Episode 29 Homes Under the Hammer

Hello, and welcome to the show.

Now, wherever you live, London, Livingston, Liverpool,

bagging a property bargain can be tricky,

but that's not to say they can't be found.

Now, one thing we learn week after week on this show is the importance

of doing local property research before you buy.

Yes, so where should you start that search?

How about your local property auction?

Whether you've got ?1,000 to spend on a project,

or hundreds of thousands of pounds,

people are always looking to add value to their property.

By making the right decisions and putting in some hard graft,

sometimes you can do just that.

Yes, so what happened with today's properties?

Well, here's what coming up on today's show.

I'm in Bilston in the West Midlands

to see a house with surfaces that have an interesting feel to them.

There's another texture to add to our walls - this time bubbles!

Whilst Lucy is in Kent to see a cute cottage,

but will it be all she can wish for?

Wish me well.

Well, I wish the penny would drop for me in this house in Stoke-on-Trent,

because I can't find the bathroom anywhere.

And I'll tell you why... I'll tell you why I can't find it...

All these properties have been sold at auction,

and we'll find out who bought them and what they paid when they went

under the hammer.

You bought it, well done.

I'm in Bilston, a small market town on the periphery of Wolverhampton.

It has its own Metro station as well as good bus links

and access to the M5 and the M6.

So, it's well placed for commuting to nearby Birmingham

and further afield.

Along this fairly busy road, we have a detached two bedroom property

with a guide price of ?29,000 to ?34,000.

Now, this is good.

It has off-street parking

and the size of this garden is fantastic because

it takes it back from that busy road.

Now, the best bit in the auction catalogue is it describes the

property as having development potential, which really excites me,

and I can't wait to have a look inside.

So, what have we got here? A pretty tired looking house.

So, you have the polystyrene tiles, which definitely need to come down.

And here we have a reception room which is good proportions, small.

Fireplace - not to everyone's taste,

and it's not central heating, which is an issue you would have to resolve.

It's very dated.

So, this carpet is flowery, won't have been changed for decades,

and on the walls, well,

there's all sorts of interesting textures going on,

from woodchip to rainbows.

Here, a glass door, I've never seen the likes of it..

Could be a feature, I guess.

And another very small reception room.

Many textures on the walls again.

Another fireplace which would probably have to come out.

You have double glazing, which is good,

and may well not need to be replaced.

And here, we have a kitchen which has a cheek at calling itself

a kitchen, because really it's only a sink and a cooker.

So, that would need to come out, be ripped out.

You also have a little toilet, which is good news on the ground floor.

So far, loads of work to be done, but not a bad start.

I think I see a pattern emerging with these wall and floor coverings,

and as much as I love vintage style, vintage health and safety?

Definitely not a good look.

Old polystyrene tiles can be a fire hazard,

and even more dangerous when they're painted.

It's also unlikely the patterned glass door's made of safety glass.

Time for them to go!

# Patterns all around you

# Patterns everywhere... #

So, upstairs...

OK, that's the bathroom and it is actually just a bathroom,

there's no toilet, so you would really need to get a toilet in here,

but you are squished for space.

You have a small bedroom here.

It won't surprise you to learn there's polystyrene tiles on the

roof, which will have to come down,

and there's another texture to add to our walls, this time bubbles!

Going through... Ah, this is a better proportioned-sized bedroom,

but I see there's a floorboard missing.

Now, closer inspection shows there are signs of woodworm,

so you would have to check that's been treated properly.

Definitely needs investigating.

I like this. This little feature fireplace could stay in some shape

or form. It's a blank canvas, which is great,

and you don't have the polystyrene tiles up there.

You don't hear much because of the double glazing,

so that's a great sign.

Do you know what? If it wasn't for the fact it didn't have an actual

toilet, this would be a really good layout upstairs.

There's loads to be done, but good potential.

# Something's missing from my life... #

An upstairs toilet would be a little handier for a midnight trip to the

loo and installing one shouldn't cause too much of a splash,

as there's already plumbing.

The issue here is lack of space.

You could nab a bit from one of the bedrooms unless

there's another solution.

Heading out to the back garden, well, that's some piece of land.

It's bigger than I expected.

So, not only do you have a really decent sized front garden,

you've got loads of room out here.

And somehow, having a two-bed house on this big plot doesn't do it

justice, don't you think?

And this brings me back to the earlier point of development potential.

You could extend a little bit to the side, you could go up,

and you could come out here to make this into a larger family house.

All, of course, dependant on planning permission.

But it's definitely an option worth exploring.

Let's get some local knowledge from an agent from the auction house

that's sold the property.

What does he think of the house, guided at between 29 to 34 grand?

The property requires works doing from what I would say top to bottom,

but I would imagine that in the right hands it could be made quite nice.

It's got a nice, big garden.

You've got room to extend the property without detracting from

any facility of garden with it.

You've also got off-road parking in a garage to the side,

so it's quite, sort of, a good basic start.

Extending seems like the obvious option here, but before embarking on

any development you should always take into account what the demand

is and what the ceiling price is in the area.

If you spend too much,

you might never make your money back should you need to sell.

Still, with such a low guide price of ?29,000 to ?34,000,

there could be profit to be made.

As a two-bedroom property in reasonable condition,

I would imagine that the price you would achieve would be somewhere

between ?110,000 and ?120,000.

And if you were to extend to a three bed,

what could it be worth then?

It's difficult to put a value on a property that's theoretically going

to be extended, but I would imagine a three-bedroom property would be in

the region of ?140,000, maybe ?150,000.

This really is a property with plenty of potential.

A relatively small and tired two-bed on a sizeable plot of land,

but it could be so much more.

So, who had the vision to turn it round?

Let's head to auction to find out.

This next lot is a freehold detached house.

So, who'll bid me, then? Start me if you will.

I think at 50,000, but I'll make it easy for you, is it 40...?

50, thank you, sir. Man after my own heart.

At 50,000 I'm bid.

Is it 60 now?

Are we all done? Is it 60 anywhere?

At 60, I'm bid, and thank you.

At 60, I'm bid.. Is it 70 now, sir?

Five, is that?

Five. 65. Thank you. 65.

Same for you, sir. Do you want 70?

70 I'm bid. At 70.

75?

Are you sure?

Is there 75 anywhere?

Two, then, sir? 72?

No? At ?70,000.

Can I see your number, sir? Number 985.

72, a new bid at 72.

74, sir?

No. At 72,000.

Are we all done?

At 72,000.

One, two, three...

That's yours, sir. Can I just check the number?

Was it... 584.

That is yours. Well done.

The successful bid of ?72,000,

at double the upper end of the guide price,

came from property developer Jazz, who lives nearby.

I went along for a chat with him about his latest project.

# Just a little bit of jazz tonight

# Makes you feel all right... #

Jazz, congratulations.

Thank you. Tell me, what was auction like?

It was OK. Yeah, I've seen a few properties.

This one came up.

I looked at it externally and I got it at the right price.

Oh, externally?

So this as the first time you've been inside?

Yes. That's a Hammer thing not to do, Jazz.

Be honest with me, when you came inside, because it was the first time, what did you think?

Did you think I've made the right move?

I did think, like, "Oh, gosh."

But, yes, definitely, I love a project.

The guide price was 29,000 to 34,000.

You paid 72,000.

Double the higher estimate of the guide price.

Talk me through that decision.

It was just, do the research and, like,

finding out what prices two-bedroom detached prices

are going for at that time. They were going for, with the condition of the property, 80, 85,

but I put a budget on there at 75, which I got it for 72.

I was more than happy.

Jazz may not have viewed the property,

but at least he's done his homework,

and he was determined to get this place,

as he has lots of plans for the land itself.

I want to extend it, like, the back.

Extend the back out, extend the side it.

Put a garage, a couple of bedrooms upstairs, one with ensuite.

Extend the kitchen out.

And the front garden, back garden, tidy that up a bit.

OK. And have you looked into that? Have you looked into the planning?

I've looked into it, and we've got planning in process, which will take six to eight weeks,

and then, step-by-step, go from there.

But, Jazz, just what if they say no?

We'll have to go back to the basics and just as it is, you know,

to extend the bathroom out and to put a new kitchen in,

and then just have it out as it is.

You've got a plan B? Yeah, we've got a plan B.

And what's your overall budget?

Budget to extend it? 60?

60,000 to extend to a four-bed?

Have you done your research in the local market to see if there's demand for four-bed houses.

There is indeed, yeah.

There's schools, local shops, a lot of population, yeah.

A lot of three, four beds, and they're going for, like, decent prices.

What's your feeling for what you could get for a four-bed?

I feel that I could get for a four-bed about 199,

near enough to 200,000.

So, with your 72 paid price, and your 60,000 budget?

60. OK, you're looking at a healthy profit.

I hope so.

Well, Jazz, I hope so, too.

And as long as he can stick to the budget and six-month timescale,

turning a decent profit should be feasible.

Although he's keeping his options open when it comes to this the finished article.

When the time comes I will consider like renting or, like, yeah, selling.

Whatever suits me.

OK, so you've got an open mind?

Yes, I have. So, you didn't look inside, but you did lots of things right.

Thank you.

I did my research. I read all the pack.

And do you have the right people, you think?

You have the experience. Yeah, I've got a few people.

I've got a few builders in mind.

And how much of a role will you play in the development?

Not much. Not much at all!

Jazz, best of luck, I can't wait to see what to do with the place.

Thank you.

So, Jazz has some pretty big plans to turn this property around,

but right now his ideas lie in the hands of planners,

and of course getting that all-important permission.

How will he get on? Join us later in the programme to find out.

Lucy is in the county nicknamed the Garden of England.

Yes, Kent.

She's five miles from Maidstone, surrounded by lovely countryside.

This is the characterful village of Nettlestead Green.

Now, the cars do hurtle along this road,

but this is a lovely semirural spot,

and it's a stone's throw from the local pub.

Now, the property I'm here to see is a two-bed semi.

It had a guide price of ?185,000 to ?195,000.

It's so lovely looking from the outside.

It's got yellow roses around the door.

I'm really happy!

Now, just before I go through the front door, look what I found.

It's a well! I am going to make a quick wish.

Wish me well.

# By the wishing well

# By the wishing well... #

Well, the character features aren't jumping out at me

but you do get that very cottagey, homely feeling

as soon as you walk in.

Quite low ceilings.

Good news is here we've got double glazing,

which is great because it's quite a noisy road out there.

And this little inglenook fireplace here, with some marble on the top.

It all needs decorating, you can see.

A bit dated here,

and the room has been split up into two separate little areas.

There's obviously the lounge area and then the kitchen.

But again, it is really, really small.

You could do with having new units.

So, unless you extend, you are stuck with quite a small cottage.

But if that's the sort of thing you like,

then this could be a really nice, homely home for you.

Off the kitchen is a lean-to conservatory,

which doesn't look in too bad condition even though

it's single glazed.

And at the back of the house is a narrow staircase.

Seriously, the treads are like...

Well, look! This big!

And I've only got a size four and half a foot

and I'm finding that I'm having to turn to the side

to get up the stairs.

It's not jolly well easy, you know.

Excuse me.

On this level is a family bathroom and a large double bedroom

with wardrobe space.

There's a narrow corridor in front of the bathroom

which leads to another narrow stairway to the attic level.

Here, there's another large bedroom with disappointing views.

There are also signs of damp at the apex.

Time to look at the garden.

So, outside into this pretty little courtyard garden.

Little outbuilding here.

Really ideal for the morning sun

and table and chairs, a bit of breakfast.

You can hear the wildlife.

It's really, really lovely.

But that's not it, because there's more.

This way.

# I walked across

# An empty land

# I knew the pathway like the back of my hand... #

CHUCKLES This is crazy!

This is the garden that just keeps on giving.

Look at this!

It's another secret little garden.

Who would ever know this is here?

How fantastic!

I mean, this is a plot of land in itself.

You've got a lovely little pond. Well, it's not lovely.

You could do something with that and it could look spectacular.

And not only that, you've got all of this through here.

There's so much space!

And what do I love is that you can just smell the log fires burning

in the air.

Oh, I love the countryside.

And the countryside is a very different market to the city.

So, I invited along a local estate agent to get his views on the property,

its prospects and potential values.

Nettlestead Green is a nice location.

Obviously you have good links into the local towns as well.

You're quite close by to West Malling, Maidstone

and then obviously the links to London and the motorways.

What changes to the property would the agent make?

In terms of reconfiguration,

I think you'd potentially like to put a third bedroom here to maximise

the revenue potential.

I think that having a third bedroom will increase the asking price of this house.

And what about the potential in the garden?

I mean, my thoughts of the garden first of all, it just keeps going and going.

You sort of walk round the corner and there's more of it.

So, utilising that space is a necessity in my opinion.

There's so much that you could do potentially towards the rear of the

garden, with maybe an outbuilding

or something along the lines of that.

Guided at ?185,000 to ?195,000 what could the property fetch after

refurbishment to a higher standard?

As a two-bed dwelling I believe this property would sell somewhere in the

region of ?280,000 to ?300,000.

If you were to extend this property I feel it would be worth somewhere

in the region of ?350,000.

Potentially pushing that figure depending on the renovation works.

I really like this cottage with all its character and the added bonus of

this lovely garden.

Yes, it's small and it does need updating and ideally it could do

with an extension but I think it could be a really pretty home for someone.

So, who's ready to dip their toe in the water and turn this place around?

Let's head to auction and find out.

I've got a guide of 185, 195.

Start me where you will. 185 to start me.

180, then.

180 I have, thank you.

?180,000 is bid.

At ?180,000 I have, take five to keep moving.

185.

And 190. 190. 195. 195.

And 200. 200 is bid.

And 205.

Unfortunately, as big as that smile is, you're still out.

At ?200,000 on my left-hand side, gentleman's bid.

The bidding continued at a pace to where we rejoin at 228,000.

228. 230 is bid.

232. At 230 then, for the first time.

At 230. 230

for the second time.

230, third and final time.

Gentleman's bid, are you all done?

Sold at 230.

The successful bid of 230,000 came from retired refrigerator engineer

Peter at the auction with his wife, Jackie.

This is their third development project.

The first proved a steep learning curve but they got into their stride

with the second, which they've sold on.

They live about 15 miles away from this, their third purchase.

And Lucy met them at the house to find out more.

Jackie and Peter, congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you. Jackie, what do you like?

When you walk in through the front door, how does it make you feel?

It was cosy, it's welcoming.

Yeah, I think the only problem I have with the stairs, I think.

The stairs? OK, I've got to say I struggled getting up and down those stairs.

Yes. They're very tight. But there's nothing I don't think you can do about that.

Well, if I get a little extension and all this wall comes out here,

then we could maybe put a new staircase in, for this level anyway.

I don't think the other stairs are as tight.

So Peter, you've just told me that you're planning on an extension here.

I'd really love to put a double extension on it...

Yeah. To give me a third bedroom.

Yeah.

And extend the roof out from the top bedroom, make it an en-suite.

Wow. It'll be lovely. Is this going to be a home for yourselves?

We'd love to in the end but I think,

won't know that until halfway through.

But you've got that surprise plot of land just around the corner.

Now, what are you going to do with that? What can you do with that?

I think it'll be a nice log cabin.

Yes. A big log cabin, to caravan standards.

Yeah. When I say that,

you don't have to have so much planning permission for that.

If somebody bought this and they had kids still at home,

30-year-olds or whatever, that couldn't afford to get mortgage,

it might be a granny annexe...

Yeah. Or for a son or a daughter or the pair of them to actually get

away from mum and dad. That's the ideas that I've got.

Whether that'll come to fruition's another thing, so.

I'm sure there are lots of families out there thinking exactly that.

That'll be an ideal situation for us. Yeah.

What sort of budget have you guys got? Have you thought about it?

Just under 60. OK, ?60,000 to do the complete works here.

Yeah, here. To change everything... Yeah, yeah. To expand, to go up.

What about the wishing well? Have you made your wish yet?

No. Not yet. I've got to make a bit of an issue of that.

I think that... Keep that, I'd like to keep that and make something of it. I mean, how lovely is that?

You can't wipe the smile off your face, actually,

I've got to say you do look so delighted that you've got this.

Yeah, absolutely.

A big drawback for me though, and I'm going to be honest here, is the road out the front.

Yeah, yeah. Because that is quite busy.

I mean, you know, the cars literally whizz past.

A bit of triple glazing.

As far as the speed that the cars go,

I think something will be done about that in the future.

But saying that, haven't you got amazing views out there?

Yeah, it's lovely. Beautiful countryside.

So, if you look above the cars, you can just see, you know, fields and beyond, can't you?

That's it, absolutely. That's obviously a main reason for

buying it as well. So, and it quietens down at night.

It's a lovely house.

Are you prepared to be losing your husband to a lot of time spent here?

I think it's going to be a few...

A few, "Surely you haven't got to go back down there today."

Yeah. So, he does put his heart and soul into it?

Absolutely he does. He's brilliant.

I can't sit about for too long.

Well you've certainly got a project here.

Yeah. You've got to turn this place around.

You've got to get permission, you've got to decorate it, you've got to build it. Yeah.

Think of something amazing to do with that little plot out the back.

Yeah. And what timescale have you given yourself?

I'm looking at a year.

A year, so. I think it's going to take two to three months

for planning permission, and that could be refused anyway.

So, how well do you two know this area?

Well, I met Jackie down this way.

Oh! She had a boat and I bought a boat a couple years after,

and that's how we got to know each other.

Jackie was down one end, and I was up at the other end.

So... So, there's a romantic link.

Yeah. I love it! It gets even better!

That's why you've got the wishing well and the roses around the door!

Absolutely. The romantic story ends here!

We're married now, aren't we dear? Oh, yeah. Married now. We are.

It's coming up about two years of marriage now, so...

Two years. So, it's quite a recent... Oh, absolutely, yeah.

..affair of lovely, happiness... Yeah. Two years, wow!

That is such a lovely story.

Look, guys, you've got so much to be thinking about,

so much to be getting on with, good luck with this.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Lucy. Lovely to meet you.

Thank you. Jackie, lovely to meet you.

Well, it certainly seems like Peter and Jackie's wishes have come true.

They seem thrilled about buying this little cottage,

but now all the hard work starts and what will we return to see?

A single or a double storey extension?

Who knows! Maybe even a log cabin out the back.

Careful what you wish for, Lucy.

Coming up, I'm afraid I've got some bad news

at this house in Stoke-on-Trent.

You are not going to get a high street mortgage for this property.

No chance.

And find out if everything went well for Peter and Jackie

at their cottage renovation.

Time now to head back to Bilston,

where I saw a detached house that was chock-full

of many dated ceiling coverings.

And here, well you have a kitchen which has a cheek at calling itself a kitchen

because, really, it's only a sink and a cooker.

So, that would need to come out.

You also have a little toilet, which is good news on the ground floor.

But that good news soon turned bad once I got upstairs.

OK. That's the bathroom and it is actually a bathroom.

There's no toilet in there and it's pretty cramped.

You could think about getting rid of the bunker to put in a toilet,

but you are squished for space.

The kitchen and bathroom are supposed to be practical spaces,

but in this house what was on offer was practically a joke,

or a practical joke.

So, there was a lot to think about.

Donning his thinking cap was property developer Jazz,

who paid ?72,000 for the house.

And he reckoned he had a solution to the house's quirky proportions.

I want to extend it, like the back.

So, extend the back out, extend the side out, put a garage.

Couple of bedrooms upstairs, one with an en-suite.

OK, and have you looked into that? Have you looked into the planning?

I've looked into it, and we've got planning in process which will take six to eight weeks.

And then step-by-step go from there.

But Jazz... Yeah. Just what if they say no?

We'll have to go back to the basics.

So, it's time to see if Jazz managed to get that planning permission for

the extension because we're heading back eight months later.

Although the exterior and garden are looking much better,

the planned extension didn't go ahead as Jazz was quoted

up to his entire 60 grand budget for the extension alone.

Rightly, he didn't feel like it was worth the risk of spending more and

extending himself financially.

However, don't be too disappointed because plan B is pretty good.

He may have simplified the plan and gone back to basics

but it's still stylish and modern.

# Bring it back to basics

# You and I, I, I will make it right

# Let's get back to basics

# Bring it back, back to basics... #

Yes, the whole property has been gutted and taken back to the brick

before having a new central heating system and electrics put in.

The entire house has been refloored, which sorted that woodworm issue,

and has been carpeted, or tiled, where appropriate.

Upstairs, that poky little bathroom without a loo has seen big changes.

It's had part of the wall removed to gain that extra bit of room needed here.

And although Jazz might not have got the extra two bedrooms he wanted up

here, the two he has are bright, fresh and ready to move into.

Well, almost, as one does need a slight touch-up,

as despite not extending, not everything here has been straightforward.

After the complete refurb we started to get leaks around the chimney

breasts, the ceiling started to get damp patches.

It was a bit of a nightmare to be honest.

It was like banging my head against the wall to tell you the truth.

Once he was done banging his head off the wall,

Jazz got some professionals in to do a bang up job.

So, we got the roofer involved, we had all the ridge tiles brand-new,

replaced. With the chimneys as well, they was in a right state,

we had to have them repointed.

We had the broken tiles replaced, we had the roof checked inside.

We had the replastering done again and a couple of the bedrooms,

we had them painted back to the original.

But it's all A1 now, it's all good to go.

Jazz and his team of regular tradesmen were finished within five months,

but the leaky roof delay has meant that it's taken a further three months to be ready to move into.

With all the delays, who can really say if Jazz would have been better

off going for the full four-bed double storey extension?

Maybe we'd still have been waiting to see the finished product.

I have changed my mind for the property extension.

So, it's like, either gamble my money or the way I thought was just,

refurb the house, get what I can out.

Because I did at the time think, "Oh, I'm going to make nothing."

But luckily I'm very, very happy with it.

I've done everything to, like, you know, A-spec, and, yeah,

very happy indeed.

That A1-spec Jazz is pleased with cost him ?30,000 to achieve.

Adding that and nine grand worth of legal and auction fees

to his ?72,000 purchase price brings his total spend here to ?111,000.

Let's find out if two local estate agents think it's all been worth it.

First impressions of the property, it's been done to a high standard.

It's nice and clean and neutral, ready for someone to move into it.

The layout works. You've got a good-sized driveway.

You come into the property, you've got the entrance lobby,

the lounge, the kitchen area, so it flows through.

The layout then for the property on the outside,

you've got further parking, potential for a garage,

and possibly potential certainly for conservatory or extension like that.

So the layout is good.

But what about getting the lay of the land when it comes to those sales figures?

The sales valuation as it is would be for ?130,000.

For a sales valuations going on the market,

I'd put this on at an asking price of ?135,000.

The top value there would give Jazz a pre-tax profit of ?24,000.

So, how does he feel about that?

Gutted.

Gutted? Why?

When I originally added value they was saying put it on the market

like 125. And 130, 135, if I'd known that,

I would have put it a bit more. Yeah. That's why I'm gutted.

Ah, yes, Jazz has had the house on the market already,

and has actually accepted an offer of ?129,000 for it.

So, maybe he could have squeezed a little bit more out of the house.

But would he have gotten more had he gambled on that extension,

which could have taken his total spend here to upwards of ?171,000?

As a four-bedroom property, it would be around ?160,000 to ?165,000.

As a four-bedroom property,

I'd expect the property to be an asking price in the region of ?170,000.

Yeah, I'm happy that I went with option B

If I went with option A, I would have made a huge loss.

Jazz did a sensible thing here by not extending the house,

and he didn't extend himself too much either.

With an 18 grand pre-tax profit on its way

he's got every reason to feel chaffed.

If I drive past the house in the future,

I will definitely drive past with a big smile.

We are in Etruria, an area of Stoke-on-Trent

that started life as a purpose-built factory village.

It was created by famous potter Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s as

home for his specialist workforce.

Wedgwood's mill may be long gone,

but his village has become a residential suburb of Stoke,

consisting of mainly terrace houses.

So we are half a mile away from Wedgwood's old house,

and not far from a modern retail park as well.

The property I'm here to see is a terrace house, it's got two bedrooms,

and a guide price of 39,500.

Let's get inside and take a look.

Right.

Off the street, straight into the first reception room

and you've got this over here.

It is...

It looks new but it's pretty old-fashioned and dated,

and you've got a gas fire as well.

I do like sash windows.

They're quite cool nowadays, but you need some double glazing,

keep that heat in, keep the noise out.

Through into the second reception room,

as you're coming you see these quarry tiles, original quarry tiles.

And just above my head, you've got an old-fashioned drying rack,

where you'd wash your clothes and you stick 'em on the drying rack to get dry.

A little fireplace here. Again, not really in keeping.

Get rid of that. You want to modernize this place,

make it look a little bit cool now.

Into the kitchen.

And...

OK, no kitchen in here at all.

And I'm surprised, cos normally,

in a house of this style and this period,

there's normally a bathroom or toilet beyond the kitchen.

I haven't found one yet.

# Searching...

# For that something that I'll never find... #

If you are not a cash buyer,

you'll also have to search around for a mortgage for this property before you can say...

# You're mine... #

Right now, with no usable kitchen,

it will make it very difficult to get a standard mortgage.

You may have to get a specialist bridging loan or put up a higher

percentage of deposit with the proviso that you put one in.

So down here just needs to be completely gutted.

And I'll be pretty gutted if I don't find a bathroom upstairs.

Right. We have got two bedrooms up here.

Bedroom one

and bedroom two.

But I'm still on the search for that elusive bathroom,

or even a toilet will do.

I've looked everywhere for it inside, so it must be...

No, surely not.

# I'm a desperate man...

Desperation is setting in.

I need to find it!

# I got to do what I can... #

So, I've looked and I've looked and I can't find the bathroom or the

toilet anywhere.

I'll tell you why, tell you why I can't find it.

Because it's there.

Outside, at the bottom of the garden and it's just a toilet.

What that means is, you are not going to get a high street mortgage

for this property. No chance.

How can you solve it? Right, let's think about this.

Upstairs, you've got two bedrooms.

You could take a little bit of one of the bedrooms

and create a bathroom up there.

Or you could do what a lot of the neighbours have done and

extend out the back here.

So you could come off this...

This wall here, bring it out here, create a nice downstairs bathroom.

That would be the way I would go.

You've got to get that bathroom on the inside of the house.

# But I'm on the outside

# I'm looking in

# I can see through you

# See you, the real you... #

Time to see what an agent from the auction house that marketed the

property thinks of our bathroom conundrum.

Where would he like to see it added?

I think the best thing to do would be to extend the ground floor to the

rear to have a decent-sized bathroom.

There's only two bedrooms upstairs,

so you're kind of limited on the upstairs layout.

So we are agreed, then.

But all that work is not going to be cheap.

Assuming you could get it for around that 39,500 guide price,

what could it sell for?

Once you renovated, with the bathroom addition,

I would anticipate a resale value in the region of ?75,000.

And for long-term investors, would rental be a good idea?

The rental demand would be very strong in this area.

I would anticipate a rental income in the region of ?425 per calendar month.

So, no bathroom, no indoor toilet, no mortgage.

So who was the cash buyer when it went under the hammer?

Start the sale.

Two-bedroom mid-terraced house in need of modernizing.

35 will get it going.

It's all gone quiet. 34 can I say?

34 bid, thank you.

At 34,000. We're going once, bid's at 34.

35? 35.

You're in now. 35. 36. 37.

38.

At ?38,000.

39 anywhere else?

Are we all done then at ?38,000?

?38,000 once, then,

?38,000 twice, then.

Just in time, ?39,000.

At 39. 40?

Half, he's saying 39,500.

40? Yep, 40.

Another half?

No? At 40,000, right on the front row, no mistakes.

?40,000 once, then,

?40,000 twice.

Third and final time, ?40,000.

If the successful bidders look familiar, that's because they should.

# Oh, hello

# Remember me? #

Father and son team Tony and Dave have been on the show before.

They renovated another terrace house in Stoke in early 2017.

Tony's a joiner and his son, Dave, is a bricklayer.

So they are the right lads for this job.

I met up with them again to find out what they have planned for this

house they paid 40 grand for at auction.

Dave, good to see you again, pal.

You too. You too.

Tony, good to see you. We're like old mates now. Yeah.

Another house in Stoke, eh? Another one.

Let's start at the very beginning here. Yeah.

This place hasn't got a bathroom. What made you buy it?

Because it's in a good area near the town centre, all the facilities.

And we'll soon get a bathroom in.

See that's the thing, you see. Is being positive about it, isn't it?

Yeah. You've got to be positive. Were you looking for a house like this, a little two up, two down?

I said something we can improve.

Who's going to... Who's going to oversee that?

Who's going to be... Who's going to be site foreman?

Well... Is that you?

Well, both, really, but he's big boss.

Oh, I see. I do not know a lot, but I know of blokes who do.

And they'll just come in and do the work for you. That's it.

OK, so tell us about this place, then.

What are you going to do to it?

It's got no bathroom, we don't really intend building on.

OK. So you're not doing... We're not building extension. OK.

We improve what's here.

Tell us where the bathroom's going. In there. Where the kitchen is now.

OK, so... And then we'll turn this into a kitchen. Kitchen-diner.

OK. OK, so...

OK, so the kitchen's coming in here.

Yeah. Kitchen-diner in here. Yeah.

And there's going to be your bathroom.

The bathroom. Bathroom utility room.

What made you not want to extend? Was it money, or...?

It's cost, really.

And time, as well. It all takes time.

More a quick turnaround. Yeah, yeah, of course.

The less we make. Exactly.

See that's why he's the boss, you see?

That's why he's the boss. He makes sensible decisions. Yeah.

Anything else in here that you want to change?

Anything else surprised you?

Anything you're worried about?

The windows will have to be changed.

The floors seem pretty good.

But decorator concerns...

You know, a lot of people do their own decorating. Yeah.

Big mistake. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Yes. Get the crows in.

Get the crows in, get it done. Well, it's what you see, isn't it?

Exactly, exactly. You know, it's then product.

They make a good job and then somebody comes in and bodges the paintwork. Changes it again.

How long's it going to take you, then, to turn this around?

Well, I should reckon about three, four months. OK.

Cos, you know, lads, sometimes they're tied up on a job.

And we'll just have to wait, same as everybody else. OK.

Or if we find something unexpected that we didn't notice in the first

viewing. So... There's always something.

Gotcha. And what about the budget?

Give or take, about 12 to 15,000.

OK. Should be... Should do it. It should be enough, shouldn't it?

Yeah.

Tony and son Dave have plenty of experience,

and like the last property of theirs we featured on the show,

they seem to have found a formula of using the existing footprint and

saving themselves a fortune by not extending.

Still, that 15 grand budget is going to have to do a lot.

And what made you come together to get into property?

We got a bit of ground to the house, and I said to him,

"Well, this is going to build two houses on that."

He lived with us, he stays at home still. OK.

And he built the two houses, and it just come from that, really.

Really? We've just done jobs on people's houses and stuff,

but it's only the last four or five years we've started doing...

Working on just on our own property.

So you can sort of work at your own pace?

That's it. Yeah. No pressure.

No. Are you going to continue to buy more properties,

add to your portfolio? Oh, yeah.

Is that the plan? That's the plan.

OK, so, when you buy your properties, are you buying to rent,

are you buying to sell, are you buying to...

For the family? What are you buying for? Mainly to sell.

But we won't rule out renting either.

They rent if we cannot sell.

Yeah. If we cannot sell this, we'll rent it.

OK. Ultimately want to...

I do want a portfolio of rental properties but... OK.

That something to just build over time. Yeah, yeah.

And then that's it.

So I can do it without taking on too much borrowing and stuff.

Slowly, slowly wins the race. That's the one.

Slowly, slowly wins the race, isn't it? That's it.

So, wish you all the best. I'm pretty sure it's going to work out.

Good luck, Dave. Yeah, thank you. Tony, good luck. Take it easy.

So, Tony and Dave's biggest hurdle is getting that bathroom

inside the house.

They're going to turn the kitchen into the bathroom and

the second reception room into the kitchen-diner.

How will it look? Will it work?

You can find out all the answers later in the programme.

Well, earlier on we saw how one of our properties turned out,

but what about the other two?

Have they found it's a breeze, or did their project kick up a storm?

Let's find out.

Earlier, Lucy was in the county of Kent for a property in the

picturesque village of Nettlestead Green.

She saw this three-storey, two-bedroom semi -

the type you'd find on a chocolate box.

So, lovely looking from the outside.

It's got yellow roses around the door.

I'm really happy!

Happiness abounded in this rose-covered cottage.

Former refrigeration engineer Peter had previously renovated two

properties, but this time around, it looked like he and wife Jackie

paid ?230,000 for something that pulled at their heartstrings.

It's cosy, it's welcoming.

Erm, yeah, I think our only problem is with the stairs, I think.

The stairs? OK, I've got to say,

I struggled getting up and down the stairs. They're very tight,

but there's nothing, I don't think, you can do about that.

Well, if I get the extension and all this wall comes out, here,

then we could maybe put a new staircase, in for this level anyway.

They were still to decide if they were going to live here

or possibly sell after refurbishment.

The good news is that, ten months on, planning permission for

the cottage extension has eventually been granted.

However, due to personal circumstances,

Peter and Jackie decided not to live here.

But they have put the property back on the market.

And Peter was eager to take us through the approved plans before

any potential change of ownership.

Basically, I got everything I wanted other than the front dormer,

which would, as far as the Council were concerned, would of taken away

some of the aesthetics of the property.

But, literally, I've got about 50% more.

From that line is a four meter downstairs, which would have given

a really good kitchen-diner, a lovely lot of size.

Three meter on the first floor,

which would give a good-sized bedroom, a third bedroom.

On the roof, it would have been an en-suite bedroom

with a shower room and toilet so...

The extra length of the extension at the back of the house would also

help with replacing the existing steep staircase,

which Lucy found a bit precarious.

Having the extension, I would have extended the stairway into that,

to bring up to normal specifications now.

And keep all this front room here, literally, the same.

Nice wood burner in the hearth, here.

Keep some of the character of the cottage.

But Peter hasn't been resting on his laurels.

He's stripped the first floor bedroom, going back to brick where

needed, and also the attic bedroom.

Both are now ready for refurbishment.

But the main area of work has been in the garden.

We got a digger in. I played with a digger for about two weeks,

on and off, and a dumper truck, and lots and lots of skips outside.

Shifted tonnes and tonnes of earth and concrete and what have you.

it looks a total mess out there compared to what it did,

but it's what needed to be done, so...

All in all, other than playing with the digger and dumper truck,

which is the first time for me,

I've quite enjoyed myself out there.

His original timescale was one year and, apart from planning permission,

not a lot has changed in ten months.

I suppose I've done about two and half months' work here.

All that and nothing to show for it, of course, other than a mess.

The original budget forecast for 60,000, but what has it ended up at?

Taking into account council tax and things like that, that I'm sort of

lumping in, all in all, about 8,000.

It'll be about 9,000 by the time it sold hopefully, so...

A lot of the viewings have been from local people.

I call them tire-kickers - they're just going to have a look.

If you don't know, a tire-kicker is a term sometimes used by car dealers

to identify an indecisive customer who is unlikely to purchase.

But, hopefully, the two estate agents we've asked along to kick the

tires of Peter's plans for this house will think they've aimed it

at the right market.

I like this house. It's really in the country,

there's lots of parking at the front.

It's a nice plot, it's an interesting property.

My initial thoughts of the property is it's a very pretty cottage

in a fairly rural area, so I think it's got a real, very wide appeal.

Would it be beneficial if Peter and Jackie had completed the extensions

or is it better to sell with the added value of planning?

In its current state, I could foresee, perhaps, a young couple

purchasing it, maybe even first-time buyer, but someone who has a real

desire to live in an older property where they want to add

their own touch to it.

From the point of view of an investment, I feel that it would

probably be best just to do it up and sell it as it is,

rather than go to the expense and time of all the extensions.

I'm sure Peter will be glad to hear that, and he got some good news only

last week, bearing in mind his total spend will be 230,000.

It's been sold for 270,000, so...

I dropped it twice from the original asking price, which was 300,000,

so I was a little bit optimistic there.

So, yeah, subject to contract, it's sold and, hopefully,

in a couple of months' time, I'll be moving onto the next one.

Whoa! Before you do that, Peter, let's find out what our guys think.

Was the potential profit of ?31,000 enough

or could he have achieved more?

As the property stands at the moment,

incomplete in its restoration,

I would anticipate it selling for something in the region of

250,000 to ?260,000.

I think the value of this property, as it stands,

with the planning permission, is approximately ?275,000.

Oh, right. OK, so, it's basically spot-on, then.

Yeah, yeah. No, I'm pleased with that.

It's a bittersweet time for Peter and Jackie.

Achieving a decent sale price of 270,000, but not being able to see

through their dream project, especially since Peter seems to have

at last found his true vocation.

Yeah, yeah, I'm quite disappointed.

We both are, myself and my wife, so...

But, erm, it's just one of them things not going ahead.

Peter may have given up on this project, but he's not giving up

on his new quest.

I gave up a well-paid job to do this. The first two turned out OK,

this one is OK,

could have been better, possibly, but, on the valuations,

I've done quite well out of it.

I'll continue to do it and try and continue to earn a profit -

albeit how big.

Although it's not what Peter and Jackie had wished for,

some would say over ?30,000 profit in ten months is good going.

Any last thoughts, Peter?

Don't buy with your heart unless you actually do live in it in the end.

Now, back to Etruria in Stoke-on-Trent, where earlier I saw

a two-bed terrace with one important room missing

from the house's interior.

I can't find the bathroom or the toilet anywhere.

I tell you why.

I tell you why I can't find it.

Because it's there.

Outside, at the bottom of the garden and it's just a toilet.

What that means is you are not going to get a high-street mortgage

for this property - no chance.

Even so, the property was purchased for just over guide price

by father-and-son team Tony and Dave.

With Tony being a joiner and Dave a brickie, they seem to have

the necessary skills to get that loo inside.

Tell us where the bathroom's going. Where the kitchen is now.

OK, so...

And we'll turn this into a kitchen-diner.

OK.

They paid 40 grand for the property.

They plan to sell on when complete or rent if needed.

That was ten months ago,

a few months over their three to four month timescale,

but now, we're back.

And also back to brickwork was much of the plasterwork,

making way for new finishes, tiles, units, flooring.

But, did the toilet make it inside?

# Oh, yeah!

# Give me your love

# I need it

# Give me your heart

# I'm pleading

# Give me your love

# I need it

# Oh-oh yeah

# Why don't you give me your love? #

The standard of finish achieved here is really good,

so the father-and-son team should be proud of the graft they've put in.

All that remains downstairs is the front room.

But, have father and son done upstairs proud, too?

After we first filmed, Dave and Tony had a bit of a shock.

They discovered the property had a council prohibition order in place.

This is an order made to protect tenants from dangerous hazards.

Restrictions can take several forms.

It could prevent young children or restrict the number of people living

in the property.

The order can also stop a house, or part of the house,

being lived in until it is made safe and habitable.

Well, I've overcome that by putting the central heating system,

the kitchen, the inside bathroom and toilet and redecorating

and bringing it up to a modern standard, and so that order's now

in the process of being lifted.

Dave and Tony always intended bringing the house up to scratch,

so they didn't feel the order was any sort of burden.

Wisely, Dave consulted the council's empty homes team

while he was doing the work.

They told me what I needed to do and I just had to do it,

and they've been good.

Dave prioritised work on the other property he bought

at the same auction, although he did have a good team of tradesmen,

who worked on both properties.

I know I've got a good team of blokes who've been working

on here as well, so if I can't do it there's always someone who can.

He reckons the concentrated period of time spent renovating here

works out to around the four month mark.

So, what about the 12-15 grand optimistic budget forecast?

Up to now it's about round the 23,000 mark.

And it shouldn't be much more than that, although we've got a couple

more bills left to come in.

The overspend however is mitigated slightly by them getting

a council grant of ?5,000 for doing up an empty house.

But, under the terms of the grant, they will have to rent it out

for two years.

If you're wondering where Tony is,

he's had to have a hip replacement, but he has seen the property.

He liked what he saw.

He knows what to expect with what we do, so...

Me and the lads have done a good job so,

on to the next one.

Whoa! Hold your horses there, Dave.

Not until the two local agents we've invited along have their say

on the property's prospects and the valuations.

First up, the agent who saw the property before work commenced.

Since my last visit, it's a complete transformation with the property.

It's really unrecognisable from the previous condition.

First impressions of this property are...

Whoever's done it, has done an absolutely excellent job

of the refurbishment. Can't fault it at all, in any way.

Dave and Tony spent ?40,000 at auction and a further 23 grand

refurbishing, less than council's 5,000 grant, of course.

That means a total spend of 58 grand.

To satisfy the grant conditions, they'll have to let out the property

for at least two years.

But, if they can sell it, what profit could they realise?

Because there's only one reception room to the property,

I would anticipate a resale value in the region of ?70,000.

Now that this property's been renovated,

looking at the open market,

the asking price would be ?69,950.

That's about what I was expecting.

I was expecting something about that.

A gain of 12 grand, but not achievable just yet.

So, what sort of rental income should they expect?

Because this is so good,

it should command a figure of ?425 per calendar month.

I would anticipate a rental income in the region of

?450 per calendar month.

I think that's good. Around 425 is about a good one,

but 450 would be even better, we can get that.

Indeed, it would, as taking that top figure equates to an annual rental

yield of nearly 9.5%.

So, will it be on the sales market in years to come?

I'd like to keep it on as a rental one, if I can.

Selling at a later date's always an option, but I'd preferably keep it

in my portfolio.

What's the best bit of the project?

Well, obviously it feels better now it's done

and it's ready to start earning.

Any tips for anyone starting out?

Whatever you've worked out for your budget, remember there's

always something else you haven't thought of that you have to pay for.

So, a budget contingency is Dave's watchword,

but is it a philosophy he intends to repeat?

I'll be definitely be back to the auctions. It's a lot faster process,

and you know where you are with it.

So, yeah, you'll be seeing me again.

Well, good luck with the future ones

and if they do only have an outside loo, maybe a closer check on

the council prohibition orders might be the order of the day.

Well, week in, week out, there are property auctions taking place

all over the UK.

And we never rest in our research to bring you the new stories.

Well, on the odd occasion, we have a rest, but, next time here on

Homes Under The Hammer, we'll have more stories for you - see you then.

Bye-bye. Goodbye.