Episode 2 Getting the Builders In

We are all obsessed with having lovely houses.

Wow! Jaw drop.

-Looks great, doesn't it?

-It does, it is so impressive.

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

Whoa, what have you done?

I've had enough. Literally...

Argh!

DRILL WHIRS

How do you choose the right builder for the job?

Oh, that's another seven years' bad luck, as if I need it.

We have scoured Britain for pairs of builders...

I really hope we get this job because we are nearly out of fuel!

THEY LAUGH

..who think they have got what it takes...

We will go in full guns blazing, I think.

..to pitch against each other...

The job is in the bag.

..and win work.

Can you come round and pull me out?

That's what happens when you get to 40, mate.

Only one pair will win each job.

-Woohoo!

-Told you.

Got one in the bag, brother!

But...

Oops!

..they are going to be put through the ultimate wringer.

Hello...

THEY LAUGH

The losing pairs will be scrutinising their work.

HE SUCKS IN BREATH

Can anyone else hear the sucking of builders' teeth?

SHE LAUGHS

THEY LAUGH

We are kicking off in a cosmopolitan area

where the average flat fetches more than a whopping £800,000,

over three-and-a-half times the national average.

We are in Battersea in south-west London.

So...who is looking to get the builders in?

This flat has been home to born-and-bred Mancunian Sam Hewitt

for the last six months.

At 28 years old,

he was finally able to get a foot on the London property ladder.

Originally, I was flat-sharing with friends.

I just wanted to sort of have some more independence,

probably live here for another six months to a year

and then, hopefully, move in with my girlfriend.

Sam plans to let the flat out,

but before he can do that,

every single room is in need of some serious TLC.

I don't think the previous tenants had taken much care.

I think they'd lived here quite a long time.

1960s ex-council flat so, yeah,

it's not in the best of shape.

Yep, there is a lot to do.

But Sam knows where he wants to start.

The kitchen needs a lot of work.

As you can see, on my cooker, there's no numbers on the dials,

so I never know what temperature I am cooking my food at.

It's a sort of horrible cork flooring,

the worktop is quite dated

and, generally, a lick of paint wouldn't go amiss.

Sam's not planning to rip the whole kitchen out,

but merely give it a spruce up and bring it up to date.

So...how much is he prepared to spend?

The budget for the kitchen would probably be about £3,000.

The sort of style would be like the trendy Shoreditch-type

artisan kitchen, dark tiles.

I think a sort of nice, new sort of granite worktop

would look quite nice.

Sam's not the only one dreaming of a new kitchen.

It is one of the first rooms anyone wants to renovate when they move.

So, come on, builders, what do we need to know?

Changing the doors in your kitchen

will make an absolute world of difference.

But just bear in mind they have to match the carcass size behind it.

Ideally, you want to replace both the carcasses and the doors.

It is slightly more expensive, obviously,

but you get the best finish and exactly what you want.

If you have got the old-school style doors,

if you want a quirky and shabby chic kind of design,

you can always paint them, undercoat,

then paint them with a top coat and sand them back slightly

and you will get a nice finish out of them.

Let's see which builders are pitching for Sam's kitchen.

Sometimes they are quite roomy, these ones, inside.

They all know it is a revamp,

but it is how they approach the job that'll set them apart

and they are all determined to win.

First to give it their best shot are smooth operators Martin and Mick.

Here we are, London. Proper London, too, this.

They'll need a slick idea to beat their rivals.

I hope it's not on the top floor.

-I reckon it might be.

-Yeah, probably!

Cheer up, Mick.

Believe it or not, these two have been building buddies for 15 years.

I am in charge, although Mick's been doing it a lot longer than me,

knows a lot more than I know.

-I must admit, I'm a man who likes a bit of clean work.

-Clean.

And I normally do all the horrible stuff.

I'm a one-man team, really, so...

Now, now, boys, you'll need to be a team if you want to win this job.

What can we do? So we're saying new worktops.

I found these tiles, as well, which I'm taking... He wants these off,

which I think is a lot cooler.

If he wants this to contrast it with a white Italian marble,

coffee shop, artisan, Italian...

They think they've got Sam's style sussed.

Time to find out if they're right.

-So we were thinking new worktops.

-Yeah.

-Like a white Carrara sort of marble effect.

-OK.

We think that would look really nice contrast with your black tiles

and we're looking for this artisan coffee shop look.

I mean, the thing is, Mick, with kitchens and bathrooms,

as you know, they spiral, they can be literally...

-The cost.

-..anything.

-Yeah.

We don't want to get possibly carried away.

-We could change the sink.

-Might have to look at the sink, mightn't we?

Oh, no, yeah. We'll see how the sink comes up.

-If it doesn't come up nice, we'll put a new sink and tap in for you.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Something a bit more modern, maybe.

-Yeah.

-We're going to put a new light fitting in as well.

-Oh, yeah.

-A new sort of hang-down light in there.

-OK.

Something a bit cool, maybe something a bit coppery.

You know like you get in coffee shops.

You can see we've sort of tried to do, give it an uplift,

but not go too crazy,

cos we don't want to just destroy your budget completely, you know?

OK, great, yeah.

Martin and Mick are doing their best

to work with Sam's coffee-shop scheme

with new tiles, new worktop, new sink,

floor and industrial light to boot.

So...what's the price?

We were looking at, erm...

..2,500.

OK.

We're hoping the whole thing can be done in about three days.

-Oh, wow!

-Two to three days. Might have to be takeaways.

And a man like you looks after your physique, but you can have a day off. We all do.

Martin and Mick are clearly confident.

But their rivals are still to pitch.

Next up...

-Oh, right.

-Small and compact.

..are clean-cut Wayne and Steph.

They need to convince Sam

their ideas are better than Martin and Mick's.

Maybe get a big mirror up there.

THEY LAUGH

We're in the kitchen, why wash up?

THEY LAUGH

Passionate about their work, they call themselves DIY doers.

-We're more like siblings.

-Yeah.

Do you know what I mean? Like, that silly kind of banter that you have

with your brother or sister.

-Where did you get this from? The 1950s?

-My dad!

Aww...!

And Wayne's an only child, so I sort of fill that void in his life.

We want to talk to him about the black tiles, black worktop.

Yep.

It's only a small area, but it's amazing what black tiles will do,

they just suck the light out of the air.

-Yeah, especially if they're matte black.

-Yeah.

So maybe steer him towards an oak-topped worktop,

-which will keep the warmth against the black.

-Yeah.

-Which would work.

-Yeah.

So they need to help Sam see the light

and convince him their idea is better than Martin and Mick's.

One of our concerns was that the...

..the granite-effect worktop and the black tiles

-will make the space quite dark.

-Yeah.

We thought we'd go with an oak worktop.

-OK.

-So it just warms the space up a little.

-I like that.

You can get really smart black sinks

and if he wants that kind of matte-black look...

-They're in at the moment.

-..against the wood...

-So then we had the idea of actually a matte-black sink.

-OK.

Which could kind of tie in with your tiles,

-but the wood would break it up.

-Perfect, yeah.

Wayne and Steph have pushed the brief with smart oak worktops

and a fancy black sink.

But Sam's only got three grand,

so what are they quoting?

It'll be 3,500.

OK, great.

That's £500 over budget, but it's not a done deal yet.

Last to pitch are dependable duo Gavin and Jimbo...

I believe this is what's called "compact bijou".

Er, just a bit.

..who've worked together nearly 25 years.

Our paths crossed when we both lived in south-west London,

working on various jobs.

Our chosen kind of work is, like, full refurbs, really.

Yeah, make a silk purse out of a pig's ear.

So, Jim, how come your pleasure face

is the same as your knocking-tiles-off-a-wall face?

We've got a really, really good working relationship,

-as long as Jim does as he's told.

-Yeah, that's about it, really.

I know my place.

They'll need to cook up a clever idea to win Sam over.

I think, if we're going for the dark tiles, I think a dark worktop as well.

-A granite-looking one or...?

-Er, I think it's got to be, yeah.

-Something with a vein in it.

-A bit of spangle in it.

So Gav and Jimbo are going dark and mysterious.

But what will Sam think of their ideas?

Right, Sam, we think we know what you want.

Very metrosexual.

-Very.

-Very kind of clean lines.

Yeah, quite sort of, like, bachelor.

Well, listen, if we're going to do the worktop, which is going to be dark,

the tiles are dark and the floor's dark,

under-cabinet lighting, just to light those shadowed areas.

With the concrete ceiling, it's very difficult to move the lights above.

-Sure.

-But we can get LEDs underneath.

-That's quite cool.

Make it look like a very chic metro city-centre coffee shop.

You want someone to walk in there and just go, like, "Flipping heck!"!

-Yeah.

-I think that's my best Manchester accent.

Yeah.

It's not bad.

So...Gav and Jimbo have gone for a bachelor pad look,

with black on the tiles, worktops and flooring,

all set off with under-cabinet lighting and chrome utilities.

But what's the price?

We've come in at £4,800.

-OK.

-Crikey!

That's £1,800 over budget

and the most expensive of the three.

All three pitches are in,

but are any of them Sam's cup of tea?

If not, no-one will win the work.

We went in for £4,800.

I am feeling a bit more confident now.

I'll have a little wager with you on that.

-Jim, give him the money.

-LAUGHTER

The builders can do no more.

They just have to wait.

Will Sam pick Martin and Mick's artisan design,

which came in £500 under budget?

PHONE RINGS

Wayne and Steph's smart oak worktop,

black tile and matching sink at £500 over budget?

PHONE RINGS

Or Gavin and Jimbo's dark masculine scheme,

that blew the budget by £1,800?

Only the winners' phone will ring...

-Hello?

-Hi, it's Sam.

Oh, hi, Sam. It's Martin.

So I've got some good news. I'd like to sort of take up your offer

on the kitchen refurb, please.

Oh, brilliant!

Great news, Sam!

What swung it for you?

I just think the fact that you were looking to follow the artisan coffee theme,

I think that is what swung it.

Oh, brilliant.

We thought we'd go in at a really competitive price on this, so you've got a good price, Sam.

You got a good price out of me.

Appreciate it. Thank you.

While Martin and Mick are full of beans...

Another one in the bag, Micky boy! Another one in the bag!

..their rivals walk away empty-handed.

Did they really?

OK. Fantastic, they deserve it.

-Yeah?

-Ah...

-I see.

-Yeah, that was...

Yeah.

I think it was a good choice, actually.

-We'll see if it looks good at the end, though.

-Yes, we will.

Yes.

Yes, indeed, as you will be watching every move.

If you are thinking about revamping your kitchen,

our builders have some handy tips for you.

If you are having work done on your kitchen,

then make sure you clear everything out

so we don't waste your time and, more importantly,

your money doing it for you.

Nowadays, a lot of customers are ordering kitchens off the internet.

Always make sure that they are going to arrive on time

for when we are there because it does cause us a lot of hassle

waiting on materials, it delays us a lot.

Don't forget, pack everything away,

except for your microwave and toaster,

because you might have to live on soup for a week.

It is day one of the build.

-Oh, I am excited to see this one.

-Yeah.

And the losing builders are all eyes on Martin and Mick.

-Right, are you comfortable, dear?

-Just.

-OK.

But a few things have changed at Sam's.

He has decided to renovate the whole place at once,

as he has found someone who wants to rent it in just a few weeks.

All the work that I am having done is just getting it into a state

where I would be proud to let it out in just six weeks' time.

So there's a bit of a mad rush to get it all done.

The only room that has not been touched is the kitchen.

That is Martin's job.

Mick is busy, so he has drafted in Dan to give him a hand.

Mick is digging out the rest of a cesspit somewhere, actually.

HE LAUGHS

-Happy as a pig in...

-Yeah!

But before they can start, there's a few things to clear out.

I always like to keep a printer under my sink.

HE CHUCKLES

Always, always empty the room that people are working in.

Wow, lots to clear out.

Watch the eggs. There's some eggs in here.

-They'll be scrambled.

-Scrambled eggs now.

With everything finally out, they can actually start work.

They have got to be changed.

-They are replacing the tiles anyway, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Part of me thinks he should just get a new kitchen.

-That's what we said, didn't we?

-Mm-hmm.

Hey!

There she is.

That looks like fun, ripping that out. Doesn't it?

Martin and Dan are going to replace the old worktops, tiles and floor.

I am feeling quite relieved we didn't get this job now. Are you?

Whoa...!

-Are you seeing Martin doing anything yet?

-No. Moan.

With the old worktops and appliances finally out of the way...

..next it is off with the tiles.

Wallpaper on there, that's coming off easy.

Which means even more work.

One of my worst jobs, wallpaper stripping.

Cor, stop whingeing!

Four hours later,

and Martin and Dan are still trying to remove the wallpaper.

Four layers of mind-numbing wallpaper.

Oh...!

Absolute joke.

Use white vinegar.

Saves you loads of time.

Reminds me why I never became a decorator.

Really?!

Oh, he is not happy.

I actually do feel for them a bit.

Underneath all of that wallpaper is concrete, that's it.

There is no plaster. So it is either we paint straight onto the concrete,

which is not going to look pretty,

or he is going to have the walls plastered as well in here.

And plastering wasn't factored into the budget.

It's always brilliant getting that text from your builder saying,

"We need more money," isn't it?

I find that what softens that is a smiley-faced emoji.

Crunch them numbers, Sam, crunch them numbers.

You might have to be doing some overtime this week.

We'll be back to find out if they ever finish

stripping the kitchen later.

Our next job takes us to an area that is home

to both a world-famous football club and a major county cricket club.

It was once known as Street-on-the-Ford.

We are up north in Stretford, Greater Manchester.

An average terraced home here will cost you around £168,000.

So...who is looking to get the builders in?

University lecturer Sean,

partner Elizabeth and son Riley

live in this four-bedroom mid-terrace with their dog Gruff.

They made the big move from the States three-and-a-half years ago.

-That was a nice walk.

-Yeah.

We came to Manchester because I got a job at the university here.

We've lived in this house for nearly two years

and we haven't spent very much money on changing things around.

This is our first real home improvement project.

And it's not hard to see why this job needs doing!

We wanted to open up the fireplace.

And the original plaster, that was there,

you can see the outline of the board.

And so we decided to try to take that off

and then it was a sort of process of unveiling from there.

It's been like that for about six months.

We've kind of gotten used to looking at it,

but it would be nice if it was a pretty focal point of the room.

It doesn't need to be functional, just pretty.

I was at the time considering doing it myself.

But, then, once I saw the entire thing,

I decided that we would try and get someone in.

So how much money have they put aside

to replace this unsightly hole?

Our budget is...

I think we were thinking of £700 or £800.

With the cap being £1,000.

Opening up a fireplace is a great way to add personality to any room.

But be warned - it can mean opening a can of worms.

The chimney might have been blocked for years, so brace yourself,

you might find all sorts of rubbish coming down there - even,

and I kid you not, the odd dead pigeon!

First of all, make sure you've got enough dust sheets around the place

and a good industrial Hoover,

because the soot that accumulates over the years

can be very, very messy.

It's a dirty job,

but we've got three sets of builders

who all think they should be the one to do it.

Need to nail this one today. Give it to us, give it to us!

But who is going to come up with the best idea

and snatch the job from their rivals' grasp?

Let's look at it first, yeah?

Well, we can argue about this later, can't we?

OK.

First up and already champing at the bit...

Let's go!

..are trendy twosome Sian and John....

-Hi.

-Hi. Is it Elizabeth?

-Yeah.

-I'm Sian.

..who are feeling confident,

having already spent the morning thinking about their pitch.

Here is the offending article.

One fireplace! I love a good blocked-up fireplace.

I quite like getting inside and getting dirty!

SHE CHUCKLES

And these two go way back.

John and I have known each other since university,

so a long time ago.

-And then...

-'93!

-You just don't need to say the year!

-Don't say that.

No dates!

-We work well together, I think.

-I think we are a good team.

-To the edge?

-No, that one goes across.

It's like dealing with the Three Stooges!

Oh, she's getting bossy!

They'll need to put their heads together

to beat their rivals and win this job.

What about using a nice heavy bit of steel for the mantel,

rather than timber?

We'll just have to do some work on what the metal is

and make sure that it fits with the rest of the client's aesthetic.

And we could just have a couple of brackets that hold it,

plastered up, up to that edge. I think it'll look pretty neat.

I really like the idea.

I suppose, for me, seeing that arch just, er...

..inspires me that way.

Well, I think, on this one, we should go with your,

we should go with your inspiration.

I think it'll look pretty cool.

But will Sean and Elizabeth go for the metalwork idea?

OK, so, we want to leave the original brick arch.

You're quite keen to have some sort of mantel there.

I was thinking a bit of wrought iron,

sort of industrial-type design,

-so that you can keep a flatness at the top...

-Yeah.

..but on the underneath, follow the line of the arch.

-It sounds amazing.

-We were thinking of timber originally.

But that sounds like a good idea.

-You weren't sure about that, were you?

-I wasn't.

-Just trying to tie in that arch.

-Yeah.

-It seems a shame to...

-Yeah. Don't push it!

It was a good idea, we've all said!

They are obviously not afraid of pattern and colour, are they?

There's greens and really vibrant patterns in the room.

And you're going to kill me,

but we could use a hexagon or a geometric-shaped tile.

If the brickwork is not in good repair,

we can board over that and then possibly add some tile designs.

Because there's only one or two metres,

you can often go for something that is a little bit more extravagant.

Mixing the old with the new,

Sian and John have majored on style,

with a bespoke steel mantel and geometric tile centrepiece.

But what's the price?

We're probably looking to the higher end of your budget.

So we're looking at about £1,000.

But you would get an excellent job, something bespoke.

-Yeah.

-You know, something really unusual.

So no change left over for Elizabeth and Sean

if they go with this pitch.

But have Sian and John given their rivals

an opportunity to come in cheaper?

Man United just over there.

-As long as I can't see it, you're all right!

-Yeah.

Grafters Alex and Chris might not agree when it comes to football,

but at work, it's a different ballgame.

We complement each other very well.

Chris tends to be a lot more artistic than I am.

I suppose I am a little bit more the practical side.

Just getting them roughly in place, then we can adjust them after.

We get on well with the customer. I think it's personalities come out.

So, how's it going?

Coffee, one sugar, black.

-They can understand my posh Scouse accent.

-Yeah.

Well, I always interpret for him, anyway, so...

It's not really an issue.

Now you just need to translate your ideas into a killer pitch.

Yeah, still alive.

I feel like a doctor!

HOLLOW KNOCKING

That's the sound.

It's like a hollow sound.

The plaster's not stuck to the brickwork behind.

If it's wallpapered and you take the wallpaper off,

you normally find it'll take the plaster with it.

And you're looking at replastering it, then.

So either we can sink, like, pitch pine or oak into the wall,

or we could even put a floating shelf on

-and sandblast it down.

-Yeah.

Got a choice of stains, then, haven't we?

It's in keeping with the age of the house as well.

Of course, yeah.

So Chris and Alex want to embrace the period charm

of this Victorian house.

Rather than fully opening it up to where the extended bricks were,

we're going to come back in just a little bit,

and then plasterboard the sides.

What we have priced up for

is a really nice reclaimed and floating oak mantel on there,

-so like a really chunky piece.

-Yeah.

We'll take up the broken concrete that's on there.

Perfect preparation prevents poor performance!

And then infill it with a nice old-style tile.

I think that would look pretty smart.

We also noticed that the hearth was in quite bad condition.

So what we have priced up for is to remove that, to sort that out,

level it, and then tile it, fitting to the age of the property.

And also, we've got the option, if you want to change those shelves

and you want to change them for oak.

You know, it's going to match the mantel,

so the whole thing just ties and blend in.

At the end of the day, the house has got a lot of character.

You've got to emphasise that character,

rather than try to change it.

Alex and Chris have gone for a traditional look,

a reclaimed oak mantel with matching shelves and a feature tiled hearth.

They are also offering to box off the lower part of the alcoves

to create more storage space.

What's the damage?

That would come in at...

..£1,190.

Alex and Chris are over budget,

but Elizabeth and Sean are giving nothing away.

And still to pitch...

-Oh, here we go.

-..is family firm Tracey and Daz.

That's not exactly the prettiest of things, is it?

Come on, brain. Start working.

This mum-and-son combo been working together as general builders

for 11 years, with hardly any family feuding.

I think the fact that we have a good relationship is key.

Otherwise, I think we would drive each other nuts sometimes.

Yeah.

-Hello!

-We're up here!

Nice and easy for me to get through.

You can put it in the van, if you want.

I think we're both very patient people.

Yeah, I definitely am.

THEY LAUGH

Time to come up with a winning idea

that will keep this job in the family.

We could look at the possibility

of dropping that to floor level with the opening,

putting some sort of stone in

and bring it out and making a bit of a hearth out of it.

Like some Indian stone or some slate or something like that?

-Some York stone or something.

-Yeah.

-It'll tie everything in, won't it?

-Yeah, I think so.

Will Tracey and Daz's York stone idea

help pave their way to success?

The opening, at the moment,

-it's obviously just got the concrete floor.

-Yeah.

What we could do is get some, like, York stone

and flag it out.

I know it sounds a bit random, saying flagging,

because you associate that with gardens and stuff,

but it actually does look quite effective.

Because then you've got a sort of a nice hearth to finish off.

I just think keep it simple.

-I don't think you need to complicate it, do you?

-No.

If this is all going to be re-plastered, we can paint everything.

-No point just doing this section. Might as well do the whole of it.

-Yeah, definitely.

We'll plasterboard it all, skim it all,

emulsion it in a colour of your choice, the whole wall.

Tracey and Daz

are planning to re-plaster and repaint the entire wall

and use York stone for the hearth.

But will it come in on budget?

It comes in at...

..946.

OK.

That's near the top end

of Elizabeth and Sean's maximum £1,000 budget.

The builders have all pitched,

but Elizabeth and Sean don't have to go with any of them.

-We didn't go for wood on the mantel. We went for...

-Oh, the wild card!

-Oooh...!

-Yeah. We went for wrought iron.

-All right, show you.

-All right, come on, then, let's go!

It's now a waiting game for the three teams.

Will it be Sian and John's bespoke metal mantel,

bang on budget at £1,000?

Alex and Chris's more traditional oak fireplace,

over budget at £1,190?

Or Tracey and Daz's York stone flags, mid-price, at £946?

Maybe we're the losing team.

Never give up.

Ring!

Only the winners' phone will ring.

PHONE RINGS

PHONE RINGS

PHONE RINGS

-Oh, oh, oh!

-Oh, hello...

Hello?

Hello?

We've considered all the offers and we really liked what you had to say,

so I think we're planning on going with you.

Oh, that's absolutely fantastic. Thank you very much.

Say thank you to Elizabeth, as well, for us.

Yeah, and we'll be in touch shortly.

OK. Thank you.

Bye.

-All right, mate.

-Yeah, baby!

One of the things we liked was that they seemed to be stressing

that it would fit in with the original features of the house,

the style of the house.

So Alex and Chris are thrilled, but the losers are gutted.

-I'm a little disappointed in that, I think.

-Yeah. Hey-ho.

I'm sure the guys will do a fantastic job

and I very much look forward to critiquing their work

when they have finished.

Meow....!

Oh, the claws are already out.

And I'll bet they'll be sinking their teeth in

when Alex and Chris start building.

Our builders are full of money-saving ideas

when it comes to fireplaces.

If there is no fireplace or fire surround at your house

and you want to restore it,

think about going and asking the neighbours what they've got.

They may still have their original.

Take some photos before you begin your search.

You can always go to a reclamation yard to get an old fireplace

or old railway sleeper or anything

that you want to dress your fireplace up with.

After you, sir.

It's day one of the build for Alex and Chris.

DOG YAPS

Good morning.

Someone's pleased to see them. And it isn't the losing builders,

who are watching their every move.

-All right, ready?

-Come on, I'm ready for this.

Yes, I am ready for this.

-That dog sat on my knee and we still didn't get the job.

-I know!

We're going to get this brick and cement out, make the opening,

ready for the plasterer to come in.

Chris hasn't even taken his hat off in the house.

She says!

They obviously want the back exposed,

so we've got to see the condition of the bricks at the back.

Worst-case scenario,

the chimney falls down and takes next-door with it.

No!

Doesn't sound that funny to me.

But before the boys start any work,

there's a small amount of clearing to tackle...

Oh, my goodness!

Get as much out as we can so, obviously,

when we start taking the bricks out,

it doesn't disturb it all and just go airborne.

I love a bit of soot up a chimney.

If it was a building site and nobody was living here,

we'd just break it out.

Oh, he's got his dust mask on. Good lad, health and safety.

Yeah, full of soot, innit? It's horrible.

Now the soot's cleared,

Alex can get on with removing those old bricks,

while Chris is tidying up after him.

Oh, my hands are getting dirty.

See, Chris isn't doing the dirty work.

They'd better be strong rubble sacks.

I'm going to build across

and I'm going to put a couple of extra little supports in.

You've got to be careful, just because it's old.

You've got to realise how many tonnes of bricks there are.

As soon as you don't start supporting things properly,

you run the risk of major structural issues.

So the key is now is to get this out as quick as I can.

THEY LAUGH

Get it out as quick as I can!

-Yeah.

-Oh, dear...

With most of the bricks gone,

Alex can assess the condition at the back.

That's in great nick, which is really going to please Elizabeth.

It's nice when you do uncover something that is pretty old

and it's still in its original condition. It's in really good condition.

Hm...

Oh, you see, it is a nice arch, that.

Oh, my God, have you been up that chimney?

Human sweep, I am!

-It's such a messy job, isn't it?

-It is a mess, yeah.

It's such a messy job. I quite like doing that job.

Now the area is cleared and the hole has been widened,

Alex can fit wooden batons around it.

These will not only add support but also create the framework

for the new fireplace opening.

Oh, they're squaring it off.

-Yeah.

-I would have kept the arch.

With the framework in place,

it's over to their colleague Steve

to get that wall plastered as quickly as possible.

Oh... I thought Chris would have done that himself.

-So they're leaving the bricks on the rear.

-Yeah.

I quite like that.

With the chimney cleared and widened and the plaster left to dry,

the next job will be the alcoves.

We will see how Chris and Alex get on later.

Back in Battersea, South London,

the walls in the kitchen are finally stripped

and Martin's sidekick Mick is back.

Oh, there he is!

His first job is to fit the worktop.

After the pitch, Sam decided to swap the tiles to white

and the worktop to black.

Tuck into place.

Mick's got a nifty way to template the worktop.

He marks out the rough size in gaffer tape

and then draws round the old worktop to get its exact shape

before cutting it out with a jigsaw.

-Good idea, I reckon.

-Mmm.

So it should slot straight in.

-Are you in?

-Hopefully, I am, yeah.

Yeah, it's not too bad.

Nice, chaps. Very nice.

While Mick cracks on with the rest of the worktop...

It's right on the money. I think I'd better go home now.

..it's Martin's turn to go AWOL.

Martin's gone to pick up some plumbing material.

He was only going to go for five minutes and it's...

..an hour now, so I think he's probably stopped for

bacon and eggs, don't you?

I'm just the brawn. He's the brains.

We won't tell him too much about him being all the brains cos it just...

You know, his head starts to swell a little bit.

-Is this what you say when I'm not there?

-Yeah. That's it.

You're just the brawns and I'm the brains, yeah?

-HE CHUCKLES

-Never!

And bang on cue, here he is.

Michael, I have a sink for you.

Oh, he's got a new sink.

-About time!

-I stopped for a little slippery egg breakfast, don't you worry.

Oh, poor Mick!

Oh, he didn't bring him back a sandwich.

He's not happy, is he?

Mick can now measure the worktop and cut out the right-sized gap.

I'm going to drill a hole in each corner.

I've got to drop that...

..into the hole,

and if I didn't have a hole there,

I wouldn't be able to get the jigsaw bit in.

-Dot-to-dot?

-Done that before.

It is almost ready for the sink.

Mick just wants to make sure the worktop is waterproof.

What I'm using here is, erm, waterproof PVA,

just to seal the, erm, chipboard edge.

We don't want Sam ringing us back in six months' time

telling me his worktop's blown.

Wouldn't it be nice if they'd used a nice bit of solid wood,

like we wanted to?

Chipboard, chipboard, booooo!

Sink in. Next job, the floor.

Callum is stripping all the cork tiles off the floor at the moment.

They were all the rage in the '70s, and...

..woodchip paper.

That's when he had his 21st, in the '70s.

HE CHUCKLES

-Some things good came out of the '70s, didn't they, Wayne?

-Yeah!

-All right!

-It was me, too! Me, too!

Just!

All right!

With the floor clear, they can fit the new cooker.

But that throws up another problem.

He's chosen a slightly different oven,

which is a completely gas oven.

Erm, the issue we have is this kitchen's so small,

it's actually less than five square metres,

so we have to put a permanent gas vent in here.

That's even more work for Martin.

What we're actually doing, we're putting a cat flap in.

Because the cat can't get out of the flat!

THEY LAUGH

I thought he was being serious for a minute!

Gas vent and cooker safely installed.

Next, the washing machine.

-Oh, look at the water.

-That's all right, we'll just lift the floor up.

Oh, no, it was all down my leg, I'm more worried about.

I don't know what's been going through this.

Gross!

It's got nothing to do with the washing machine, Mick!

Fits like a glove, that does.

Actually, the more appliances that keep going back in here,

the better it is starting to look.

It's the home straight.

The floor is going down.

And the white tiles are going up.

And while Mick is going great guns,

he's not so impressed with Martin's efforts.

Oh, he's got his hands dirty, Martin.

Did you see what he'd done all afternoon?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ten tiles.

Put that drink down. You ain't got time to drink that.

CHUCKLING

We're not far off, now.

Just making a bit of plinth up,

as I can't get in there, cos Martin's in the way,

moaning about doing a little bit of grouting.

My old mum used to say, "If you've got nothing nice to say,

"don't say anything at all."

My old granny used to say,

"If you've got something to say, say it."

-All day long!

-It's like Mr And Mrs, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

Just going through, doing all the last finishing touches.

I always like doing a little bit of electrical work.

Easy stuff.

Oh!

Sam's decided to decorate himself to save money.

So after a quick clean, Martin and Mick are done.

It's made it more functional.

We've brightened the place up and we've got him a nice new floor,

new lights.

So, no, hopefully, he'll love it.

Martin and Mick have worked on Sam's small kitchen for just under a week.

This was a tricky job, just because of the size, wasn't it, really?

So what will their rivals think of the changes they've made?

I'm excited to see their work.

-It looks all right, doesn't it?

-I think it's fantastic.

I think they did a good job, actually,

considering they had a few hurdles to jump there.

It's been given a new lease of life.

I tell you what, seriously, for that that budget,

they've done very well, yeah.

Obviously, it would have been nicer if he'd had real wood tops.

They've kept the old cupboard doors,

but it's got a smart new slate-effect floor,

a black worktop and crisp white metro tiles.

Nice. Well done, boys.

Yeah, very well done.

Ten out of ten for their work. They nailed it.

But, yeah, eight out of ten for just...

-Nice.

-It's nice. There's that word.

The builders have given it their seal of approval.

Now it's the moment of truth.

Martin and Mick are in position and they are ready to find out

if it's a hit with Sam.

Let's see what his reaction is.

Well, hopefully, he enjoys it.

Nice worktop.

New flooring.

A cooker that actually works.

Whoa, that's a big improvement.

Given the budget I had, it's, erm, a nice freshen-up

and the best use of the money and the resources that I had.

-I think he was happy, which is all we wanted.

-Yeah.

It was a straightforward swap out.

Overall, really happy.

The theme fits what I wanted and I'm hoping that the new tenant

will really enjoy the experience of cooking in here.

He's done what he needs to do. It looks appealing now.

It's clean, it's tidy, it easily maintained.

Yeah, it does the job.

They had a few issues along the way,

so the final cost has come in at just under three-and-a-half grand,

£1,000 more than Martin and Mick originally quoted.

Back up north in Stretford,

Alex and Chris are hoping to transform an ugly hole

in Liz and Sean's lounge into a fabulous feature fireplace.

With the walls painted and dry,

it is now time to start fitting the shelves and the mantel.

Trying to get a decent fixing, so we can put this oak mantel on.

It's a struggle, there, into old brick.

It's quite a big piece of timber.

What are those fixings they are using there, Dad?

This goes into the wall, into the plug

and then this whole part will fit nicely

into the pre-drilled holes in the mantel.

It sounds like a plan, Alex.

But this next step is definitely a two-man job.

Easy does it.

This heavy four-foot oak timber has cost £130.

-Close enough to the centre, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I'm not sure that I would have done that in this period of property,

but you know what they say, the customer's always right.

-If the customer likes it...

-Exactly.

-Well, he obviously didn't like ours!

-I know.

THEY CHUCKLE

I hope they like the crack.

It's a shake.

-It's not a crack.

-It's the crack.

-It's a shake.

It's character. It's a beautiful piece of oak.

-It's a crack.

-THEY LAUGH

-That looks smart, that.

-Yeah, I think so.

-I think that looks lovely.

-Those fixings are good.

-Yeah.

Next, they move on to those oak shelves,

which they put up in exactly the same way as the mantelpiece.

They do look good. Not my style, though.

I'm not sure that I'd have done that in that style of house.

It's a race to the finish now,

with cabinets that need to be painted and fitted

on both sides of the chimney breast.

I don't recognise him without his hat!

It's definitely Chris.

Put it on nice and thin.

It stops any runs and you can just build the layers up

and it dries quicker.

A decorating masterclass, oooh!

And the last job, laying those feature tiles.

There's five different patterns.

I can't follow it each line the same.

With the tiles down, Chris gets on with the grouting.

I'm going to use grey grout.

You generally don't put white grout on the floor.

-Well, not necessarily. It depends what grout you use.

-Yeah.

It would look better, but it will get dirty.

Those tiles are a good idea.

I still think that stone would have been nice.

-Yeah.

-But it's a nice contrast.

It's those little finishing touches that make the job or break it,

as they say.

I quite like the look of lots of pattern in a fireplace, though.

I think that looks quite cool.

Right, just got to clean my paintbrush, clean my tray,

load the car and that's me done.

Chris and Alex have spent three dirty days

working on what was an eyesore.

-I can just see, I can see ours there.

-I know.

So what will the losing builders make of the finished job?

Oh, here we go. Ready?

-Oh, looking forward to seeing this.

-I know.

-I think ten out of...

-Overall finish, yeah.

-Ten out of ten.

-You can't fault it.

Now it's been transformed into a stylish fireplace.

-There is a massive difference...

-Yeah.

..to there and the one before.

The main feature is a floating oak mantel.

-I like that, though.

-Yeah, it's lovely that, isn't it?

-Eight-and-a-half out of ten?

-Yeah, I was going to say nine.

Were you? Mr Generous!

And a trendy tiled hearth.

-The tiles look good.

-Yeah.

They're pretty tiles and it's very of the moment.

Patterned tiles in the fireplace, I like those.

With matching oak shelves

and bespoke cupboards.

Oh, the doors look great.

-Yeah. No, no they've done a wicked job.

-That's a really nice job.

-Job well done, I think.

-I think they did, yeah, I think, er...

-Chris and Alex.

-Chris and Alex...

Mostly Alex!

..did a great job.

Sorry, Chris!

The builders like it

and now Alex and Chris are going to find out

exactly what Elizabeth and Sean think.

Hopefully, they're really happy with it. So we'll see.

-Here we go.

-Oh...

It looks great.

It's so bright in here.

-Nice.

-It looks good, doesn't it?

Yeah, baby.

Really happy that we decided to go with the shelves.

Oh, I love the tiles. I like the alternate patterns.

They look fantastic.

And it all came in only £20 over budget.

Another satisfied customer.

Yeah, boy!