed with having lovely houses.

-Wow!

-I know.

-Oh, my goodness.

It looks great. So bright in here.

Ugh!

But the road to perfection isn't an easy ride.

Just let's do it in order.

It's like dealing with the Three Stooges.

Ooh, she's getting bossy.

How do you choose the right builder for the job?

-You love it.

-JOHN LAUGHS

We've scoured Britain...

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready, babe.

..for pairs of builders...

-Bit posher than your house, mate, isn't it?

-I don't know, mate.

..who think they've got what it takes...

Well, they're out of it, anyway. So what are you doing?

..to pitch against each other and win work.

Right, first question - is the kettle on?

Only one pair will win each job.

Yeah, baby!

Number one in the bag, Micky boy.

-But...

-Oh!

..they're going to be put through the ultimate wringer.

-Ooh!

-Oh!

The losing pairs...

-I'd love to be a househusband.

-..will be scrutinising their work.

Can anyone else hear the sucking of builders' teeth?

I don't like the idea of this at all. No.

-Oh, my word!

-Oh, my...

We're kicking off in suburbia, in an area famous for football,

which is a stone's throw from a thriving city centre where

house prices are just under the national average.

We're up north in Stretford, South Manchester.

This three-bed Edwardian semi is home to drama teacher, Karen,

and her ten-year-old son, Emerson.

They moved into the property nine years ago.

It was the first house I ever saw and I absolutely fell in love with

it from outside, and knew this was the house I was going to live in.

Karen's renovated the house from top to bottom.

So, what's left to do?

Since I bought it, I've been kind of doing a room each year.

And this year, it's the cellar.

It's already been converted into two rooms, but it's basic

to say the least.

It's really cold down there and there's lots of breeze in there,

and drafts and spiders.

Careful, darling.

So, Karen wants to evict the incy wincies and turn the bigger

space into a playroom for her train-obsessed son, Emerson.

I think it's about time he had his own space to play.

He has autism and ADHD,

and it's going to help him with his creativity.

You know, he wants to be an inventor as well.

So, I think it's going to help him with his inventions.

So, just how much has Karen got to spend on her

inventor's lab playroom?

The budget for this is £1,500.

However, if we do go over, we go over, the room needs doing.

Karen's work is merely cosmetic, but building work in cellars

needs careful planning.

If you're going to turn a dark basement into an extra room,

think about lighting as it will really brighten it up.

Make sure you put some heating in if there's none there already.

Finishing and furnishings are so important when you finish a project.

The more homely you can make it,

the more times you'll end up spending there.

So, let's see which builders are bidding for this job.

They all know they're pitching to transform a draughty cellar to

a vibrant playroom. But it's their designs that will set them apart.

First up are young guns Faiz and Tom.

Just check if you've got any...

..ketchup on you today, our kid, yeah.

They've been working up ideas in the cafe.

-Hi!

-Morning, Karen. You OK? Faiz. Nice to meet you.

-Please, come in.

-Thank you.

Mind your head when you come down here, Tom.

Time to size up that cellar.

It'd be fun working down here.

-You can't even put your hard hat on, can you?

-No.

You're nearly going through the ceiling!

Fortunately, these two are ready for any job.

Plastering, tiling, joinery, plumbing.

They say Jack of all trades and master of none, but for me,

it's the other way round - master of them all.

So, what's the plan for the playroom?

If we can do some sort of train-track theme in here,

that would be nice. We want to offer the customer something

that she's getting most for her money.

Faiz and Tom are on track with the design,

but they've got to convince Karen they've got the winning idea.

We're going to make a train track

and it's going to go through the wall

and make the wall into a bridge.

And then it's going to return back through the wall

-and come back into the room.

-Wow.

Shelving systems on that side for books, toys.

-We've spoke about any lights?

-Yeah.

Some sort of lighting system around the top.

-You know, LED strip lights.

-Yes.

So, whatever mood Emerson's in, he can change the colour and have

-a chill out.

-Great.

Faiz and Tom plan to box in Karen's washing machine,

as well as lay carpet and build some under-stairs storage.

But the jewel in the crown is a suspended train track

that will travel through the wall.

So, what's the cost?

All in, Karen, we're going to have £1,000 on materials

-and £500 labour.

-OK.

-We'll do

-as much as we can within the couple of days.

-Brilliant, lovely.

So, just remember whoever you choo-choo choose...

we're going to do that!

I love it, I love it, Tom, I love it.

Ah, Tom, what a comedian.

But they've not won the job yet.

Up against Faiz and Tom are family firm, Tracey and Daryll.

Sorry, but you need to wake up this morning.

And I think we know who's in charge.

-It needs to be done cos they're moving in.

-Yes, I'm doing it.

Right, I'll just go and check something in the bathroom.

I do most of the work and my mother gets most of the money.

I'd describe you as being multi-skilled.

I'm going to have to take these off, then, aren't I?

I need to clone you, that's what I need to do.

You don't half get weird sometimes.

With five children and three grandchildren...

Don't you knock yourself out. Whoa!

..Tracy knows a thing or two about playrooms.

What a great space.

What I'm thinking of doing here is making this like a train station,

paint it so it looks like a tunnel.

-And then the outside, make it look like brickwork.

-Yeah.

And across the top, put his name in, like,

as if you would have on a train station sign.

Tracey's train station mural

certainly sounds like it will appeal,

but they've got to convince Karen it's better than Faiz and Tom's.

-That's your chimney breast in the cellar.

-Uh-huh.

We were thinking if we painted the centre of the chimney breast black.

-Yeah.

-And then brick wallpapered it up...

-Uh-huh.

..it would look like a train tunnel.

-Ah!

-So we just thought he might quite like that.

-I know I'd probably...

-He would.

-I'd probably quite like that.

-In terms of the floor...

-Yeah.

-..I reckon we go for that road map carpet.

-Yeah, I do.

Road and trains, so everything's on it so that he can...

So, it's a carpet to give warmth.

-Yeah, but he can play on the floor.

-Play on it as well.

You know when you get the little rolls of car mats you play on?

-It's basically that, but it's the whole floor.

-Oh, wow. OK.

So, it's got trains, cars, all sorts of things on it, roads,

that kind of thing.

As well as a train tunnel mural and vehicles play carpet,

Tracey and Daz plan to build some bench storage

with a long shelf above.

But can they do all this within Karen's £1,500 budget?

Including everything, all the materials, we're coming in at 1,850.

-Uh-huh.

-OK?

-Yeah.

So, their quote is £350 over Faiz and Tom's, and Karen's budget.

Cor, blimey.

Finally, bidding against the other two are no-nonsense lads,

Mark and Chris.

-Try and stand up properly.

-Nearly, no.

They've been joined at the hip for the last three years.

-I call his mum, Mum.

-Yeah.

-That says it all.

-And dad, Dad.

-And his dad, Dad.

OK, mate. Don't make me well up, Mark. It is.

You dream it, we build it.

They'll need to think big to beat the competitors in the pitch.

So, storage.

-Storage.

-Paramount to a playroom, right?

-Yeah.

Fun, vibrant, lots of storage.

All the benching going all the way round as far as we can.

-And seating going round.

-They're going to make it fun and functional.

But will Karen like it enough to hire them over the others?

Full seating area to go round from the side wall, the back wall,

and into the alcove.

Your storage seating would all be carpet-lined inside,

-so it will be all nice.

-Oh, lovely, OK.

-Yes.

Joint some carpet. Even if we do

one big colour, cut some sections out with some patterns,

maybe circles, squares, a couple of different types of carpet,

different textures, maybe,

just to make the room look a little bit more interesting.

-Stand out.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. And that's where we sit.

Great, it sounds wonderful.

Mark and Chris plan to use funky

covered patchwork and bundles

of seating storage to create

a fun and vibrant play area.

But what's it going to cost?

Price.

-We're on top budget at £,1500.

-OK, that's great, that's fine.

I am going to try and make this as perfect as we can for you.

Brilliant.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Nice to meet you.

They've all pitched, but Karen doesn't have to go with any of them.

-How did everybody get on?

-I thought it was good.

-It wasn't just a child wanting some fancy bedroom.

-Yeah.

It was a real need for somebody that was really going to enjoy it.

We did try to have a think if we could underpin it and take down

the floor and everything within the £1,500 budget,

but that was a bit too much!

THEY LAUGH

Keep it together, guys.

The builders can't do any more. They just have to wait.

Karen could go for Faiz and Tom's bang-on-budget train track idea.

Or Tracey and Daryll's pricier mural.

Or Chris and Mark's carpet patchwork, also on budget.

Only the winning team's phone will ring.

PHONE RINGS

Hm. Mm!

-Hello.

-Hi, is that Faiz?

Speaking. Is it Karen?

I'd love to give you the job.

We're going to be absolutely wowed by it. It sounds great.

Brilliant, brilliant. That's good news.

That's good news, definitely.

Tom's doing a little dance for us now!

Emerson's going to be absolutely made up with this.

-Yeah, he will.

-OK.

-Bye-bye.

-Yes!

-Done. Sorted. Get in.

-We're in!

-We're in.

That's made my day, that.

-So, we've got something good to look forward to.

-Yeah.

It's a job in the bag for Faiz and Tom.

Losers leave empty-handed.

I dread to think what they'll say when they're watching on later.

-Oh.

-Oh.

-That's a bit of a shame.

-Bit disappointing, that.

-Of course...

-It was a job that everybody wanted.

Of course. You know...

Definitely, definitely a little bit gutted over this one.

-Yeah.

-But, hey, onto the next one.

-Onto the next one, mate.

-Onto the next one.

Karen's basement will soon become a playroom for her son, Emerson.

If you're planning to get the builders in,

here's a few things to consider.

Make sure you have a big clear-out because a blank canvas

means that we can get started straightaway.

Order everything in advance if you can just to avoid any hold-ups.

If you can give us a parking space outside the job,

it would make our life a lot easier to get materials in and rubbish out.

It's day one of the job. Karen's cleared the basement...

-Here we go.

-..and the losers are all eyes.

I'm looking forward to it.

Faiz and Tom have a lot to do to convert the cold cellar into a warm,

vibrant playroom.

The main unique design was the train track that's going to be...

Going through the wall and back through again.

-So, we're looking forward to doing that.

-Yeah.

That's a way off yet, lads.

-We should get cracking, then, shouldn't we?

-Yeah.

Can't stand around talking all day, can we, Tom?

Not both of us, anyway.

But before they can start work, Tom needs to get all the timber

for the storage down to the basement.

I wonder how many times you'll bang your head on this today, Tom.

I had to turn round to get down there!

We're going to struggle getting the long lengths down there.

Mm.

-Tight, that, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-No chance of getting that wood down those stairs, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Last one.

This is tricky access so Tom's come up with a nifty idea.

-Chisel. Ooh!

-Oh!

Savage!

You've not smashed through the window yet, Tom?

Might have taken a slightly more delicate approach

to taking the glass out.

There we go. Saves us up and down the stairs all day.

Easier for me cos I just tell you to do it.

His quick thinking has saved them having to cut the wood outside.

Genius.

HE SINGS ANGELICALLY

HE GROWLS

Timber in, Tom cracks on with the boxing in of utilities,

but there's a flaw in his design.

Ah!

That's going to be a bit of an issue.

-Can't get the powder in.

-He's trying to throw it in there.

Throwing it in, yeah.

We've got a big problem here.

Well, not a big problem, but another couple of hours' work

I've just caused myself by not thinking things through properly.

Tom, I'm sorry, mate.

We're going to ridicule you now forever.

Tom's got a plan, but it's not going to speed things up.

I'm going to cut this timber,

put a little hatch on here to be able to do that.

Quick thinking.

Got there in the end, Tom.

The design idea that won Faiz and Tom the pitch

was a suspended train track that will run through the wall of the basement

-and back round in a loop.

-We're going to put four by two timbers for the track to sit on to.

We want the four by two to go straight through the wall.

-It was a good idea sending that through the wall.

-Yeah.

Having measured where they want the track to go,

Faiz starts with making the hole for the tunnel.

The lads have built the track up high so the space below

can still be used by Emerson for his toys and seating.

Putting our braces on the ceiling to hold up our track's

going to be running along.

They look like railway sleepers.

The sleepers are in, but no sleep for us, unfortunately.

Yeah. No sleep, late night.

Least he's staying later to get done what he's got to do.

-Bless him.

-It's bespoke ideas like this that set you apart

from your competitors.

The seven metres of wood cost £80

including brackets and, now it's fixed and sturdy,

it's ready for the track.

We'll be back with Faiz and Tom later.

Next job today is in a commuter hot spot where the average

detached house will set you back a wallet-clenching £750,000.

We're down south in Woking, Surrey.

In need of builders are Giovanna and Ross Hood,

who moved into this three-bed detached with their two children,

ten-month-old Noah and two-and-a-half-year-old Mia

just two weeks ago.

I think what I really liked about the house was the space,

a nice, big garden for the children. It really has some great potential.

Potential, yeah.

Are you going up the stairs?

I tried to do as much painting as I could.

-So I painted and decorated the kids' rooms.

-But now there is the big,

big work to be done.

And that big work means starting with their bedroom.

The master bedroom has been the same since the house was built.

So, there is wallpaper all over it, which is a kind of '70s style.

The wardrobes, they fall apart.

It's just not functional.

This is a forever home.

We just want it to be a warm and comfortable place that we can go

and relax in and go to sleep, and be at one with.

So, just how much have Ross and Giovanna

got to transform their bedroom?

£2,000-£2,500 we would like to put in,

which we hope will include the flooring, all the wall recovered,

the refurbishment of the wardrobes, and plastering of the ceiling.

That's quite a bit of work for the budget, but our builders

are full of tips on keeping the price down.

Use a specialised builder.

They often have better contacts for the materials

and because they do that job all the time, they're generally quicker -

cuts down on labour costs.

Ask your builder if he can get discount on materials

as we often get trade discounts.

It's a good idea to have a contingency plan on any budget,

up to around 25%.

So, let's see which builders are bidding for this job.

They're all going to have to sort out the storage

and give the room a major makeover.

So, it's the ideas they have for those all-important

finishing touches that will win over Ross and Giovanna.

Fortunately, today's eager beavers are brimming with ideas.

I really hope we get this job. Because we're nearly out of fuel!

And they're all champing at the bit to win the job.

-I like the job.

-Yeah?

-I think it's quite straightforward.

-Yeah, yeah.

First to quote are smooth operators Martin and Mick.

Hello.

They've spent more than an hour on the road so they don't want

to walk away empty-handed.

Oh, I quite like this wallpaper, Mick.

It's easy to get carried away, especially in a bedroom with...

LAUGHTER

These two have been inseparable for the last six years.

Yeah, I'd like to think I was a modern-day builder.

I try to use technology to our advantage.

I'm a carpenter, general builder,

and I normally do all the horrible stuff.

No, you get to do some nice stuff too.

They'll need to come up with

an eye-catching design to win the pitch.

3370.

2360.

You can do anything with this room. I mean, it's a full makeover.

It's a new floor. It's new wardrobes.

What I'm thinking is we're going to have to...

We're going to be able to bring that straight across.

We're going to make this opening

the right size to take three mirrored sliding doors.

But now they've got to convince Giovanna and Ross.

Right, guys, so essentially you've got the two wardrobes at the moment.

We're thinking three mirrored wardrobe doors.

These clearly aren't working the way they should be.

So, I'm not sure we'll be saving anything, really.

We would build them in so that whole space filled across there.

Yeah, OK. So, from wall-to-wall, that would be completely full.

Wall-to-wall, yeah. And then inside this bespoke wardrobe,

we would want to split it into three.

Hang on, one thing I haven't seen in here - a TV.

Yeah, but perhaps they don't like watching telly in bed.

Who doesn't like watching TV in bed?

-I don't.

-Really? Well, that don't surprise me, to be fair, mate.

I can imagine you sitting in silence.

I have to after working with you all day, talking all the time.

In the middle, if you wanted to slide that wardrobe door open,

you can watch some TV and if you don't want it on show,

-you put it away again.

-That's quite a cool idea.

-So that's

quite a cool idea. And then lay your laminate floor for you,

-and fit your skirting board as well, and decorate everything.

-Yeah.

Martin and Mick's big idea is a bespoke fitted wardrobe with three

mirrored sliding doors, a built-in TV and a new floor.

But can they do it for the £2,500 budget?

So, the price we've got...

..is 4,480.

That is almost double the budget.

We're definitely going to have to think about that cos that is

quite a bit more than we expected.

But we didn't quite know what to expect when we came out,

so it's good to know.

But their rivals are still to pitch.

Hoping to beat Martin and Mick are burly bears Simon and John.

-Hello, how are you doing?

-Hiya.

They'll need a cracking plan to get the job.

-It's a nice size.

-Yeah, it's a good size, mate.

There's someone in there trying to get out. Stay in there!

These two building buddies each bring their own unique set of skills

-to every job.

-Yeah, my main skills are making a cup of tea.

Cup of tea!

I do all the brickwork, you do plastering.

-You lend your hand to most things, don't you?

-Yeah.

I take plumbing and chippy work.

We'd like to get it bang up-to-date, modern-looking bedroom.

I supposed, to some degree, minimalistic, really.

Now they've got to persuade Ross and Giovanna

their minimalist bedroom idea is better

than Martin and Mick's with a hidden TV.

We'd like to bring it up to modern times, replaster the ceiling,

we'll take all of the carpets up, obviously,

we'll fix all the floorboards that you said are squeaking.

-Yeah.

-Sort that all out.

-MDF doors floor-to-ceiling.

Yeah, yeah. I'll go along with that.

I thought of just doing a nice simple picture rail frame

all the way round. If you pick the colour and then we can do it

to match the room, I don't know what sort of colours you had in mind.

Probably some kind of greys, neutrals,

maybe some darker blues or greens.

We'd like to drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st-century.

-OK.

-And hopefully everyone will be happy.

Simon and John's sleek modern look will include a built-in wardrobe,

a replastered ceiling and a new laminate floor.

It's a complete makeover. But what's the cost?

So, our price for all of that is...

..£6,000.

-Yeah.

-OK, wow.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-Exactly.

Those modern bespoke wardrobes have pushed the price a whopping

three-and-a-half-grand over budget.

Do you think there is anything

you can do to try to keep the price a bit lower?

The best way would be obviously to take away the bespoke wardrobes.

If we did that, we could get the price down to 2,500...

-OK.

-..and also that includes you purchasing the wardrobe doors

-and the wooden floor.

-OK.

With a bit of quick thinking, Simon and John

have smashed their price down to match Giovanna and Ross's budget

of two-and-a-half grand.

Finally, bidding against the other builders are diamond geezers

-Elliot and Paul.

-It's very dated. It's going to take a lot more work

than they think it's going to take.

They'll need a sharp design to beat their rivals.

I think we should keep them, though.

-It's quite vintage.

-Yeah.

I'm the brains, he's the brawn.

Hold on a minute, oi. That's right.

Elliot, hurry up, mate.

I wear the trousers, he just tells me what colour.

Damp problems. A lot of paint build-up

where it's obviously come off and stuff. A lot of making good.

I think our unique part within this will actually be coming and spraying

this with a sprayer because not a lot of people have seen it,

not a lot of people use it.

For the time it will take to spray it, you ain't going to do it

-in half the time.

-Yeah.

-And obviously we know that...

And we know it's going to be a perfect finish as well.

-Yeah. It's seamless, isn't it, with that?

-Yeah.

So, Elliot and Paul plan to make a splash

with their unusual paint sprayer.

Time to sell their ideas to Ross and Giovanna.

I think the main point for us is the finish.

So, basically what we'll do is, once we've plastered,

we spray all the fresh plaster.

So we don't have to prime it out first.

It's called an airless spray machine.

It puts on three coats at once so the finish is seamless.

You can't get a better finish than that. That's the best finish

-you can get.

-Sure. Yeah.

The only issue is obviously these wardrobes.

I think you're better off buying prepacked units that we can just

put together, put them in.

Otherwise, if they want that bespoke, you're looking at

hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pounds worth of cost.

We were kind of thinking maybe something like this,

-as a bifold door.

-Yeah.

-Two would be one size,

-one would be another size.

-That would be OK

if they're a slightly different size. That's fine.

So, as well as using a high-quality paint sprayer,

Elliot and Paul plan to do all the plastering

and fit prepacked wardrobe units with bifold doors.

But what's all this going to cost?

So, our price for that...

..materials and labour, would be 6,100.

-Right, OK.

-Crikey. That's the highest of all three quotes,

a whopping £3,600 over budget.

How long would that take you to do?

We've allowed six days.

-Six days, OK.

-That's it.

They've all pitched. But Giovanna and Ross

don't have to choose any of them.

-How much are you charging, boys?

-We went in at 6.1.

-Yeah.

-That was labour...

LAUGHTER

That was labour AND materials.

I thought he said 6.1!

We maybe understand that, if we want to do everything,

we have to spend more than our original budget,

or, if we want to spend our original budget,

we have to compromise on the room.

The builders can't do any more.

They have to wait.

Will it be the cheapest of the three,

John and Simon's modern design?

Elliot and Paul's pricey paint spray?

Or Martin and Mick's hidden TV design?

Only the winner's phone will ring.

PHONE RINGS OUT

-Hello.

-Hi, Simon.

Hello. This is Simon, yeah, and John.

We just wanted to give you a call to say we would love to accept.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah!

-Thank you very much.

-That's brilliant.

-We're really excited.

-Yeah.

-Excellent. Thanks very much.

Have a good evening, gents. Bye-bye.

-Beautiful!

-Beautiful!

They were able to come in and let us get something in budget that we

wanted to do, so they were willing to help this compromise

-on what we wanted.

-The job's in the bag for Simon and John.

I dread to think what the losers are going to say later.

I'm actually looking forward to watching John and Simon,

cos I hear one of them's ambidextrous

and they're actually useless with both hands.

A bit disappointed, but...

Yeah, I suppose. You get what you pay for, at the end of the day.

Now, Ross and Giovanna need to empty those wardrobes.

But what else should you do ahead of your builders starting work?

Ask if there's anything they need you to supply

and then shop around to make sure you get the best deal.

One paramount point to remember is communication

with your builder is key.

Be prepared for the unexpected.

Things do go wrong and there are unforeseen challenges on the way.

Simon arrives to start work on Ross and Giovanna's bedroom.

But it appears he's a man down.

John's running a bit late this morning.

So I'm going to crack on.

I've got the most important thing, my surrogate John, my radio.

And the losers are all eyes watching him work alone.

I might as well take all these old curtains down.

Well, old Gok Wan might make a lovely floral dress out of it,

I suppose. I look quite tall now.

What do you think? Beautiful.

I think that suits Simon, doesn't it?

Yeah, I think he'll probably wear that out.

Over the next five days, Simon and John, when he turns up,

need to strip the wallpaper, pull the carpet up and fit new flooring,

build two custom wardrobes,

reboard and plaster the ceiling

and give the whole room a lick of paint.

That's a lot of work for one.

You can tell it's quiet, John's not here, eh?

No-one's laughing just yet.

And Simon's not wasting any time.

That wallpaper is coming off next.

You see hot water dripping when you first pick it up, you see?

If it drips on you, you'll know it.

And you won't be going too beautiful after that.

So what I would normally do is start at the top,

keep this flat to the wall,

and any drips that do come off it here

will be running down the wall and not on you.

Hence why you never steam above your head.

But it's not long before there's a problem.

For some reason, no power.

Kaput, I think.

With the steamer out of action,

Simon goes into demolition mode with the wardrobes.

I like the way Simon rips into stuff.

He's like a man of my own nature.

-He's like you, he likes to make a mess.

-Yeah.

-But then let somebody else tidy it up.

-And then get out.

The wardrobes are out and, as if by magic...

There you go. Miracles do happen.

The steamer's come back to life.

And it's not long before the whole room is nearly stripped.

But just as he's almost finished...

That sounds like a van. Oh, here he is!

-Oi, oi!

-Oi, oi!

-About time!

-Better late than never.

-Seeing as you're stripping...

-Yeah.

-I'll get you to do

a bit of pole dancing.

No, that's a whole different show, John, that is, mate.

Keen to find out what all the noise is about,

Giovanna comes up for a snoop.

Whoa! What have you done?

I left him here all morning and he's ruined the place, Giovanna!

Wow!

I've had to come in and keep him under control.

-Good.

-So I know it's just this one room he's doing.

Wow, the cupboard!

Always looks worse before it gets better.

-I think it looks better.

-Yeah, it does, definitely looks better.

-Enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

-Thank you.

-And we'll see you later.

Next, it's time to tackle those harder to reach places.

They're stilts, to make my life easier.

Rumpelstiltskin!

Well, I thought I could work on a circus at the weekends.

Well, you do like to clown around.

Oh, look at that, perfect!

Till he slips on a bit of paper.

It's the only way I can match Simon's calves, anyway.

Big legs. Big legs, because I'm the one that goes all the way

up and down the stairs all the time.

LAUGHTER

-Do they have a weight limit, those stilts?

-Oh, they must have.

He'll be in Giovanna's living room if he's not careful!

Next, they need to tackle the '70s sculpted ceiling.

Their plan is to put plasterboard

over the whole thing to ensure a smooth finish.

A lot of the time, in old buildings, the joists are not straight,

they're curved. So, what we do,

we mark the joists and then we fix our boards straight onto that.

We can see where they are all the time, and it's a good, solid fixing.

He's never going to nail that with a nail gun?!

You do know we're creating competition for ourselves, now.

Tradesmen will be able to do their job quicker.

Oh, he ain't good on the old gun there.

Once the batons are fixed to the joists, the plasterboard can go up.

Oh, he's keen, ain't he?

Ain't messing about, Si.

You love it.

The build is underway, but they've still got to fit the wardrobes

and plaster and paint the whole room.

They're a long way off being finished.

Back up north in Stretford, Manchester,

young guns Faiz and Tom have been hard at work

turning Karen's basement into a playroom for her son, Emerson.

The suspended support for the train set is in.

Now, it's time for the fun bit.

-Hi.

-Hiya.

-What can we do for you?

How much is six metres of track?

Well, the easiest thing to do,

you can start with a track pack or you can buy it individually,

it depends on which way you want to go.

I seem to remember us going there.

The train track that you used to have.

The two-foot ones are about £3 each.

-Oh, right.

-So you're looking at about just under 50 quid

-for your track.

-Under budget!

And your transformer's about £36, for a basic one.

-Yeah.

-Which would actually get you going.

-Cheers, chief. Top man.

-Costing £200,

the lads are chuffed that the train track won't eat too much

into their limited £1,500 budget.

Got that, yes!

The cellar has heat.

The white goods are boxed in and the train track in place.

It's now just a matter of adding some finishing touches.

So, we're just getting the chalkboard out.

Whenever drilling through a piece of wood,

always put another piece of wood on the back

because when you drill through,

it prevents any break-out and damage to the back of the wood.

-That's a good idea.

-Yeah. Nice idea, that chalkboard.

It's all one nice hole gone through the whole thing.

Next, the carpet.

It's cost £150 for 4x4 metres -

a lot on a limited budget,

but essential to make the playroom feel cosy.

-Carpet layers too.

-Wow, fair play.

-Squeeze in!

-It's quite tricky, this.

The final push and, before they run out of steam,

the boys are keen to play with their toys.

All right, moment of truth.

-Are you ready, Tom?

-Yeah.

Go on, then.

THEY LAUGH

Can you do your tester

-to see whether there's any power going through?

-Oh, dear!

Train says no. Train says no.

That was a bit disappointing.

Looks nice, anyway.

LAUGHTER

Looks nice, anyway. Yeah, yeah, try and play it cool, play it cool,

Rodders, play it cool.

You reckon he's plugged it in?

Can hear it this time.

Yeah, boy!

Is that it?

Just give it a nudge.

Yes!

Oh, you've got to give it a little push, have you?

She's off!

Let it go, let it go!

Yes, man. There we go.

Next stop...home.

Loving the tunnel.

Job done. And, hopefully, it'll be just the ticket.

Three days ago, this basement felt abandoned.

So good to get rid of that.

So, will the losers give Faiz and Tom's playroom the thumbs up?

-I'm looking forward to it, let's see what happens.

-Yeah.

Fair play, Tom and Faiz.

Good job, lads.

-Cosy and inviting.

-Yeah.

There's plenty of storage.

So good, getting rid of the washer and dryer and everything,

-and all those.

-Yeah.

Loads of space for Emerson to play, and the main feature -

the train track that loops through the wall.

It looks smart, that, doesn't it? The train track looks cool.

The builders have given it their seal of approval.

But now it's the moment of truth for Faiz and Tom.

Karen and Emerson are about to see the playroom for the first time.

Here's hoping they'll like it.

Exciting.

Oh, wow!

-Jaw drop!

-Jaw drop.

That's it, that's what we're looking for.

Yeah, that's the exact reaction.

-This is amazing.

-Look at the lights on the wall!

-The rail track going through the...

-Oh....

It's really, really good.

-Please?

-Very pleased.

-Are you?

It all came together in the end, didn't it?

That's nice, watching that. Makes me happy.

-I'm about to give you a hug.

-Oh, my darling. Thank you.

Aw! I'm about to give you a hug.

It's fantastic. A beautiful place for Emerson

and the fact that he's happy, it means everything.

This is his special den.

Two very happy customers.

Happy days. I'm buzzing.

-We happy with that, then?

-It's nice to watch.

-Yeah, it was, man.

-Takes you back.

Back down south in Woking, Surrey,

Simon and John are hard at it on Ross and Giovanna's bedroom.

The oak laminate floor is down,

the ceiling is boarded and the flatpack wardrobes are going in.

I think with this, you've just got to make sure when you're drilling,

you get it as straight as possible, as square as possible, really.

Yeah, where's your levels, then, son?

And also a good tip, clamp them together.

-It's a clever device.

-I got a clever device right here.

Using a flatpack carcass and making it bespoke by plastering it in

is a cost-effective way of making the whole unit feel handmade.

Clever boys!

If you've not done plastering before, just use

little buckets like that. That little bucket

will do five square metres.

And it'll take you roughly two hours for that one bucket.

They're now well into the build.

So, what do they think their chances are of finishing on time?

Our time management skills are a bit off at the minute.

Yeah. We thought five days,

I think it's going to be more like seven or eight.

I think we've charged 1975 prices, John, that's the only problem.

-'70s prices!

-I think they WAS a bit out.

So you're at a loss, then?

This one, really underpriced it.

So it's good for them, not so good for us.

But, you never know, there's loads of work to be done in the house

-so they might ask us back.

-Yeah, I was going to say,

they'll definitely want you back at them prices!

It's quite time-consuming, this old cupboard building, I have to say.

From your local Swedish manufacturer.

Voila, soft close drawers. Good for your undies, John.

You'd get one pair of yours on that, wouldn't you, mate?

Now on the seventh day, two days over schedule,

they've drafted in decorator Wayne to try and catch up.

But Simon isn't so impressed with slow coach John.

Wayne has actually painted the whole room three times

and John hasn't put one handle on yet.

I'm not saying you've been there a long time, John,

but there is cobwebs forming on you.

Next, Simon fits the spotlights.

Oh, I am a geezer, ain't I?

And the decorating is done.

That's come out all right!

The boys are on the home stretch.

Wayne's focusing on the skirting while Simon finesses the floor.

I'd love to be a househusband.

Cleaning all day, oh, it's great.

Would you not put the floor down afterwards,

when you've done all the work?

With all the dirty work done, it's time for the finishing touches.

Always wash your hands before you put white curtains up.

After a lot of graft and elbow grease,

Ross and Giovanna's room is ready.

-What do you reckon, then, Si?

-I reckon, mate,

if this was my bedroom, I would be 100% happy.

Yeah, I'd be well happy with this, yeah.

-Cheers, John.

-Cheers, Si.

Seven days ago, Ross and Giovanna's bedroom was stuck in the '70s.

So, what will the losing builders make of Simon and John's hard work?

This should be interesting, Mick.

-Credit where credit's due.

-Yeah.

They've done...they've done a cracking job.

Simon and John's minimal look is complete.

They've rebuilt the wardrobes and put in a smart laminate oak floor.

Ours would have been just like that, mate. Yeah?

Well, if you had seven days in it, of course it would!

And modern decor to boot.

Compared to what it was when they started...

For the money, it's unbelievable.

The builders like it.

But now it's the moment of truth for Simon and John.

They're watching on as Giovanna shows Ross

the room for the first time.

-Here we go.

-Right, here we go, John.

-Here we go.

-Have a little look.

It's a big moment for the boys.

-Wow, what a difference!

-Yeah.

-You like it?

-I do.

I think that blue's fantastic.

-Are they happy, John?

-Yeah.

Yeah, look, they're made up.

-Loads of space.

-Yeah!

For the budget, that's an outstanding job.

-I think it's a lovely job.

-I think so.

Oh, yeah, all nice and fresh inside as well.

-They were well happy, weren't they?

-Very good.

-Yeah, that's cool.

And seeing the finished room has given Ross some inspiration.

It's a great first few steps and we just need to try and keep

the momentum going and try and transfer some of the good work

-in here to the rest of the house.

-Yeah, yeah, definitely. Definitely.

Well, John, I've just got to say, I think that looks...

-That looks...

-BOTH:

-..beautiful!