Episode 9 Getting the Builders In

-We all dream of having picture-perfect homes...

-Wow!

-I know.

-Oh, my goodness!

-It looks great. So bright in here.

-HE GROANS

..but keeping up with the Joneses is far from easy.

-Whoa, whoa, 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 find 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...

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

-No. Don't know, mate.

..who are willing to pitch against each other...

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

..to try to win work.

Right, first question - is the kettle on?

Only one pair can get each job...

Yeah, baby!

Number one in the bag, Micky boy!

-..but...

-Ah!

-HE LAUGHS

..the winners won't be getting away scot-free.

-Chisel.

-Ooh!

-HE LAUGHS

The losing pairs...

I love to be a house husband.

..will be watching their every move.

-Where's those screws gone?

-Uh-oh.

-HE LAUGHS

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

-Oh, my word!

-Oh, my...!

The first job today takes us to a town

that boomed during the Industrial Revolution,

but still borders green, open spaces.

The average house price in this neck of the woods

is nearly 30% less than the national average.

We're in Hyde, Greater Manchester.

In need of builders is graphic designer Angela Baker,

who moved into this five-bed new build

with her partner and stepson Finnan four years ago,

but it was far from finished.

We've been trying to sort out our two bedrooms now

for about three years.

We have no storage at all,

and nobody could quite work out what to do with the two voids.

The voids, as Angela calls them,

are the cupboard spaces between the bedrooms.

Now knocked into one, this narrow cupboard

in stepson Finnan's room needs sorting out.

This is the void which was basically a part that went into our room,

part that went into Finnan's room.

Needs finishing off, plastering, spotlights, storage.

We just want a really nice place

for Finnan to be able to store all his things, play in.

I'm open to ideas.

There must be something funky that someone can do with that space.

Angela might be up for cool ideas, but she also has high expectations.

I am a perfectionist.

If builders come and they're not up to my standards,

then I'm really not interested.

The budget is between £600-£800.

But if someone was to come in and blow me away with an amazing design,

then I would be happy to spend a bit more.

If you're after a bespoke build,

there's a few things to consider to get the perfect result.

Let's find out from those in the know.

Specialist materials have a lead time,

so if there's something particular that you want,

make sure you get your order in nice and early.

If your carpenter, builder, is going to make the units off-site,

make sure that you're 100% on the design,

so that by the time they arrive,

you're happy with the storage units that you've got.

All three pairs know they're pitching

for storage in a child's bedroom.

-HE GROANS

-Hang on.

Can you come round and pull me out?

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

But it's their kiddie-cool ideas that'll win Angela over.

Putting your hairspray on again?

Appearance is all. Appearance is key.

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

One of the attractions of having you is your good looks.

First to pitch are grafters Alex and Chris.

-Morning.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-Think your knees can stand all this?

-All these stairs?

-It's more hills, isn't it?

These two are old hands when it comes to building bespoke storage.

It complements both our skill sets - the constructing

of shelving and cupboards, and then you've got his creativity.

I think I like to do the finishing-off touches and things like that.

It's a shame we can't leave that in.

Do you think we can renegotiate?

Didn't you paint the Titanic when it was made?

THEY LAUGH Easy, Alex. He's not that old!

So, what's the plan?

Ooh, there's the old knees creaking again.

It wasn't the floorboards that time. It was me knees!

-It always is, mate.

-He's into the wrestling, isn't he?

Yeah. So, we've got a lot of books and figures.

So, I'm thinking maybe...

-Yeah, he's into...

-..some sort of actual display at the top.

Could put some really nice, like, Perspex shelving round,

so he can see through everything, the whole thing.

-That's a good idea.

-And with the directional lighting, as well, it'll all be lit up.

Alex and Chris have come up with see-through shelving

and directional lighting to boot.

But will Angela be illuminated by the idea?

We're thinking make it funky.

-OK.

-We're thinking, like, the coloured Perspex,

-different depths of boxes.

-Yeah.

We've got different shelving, fluorescent shelving.

We saw that he's got some of the wrestlers.

-Oh, he loves the wrestling.

-Right. So, that was what started us off.

If he wants to put some of those figures out

-a bit higher up, he can.

-Yeah.

He's got nothing for, possibly, homework -

I don't know where he does his homework -

unless we incorporate something with a kid's bench underneath.

When I was at home, I had a cupboard about this size,

and it was... I loved it. It was like a little den to me.

I used to do all my homework in it.

-That was when you were put under the stairs...

-Shut up!

-..when you were naughty.

I remember when I had a room at that age,

and I still talk about it today.

-It was... It was...

-You can remember that far back?

-THEY LAUGH

-I have to keep prodding him.

Have you been speaking to him?

I had it where it was, erm...

It was a desk, and also had a lot of storage in there.

-OK.

-Underneath, we plan to put two runners

with an extra board underneath, so he can pull that out

-if he wants to play or do anything else that's different.

-OK.

So, Alex and Chris want

light-up display cabinets

made out of colourful Perspex,

and to create a pull-out desk

so Finnan can do his homework.

Angela's top budget is £800,

so there's only one question.

-So, the price for all of that comes to £940.

-OK.

-OK?

-Yeah.

That's £140 over budget.

But their rivals are still to pitch.

Oh, it's actually bigger than you think.

Next, it's family firm Tracy and Daryll.

-Do we know how old this house is?

-2010.

-Right.

Yeah, that was circa 2010, that.

-Really?

-Also, the stone on the front of the house

-that says 2010 on it...

-Ah!

-..is normally a bit of a giveaway.

God, you never miss a trick.

Daryll's a dad and Tracy's a grandma,

so between them, they should know a thing or two about kids' storage.

You should be all right with this one, Mum.

Yeah, plenty of experience with children -

boys, girls, different ages.

I would think this would be a great one to do.

My experience and your skill - it should be a winner.

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

-Yes, I'm doing it!

-Right.

I'd like to think that we have a different...

We switch off from...

Like, say, if we're doing something socially together

-to if we're doing something...

-Do you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Do you not?

-I'll remind you of that.

Just when you think you know someone...

Now, what about that storage?

I was thinking what'd be a good idea... You know the boxes which...?

They're fixed to the wall and then, you know, you can either make them

and then put the...

-The carry boxes that go in there.

-Yeah.

So, for example, if he's got figures or if he's got Lego,

he pulls one of the material boxes out,

takes it into his bedroom, plays with it.

Then he can put everything back into the box and put it back in.

-If you think, with all your trains and cars...

-Yeah, with all the toys, it's brilliant.

-You'd have loved something like this, wouldn't you?

-Yeah, definitely.

So, Tracy and Daryll think they can clinch this

with modular toy storage, but will they win Angela over?

My thoughts on it was, this was just purely hanging space.

-OK.

-And then here, along here, we'd box it.

We'd just make big box sections that you could put

-different storage boxes in with different things...

-Yeah.

-..or possibly folded clothes in.

-OK.

We could put some sort of LED light strip on the back of it...

-Yeah.

-..that comes on perhaps with the lights?

-Yes.

-So, when you come in, you turn the light on, it lights up.

-Yes.

-I think that's the way to go with this.

Yeah, I think that's a good idea.

The only other thing that we thought with this,

which is quite cool sometimes, is, you know, LED lighting on a strip.

-Yeah, that sounds nice.

-We thought it might be quite a nice

sort of feature to have.

Tracy and Daryll have gone for

modular storage,

a separate dressing area

and trendy LED lighting.

Angela's maximum budget is £800.

So, what's the quote?

The all-inclusive price, including all the labour,

all the materials, is £1,350.

Angela's giving nothing away.

Tracy and Daryll are £550 over budget,

but there's still one more pitch to go.

Ooh, it is hidden, as well. Little hidden cupboard.

Last in are no-nonsense lads Mark and Chris.

1.823.

Well, it looks like you'll be doing this one on your own.

THEY LAUGH

Workmates for three years, these two love a good motto.

Almost cocky, but never cocksure.

I spend more time with you than I do with the kids,

the missus, anyone else in my family!

OK, mate!

It's like being married.

They might be full of laughs,

but they'll need more than good banter

to out-pitch their rivals.

I'm thinking that we do this...

You know like in the movies, where you've got like a...?

It doesn't look like it's anything other than a shelf, you know,

-with some books on or whatever.

-Yeah.

And then, you know...

I don't know if we can put a book.

You know, like the old pull a book and the door opens.

That's just going a bit too far on this budget.

So, a secret cupboard? Very imaginative.

But what will Angela think?

-We've come up with a little plan.

-OK.

The best thing is the hidden door.

-OK.

-So, that's what we're trying to create.

From the outside, you wouldn't really know it was there.

-It would just look like shelves.

-So, the door is shelves, basically.

-OK.

-And the whole thing opens outwards

-to create an opening hidden door.

-OK.

A little nook, as well, underneath there.

You want storage in here, clearly.

-Little boy cave.

-Little boy cave for him.

Yeah, definitely the way forward.

I'm getting excited and it's not even my house!

-Full shelving area going down one side.

-Yeah.

One of the shelvings would be a full lot, and it'd pull down.

-Yeah.

-We're trying to make it as exciting...

As much excitement as you can get out of a small cupboard.

-That's made me feel really tingly.

-THEY LAUGH

Mark and Chris have come up

with a cunning plan to create

a hidden cupboard behind a door

disguised as a book shelf with

plenty of modular storage inside.

Sounds like every child's dream,

but surely it can't come cheap.

-We have come in slightly over.

-OK.

£1,280.

I know that's slightly over your budget.

SLIGHTLY over?

That's £480 more than Angela's maximum budget.

That's it. They've all pitched.

But will Angela like any of their ideas enough to pick one?

-How did everybody go?

-Yeah, all right.

-We sort of went in heavy on the sort of toy aspect.

-Right.

We went on the more, like, display side,

with a lot of coloured Perspex.

-We should get it.

-THEY LAUGH

We went with a... Like, sort of a boy cave type of thing...

-Oh, yeah?

-..with a secret door.

-I wouldn't want to guess.

-No.

Apart from these two, who get everything.

THEY LAUGH

This could go any way.

Will it be Chris and Alex's colourful Perspex display cabinet,

complete with pull-out homework desk -

the cheapest of the three...

..Tracy and Daryll's modular storage and LED lights -

the most extensive -

or Mark and Chris's boy cave with its secret door,

that came in between the two?

PHONE RINGS

They're all over budget. Only the winner will get the call.

PHONE RINGS

-ELECTRIC DRILL RINGTONE PLAYS

-Oh!

-Oh, that sounds good.

I love my ringtone.

-Hello?

-Hello. Is that Mark?

-Oh, hi, Angela. Are you OK?

-Erm, you've got the job.

Aw, that's great news.

Thank you very much. We're made up with that.

Absolutely...

I was blown away by your ideas. I thought they were fantastic.

We're excited. We're excited to get going.

-All right, take care.

-Bye, now.

-Bye for now. Bye.

-Get in!

-Get in!

-THEY LAUGH

I'm actually excited about this job now - really excited -

cos I think it's going to be wonderful.

Mark and Chris haven't just won a job.

They can relive their childhood.

She's made up with the design.

Erm, yeah, she likes everything about it.

Shame the losers miss out.

I think it's just making us a lot hungrier

and a lot more determined to sort of up our game for the next ones.

-Your fault.

-Do you reckon?

-Yeah.

-I think I need a new partner.

-Oh, is that what it is?

-Yeah.

Is this one getting a bit too old for you?

-Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

-Cheeky.

But they'll have a chance to get their own back

when they watch the boys at work later.

Storage is a problem in many households.

So, builders, how do we get it right?

Just think about what you're going to do with the storage.

Obviously, if you've got toys, shoes, and all that sort of stuff,

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

Hey presto - sorted.

Sounds obvious, but think about what your storage

is going to be built of. If you've only got a small budget,

then maybe solid oak isn't for you.

You might have to consider some reclaimed materials,

or maybe some MDF instead.

It's day one of the build at Angela's.

-Oh, it's snowing!

-Oh, no!

The losers are all eyes in the warm...

Looking forward to this. A secret cave!

-Shall we go and see how many times we can slip over?

-Yeah.

..and Mark and Chris are keen as mustard.

It is Baltic!

Fortunately, they're working on stepson Finnan's wardrobe,

which is indoors.

-We have to get close in here.

-HE CHUCKLES

-It's going to be cosy.

-Yeah, it was tiny, wasn't it?

-They look quite at home in that cupboard.

-Mwah!

-SHE LAUGHS

-Just shut the door.

The plan is to create a secret

cupboard behind a book shelf door,

with storage for all of

Finnan's toys, books and clothes.

The existing plasterboard is a bit worse for wear,

so the first job is to rip it out.

-That's one way of getting them off.

-Yeah.

And it doesn't take long for Mark to clear the whole wall.

-That's coming off easy!

-THEY CHUCKLE

With the plasterboard off, next,

they need to wire the cupboard for sockets and lighting, but...

The problem is, here, this is the existing doorway going through.

Well, the socket that we want is literally just here.

So, er, we've got to fish some cables through

so we can leave them there ready for the sparkie to use.

The new boards are up, and they're seamless.

Oh, they're better.

If you can see, there is tape on every joint, every corner.

It's on the ceiling, all the way round.

If you don't put it on, it will crack.

And it is a very beautiful house.

-It was a nice house, wasn't it? Lovely.

-Yeah.

So, there can be no movement in the joint, done properly.

-Yeah, as it should be.

-Yeah.

And to make sure the finish is perfect,

he's drafted in plasterer Sean.

I hate plasterers. Look at the mess.

Once we've skimmed all this out today,

the next part for us is going to be the design and exact measurements

and fabrication of the shelving and units to go along this side,

and the secret door.

-There's Chris doing all the work again.

-Yeah, there he is.

Next, Chris needs to make a frame for the doorway.

-Simple, right?

-We haven't got a wider hole,

-so there's no point...

-We have. We've got it.

Difference of opinion here.

-Mate, are you going to listen?

-Yeah, I know what you're saying.

-HE LAUGHS

-He looks like he's sulking!

With that casing on, you've got that bit there, right?

-Yeah, but...

-760.

-..we've got to bring this off.

-I'm going to go and build it.

-THEY LAUGH

-Come on, get on with the job. Let's have a look.

-Yeah.

No, we don't do arguments. We do more of, erm, handbags.

Handbags!

With the little tiff resolved,

Chris gets the frame door up in no time.

-Happy days.

-Get out of his way!

-I'm going to load him out.

Next, it's time for plasterer Sean to skim the inside of the cupboard.

He's had his mix on now for about 25 minutes.

-He needs to get it on.

-Yeah.

He's hitting everything.

-Get it on quick.

-Get that nice and tight, neat.

It's been slightly manic, to be fair, today,

for such a small little job.

We'd never get the plaster on like he would, do you know what I mean?

I'd get to this point now and I realistically would start flapping.

Small rooms are just...

-They're so much more awkward, aren't they?

-Yeah.

So, erm, yeah.

Bring Sean with us - happy days.

We'll be back to watch them fit out the cupboard

once the plaster has dried.

Next job today is on the edge of rolling countryside.

The average house price here

will set you back a wallet-emptying £1 million.

We're down south, in Woldingham in Surrey.

This detached house has been home to 39-year-old Claire

and 41-year-old Chris Kahn and their two kids for just over a year.

I love this house because it's very, very big.

We've done quite a lot of work to the house in the last year.

We've painted the entire upstairs, fitted bifold doors.

They're happy with the inside.

It's the outside they need some help with.

Our porch really needs a lot of love and care.

It's starting to fall apart.

We wanted to replace this with a pitched roof,

and pillars coming out so that it showcases our home.

They've got a grand idea, but have they got a budget to match?

Our budget is £3,500.

The thought of getting three different quotes really excites me.

I think competition is a very healthy thing.

Putting a porch on your property can give it impressive kerb appeal,

but you need to get it right.

So, builders, what do we need to know?

For an exterior porch, you definitely need to check out

if there's planning permissions needed,

because you don't want to put up a nice, big porch

and then find out you have to take it all down.

You need to make sure that your vision works with your property.

There's no point putting Georgian pillars on a modern house.

Big houses round here, fella.

Let's see which rival builders are pitching

for Claire and Chris's porch.

-We've got to get this pitch, mate.

-Defo.

-Are you game?

It's ours. All over.

They're all raring to go.

I'm waiting for John. I don't know how he's got lost.

-Well, some of them are.

-Come on, John. Hurry up, mate.

They've all had the brief.

Keep these ideas close to our chest today. Don't want the others...

-Robbing our ideas.

-Yeah, stealing our vision!

But it's the finer detail that'll win them the job.

First to quote are dependable duo Gavin and Jimbo.

-Morning!

-Morning, morning!

-Hi.

-This is the offending porch.

We'd like it to have a bit of a face-lift, please.

-OK, cool.

-We'll leave you guys to it.

-How are you going to get this down?

-I was going to drill a hole through there,

and one through the top and just tie a rope round that and drive off in the van.

-Yeah.

-Just get a towbar on it!

-Use my van for that.

-Yeah!

These two have been working together for over 20 years,

and they claim to be able to tackle any job.

We offer, like, a full package.

Anything from something as

small as a bathroom...

Oh, no!

..right up to a new build, and everything in between, really.

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

as long as Jim does as he's told.

Time to find out their plan for the porch.

-I've got loads of ideas for this.

-Pitched roof, you think?

-Definitely.

Basically, we've got to match the age of the building.

There's a local mill. I can get chunky, Surrey-grown oak,

-chunky timber posts.

-Yeah, that's going to look smart,

-as it happens.

-Yeah.

Let's see if your idea of keeping it local

gets Claire and Chris's vote.

Now, we want to try and make sure it stays in keeping with the house,

-it's quite a character house.

-Mm-hm.

And there's a local mill, so these will be Surrey oak,

-Surrey-grown...

-Yeah.

-..Surrey produce.

-OK, that's authentic.

-And, you know, it looks beautiful.

Big oak posts, all Surrey produce.

Sounds like we've got a butcher's, doesn't it?

THEY LAUGH

-All lead. All scrolled, as well.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-That'll look beautiful, won't it?

-That'll smash it.

-That's going to last a lifetime.

-Yeah.

Probably the rest of the house will fall down before the porch.

Paving-wise, inside...

Yeah, a nice, sort of stony-looking slab.

-That would be lovely.

-Yeah.

-Very low-maintenance, as well.

So, Jimbo and Gavin

are suggesting a pitched porch

with a reclaimed tile roof,

Indian stone paving and

locally-sourced oak pillars.

Chris and Claire only have £3,500

in the budget.

So, what's it going to cost?

And we can do that for, I think...

..£3,800.

That's £300 over budget.

The most important thing, which is priceless,

is the massive smiles that you guys do afterwards.

Very slick, Gavin, but it's not over yet.

-DOORBELL RINGS

-Hello.

-Hello!

Next up are smooth operators Martin and Mick.

This is the offending porch.

-I don't know what's wrong with it.

-THEY LAUGH

-No! Really?!

-Bit of paint.

Calm down!

These two might look like an odd couple,

but they're the best of building buddies.

-So charismatic when he walks into these places.

-No, no.

They go weak at the knees.

They have to let this man into their house and let him do this work.

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

-"don't say anything at all."

-My old gran used to say,

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

Got a trustworthy face.

That's what it is. That's what it must be!

Time to find out if these two can be trusted with the job.

We know this like the back of our hands.

-We've got to win this one, haven't we?

-Green oak frame.

We pick out the...

Check the tiles off the main roof and make sure we match all them in.

And we've just got to try and obviously

illuminate the underside of it, try and get a little bit more light in.

We can make this look really stunning.

A solid idea. So, what will Claire and Chris think?

-We prefer a green oak frame.

-When he says green oak...

-It just means freshly cut.

-..that just means freshly sawn, cut open.

-OK.

-It's not green.

OK. I was thinking...

-No, it's not green at all.

-It's not green.

-It's freshly cut.

What about redoing these retaining walls?

Take these walls out and actually extend them

to marry up with our span above,

and then fit our pillars into the new brickwork,

give them a bit more for their money.

You've got some brickwork out the front at the moment.

We'd actually want to take those out.

-OK.

-Yeah.

And renew it with some new brickwork

that would then tie into your new pillars.

That the oak frame would then sit on.

You'll have everyone slowing down outside your house going,

"Oh, I want that porch."

-That'll be a result.

-That'll be a result!

So, Martin and Mick want to build

the frame out of freshly sawn oak,

match the tiles to those on the roof,

and rebuild the retaining walls.

But can they do all this within

Claire and Chris's £3,500 budget?

So, the total price comes in at...

-..£3,950.

-Mm-hm.

That's £450 more than the budget,

but there's still one pair left to pitch.

Slight problem, though - one half of the outfit is still AWOL

and Si is not a burly bear without his partner John.

What's happening was I was here nice and early.

After John had given me the correct postcode last night,

John's ended up half an hour away.

-CHEERING AND LAUGHTER

-Where have you been, then, mate?

-Bromley?

-Well done.

-Sat nav.

-What makes you laugh about that, though -

John was doing his Knowledge a few years ago.

So, thank God he didn't become a cab driver.

I was thinking this morning, "I could have been a chauffeur."

Perfect. He's got a lovely little action for a big fella, hasn't he?

Fortunately, when it comes to building work,

these two are a little more confident in their ability.

I do all the brickwork, do plastering.

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

I take plumbing and chippy work.

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

-BOTH LAUGH

-But it's finished.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

They claim they can turn their hands to most things,

but can Simon and John come up with an unbeatable idea?

We'll keep it quite simple, so it matches exactly to the house.

-Match the brick.

-The 9in wall in that brickwork to here.

-Yeah.

Two big, oak piers, and keep it as quite a nice storm porch.

They're confident with their storm porch idea,

but can they charm Claire and Chris?

So, when did you start having problems in your relationship, then?

THEY LAUGH

-It all started with the porch.

-THEY LAUGH

All right, sorry. Right, be serious.

We've come up with an idea of a storm porch.

Put two oak piers from the roof

right down to the floor just in front of these brick walls.

But maybe just a black and white tiled floor.

Like you'd have on the Victorian little pathways

in these Victorian houses.

On the floor here, then we could do like a mosaic

of black and white tile,

like a Victorian tile, to bring out the floor...

-Yeah.

-..which I think would be in keeping

with the house itself, wouldn't it?

Simon and John have come up with a storm-style porch

with built-up walls

and black and white chequered Victorian-style tiles.

So, what's the damage?

-£4,900.

-Yeah.

Whoa! That's £1,400 over budget.

They've all pitched, and Claire and Chris need to decide

whether they want any of them to do the job.

-From my perspective, I think price is important.

-Mm.

But, obviously, at the same time, it's your house,

and you know you want it to look good.

The rival builders wait.

-We like the job.

-Oh, that means they've gone in cheap, then!

-Check out that body language!

-THEY LAUGH

We could do it if we wanted, but I don't know if we want it or not.

There can only be one winner.

They're all over budget, so will it be Gavin and Jimbo

with their locally sourced oak - the cheapest of the three -

Martin and Mick's freshly sawn oak and rebuilt retaining walls -

the middle quote -

or Simon and John's storm porch with black and white tiles -

the most expensive of the three?

PHONE RINGS

Only the winner's phone will ring.

-PHONE RINGS

-Here we go.

-Hello?

-Hello. Is this Gavin and Jimbo?

-This is Gavin and Jimbo.

-Yeah.

-Hello there.

We really liked your pitch. We loved your ideas.

As you know, our budget was £3,500, and you guys quoted £3,800.

We want to know, do you have a little bit of flexibility in that?

Ooh!

We'll do you a deal - we'll knock £100 off.

I reckon Claire could make a mean carrot cake.

That sounds fantastic and I'd say we have a deal on that.

-Thank you very much, guys.

-Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Claire.

-Awesome. I look forward to it.

-I'm very pleased.

-I think this means happy pipes.

-HE LAUGHS

The locally reclaimed oak timber

was a very good selling point for Gavin and Jimbo.

I think the area we live in, it's all about sustainability

and everything and I think that fits quite nicely within that.

-Well done, mate.

-Touch.

So, Gavin and Jimbo have won the job and the losers are not best pleased.

-I wanted this one.

-Well, I know that.

I can tell you're a little bit upset.

You don't hide it very well. I can tell it.

We'll pick ourselves up, Mick, and we'll go again.

Yeah, we'll keep an eye on the boys.

We'll keep a close eye on these boys, see what they get up to.

See what comes out. We'll have to up our game.

-I want to know how they're going to bend down to get their tools, they're so tall.

-Yeah.

You'll find out later, lads,

when you get a chance to watch them at work.

If you're having work done outside your house,

there's a few things you can do

to make life easy for you and your builder.

Before you get the builders in,

just bear in mind that the area needs to be clear

and ready for us to start.

Think of the access during the build.

It could get muddy going in and out.

If you've got an outside garage or shed with some electricity,

you know all you need to do is set up a coffee station

and we won't be bothering you.

It's day one of the build.

Weighing bags at the ready, my poppet.

Gavin and Jimbo have pulled in extra manpower

to get the job done in four days.

Oh, the porch. The one we should have won.

HE GROANS The losing builders are all eyes,

watching their every move.

Well, let's see what the boys have done.

-Let's see what they're going to produce.

-It's a four-stage job -

tear down the old porch,

lay a new slab floor,

and erect those oak pillars,

then build a pitch roof

covered in reclaimed tiles.

Easy, right?

So, what we've got to try and do is gingerly take it down.

Well, I'm going to try and get the lead off first.

Come on, Gav. Get on with it.

Yeah, Gav, that is wobbling quite a bit up there. It's quite loose.

-No!

-HE LAUGHS

The entire porch has clearly been rotting for years.

You know it's bad when even the spiders have left.

-They left cos of your jokes, Gav.

-THEY LAUGH

And although it's completely rotten...

Just trapped my finger twice.

..it's not coming down easily.

I tell you what - that was fixed a little bit better than it looked.

-Easy.

-Yeah.

But after a bit of elbow grease and hard work,

the old porch is no more.

-What do you reckon, James?

-Yeah, pretty good.

And bang on cue, the materials arrive for the new porch...

These are nice.

..including those impressive oak pillars.

Where do you want it? On top of this wood?

-Ooh, that's a nice bit of oak beam, John.

-That is proper tidy, isn't it?

With all the materials on site,

first job is to lay the Indian stone paving.

What is it you're exactly doing now, then?

I'm just tapping this into place.

It's hard with these things cos they've got a pattern to them.

So, it's hard to get it perfectly level

because you've got so many lumps and bumps.

-Is that why you picked them?

-Yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

Were they meant to be like that?

We've actually got exactly the right amount of slabs.

No room for error, I'm afraid.

Yeah, it's going to be tight, so the pressure is on.

And those paving stones aren't cheap.

Still, coming along nicely, Jimbo.

Yeah, not quite, though. Still got one more to do.

He's nearly there. Looking good.

And just as he's fitting the final slab,

homeowner Claire can't resist a look.

-Hi!

-How are you doing?

-Good, good. Where's my porch gone?

-It's gone.

-Oh, that's brilliant.

One more cut and that's it for the day.

-No pressure, huh?

-No.

-And there's only one left.

-The pressure's on.

-Don't break that last slab, huh?

I'll try not to.

Right, come on, hurry up. I want to see if he gets it right.

Oh, one slab, one cut.

If this doesn't work, then it holds the porch up.

-Oh, he looks nervous, doesn't he?

-Oh, pressure's on.

It's a good 'un.

-Oh!

-He looks like he's done all right there.

-I'll give him that one.

-Oh, beautiful.

The stress is over.

Good cut, Jimbo.

The paving needs to set before they can build the porch.

We'll be back to watch them later.

Back in Hyde, Greater Manchester...

-Right, let's unload it.

-Get it all in.

-Get it in.

..Mark is back at Angela's with all the components

for the secret cupboard, which were built off-site.

He's drafted in carpenter Jay to help with fitting,

but there's no sign of Chris.

-Oh, dear.

-Yeah, he's a little late.

-Oops.

-Handbags again.

There are 20 sections to be built in the cupboard,

so they're wasting no time getting everything in,

and Mark's very happy with his bespoke construction.

-Ooh!

-LAUGHTER

Happy days.

It only takes a dozen trips up and downstairs

to get everything in.

Careful not to scratch any walls, make some more work.

Why have you got your sunglasses on inside?

I know. He's a case, isn't he?

And just as they've made the last trip...

What time do you call this?

LAUGHTER

-Better late than never.

-HE CHUCKLES

-THEY LAUGH

-Is he doing nights?

Can we be lucky enough for the first time?

Bang on.

It's a tight space and fitting the prebuilt shelves

is a giant jigsaw puzzle...

..and chippy Jay proves he's worth his weight in gold.

Beautiful, Jay. You've done this before, haven't you, mate?

Once or twice.

But it's not long before he finds himself in a tight spot.

It's just been a bit awkward

cos the walls are out of square slightly.

I thought they'd re-boarded them walls.

-Yeah, I thought they were meant to be perfect this time.

-Yeah, perfect.

We're just taking off a bit at a time just to get it right.

And the lack of space is slowing the job down.

A bit of a kerfuffle at the moment here

because there's not enough room to manoeuvre about in here,

so everybody's under each other's feet.

God, you'd have to like each other in there, wouldn't you?

It's not built for, like, three people working in there, is it?

The tight space isn't stopping Jay.

That's the shelves done. Now it's onto the desk.

-Starting to look good now, isn't it?

-Yeah.

And with that desk in...

-Finally!

-..it's now time for the cupboard's crowning glory -

the secret door that won Mark and Chris the pitch.

-No pressure.

-It's the moment of truth, yeah.

It's 140cm deep and it's got seven shelves made out of solid wood,

so it's heavy and needs support.

So, we've got a wheel on the bottom that's rated at 70 kilos.

This'll be interesting.

Just because we know once all the books are on there and everything,

it's going to be quite a bit of weight on there.

So, one single wheel - that's taking the weight of everything.

Protrudes the bottom by about 3mm.

It was a great idea, to be fair.

Now they just need to fit it.

This is the point where you actually realise

if everything is going to come together or not,

because everything is revolved around

this door fitting in this space.

It's the money shot.

-Are you in?

-Top one.

I'm watching now.

Don't get excited cos this might not even fit.

Look at Chris doing nothing.

Most exciting moment of all.

Here we go.

Oh-ho-ho-ho!

-Boom!

-Ooh!

-HE LAUGHS

-It looks good to me.

That's really good.

-That looks good. I like that.

-Very nice. Very nice.

And with that, the cupboard is done.

-Another job...

-Job well done.

-..absolutely bang on.

Absolutely made up with you, lad. Let's get out of here.

HE LAUGHS

In total, Mark and Chris have spent just over a week

working on the cupboard in Finnan's bedroom.

-It's so small, that space, isn't it, when you think about it?

-Yeah, it's tiny.

I can't think of anything worse than working in that kind of space.

What will the rivals think of it now?

-I'm interested to see what this looks like.

-Yeah.

I'm intrigued to see what this one's going look like. It sounded good.

Mark and Chris have built bespoke book shelves.

-Quality that, isn't it?

-That looks nice.

But that's not all. They also double as a secret door.

Superb. Yeah, really good. Really, really good.

And inside, there's plenty of storage...

That looks wicked.

-It looks good, that.

-Looks fantastic.

..for all of Finnan's clothes, toys, and even a computer desk.

-That is brilliant, isn't it?

-Oh, that's fab!

-Yeah.

-Yeah, nice job, boys. Really nice job.

It's a hit with the losing builders...

-That looks great.

-He's going to love this.

..but they're not who Mark and Chris were trying to impress.

It's an innovative design

which Angela has kept completely secret from Finnan.

So, will he be bowled over?

-We decided that we'd make this into shelves.

-Yeah.

Erm, I've got my, like, books here.

I want that room.

-You can use it...

-And then does it open?

-Ooh!

-THEY LAUGH

Watch this.

Cool! It's, like, secret.

Secret room.

-Go on, lad.

-Go on, lad.

-THEY LAUGH

-It's cool, this.

-Do you like it?

-Yeah.

-He's made up, look.

-Yeah, he is.

-Look at his face. Bless him.

Then, over there, you've got what you really wanted - a desk

with a computer.

-A computer?

-Yeah.

-Cool.

-I'm super happy with that.

-I am.

I thought it was going to be good, but it's better than good, this.

THEY LAUGH

I've got the best bedroom

out of all my friends.

That's one super happy customer.

-I can't get over that. I'm made up.

-Superb.

-Yeah.

Back in Woldingham, Surrey,

Gavin's building the frame for the porch...

Looks like we've picked the perfect day for it.

Working with timber in the rain.

..and today he's drafted in more help to build the roof.

When working with Matthew, I need to check every single bit of his work.

HE LAUGHS

No good keep putting the level on it. It ain't going to change.

Happy the frame is in exactly the right place,

they secure it with a bracing beam so it doesn't move an inch.

Just to point out - this isn't staying.

-THEY LAUGH

-Don't lie. I saw your last job!

Ooh! And then we got a roof.

Over the next couple of days,

a team of roofers build a timber pitch over the porch,

then lay the tiles on top.

It's kind of like the finishing touches on every single part of it.

I've just... I've noticed Gav ain't done a lot on this job so far, John.

-No, he's not done a lot, has he?

-No.

So, we've got Kim. He's up there, just finishing all the muck work.

That's cementing the tiles in place to you and me.

You'll notice that's all a special colour muck

just to go with the reclaimed tiles. Not just thrown together, this.

-Looks nice, though.

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

Next, Gav fits outside lights to the new posts -

an easy fit for a sparkie.

You can tell that's his trade, mate.

-Hold on.

-Oh, maybe not.

-THEY LAUGH

If you've got hands like shovels,

-it's not the easiest thing to do, is it?

-There we go.

The last few reclaimed tiles are going on.

I mean, it's come together quite nice.

Gavin is happy with the way it looks.

It's a period property, so if you put

something new on there, it would just look odd

cos it would take years and years and years to weather.

But this will all blend in.

The idea was to make this look like it's been here forever.

With the guttering going up...

..the timber being treated...

..and a new pendant lamp to finish the roof off...

-Oh, very tidy, Gav.

-I have to say, that's a nice job.

-Yeah.

-HE IMITATES TRUMPET

-Blowing me own trumpet.

It's better than good. It is perfect.

-I thought they were putting another side to it. Look, it's all exposed.

-It is exposed.

-You can see all the batons and the tiles underneath.

-Oh, dear.

..the last job is to point the paving.

This is the final bit now.

We're just tidying it up, making it look the part.

It's a bit of a fiddly little job, but, hey, someone's got to do it.

And with that, the porch is complete.

All I can do is a hand gesture.

Winners!

W also stands for something else, though, doesn't it, John? Yeah.

-Wallies. Wallies, John.

-Wallies. Yeah, wallies.

Claire and Chris's porch was a rotting mess.

Ooh, state of that.

So, what will the losing builders think of it now?

It won't be as good as ours,

but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

-That... That is lovely.

-That is proper nice.

-Yeah.

They've done a good job, but I think ours looked better.

I think our design was stronger.

Over the last four days, Gavin and Jimbo have battled the elements

to build Claire and Chris the porch they wanted.

I have to say, the roof looks good.

-For an oak porch...

-Lovely.

-..I would have thought

-there would have been more oak, though.

-Yeah.

They followed their plan and built a pitch-roofed porch

covered with reclaimed tiles...

They've done a really good quality job.

Can't fault their job. It's a strong, strong eight.

..supported by local oak posts

with new Indian stone slabs laid underneath.

-I'd be happy if it was my house.

-I would, as well.

I'd be more than pleased with that outside my house.

The losers are impressed.

Looks good.

-Right, are you comfortable, dear?

-Just.

-OK, just get out of my way.

-No, I want to touch you.

-Now for the big moment.

Gavin and Jimbo are in position, but will Claire and Chris like it?

HE GASPS

Don't you think it's added some va-va-voom to the house?

Wow! Va-va-voom is an understatement.

It's incredible, isn't it?

Yeah, fantastic.

I love the way the oakwork blends in with the brickwork,

so it doesn't look like something that's been attached on recently.

-That looks wicked, doesn't it?

-It does look good.

Look at the roof. I mean, it matches the existing roof.

That's incredible.

-I'm glad they're happy.

-Yeah, they are.

-That means a lot.

-It means a lot.

-It's top, yeah.

Now, when we come back and it's raining,

we can spend a bit of time at the door.

This is incredible. I love it.

A happy customer,

and it all came in as agreed at £3,700.

-I'm happy.

-I'm double happy, yeah.

-What's wrong with your neck?

-THEY LAUGH

Well done, fellas. Good luck next time.