Episode 5 Getting the Builders In

We're all obsessed with having lovely houses.

-Wow, what a difference.

-Yeah.

It looks great, so bright in here.

Oh!

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

-Whoa, whoa, whoa!

-Let's do it in order.

-It's like dealing with The Three Stooges.

-Oh, she's getting bossy.

How do you choose the right builder for the job?

You love it.

HE LAUGHS

We've scoured Britain...

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready, babe.

..for pairs of builders...

-A bit posher than your house, mate, innit?

-I dunno, 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!

Another one in the bag, Mickey boy.

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

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!

We're kicking off in a leafy village,

just an hour's commute from London,

where the average house price is a whopping three and a half times

the national average.

We're down south, in Effingham in Surrey.

On the hunt for builders are the Genas family -

mum Louise, dad Ryan, and their one-year-old son Huxley -

who moved into this three-bed detached just two months ago.

I think it was this big kitchen-living-dining space

that kind of really won us over.

Yes. We have a growing family,

so it just made sense to have that family space.

Yes. And the added bonus of an extra room,

that we can shut the doors off and can just be our space,

was just something too good to kind of give up, really.

Yep! Every parent knows a baby-free zone keeps a harmonious home

and Louise and Ryan have that in the shape of a second sitting room.

But there's one thing missing.

This house, as lovely as it is,

doesn't have a great deal of storage.

And our last house had two wonderful bookcases,

so all of my books are currently still in boxes,

so I'm quite desperate to have them up again.

And then, I think, then it will feel like home.

It's no surprise that the grown-ups' space was last on the list,

after decorating the family areas and fitting a snazzy new kitchen.

Here you go. Help Mummy.

The couple want to fill the entire alcove,

floor-to-ceiling, with shelves and storage,

but are open to ideas and the style.

-You want a space to fit a nice TV.

-Mmm.

I'd like the space to have books above.

But maybe something modern, maybe something traditional.

We're quite open to it, I think.

As long as it fits the space well, I don't mind how it looks.

But with baby number two due in less than a month,

how much can they afford to spend on an eye-catching centrepiece?

So, our budget, I think, for the bookcases, around £1,500.

Yeah.

That's a healthy budget.

So, come on, builders, what are your storage tips?

When you're planning storage at home,

make sure you know exactly what you want to use that storage space for,

so that when your builder arrives you can work together

on the design and get the best out

of the storage you're going to have built.

Always get as many samples as you can,

of the materials that you're going to use.

Put them in the rooms,

see what you like and go from there.

Communication, it's the number one thing

that you and your builder need.

It is what will keep the job

flowing, keep everyone happy,

and get you what you want.

It's time for today's trio to battle it out to try and win the job.

I've got book and tape measure.

They all know they're pitching for bespoke storage.

Coming, mate?

But Louise and Ryan want to be wowed by their ideas

before they give any of them the job.

Let's go and have a look.

Our first pair, Martin and Mick...

-Hiya.

-Hi.

-Hi, I'm Louise.

-Mick.

..know they'll have to be in top form to win this job.

Right.

-Let's have a look.

-I mean, it's such a nice room.

They obviously look after things.

-Yeah.

-I think we need to make a really nice job of this.

These two claim to be able to turn their hands to anything,

but they have a particular passion for wood.

Carpentry has been a love affair of mine for the last ten, 15 years,

-but...

-But you're divorced now.

No, no, no. No, no.

Oh!

And I normally do all the horrible stuff, basically.

I think Mick is lying a bit there.

My favourite bit, finishing it.

This is a job for a wood man if ever I saw one,

so Martin and Mick should have this sewn up.

Oh, I quite like this unit, Mick.

-Yeah, it's nice.

-That's interesting.

-We might be able to...

-Incorporate that.

-Yeah, definitely.

Maybe just a contrast worktop.

-I mean...

-It would look nice.

-I tell you what would be good,

is if we could track down those handles and incorporate those.

Yeah, I think that's it. We need to...

Speak to Ryan and Louise.

Using wood inspired by the chest of drawers is a

canny idea, but will it go down well with Louise and Ryan?

The bureau in the corner,

we've tried to come up with an idea where we can...

The worktop and the two doors are the same material.

-OK, fab.

-And then the rest of the sort of bones of the unit could be a

painted MDF. And even, if we can, track down those handles.

I assume the telly is going to be wall hung.

I think three doors on the bottom. We could have a worktop

and then build casing above it.

What we have come up with is a storage unit,

-lower levels is slightly deeper.

-That's fine.

The upper part, which is the bookcase,

with the telly exposed, which we could incorporate doors,

but that's slightly recessed.

So Martin and Mick are proposing a solid wood worktop and doors with

handles that match the existing furniture.

Up above are book shelves and space for a wall-hung TV.

So what's it going to cost?

-What we've come out at is 1,700 and that's all-inclusive.

-OK.

They seem to like Martin and Mick's idea,

but it's over budget.

A day or so off-site.

Actually in here, in your way, is about a day and a half.

That's really good.

But it's not over yet.

Next to arrive are diamond geezers Elliott and Paul.

Some people like a bit of shabby chic.

Is it dated a bit?

Anybody can paint a piece of wood, can't they?

-And rub it down, you know.

-Not me though.

-Elliott.

-Yo.

-Come on.

These two have known each other for six years.

I am the floor and wall tiler professional.

He does everything.

-We'll spray it.

-What, graffiti, yeah?

Paul was here.

But can they come up with a unique idea to win over Louise and Ryan?

What I'm thinking, mate, is an LED fire in the bottom section,

which doesn't give off any heat.

It's just a focal point.

Yeah, mate, all day long.

Ooh.

So Elliott and Paul are upping the brief with a fancy

LED fireplace idea.

Can you keep books in a fireplace?

We have had a chance to look at what you want doing.

I know it is not the best drawing.

But what we are thinking is book shelves at the top.

The bottom section, we would like to go with an LED fire.

Doesn't give any heat, just a focal point, which is nice, contemporary.

TV set into it.

Top section, it could be an open inset with a couple of shelves in.

And rub it all down, have a lick of paint.

We'll say that the colour of the room at the moment is white,

so the feature itself we will paint a different colour,

just to try and give a bit of contour,

it just doesn't look too dark.

It could be kind of shabby chic.

When you've got your own me time,

and you're sat there and you've got your popcorn and you're sat looking

-at, the fire is on...

-There he goes, popcorn.

Only because you do it, mate.

-It's got to be done.

-It'll be a good spec, do you know what I mean?

So Elliott and Paul have come up with a shabby chic

bookcase and TV unit.

They have also added a focal point fire as a centrepiece

along the bottom. Sounds fancy.

So what's the damage?

Price-wise, it's approximately £1,800 to £2,100.

OK.

Their fireplace design is £300 over budget.

320 on that.

But there's still one more pitch to go.

Last in are burly bears Simon and John.

Simon is always right.

-If I'm not there, it means he was wrong.

-Yes.

This job could be tailor-made for these long-term work buddies.

We're a little bit older, we've both got family,

we understand the importance of storage.

Left a bit, Si, left a bit.

I think in this day and age you have to be multi-traded.

A cup of tea and biscuits is my main skill.

HE LAUGHS

It'll take more than tea and biscuits to win this job.

What do you think then, John, about putting it all the way across to the

-far wall?

-I like that idea.

Which means we can get a TV in the centre and obviously it will give

you that space there for DVDs or books.

And it blends more into the room.

-Yes.

-Brilliant.

-Job done. Nice one.

So Simon and John are not just going to fill the alcove,

they want to offer a door to wall solution.

Right, we have come up with going right across,

-from the door right to the window.

-OK.

Obviously you do get more storage space in there, as well.

We just thought this bit is such a wasted space,

you should do something with it.

-Yes.

-A lot of it depends on the size of TV.

-Yeah.

-That might alter things a little bit.

Ryan's TV is like that.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

It's like going fishing.

How about material though, John?

It lends itself to a ply carcass.

You can put doors all the way along the bottom, then,

-can't you?

-Yeah.

The units, they're not just a facade,

it's all Beechwood finish ply interior.

My pet hate with MDF, the doors start to fall off after a couple of years.

-Yes.

-It's not a good material to screw into.

Simon and John have maximised the space by offering a wall-to-wall

unit made from a strong Beechwood ply.

It's got base units with cupboard doors across the bottom

and space for shelves down the side and above the TV.

Sounds expensive.

So what's the damage?

The price for this piece will be...

-£2,000.

-OK.

That is the most expensive of the three -

£500 over Louise and Ryan's budget.

£1,200 for Labour and £800 for material.

-OK.

-OK.

And then we'll have maybe a day or a day and a half in the

workshop to make it all,

-and we'll come back for a day to fit.

-To install.

So that's it, they've all pitched.

But Louise and Ryan don't have to go with any of them.

We went in at 1,800 to 2,100 approximately.

Well, Mick, it sounds like we have gone in a bit cheap.

1,700. To be fair, we're both chippies,

so this is our bread and butter.

If I get it, I'll sub it out to you, all right?

-Are we agreed?

-Yeah, I think so.

The three teams have given it their best shot.

All they can do is wait.

They're all over budget but it is their ideas that count.

Will it be Martin and Mick's chest of drawers inspired walnut finish?

PHONE RINGS

Elliott and Paul's shabby chic idea with a fancy fireplace?

Or Simon and John's wall-to-wall unit,

the most expensive but the biggest of the lot?

Only one phone will ring.

Here we go.

I knew you'd get that one.

-Hello. Hello.

-Thanks for coming round today.

Really good to see your ideas. We want to proceed with the job.

-Thanks very much.

-Excellent.

What made you pick us?

We love the idea of putting it across the wall,

it's something nobody else really thought of,

and it's actually a really good use of space.

The nerves... The nerves are killing us.

Are killing me, anyway.

Having seen their pitch,

I couldn't have gone any other way, to be honest.

So Simon and John are made up but their rivals leave empty-handed.

No, fair play. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

Hold on, wait there, have you got any tissues?

-That's what I was just going to say.

-I don't want you crying. Come here.

Come here, come on.

Never mind, boys.

At least losing the pitch means they get to critique

Simon and John's work.

If you're getting some bespoke storage built,

builders usually start off site, so there's a few things to think

about once you've booked someone in.

If your carpenter, builder is going to make

the units off site,

make sure that you are 100% on the

design, so that by the time they

arrive you're happy with the storage

units that you've got.

If you're decorating a room as well

as having builds in there,

try and decorate first, so you don't

get any paint on the new carpentry.

Just think about what you're going

to do with the storage.

Obviously if you got toys,

shoes and all that sort of stuff,

you want to hide it away, put doors on it.

Hey, presto. Sorted.

The build begins at Simon and John's workshop.

-Cup of tea?

-Cup of tea.

Biscuit.

And their rivals have their beady eyes on them.

-Have you got your popcorn?

-No.

Right, big fella, what's your idea, then?

-A big workshop.

-That is a nice workshop, yeah.

With a brew on the go,

the boys are hammering out the finer details of the design.

Make the TV more of a feature.

-Yeah, OK.

-And have that shelf in that side.

-Yeah.

At least they've got a plan.

It don't look like much of an architectural drawing, that one,

but, erm...

John loves knocking together some wardrobes, or some cupboards,

-or anything made of wood, really.

-Yeah.

He's even cut the trees before, haven't you?

Simon had built him a tree house.

He reminds me of Yogi the bear, he's like a big bear, isn't he?

Hulk Hogan.

Right, we'll get started then.

Simon and John are going to build all the components of the book shelves off-site,

then finish it off at Louise and Ryan's house.

We've gone there, looked at it,

and we're going to make what you get in the factory but it's going to be

unique to that space. That's the difference, it's made-to-measure.

Instead of beech, they've agreed an oak veneer and sheet ply

for the entire cabinet.

I do like a bit of veneer board.

In total, seven sheets costing £100 each.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-£700 for the wood.

Wow.

-120.

-120, yeah.

That's it.

700 quid, you wouldn't want to go and buy another sheet of ply,

would you?

With the sheets marked out, they can begin to cut.

As long as your blade is a sharp as John, I like to think.

-His laugh.

-He's funny, isn't he?

They'll be hanging a TV off this unit, so it needs to be strong.

Because it is ply, it has a lot of strength when you screw into it,

it's a lot better to fix doors and stuff to.

Very true, very true, John.

That's a good tip, that.

Once the wood is cut, they need to cover the rough edges that'll be on

show with a self-adhesive edging strip that is put on

in a very special way.

It's to do my trousers, my boots.

What's happening here, then?

He obviously don't iron Simon's trousers, he don't wear any.

The ironing is for veneering.

The heat just activates the glue.

-Perfect. Look at that.

-Lovely, isn't it?

He has got a lovely action for a big fella, ain't he?

With all the edges hidden,

they can bolt the boxes together using a nail gun.

He said it's going to make a noise.

You don't want to be putting your finger next to the side of that

when you're firing that gun.

These ear defenders are great, John.

-What's that?!

-Yeah.

Bless him.

We'll catch up with them later,

when they fit the cabinet at Louise and Ryan's.

The next job today takes us to a suburb -

to an area that benefits from having a bustling high street

and an historic landmark church.

Where house prices are just under the national average.

We're in Prestwich, Greater Manchester.

This two-bed terrace has been home to personal trainer

Maggie Elliott for five years.

-Do you want a cup of tea?

-Yeah, OK, why not?

And her mum, Heather, lives just around the corner.

I like the fact that we can just meet up

pretty much most days, really.

-Yeah.

-And just chat and catch up.

I'll text her and say I'm free, or she will text me

and say, "Are you free? I'm walking the dog."

The house is perfect and it was built in the sort of mid-1800s,

so it's got bags of character to it.

It's a fantastic place to live.

So if the house is perfect, why is Maggie on the hunt for builders?

The yard is very small

and in it taking up most of the space is a toilet.

It takes up a lot of the yard, it's quite big.

And it's just drab and grey,

and we've put some pots around to try and brighten it up a bit,

but it's not really worked.

Even if I want to go and read a book in the sunshine,

I have to get all my stuff together, go out to the park

and I set myself up there instead. And actually I would love to be able

to pour myself a nice glass of prosecco and go and sit in my yard.

And I'll come and join her.

Yes. That would be good.

So how much does Maggie have to ditch the khazi

and make her yard usable?

My budget is 800 to £1,200,

which I think hopefully would get something that would really create

that magical space I'm looking for.

Outside space is a real asset to any property, no matter the size,

so come on, builders, how do you get big impact in a small garden?

Think about how you want to use and actually live in your garden,

that's always the starting point for your design.

Think about how it is going to look long-term and whether or not you are

really green-fingered.

Maybe artificial grass would be a better option.

Decking is low-maintenance, so it's great for creating a space for

entertaining, but grass is nice and soft and it is good for kids.

So which builders are bidding to transform Maggie's back yard?

-What a lovely day, pal.

-Another sunny day.

I tell you what, me tan is not going to keep up with this weather.

Be careful the gravy doesn't start to run, pal.

Not even the weather can stop this lot.

You must be the only person I know that wears a fleece in the rain.

Splendid weather for it, mate.

It's not, mate. It's absolutely thoroughbred minging.

They're all as keen as mustard to win the work.

First up to quote is family firm Tracy and Daz.

-You what?

-Pardon?

-I can't hear a thing.

-Why?

I took the kids swimming yesterday and got a load of water in my ear.

They've braved the heavy rain to come and quote for Maggie's back garden.

Toilet training, I can remember that well with you, Daz.

That's when you were special sausage, do you remember?

Right, knock it off, seriously.

This mum and son and duo like to keep it in the family.

I describe you as being multi-skilled because he can literally reroof,

fit a kitchen, bathroom, hang a door.

I'll have to take these off.

I do most of the work.

My mother gets most of the money.

These two need to come up with a winning garden idea

that will blow the others away.

Think how much fun you'll have when you're knocking this down.

You love demolishing things - it's your favourite thing.

-I was thinking a barbecue area.

-Right.

I didn't know whether you could use some of the old bricks

that you took down to make one.

That's not a bad shout.

And she would retain some of the original features.

A sizzling idea for this unloved space.

But will Maggie and Mum think it's potty?

We think it might be quite a nice feature to reclaim the bricks that

have come from the outhouse

and build you a brick barbecue, so hopefully, when we

get a bit of nice weather...

-Yes.

-And they are really nice the bricks, they're original.

They are, they are lovely bricks.

-It seems a shame to get rid of them.

-I really like the idea and the house

has got a lot of character to it, so to have something out there that

kind of is in keeping with that...

Maybe put some bamboo up on this wall here to hide that,

even maybe some shelving for herbs and stuff.

Whitewash the rest of it, just give her a nice outside space.

-These are nice, aren't they?

-The paving is lovely stone,

it's just neglected, isn't it? It's slippy.

When they're all jet washed and everything, it will be really nice.

And jet wash the flags because they are lovely stone flags.

Does that stop it being as slippy?

-Yes.

-And then put a sealer down,

-just like a clear paint that goes over it.

-Yeah.

It limits that sort of coming back.

Something like this.

This is more to illustrate the fact that you'll have new ridges,

slate cladding and next-door's house won't have fallen down.

Yes.

Tracy and Daz want to brighten up the garden but retain as much of the

character as possible. They'll jet wash the original stone flags,

whitewash the walls,

add new ridge tiles and slate cladding and,

from the outhouse demolition,

build a permanent brick barbecue along the back wall.

It's a lot of work, so what's it going to cost?

We can bring that in that...

£940 for you - all in.

OK. That's good.

-That's well within my budget. That's great.

-OK.

That's £260 under Maggie's max budget.

So how long will this take then?

We can realistically do everything in three days.

Hopefully, then you'll be able to enjoy the summer.

That's brilliant.

They seem impressed.

But their rivals are still to pitch.

Next up against Tracy and Daz are grafters Alex and Chris.

I wonder if they still use it as a toilet.

-What do you reckon?

-I wouldn't have thought so, no.

When it comes to work, these two live by their motto.

Perfect preparation prevents poor performance.

You know, we believe in doing the job once.

I feel like a doctor. Still alive, still there, hanging on.

Chris's organisational skills are fantastic,

which is great. It allows me to get on and do what I do.

-Oh, my God. Have you been up that chimney?

-Yeah.

Obviously drop the toilet, drop this building.

Keep some seating in, so it's a multipurpose area.

-It makes it a bit more flexible, the area, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Now they just need to convince Maggie their multifunctional seating

area is hotter than Tracy and Daryll's barbecue.

We think we've come up with a really good idea...

-Excellent.

-..for utilising the space that you've got out there.

This is the design that we've come up with.

Timber going across for your seating.

And what we will do is, we will build you three planters,

one in the corner, one either side.

It will just add a splash of colour in the corners.

We could incorporate like a canopy across.

It's gives them the option, they're not in the sun all the time.

We've added a canopy, so that will come right across this open space.

Oh, right.

So it acts as a sun blocker, but it also acts if you decide you

want to do exercise out there and you don't want to be overlooked.

Yeah. I'm really liking the idea of the seating areas around there and

the canopy is a fantastic idea,

especially because it rains so much as well.

Actually, it's going to enable me to use the garden

-even if it's a little bit wet.

-Yes, all year round.

So Alex and Chris have come up with bespoke storage seating complete

with feature planters.

They will clean the whole area up and even add a canopy,

so Maggie can use the garden, rain or shine.

But what's it going to cost?

All that comes in at £1,175.

OK. That's good.

Just under budget, but £235 more than Tracy and Daryll.

What sort of time period is it going to be?

-How long will it take?

-Probably a day and a half for the pair of us.

-That's fantastic.

-Yes, that's good.

Really good. That's fantastic.

But it's not over yet.

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

Mark and Chris.

-An outside toilet?

-Yeah.

I am bursting for the toilet,

so try and keep the customer happy while I sneak out there

and have a wee.

Keep your mind on the job, boys. The competition's steep.

Hi, Mark and Chris. Are you OK?

What are you doing there?

Get out of it!

Chris may be raising a stink but, whatever the job,

these two come up smelling of roses.

His aftershave is worth more money than mine is

because Mum buys it him.

Do you know what I mean?

-I have to pay for it.

-Yeah, in instalments.

OK, mate.

Gardens, you know, cor blimey...

If we had a pound for every flag that we'd laid, you know, it's...

That's what we do.

We could replace the actual patio flags.

Yeah.

We've got a lower floor on that side and a raised floor on this side,

so it's only that section that we've sort of got to take out and break down to that.

In an ideal world, I'd really like to take all these flags up and redo it.

-Yes, that would be better, wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

Chris and Mark want to level the whole area,

removing the old flagstones and paving throughout.

But how will that lay with Maggie and Mum?

So what we would like to do is take down the outbuildings,

relay a new patio using two by two, flag the whole entire garden.

-Yes.

-Therefore creating you a nice area to sit and chill out.

-Yeah.

She's a personal trainer, so we could set this up to be like an

outside gym. Pull up bars and stuff like that.

We like to make that space much more usable,

put in some pull up bars and maybe some mats out there.

I don't do what you'd feel about that.

-It's a nice idea.

-Concentrate on a bit of Zen.

-Lovely. That sounds good.

-Excellent.

Chris and Mark want to dig out the entire area,

then lay a new patio, so it's all one level.

Then they want to create an outdoor work-out space for Maggie that she

can also used to relax.

So what's the damage?

So the total cost for that being a full patio...

..would be £2,100.

-OK.

-I know that's above your budget.

-How long would that take?

-Five days. Five days, OK.

-Weather permitting.

-Obviously, yeah.

It is Manchester.

Three very different garden ideas are in.

You boys with your fancy canopy.

-Yeah.

-That's what it is.

And the table and chairs.

We fancy we've got every job but we haven't.

You're still doing the first!

There can only be one winner.

Will it be Tracy and Daz's reclaimed brick barbecue

idea that was under budget?

PHONE RINGS

Chris and Mark's paved gym area that was over budget?

Or Chris and Alex's canopy and seating area

that came in just under budget?

Only the winner will get the call.

Good afternoon, Chris speaking.

Hey, how you doing?

I'm fine, thank you. Depends what you tell me.

Well, it's good news.

It's good news. We'd like to go with you, please.

Oh, that's fantastic.

We just loved your idea so much.

It's perfect for what we're looking for.

Baby! Yeah.

Alex and Chris are clearly over the moon,

but it's hard cheese for the losers.

You win some, you lose some, don't you, at the end of the day?

If you got upset about every job you didn't win,

we'd be rocking in a corner somewhere.

Everything depends on the weather.

Hopefully they'll get it done without taking three weeks.

It would have been a nice job to do, but, you know, pleased for those guys.

-They are a good bunch of lads, I think they'll do a nice job.

-Yeah.

And they will get to see, as they'll be watching on later.

If you're having demolition work done, remember...

Rubbish removal and skips can be really expensive, so try and get rid

of some of it yourself to keep the costs down.

Make sure there's a clear path to the garden,

which keeps the builder and his mess out of your house.

If you're thinking about taking down walls yourself,

my advice - don't.

Seek help from a professional.

It's day one of the build and the losers are watching like hawks.

-Shall we have a look?

-Let's have a go, mate, let's see.

The first job is to dismantle the old outside loo.

What's he doing with them slates? He's lobbing them!

You don't get slate like this any more.

Thick English slate. I'll say no more.

That will all be gone tomorrow.

But it's not quite as simple as just bashing the structure down.

There's quite a bit of preparation.

If anything needs supporting, then we've got to make sure it is all

structurally sound before we start building anything new.

-It wasn't meant to be took down, was it, really? It was meant to be there for ever.

-Yeah.

I'm sure there will be a couple of hidden nightmares there to sort out.

-I wonder what they find in there.

-All sorts.

As we say, "We don't do problems, we only do solutions."

-That's a good saying.

-Yes, it's his new catchphrase, I think.

It is, yeah.

He's getting inside now, the lad is.

They don't make them like this any more, mate.

Outside toilets, no, they don't, fortunately.

THEY LAUGH

And with the roof off, the boys can tackle the old brick walls.

We were going to reclaim all that stuff and use it, weren't we?

-Yeah, we were going to use some of it, yeah.

-Yeah.

-I think you might have been a bit more gentle taking that down, do you?

-I don't know.

You would have had to if you were going to use it to rebuild the barbecue.

Looks bigger already.

Go on, give it some welly.

Are we nearly there yet?

It's backbreaking work,

but in amongst the rubble a lucky omen has been uncovered.

Oh.

It looks like we found Shergar's horseshoe.

Just got to find the rest of the horse now!

These two are winning the race.

So all cleared out, we're going to concrete in where the old footings

were, get it nice and clean, ready for tomorrow,

when we can look at building the seating area

and addressing the roof.

Not too far off schedule,

which is nice.

It's all on schedule till the end.

It's all on schedule till the end. Excellent!

Next morning, it's all go.

They've concreted the old footings

and Alex is busy jet washing it all down.

But Chris needs to deal with a structural issue.

Because we have taken our side of the building down,

the ridge tiles at the very top are no good any more.

So we had to buy some special ones, which are called a mono-ridge,

which just fits to the current structure that we've made now

and it will make everything all water tight up there.

These specialist tiles cost £92 for the lot.

So, with next door's loo watertight again,

the exposed bricks repointed and the floor power washed to within an inch

of its life, Maggie's new seating area can be constructed.

I'm a really happy bunny now.

Going to get the seating in. We have give her the option to

actually have storage inside the seating area.

It's not the biggest yard, so the more storage the better.

To make the seating weatherproof,

Maggie has chosen tanalised timber over natural wood.

Less work, isn't it, in the end?

Less maintenance for them, I suppose.

While Alex puts his carpentry skills to good use,

Chris is tackling those exposed brick walls.

We are painting the bricks with masonry paint,

go over it with a masonry roller,

which is a thick, shagpile roller.

The rougher the walls, the thicker the shagpile.

So far, our guys are storming through this build.

By the end of play today, we shouldn't be a million mile off,

just be a little bit of finishing off to do.

A bit of painting and just making it look really pretty.

We'll be back later to see just how pretty Chris and Alex

can make this garden.

Back down south in Effingham, Surrey,

Louise and Ryan's new home felt incomplete.

This house, as lovely as it is,

doesn't have a great deal of storage.

All of my books are currently still in boxes, so I'm quite desperate to

have them up again. Then it will feel like home.

Burly bears Simon and John have built all the parts for the cabinet

at their workshop and are now ready to install the sections on site.

That's a big van full of...

Full of ply.

But it seems they are a little tired this morning.

We did a late one last night.

Eight till four...

Till eight till ten, till 12

till two in the morning, to half past three.

We finally grabbed an hour's sleep and here we are.

They spent all night on it. See, it's a lot of work.

I think Simon's been scratching his head.

I've had one hour sleep last night, that's it.

-And John was snoring...

-And I had three.

That's why he only got an hour!

With all that effort, you'd better hope it fits perfectly, then.

-There's a lot in this unit.

-I hope he know where everything goes.

-This is the bit where they have to make sure they got their measurements right.

-Mmm.

Eh?

Forgot to measure the skirting board.

No pressure, boys.

You know why we're laughing?

It just fits.

-That was snug.

-Good fit.

Any more right, it would be wrong, wouldn't it, John?

A beautiful fit, that is.

With the base unit in place, John is cutting the top to fit the gap.

The walls not being even or square, it's easier to scribe.

-That's all them dodgy builders not building straight walls.

-Yeah.

Next they stack and secure the premade cabinets to the wall.

On three. Three.

Like the proverbial glove.

Nice and tight.

Someone is looking after us today.

So far so good for these boys. It's all gone to plan.

Homeowner Louise and her son Huxley are keen

to see what all the noise is about.

Look at it!

SHE SQUEALS

Love it.

Wicked.

I'm glad!

Louise is happy and the boys are on the home straight.

The TV goes up and next it is time for John's favourite job.

A bit of ironing, don't let the missus see that.

The last edging strips go on and so do the doors.

When's a door not a door?

When it's ajar.

And as night falls...

That's it. Job's a good one.

BOTH: Beautiful!

Cup of tea is out, must be finished.

To be fair, John, I think they built the Great Wall of China quicker.

But it is finished.

BOTH: Cheers.

Just a couple of days ago,

Louise and Ryan's lounge looked a little temporary.

So what will the losing builders think of it now?

Right, let's have a look, Martin.

I think they've excelled themselves.

It's tidy, isn't it?

It's good. Obviously they've done a fantastic job.

Now Louise has the book shelves she wanted.

It does exactly what it was supposed to do.

There are bespoke cabinets below...

-For their money.

-Yeah, I mean, this looks massive in there.

I mean, it's a big, old unit, that.

..and Ryan has got his wall hung TV.

It has to be a 9.5, easy, to 10.

For the quality of the finished article...

-It is definitely good.

-..it's good.

It went above and beyond the brief, really.

It's given her loads of storage,

it is a beautiful looking unit and they've done a great job.

-They've done a really good job.

-They've done a great job.

The losers are singing their praises, but now for the big moment.

Simon and John are in position.

Let's have a look, see how it goes.

There was a few painstaking hours there, John, wasn't there, mate?

I remember an all-nighter comes to mind on this job.

It was painful.

And Louise is about to show Ryan for the first time.

This is it, this is what they've done.

Wow. Looks great, doesn't it?

It does, it's so impressive.

See, that looks good, John, that.

Tidy, doesn't it?

It just fits so much.

-It's great to have a home for all our stuff, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-I feel like we've actually moved in.

-Yes, finally.

I think they are very happy. I'm happy.

-Are you happy, John?

-I'm happy...

So if they are happy, we're happy.

-It's so good. Do you like it?

-Yeah.

Ticked all the boxes.

I think we've given them exactly, and more, what they wanted

-and we was on budget.

-And they are very happy, aren't they?

-They are a very happy couple, mate.

-Yeah.

We're going to have to rethink baby proofing, aren't we?

You've figured it out. Where are you going?

-Beautiful.

-Beautiful, mate.

Back in Prestwich, North Manchester,

builders Chris and Alex have been hard at work

transforming Maggie's garden.

Are we nearly there yet?

They've taken down the outside loo,

built the storage seating...

and have done most of the painting.

But...

As you can see, it is raining again.

We started painting the walls this morning.

Uh-oh.

We had a little issue with it running down the wall,

so I've had to stop.

Oh, dear.

All that hard work.

He should have checked the forecast, never mind buying his shagpile roller.

That has just messed the whole day up.

Mother Nature waits for no builder.

What I was going to do is put the canopy up, get all this painted,

plant it all up and get it ready,

so it would have been finished today.

Now I'll go off and get some rolls of bamboo,

just while the weather is so bad.

See, that was what I wanted.

-I don't like them.

-I know you don't.

But it is not all about what you want, is it?

Thankfully the weather picks up and Chris is able to finish the painting

and turn his attention to the canopy.

Right, I'm just going to put this last section in.

This should get the bolts in.

I forgot to check whether it is going to clear the post behind me.

I have done my calculations.

Why has he only painted half that wall?

And I think I am going to be all right.

If I'm not,

then I am going to have to take a few courses of bricks out.

Here, take a few bricks.

OK, let's see if I've got this right.

No pressure.

Oh, oh, oh.

We are going to miss it.

-That is going to fray the edges.

-It will fray the edges and get dirty.

Oh, he's just got away with that.

Perfect.

Coming into land.

It's going dark, all of a sudden.

That's a good sign.

Look at that, finished.

All done.

I'm pleased with that.

Canopy up, it's time for the finishing touches.

The last thing for me to do is put this pot plant in.

It'll give them some nice scent.

Is he using lavender?

And that spot of treasure.

Do you remember the Shergar shoe that we found?

I've just painted it up for her.

So I will leave that there for good luck.

So, that's it now, all done.

-Aw, that's a nice little touch.

-Yeah.

Adios.

Chris and Alex have had just three days working on Maggie's back yard.

-It was...

-Desperately in need of a...

-Yeah.

Getting rid of the old outside loo, taking up most of the yard space.

So what will the losing builders think of it now?

Let's have a gander and see how they done.

They've done really well, haven't they?

A totally different garden.

How could you not like that?

Now the space is inviting.

It looks great, that, doesn't it?

Yeah.

-That's loads better, isn't it?

-Miles better, mate.

-Yeah.

There is a smart new seating area.

-It looks nice.

-Yeah.

Loads of storage all the way around.

A canopy provides privacy...

..and the white walls make the yard feel warm and bright.

That does look nice.

-Miles more room now, though.

-Yes.

-Lads, you've done a great job.

-Yep.

The losers are impressed.

Chris and Alex are in position.

Let's see what's going on.

But will Maggie and Heather feel the same?

Is she happy, though?

-Here we go.

-Let's see.

-OK, are you ready?

Open your eyes.

-Wow.

-I know.

-Oh, my goodness!

It's not even a yard any more.

-No.

-It's an actual haven.

-Yeah.

-Well, we like a wow, don't we?

-Yeah.

It's amazing, isn't it?

Yeah, baby.

I can't believe it's the same yard. It's just incredible.

I know. It's brilliant, I love it.

I never imagined there would be that much space.

I know.

-That's good.

-Yeah.

They've made all this benching here.

and it's not just to sit on -

-there's storage inside as well.

-Oh, brilliant. Oh, fantastic.

Old, lucky horseshoe.

No horse.

And then the awning makes it really private.

You feel like you're in a room.

-It's going to make such a difference.

-Oh, gosh, yes.

-I used to go over to the park all the time...

-Exactly.

..just to be able to have a bit of space outside,

and I won't have to do that any more.

Maggie's back yard is now a Zen usable space

and the final cost was £1,175.

Thanks very much, guys. Chris and Alex, it's brilliant.

When I said I wanted the outhouse down,

I didn't really know what I wanted in its place but this is fantastic

and only slightly over the budget that I set,

and that was out of choices I made, so really pleased with that.

Thank you.

It's exactly what we want, baby girl.