Episode 52 Homes Under the Hammer

Hello, welcome to the show. If you're looking at property as an investment or maybe somewhere

to live, then an auction is a really great place to start.

Yes, why not start by just flicking through that auction catalogue?

You might even find a little hidden treasure.

Yes. Head down to your local auction house,

make a bid and the property is yours,

if you buy under the hammer.

One of the great things about buying at auction,

a few weeks after that winning bid, you could legally be the owner.

Yes, and if you're keen to get on with the project, that is good news.

So what got the buyers bidding on today's show?

Lucy visits the desirable area

of St John's Wood in North West London.

But will she judge this book by its cover?

It's not terribly pretty, is it?

I'm in Birkenhead

and this terrace house has put a real bounce in my step.

Wow. Listen to this.

RATTLING

And I'm in the suburb of Handsworth in Birmingham,

looking at this plot with a seemingly low guide price.

However, it's missing one thing.

And that's not a house.

-180...

-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.

Yours, sir.

North West London now, and the area of Sir John's Wood,

one of the most desirable and sought after postcodes in all of London.

The name of St John's Wood derives from its medieval owners,

the Knights of the order of St John of Jerusalem.

So, what am I here to see?

Well, I'm expecting something amazing!

Wow. It's going to be one of these big, old villas.

Beautiful Victorian charm that it has...

Ha!

Actually, no, nothing like that.

It's large, but it's got a flat roof and white rendered extension.

It's not really keeping with all the properties along this road.

It's not terribly pretty, is it?

But on the positive side, it's got three bedrooms and it's,

amazingly for Central London,

well, there's a garage and off-street parking.

The guide price for a property like this, in this posh part of London,

£1.45 million.

Let's take a look inside.

That's right, you heard Lucy.

A £1.45 million guide price.

Hm! Apparently, the property was originally part

of the adjoining Victorian villa, but it was completely rebuilt

in the 1950s - and I can't wait to see more.

The first thing that strikes you when you walk in

is how much stuff there is everywhere. Look at this!

I've been told the new owners have already moved in,

so there you go. Now, let's have a look around.

You can see we've got a toilet down here, there's a lot of wasted space,

and a corridor here, which leads to an old cupboard at the end.

The garage is over here,

so I'm wondering whether you might think about

converting all of this and incorporating this

into your living space.

That could add some extra square footage.

You can see there's no features here,

but you'd kind of expect that from a 1950s build.

And it just gets better.

Because through here we've got a wonderful, huge living space.

It's so light. There's big glass doors leading out to the garden,

it's just fantastic.

But before we get too excited, bit of a problem.

The house next door goes over the top of us here,

which means there's a flying freehold,

and when renovating this place,

it can bring up a whole list of problems.

Be warned.

# What's your problem?

# What's your problem?

# I don't get what your problem is... #

Well, a flying freehold is, in British law,

when two properties share a space, IE a corridor, a passageway,

or in this case, when a neighbouring property overhangs.

It can have an effect on mortgage financing

and also means you have all sorts of party wall agreements

to sort out. But let's carry on exploring.

There's a study off the living room, currently full of boxes.

The kitchen's at the back of the house.

It's sadly not very impressive.

It's not big, it's not clever,

and it's definitely in need of modernising.

But off this is a useful conservatory-dining area.

Then up to the first floor.

Well, upstairs, it's rather narrow.

It's almost like just a little corner of the house here.

You've got one, two bedrooms.

Now, the thing that I just can't get my head around,

if you're paying over a million quid for a property in London,

you need to have more than one bathroom,

and the only bathroom in this property is up there.

No good.

There might be a bathroom, but it's not exactly sumptuous.

And the separate loo means it's also on the small side.

At the other end of the landing is the third and last bedroom.

This place may be habitable as it is,

but it certainly isn't kitted out like a million pound-plus mansion.

But with nearly 2,000 square feet of space,

one thing this property does have is potential.

Another huge bonus is this wonderful garden you get with the property.

Look at these mature shrubs and trees.

I think it must be about 70 foot long, and for Central London...

-LUCY LAUGHS

-..that's large.

It means there's room to extend out to the rear,

and you could even add more square footage to the house

if you wanted to.

But this is a leasehold property,

so you'd need the freeholder's permission

to make any major changes.

And don't forget, this is a conservation area,

so you'll need planning permission to do anything.

# Ooh, please!

# Please, please, please, please, please, baby...

# What can I do?

# What can I say?

# Please, please, baby... #

So, with that big guide price of 1.45 million,

there could potentially come some quite big problems.

What does a local estate agent think of this property?

To prepare this ready for resale, or rental,

the house would have to be completely gutted

and some internal walls knocked down and open-plan living

made on the ground floor.

Most of the developments in this area are done

to an extremely high level.

You could easily spend half a million pounds

refurbishing this house to a good standard for the area.

Wow, that is a big investment.

Even if you got it for the guide price,

adding half a million would take you to nearly £2 million.

So what could it sell for?

After refurbishment for sale,

I think this house would be worth somewhere in the region

of £2.5 million.

Well, this is a pricey property and it's not perfect.

It's all looking a bit tired and dated

and the layout definitely needs sorting.

You'll need to get another bathroom on the first floor.

And the ground floor, well, the layout's not ideal either.

So who had the big bucks needed to bid for this one?

Let's find out at the auction.

A three-storey coach house,

it's the white building, just under 2,000 square feet.

Put a million and 250.

Not going to go below a million 250.

Million 250, 250?

260?

The big numbers just kept coming.

We rejoined the battle at £1,840,000.

840?

840, sir?

850.

860.

870.

860, million 860.

Back to you.

Looking for 870.

If not, million 860 is going first time,

second time,

third and last time. If you're all done...

870.

880, close.

890?

Yeah?

900. Million 900.

910.

One more go? Might be, just do it?

910?

Million 900. Anyone else?

Million 900 first time,

second time,

third and last time, if you're all done...

Sold, million 900. Sorry, the other bidders. Well bought.

The final bid of £1.9 million

was made by first-time auction goer, Yank.

Yank is a retired doctor

and he bought this St John's Wood property as a home

for him and his wife, Frances.

And, in fact, they've already moved in.

Frances and Yank, congratulations.

This is a stunning property.

It's incredibly exciting for you both.

-Why did you want to buy this?

-The garden. Purely the garden.

Because we looked at this house,

and it was, it's nearly 2,000 square foot of property.

Which is about what we needed,

because we've just come out of a 3,500 square foot

Georgian property in Central London.

And Frances, all these years, we haven't had a garden since 1986,

has been longing for a garden,

and we came... When we saw the pictures online

and we then came and had a look at it,

and we just fell in love with this, because...

it is so unusual...

to be so close to town and have this tranquil garden.

So you found this place prior to the auction, you had a look around,

what did you think?

I thought it was a tip.

You thought it was a tip. Did you think it was ugly?

Oh, it's hideous.

Is this where you thought you would end up, or...?

No, no, I wasn't concerned about the house.

I was not concerned about the condition of the house

or the house at all.

And why is Frances so laid-back?

Well, she owns her own interior design company.

So can she see beyond its current state?

I could see well beyond. We're going to change it completely.

We're going to remove most of the ground-floor walls.

There's not a lot we can do upstairs,

cos the rooms are small.

But we're going to be putting in four new bathrooms.

Erm, we're going to replace the kitchen.

We're going to have a conservatory across the back.

-So you're taking this down.

-Yes.

You'll put something right across the back of the property.

-Provided we get permission.

-OK, so you need to think about this.

Is it going to be something contemporary?

-What sort of style are you going to run with?

-Traditional.

-Quite traditional.

-A traditional?

Traditional, definitely will be traditional.

A traditional addition, because it's a traditional building.

-Everything outside is going to be tradition.

-Mm-hm.

Everything inside's going to be very, very, very modern.

So the couple have big plans for this property.

But remember, they'll have to negotiate with the freeholder

and the local conservation officer before any work can progress.

So you're not concerned about the future

and the hurdles you may have to climb?

I don't think so, I think that, erm...

we have a brilliant surveyor, who worked with us on our last house.

And I think as long as you don't fall foul

of the conservation people,

and don't attempt to do anything they wouldn't like,

and have meetings with them,

I'm sure they will be as pleased as me

to get rid of this hideous garage, this very ugly frontage...

and make it into something that will be more in keeping with the road.

Have you got a budget in mind?

Well, Frances is the one whom you should ask.

-At least 350,000.

-She's already told me.

So £350,000 is your budget.

To do the work that WE want done,

it's going to cost us at least three and probably about 350.

So, are you guys happy to be living here, you're here, you've moved in,

while the work and the craziness is going on?

-Because it's not going to be easy.

-At the end of the day,

when the work comes to be done, there is so much work to be done,

that we couldn't possibly stay here in time.

So we'll move into rented accommodation for that period,

which we reckon will be about four months.

OK. Guys, I'm so excited for you both. Good luck with this project.

I cannot wait to see what it's like when it's finished.

So lovely to meet you both.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for letting me be here today.

We can't wait for it to be finished either.

Well, I love the fact

that this is Frances and Yank's idea of downsizing.

They've now got nearly 2,000 square foot of prime property to renovate.

Will Frances be able to make this place truly fabulous?

They've got a big budget, but will it be enough?

Birkenhead is just across the River Mersey from Liverpool,

and, no, we're not going to play that tune.

We are not that predictable.

Are we?

The famous Birkenhead market opened in 1835 but over time

its venue has moved around the town.

No time for shopping for me today.

Because I'm out and about.

And the sun is shining.

Today's property is on this street.

It is a three-bed, mid-terrace property

with a guide price of £37,000-plus, and here it is.

And you know what? It's only 15, 20 minutes away

from Liverpool town centre.

If you take a ferry across the Mersey.

MUSIC: Ferry Cross The Mersey by Gerry and the Pacemakers

No, no, no. Stop it. Please.

RECORD SCRATCHES, MUSIC STOPS

Nice long hallway.

Really high ceilings, as well.

And there's some really nice original coating.

Huge radiator, which is always a good sign.

This textured wallpaper would have to go, though.

But it feels really spacy.

In this first reception room here,

it's a really nice-sized room.

But it looks incredibly damp.

There's damp patches in the corner,

above the fireplace,

and right in the far corner there, just to the right

of that really nice bay window, we are back to the bare brick.

The floor's gone in, in the corner.

There's rot on the skirting boards.

And there's actually a root, a tree root, on the inside of the brick.

The "do not use" sign is to advise that the gas and electrics

may not be safe. And that's just the first room.

As you come down the hallway a bit more,

you can feel... Wow!

Listen to this...

RATTLING

This hallway, as you come in, or as you bounce in, it's very...

This is suspended.

You can hear the pipework underneath your feet.

Get that sorted ASAP.

There are your stairs going up to the bedrooms,

and then you come in to the second reception room.

And we are back to the plaster.

Everywhere you look, there's damp patches.

And this carpet even feels damp, as well.

You come through here into what is the kitchen.

And a tiny kitchen, as well.

Take it all out.

Give yourself a blank canvas in here - and you know what?

You've got a really tight entrance coming round the corner,

into this kitchen, walking into this work surface, as well.

Why not knock this wall out, create a nice big kitchen-dining area?

It's going to appeal to a lot more people.

Right.

I can see the ceiling's got a bit of a problem there.

Beyond that wood panelling, I can see a bit of a gap.

Let's have a look outside.

So there is a bit of space out the back.

It's not quite a garden, more of a yard.

And this render doesn't look too good, either.

I think that might need doing again.

The walls look like they're going to topple at any time.

You've got trees embedded in the brick just there,

all overgrown.

You've got a pile of rubbish, as well.

You've got a back, a back gate, which leads on to an entry of sorts.

And then you've got this big tree here.

Now, I am a lover of the great outdoors.

But I really don't want my trees

intertwined with the fabric of my property,

and that's exactly what's going on here.

That is going to take some doing.

I wouldn't really want to get involved in that.

# I have built a treehouse

# I have built a treehouse

# Nobody can see us

# It's a you and me house... #

I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

It does explain that guide price of £37,000-plus.

The tree at the back is intertwined with the brickwork,

and there's one right at the front.

Both need urgent attention.

The boundary wall at the back also needs to be made safe.

My opinion is get to the "root" of this particular problem

before worrying about the rest of the house.

A quick look upstairs and there's a family bathroom with a damp issue.

The master bedroom ceiling is actually bowing,

from what I can only assume is water gathering above it.

I don't think you have to be a mastermind to work out

the roof is a goner.

Two weirdly-shaped bedrooms were clearly once one,

the split window being another giveaway.

This house is a real challenge, and as I said,

it's one I think I wouldn't like to take on myself.

Would a bidder be barking up the wrong tree?

Looking to restore this house, guided at 37 grand-plus,

what does a local estate agent think?

Obviously from the outside, it doesn't really have any curb appeal.

And then obviously inside the property,

the kitchen, and the property walls, and damp, it's in distress.

At the moment, I don't think it's a very successful

three-bed conversion, so would it be better as a two-bed?

There is a shortage of three bedrooms in Birkenhead, generally.

Most of them are two-up two-down sort of styles.

There's so much work that needs to be done here.

Would a profit even be possible?

How do the figures stack up?

If this property was brought up to a good standard,

the resale value would be somewhere between £85,000 and £90,000.

And if the vendors were to choose to let the property,

it would achieve anywhere from 500 to £525 per calendar month.

Basically, this house is sopping wet.

First thing to do is get a roof on it,

get it watertight and then see what you've got to work with.

The layout's not quite right.

The structure's not quite right.

Basically, you're stripping it back to the bare brick

and starting again.

Let's find out who didn't mind getting their hands dirty

when it went under the hammer.

A three-bedroom mid-terrace house

with double glazing and central heating.

We've got a guide of 37,000.

And we will open the bids up at... What shall we say? 35?

Anybody at 35?

What shall we say? 30?

Yes? Thank you. I see you at 30.

32? 32,000.

Can I say 34?

Is bid. 36.

36, 38.

I'll take 37. 38?

39.

39 I have. Can I say 40?

39,500, gentleman's bid.

40, madam? And another half?

41. And a half.

42. And a half.

43. And a half?

Shake of the head. So it's still the lady now, 43,000.

It's your bid, madam. Anybody else?

Any of my other bidders want to jump back in at 43-and-a-half?

If not, with you then, madam, at £43,000, the first time...

43 for the second time.

Last chance for anybody else to jump in at 43-and-a-half?

All done, are we? At £43,000?

We are. Sold.

The successful bid of £43,000 came from Gina,

who's at the auction with her mum, Pauline.

But I caught up with Gina and her husband Russ at the property

to find out their plans for their new acquisition.

# Gina!

# Gina! #

-Russ, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, Dion.

Gina, nice to meet you, too.

Congratulations to both of you.

Firstly, who found this place

and were you looking for this kind of place?

Gina found it for her mum. She was looking, weren't she?

-It's for your mum?

-Yeah.

She's just sold her house round the corner.

-OK.

-So she just wanted to downsize. So we found this in the auction,

so me and me mum went to the auction and bidded for it.

Did you go to the auction house with a budget and think,

-"I'm not going over that?"

-Yeah.

She wanted 30 and she wants to go a little bit cheaper,

but it went for more, didn't it?

I went there and I got a phone call,

I said 38,000 and she went, "We've bought it for 43".

LAUGHTER

# I like it too much, I like it too much... #

Well, Gina's mum Pauline

clearly likes the area, and the other reason

for busting the budget was that she's safe in the knowledge

that Russ is a brickie and has his own building company.

But where on earth is he going to start?

First things first, there's... New roof, seal the house off.

New windows. Work from the top down.

Dry it out, new plaster.

Rewire. Central heating.

Damp proof course.

And then pass the buck over to Gina and she can decorate the place!

1 to 20 like that. THEY LAUGH

Just listing everything off.

Really... Obviously, that's what you do, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-You can just tell that you know what you're doing.

I've got a good team as well,

so we're just going to hammer it, really.

So is there any thoughts, Gina, of making an en-suite up there,

-if it's going to be for your mum?

-She wants a wet room,

so we're not going to put a bath or nothing in there.

It's literally going to be just a walk-in wet room for her.

-OK.

-Also downstairs, where the kitchen is now,

-we're going to put a downstairs toilet...

-Gotcha.

..and maybe a wet room for the future. As she gets older.

And we're going to make the backroom...

like an open-plan diner-kitchen.

It's great to hear Russ and Gina

are really future-proofing this house for all Pauline's needs.

However, I wonder if their generous-sounding 30 grand budget

is enough to crack this property.

And I'm even more gobsmacked to hear their timescale

of five to six weeks.

Yeah, you heard it, five to six weeks.

I've got a team, I've got me, I've got her brother,

Will, helps me. Erm, I've got me dad.

I've got loads of lads.

I've got joiners that work with me, as well. Roofers. Plumbers.

-So I'll just call them all in.

-Mates' rates?

-Yeah.

-Mates' rates?

Yeah, give them a few bevvies and that for helping me out.

You can't pay 'em on beer!

You're going to have to look after them, as well.

-Teas and coffees, maybe?

-Yeah.

-Eh? Keep 'em sweet.

-And a bacon butty.

And a bacon butty. I might pop round then, myself.

I don't want to get stuck in.

DION LAUGHS

I'll project manage it for you.

So how much influence is your mum going to have on the finish here,

the way it looks, the colours, Gina?

-She's basically told us...

-LAUGHTER

-Left it down to us.

-Really?!

Because she just... She likes anything we do anyway.

So she's not worried or nothing.

She's just said, go ahead and do it.

-Get on with it.

-Yeah.

-Pressure's off then, really.

Listen, I wish you all the best.

I hope your mum's really happy with the result.

A bit of pressure on you, but I think you'll pull it off.

-Cheers, Dion.

-Good luck to you. Gina, all the best.

Thank you very much.

So, Russ is replacing a wet house with wet rooms.

But he's got an awful lot of work to do.

But he's got the experience, he's got the know-how

and he's got the team. So it shouldn't be a problem.

Five to six weeks though, might be a little bit short.

And you know what else is difficult?

Keeping wife and mother-in-law happy at the same time.

You can find out how he gets on later in the show.

Coming up, in Birmingham,

I'm optimistic that something could be made from this lot.

But...

Bad news though, obviously,

if you're right next to a house, here.

DION: And we'll find out if Gina and Russ

got more than they bargained for back in Birkenhead.

We just found loads of woodworm, dry rot.

MARTIN: It was back in 2012 that Lucy was in the desirable area

of St John's Wood in North West London.

It was here that she saw this modest 1950s house with a less modest guide

of £1.45 million.

It wasn't the typical Victorian villa you might expect round here.

But there was still plenty going for it.

Through here we've got a wonderful, huge living space.

It's so light!

There's big glass doors leading out to the garden.

It's just fantastic.

This part of the building did have a flying freehold,

as the neighbouring property ran over the top of it.

And the house itself was in a conservation area,

which could be tricky, too.

But there was still just under 2,000 square feet to play with.

And...

Another huge bonus is this wonderful garden you get

with the property.

I think it must be about 70-foot long, and for Central London...

-LUCY LAUGHS

-..that's large.

That beautiful garden was the reason husband and wife Yank and Frances

paid £1.9 million for the house on auction day.

Frances, all these years, we haven't had a garden since 1986,

has been longing for a garden, and we came...

We saw the pictures online, and we came and had a look at it,

and we just fell in love with it.

Sadly, Frances and Yank's dream of restoring this house

and enjoying the garden together did not come to fruition,

as Yank passed away in 2014.

He had cancer.

And we thought this project was...

so large that he would actually live long enough to see it through.

But unfortunately he didn't.

So...

He died and...

I eventually, after a lot of deliberation,

decided to go ahead with doing the house.

Our sincere condolences to Frances,

who made a brave decision to carry on with the huge project.

And now, five years on from the purchase,

she has a rather lovely event planned at the house.

My daughter's getting married

and she's getting married from...

We're having the main reception

at this house.

And we're having friends and family coming from all over the world.

And we decided to have it at home,

so we have a deadline and we had to meet it.

The house is complete and ready

for one of Frances' two daughters to have her big day.

Congratulations to bride-to-be Aviva.

I'm sure your mother would've made it very special.

What a truly stunning transformation.

Knocking through that small room and sinking the floor in the living area

has given the impression of a much larger space.

There's now an extension across the back of the house

and Frances has done an incredible job

with the interior design.

The two bedrooms on the first floor are bright and airy,

and there's now a small shower room on this floor,

which is perfect for a family home.

And on the second floor,

the new pitched roof creates a fantastic master bedroom.

The house is an absolute triumph

and Frances should be incredibly proud of what she's achieved.

But did the potential obstacles with planning prove an issue?

I didn't personally have issues with planning,

because we had a project manager.

And he had issues with planning.

Because not only did we have planning, we had a listed building,

St John's Wood Society,

and the freeholder.

So it was all incredibly complicated.

In the end, it took two-and-a-half years to get the plans approved,

so did that impact on the £350,000 budget?

How much did Frances end up spending?

Double, easily.

My son got carried away with the electrics.

And...

Which is unfortunate, because I now have a system,

which... unless I have a degree in...

in science or computer studies, I am unable to use.

Sounds like pretty hi-tech stuff

but this house is a modern masterpiece.

Frances and Yank had planned to live in the house but Frances is yet to

decide whether she will stay.

It will no doubt be a very difficult decision.

But perhaps two local estate agents can help us along.

What did they think of the house?

Starting with the agent who saw the property five years ago.

I don't think this house could have been done any better.

It's very rare that I say that and, over the years,

I've seen plenty of flats and houses in the area.

But this has been absolutely maximised and finished

to the highest possible standard.

First impressions are the house is absolutely

beautiful. It's really, really well finished.

There's some really nice touches and some fantastic design features.

I'm particularly a fan of the polished Venetian plaster

up the stairwell, with the lights that are protruding from the wall.

That's a really nice touch.

Simple but very, very nice.

The living space flows beautifully onto the garden

and I think that will attract a lot of buyers to this house.

Unsurprisingly, the house is a resounding success.

So what could it be worth if Frances does decide to sell,

bearing in mind the £2.6 million that has been spent overall?

If we were marketing this property for sale in the current market,

we'd be asking somewhere in the region of £4 million.

In today's market, I would value this property

in the region of £4 million - £4.25 million.

That top figure could mean a potential profit of £1.65 million,

before deductions of any taxes and fees.

So, what does Frances think about that?

We bought the house knowing we were going to do work to it

and spend money on it.

And it wasn't an issue.

Frances never intended this property to be about money and only time will

tell whether she will stay here.

But what does she feel about the project now it's over?

Relief that it is all over, nothing more than that.

Just a feeling of relief.

That I've got the rest of the year to look forward to without having

any more builders.

This is St Mary's Church in the Birmingham suburb of Handsworth.

This Grade Two listed building was the final resting place of three

linchpins of the Industrial age,

James Watt, Matthew Boulton and William Murdoch.

They worked as partners in their Birmingham engineering firm and

without their numerous innovations, and steam power,

it's doubtful Great Britain would have become the leading

industrialised nation of the 19th and 20th centuries.

So I'm on a street of traditional terraced houses.

So, which one do you think it is that I'm going to be looking at today?

This one?

Nope. That one?

Nope. It must be this one.

Oh, no. I'm actually here to see a plot of land

in between the terraced houses.

Guide price at 20,000 quid.

HE CHUCKLES In we go.

So, what have we got?

Five metres wide, by a pretty impressive 40 metres long.

Reasonably level and obviously on this pretty nice street.

Er, obviously needs a bit of clearing but,

yeah, a good start.

However, it's missing one thing.

And that's not a house.

Planning permission.

At the moment, this is purely a plot of land.

And, as such,

its potential is pretty limited.

So you, if you buy it,

are going to have to start the whole process of applying to the council

to find out what you could actually build here.

Once you've got the planning permission, though, suddenly

the value of this land rockets,

almost five or so times, I would guess,

from the guide price.

So, it's a really interesting opportunity because to get that

planning permission it won't necessarily cost you

very much at all. Oh, now you're interested. Hm?

# I call that a bargain

# The best I ever had... #

Now, I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth

but it might be worth asking yourself why the seller

hasn't already done all of this to make

more money when they sell?

Could it be because permission might be tricky to get?

A chat with the planning department would be my first move.

So you really have got a pretty substantial plot here

and you could build a decent-sized house and still have

a good-sized garden. That's good news.

Some other bits of good news.

Easy access to services because we are on a street with other houses,

there's bound to be sewerage close by, electricity, gas, water.

And that's certainly going to keep your build costs down.

Bad news, though, obviously, is you're right next to a house.

Here. So whatever you build,

you're either going to have to get them on board that you can build

right up against their property, or leave a substantial gap

and that would, of course, shrink the size of

whatever you might build. So things to consider.

I would also want a proper survey, which would show boundaries,

overhead power cables, flood risks and so on.

I'd also be exploring if there was any protected wildlife,

or ground contamination. Always do your homework.

This local estate agent has braved the elements to help me with mine.

# I can't stand the rain... #

This area is a typical inner-city area of Birmingham, really.

It's a fairly thriving one in many ways and a busy thoroughfare into

Birmingham city centre, both in terms of traffic

and what it can provide for the community.

Assuming all the planning hurdles are leapt over,

I'd be thinking about a four-bed house on this plot,

which fits the area. What could it sell for?

The existing four-bedroom houses in this area probably sell for the

order of up to £130,000 in reasonable condition.

You are probably looking at a premium on that maybe up to 135,

possibly 140, but that's probably the maximum for it.

Well, it's a fair-sized plot but it doesn't have that all-important

planning permission yet.

So this is definitely one of those auction lots that you call a bit of

a punt. Let's find out who went for it when it went under the hammer.

It extends to just over 200 square metres

and just over 250 square yards.

Where shall we start, folks?

At 30,000, am I bid?

It's a tough crowd today.

That optimistic opening bid was met with silence from the floor.

As was 25, 20 and 18,000.

16, then.

Can't go lower than 16, can I?

Is that 18, sir?

At 18. So, is it 20?

20, thank you. 20.

22?

That set the ball rolling.

And we rejoin later with the price at 30,000.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34?

34. 35.

36.

No.

At £35,000, then, number 125.

Are we all done? One, two, three.

£35,000.

Thumbs up. Well done. Congratulations.

It was Riaz and Sylvester who made the successful bid of 35,000 and

they've been on the show several times before.

The boys are business partners,

with Sylvester providing the building know-how

and Riaz supplying the project managing skills.

I met them to find out what they plan to build here.

Riaz, Sylvester, good to see you both again.

-Nice to see you.

-You are buying up the whole of Birmingham, then!

All in small baby steps.

If I remember rightly, you're not from around here, are you?

No, I'm from Solihull and...

-I'm from Redditch.

-Redditch, OK.

So, why have you focused in on this area, particularly?

Well, when we were at auction,

we were looking for a small plot for a single dwelling.

And there weren't many there, were they?

So this came up and we looked at...

Ideal. We knew the street and thought, well, let's go for it.

Now, remind me of your background.

Because it's quite unusual for a property developer, isn't it?

Well, I'm a scientist.

I'm a research scientist. So most of my life has been designing paint

systems, particularly the paint systems that go on the inside and

outside of food and beverage cans.

Right, and remind me how that translated into you being...

inventing houses rather than inventing gadgets and things?

Well, there's been a change in organisation and so there was kind

of a redundancy package open so I decided, well, OK,

let's have a change in career.

I knew Sylvester for a while and he'd been saying

perhaps we should get together and so everything just came into place.

So we decided, OK, we'll go for it.

Yes. So, Sylvester, how is the relationship working out?

At the moment, it's very great.

The first project that was finished was great.

And we start other one and I know him almost six years.

Yeah. So the partnership works well.

-The partnership works well.

-We complement each other, really.

I mean, so, Sylvester,

he knows everything there is to building and I just provide the

admin, the softer side of the business.

So let's move on to this because this is a bit of a new venture,

the idea of building something from scratch.

Absolutely. I mean...

I think our plan was always to build houses, OK,

from scratch, if possible.

And so this was like our first baby step towards it and so there's going

to be a lot of learning for both of us, in terms of all the procedures,

all the planning that goes with building a new house from scratch.

What was it that appealed about it,

other than the fact it's relatively small?

It's small but actually location-wise it's quite good.

It's in... You know, quite a good street.

And also amenities nearby,

good schools and the city centre, as well, is I think

three or so miles away.

So from that perspective, the location is perfect.

Right. There is one small hiccup.

-It doesn't actually have any planning permission.

-Yes.

We knew that. And so...

But we are fairly hopeful that we can actually achieve planning

permission. We submitted an application and so in about six

weeks' time, we'll hear whether we have been successful.

So, tell me what you are planning to put up?

Well, our plans are to build a four-bedroom end terrace house here.

Which we adjoin to the house which we see behind us.

What are the complications with that? You have to talk to them

obviously because it's their wall.

That's right. Well, it's going to be a party wall agreement

sort of thing so we will be talking to them but the first...

At this moment we wanted to get the planning permission

in principle agreed.

And then we'll open up a dialogue with the people.

To be honest, what we are proposing has got to be a lot better

than what they are getting now, which is a horrible place

where it can be full of vermin and other things.

-Right.

-They will gain.

-Right, OK. Well, fingers crossed.

-Yes.

As you might expect for this narrow plot of land,

the plans that have been drawn up are for a long, thin house.

The ground floor entrance will lead into a corridor,

off which sits the lounge, a downstairs toilet

and stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

Beyond that, the dining room,

kitchen and a garden room stretch

out to the back of the plot.

Upstairs, the four bedrooms and bathroom are strung along

a connecting corridor.

The boys are hoping to keep their build costs to no more than

65,000, which would make their total spend including planning and

architects' fees in the region of £110,000.

With a ceiling price of 140,000, I'm worried about the profit margin.

What we are hoping is that with a new build

we can achieve a premium of about 20,000.

So that is where we are looking to sell it...

-To pitch it.

-About 150. 149,950.

That sort of order, yes.

What's the build time?

-Six months, no more.

-Six months.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-No more.

-From start to finish.

-From start to finish.

That's good. Are you excited?

Yeah, of course.

This is our first...

-It's going to be our first baby, almost, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-So we are

looking forward to it and we are already thinking about,

you know, at the front we're going to put a plaque in front of it

which will be R&S sort of thing, with 2016.

And so when our grandchildren come, they can come and...

"Yeah, our grandads have built that."

-Oh, that's lovely.

-That's thinking ahead in the future.

That's a really nice touch. I like that idea. Absolutely.

Obviously, you see the partnership between you two continuing.

Absolutely, yeah.

We haven't sort of...

We haven't had one cross word to each other at this moment.

-Touch wood.

-That's good.

-And long may that continue.

Yeah, absolutely. Well, congratulations.

-Thank you.

-And good luck with it.

-Yes, thank you very much.

-Have fun with the build.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

And I look forward to seeing you in a few months' time.

-Six or so.

-Yeah, sure.

So, the first new-build venture for Sylvester and Riaz.

A few things to sort out before they actually start work, though,

not least getting planning permission and also talking to the neighbour.

I'm a little bit worried that the budget might be a bit tight.

Anyway, how will they get on?

You can find out later in the show.

Well, buying at auction can be very straightforward but that's not

always the case when it comes to the renovation itself.

We've seen how one buyer got on, how about the other two?

Yes, will it be worth it?

Will it be worth all that hard work when they get those valuations?

Let's find out.

Earlier in the show I was in Birkenhead on the Wirral peninsula.

I was there to visit a three-bed mid-terraced property.

The guide price of £37,000-plus for a three-bed terrace seemed like a

good deal, but there were some added extras I could have done without.

There's damp patches in the corner, above the fireplace,

and right in the far corner, we are back to the bare brick.

There is rot on the skirting boards and there's actually a root,

a tree root, on the inside of the brick.

The Day Of The Triffids had nothing on this because at the back,

the garden wall had also been invaded.

Now, I am a lover of the great outdoors,

but I really don't want my trees intertwined with the

fabric of my property and that's exactly what's going on here.

# I'm still tangled up in you... #

And, that wasn't the only issue.

There was damp in abundance, as the spongy carpet revealed.

The kitchen was beyond saving and the bowed ceiling upstairs indicated

the roof was a horror story as well.

The second and third bedroom with the weird shape and split window...

Well, it looked like it was a Homes Under The Hammer house of horrors.

The buyers who weren't scared by any of this were brickie Russ and wife

Gina. They were going to renovate this house for Gina's mum, Pauline,

who bought the house for very slightly over the 30 grand she intended.

I got a phone call. I said, "38,000?"

And she went, "We've bought it for 43."

And I thought...

LAUGHTER

In that case, it was just as well Russ and his team would be doing the

work themselves for a budget of around 25-30 grand

but could they really

do the work in a matter of five to six weeks?

We are back eight weeks later to find out what's gone on.

Wow!

I can't believe it's the same house.

Literally, everything has been stripped right back

and done from scratch.

That open plan kitchen and living area really works a treat.

There wasn't enough room for the downstairs wet room,

so they've compromised with a downstairs toilet

and the wet room upstairs.

That means they still managed to future proof the room for Pauline.

Although they have a few finishing touches left to do,

I'm amazed they've achieved so much in just eight weeks.

So far, they've taken two weeks longer than they'd hoped

on this whole project.

When we were ripping out the bathroom,

we took all the lino up and took the old bath out and behind the old

bath we just found loads of woodworm, dry rot.

So I investigated more and all the joists were just totally perished.

So I had to take them all out.

Put new joists in. New floorboards, and then crack on with the wet room.

Not only that, but Russ and his team

also had to replace all the joists in the downstairs hall

and the front room due to extensive damp.

And the water ingress upstairs has been stopped,

thanks to a new roof fitted by some of Russ' pals who are in the trade.

The layout of the two smaller bedrooms has also been rectified

with a new stud wall and window.

But did Russ get to the "root" of the problem in the back garden?

So here is where the tree was growing out of.

It was here. So I got rid of all the vegetation, took the brickwork down.

Got rid of it all. And then built the brickwork back up.

And I'm just in the process now of getting it finished,

getting it rendered and that.

It's a vast improvement but Russ and his team are yet to build the

boundary wall as it contains asbestos and will be removed

by the council.

But they've managed a great deal in a short time,

with Gina mucking in, of course.

It's been hard, very hard, but...

Especially with me four kids.

But obviously me mum's been there to help.

We've had other people helping as well, so...

While they're getting minded,

I've been down here, helping out down here.

The huge effort from all involved has helped them stay on budget,

coming in at 27 grand.

So, Gina's mum Pauline must be absolutely delighted

with the outcome.

Me mum hasn't seen it at all.

The first time me mum seen it was when she bought it at auction.

She hasn't been in at all since then.

She'll be coming in today.

And here, bang on cue, is mum Pauline,

so what's the verdict, young lady?

I'm so pleased and I just did not realise or think that my son-in-law

and my daughter could actually transform this relic of a house

into this beautiful property that it is now.

I am so grateful.

Praise like that makes it all worthwhile.

Although Pauline is unpacking her bags as we speak,

let's see if the agents are equally as impressed.

The property is looking good.

The works are coming on well.

But there is some finishing work to be done

but hopefully when completed, it will look very good.

My first impression of the property,

it's nice and bright and neutral

and would appeal to a varied market.

I'm quite liking what I'm seeing.

It's a great house and I'm sure Pauline will be very happy here but

has it been a good investment?

The house and renovation costs came to £70,000 in total.

We would expect to market this property between 75 and £80,000.

As far as resale is concerned,

I would expect to achieve £80,000

without much difficulty because it's really nicely well presented.

I was expecting around the 80 mark.

80 to 85.

But...

It's not going to go for sale.

It's for the mother-in-law.

But maybe in the future,

it'll be worth even more, do you know what I mean?

So, yeah, I'm happy with that so far.

Russ and Gina's work has added £10,000 worth of value to the house,

but what they've done for Gina's mum is priceless.

So it's time now for a well earned break.

We go on holiday in a couple of days.

And I need me holiday now, after all the hours I've put in here.

I think I'm going to spend ten days on a sunbed

just sleeping.

Let's head back to Birmingham and the suburb above Handsworth,

where I saw a plot of land guided at £20,000,

sandwiched between traditional terraced houses.

It was just over 200 square metres inside, fairly level,

and situated on a nice street.

There was lots going for it, but this plot had a twist.

It's missing one thing.

And that's not a house.

Planning permission.

At the moment, this is purely a plot of land.

The lack of planning permission

might have been enough to put less savvy

buyers off, but if you were to get through the planning process,

there could be fruitful rewards.

The value of this land rockets almost five or so times,

I would guess, from the guide price.

There was just one possible hitch.

To make the most out of building on this narrow plot,

it was likely you would need to build onto the neighbouring property

and that would mean a party wall agreement.

But overall, it had fantastic potential.

Homes Under The Hammer familiar faces Riaz and Sylvester agreed.

Riaz was the money man who paid £35,000 for the plot

and he and builder Sylvester hoped to build an end terrace

adjoining with the current one.

And it was to be the team's first new build together.

-Are you excited?

-Yeah, of course.

This is our... This is going to be our first baby, almost, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-So we are looking forward to it and we are already thinking

about, you know, at the front we are going to put a plaque in front of it

which will be R&S, 2016.

So when our grandchildren come, they can come and...

"Yeah, our grandads built that."

This baby however would only be six months in the making and with

Sylvester's small team would cost around £65,000 to build.

So, when we returned just over two years later,

was there a little miracle?

# Baby, baby, baby

# Do you really love me?

# Baby, baby, baby

# Will you always be there for me?

# I can't live without your lovin'

# Baby, can't you see?

# Baby, baby, baby

# Tell me, do you love me now? #

Well, the gestation of the house might have taken a bit longer than

planned but I'd say this is a success.

It's bright and spacious for what was a narrow plot,

and even more unexpected,

it's detached and it's not a two-storey, four-bed house,

it's a six-bed, three-storey house.

The garden room at the back doubles as the first bedroom,

while on the first floor

there's another three good-sized rooms and the family bathroom.

But what really sets this house apart is the second floor,

with another two bedrooms and a private bathroom.

I'm really impressed by the clever use of space

but why the change of plan?

Well, initially, we were going to build with a shared wall but

we said that could be potentially too much of a headache.

And so this house is actually a stand-alone house.

In fact, it's a detached house.

And therefore we don't have to worry about that party wall at all.

So we then just built it accordingly.

Our first permission was rejected by the council

because the house protruded too much into the garden

and causing a potential light issue with the neighbours.

So we redesigned but then we achieved planning permission,

albeit it took a year.

What's more, once they got the planning,

they faced various issues that caused delays.

They found the basement of the previous house underground,

which had to be dug out and rebuilt before the foundations could go in.

As well as this, they had issues locating the sewerage services.

So they overcame plenty of obstacles.

But has it been all smiles along the way?

Oh, yeah. I'm happy. I love working with Riaz

because he's comfortable and sometimes when I'm

working with Riaz, it's not like that comfortable.

It's not easy to find somebody like Riaz.

It's not easy to find someone like Sylvester, either.

He's a decent builder, consulting, and really delivers.

He goes the extra mile

without being asked.

# Baby, baby, baby

# Tell me do you love me now? #

Now, that's a happy working relationship but will the budget

be such a happy ending?

When we last met, Riaz and Sylvester thought their total

spend would be £110,000,

including the auction price and fees.

We destroyed that budget.

By the time we finished, we'll be close to 200,000.

So almost double the budget we had planned.

An extra £90,000 isn't exactly inconsequential,

but the house is substantially larger than planned.

Let's see if they can claw back some of that overspend.

First, what do two local estate agents think

of the new three-storey property?

The property is great.

It's a great size. It's been done to a really nice spec.

The location is good. It will be popular.

I find it to be nice and welcoming, nice and bright and airy.

The room sizes are excellent.

Not compromised.

Bathroom on every floor.

Good location. So, yeah, it's superb.

Favourable reviews there but is there demand

for a six-bed house in this area?

There is definitely a demand for properties like this at the moment

just because the terraced properties in this area aren't normally of this

size, and so I think there is definitely a niche.

Could that niche help them sell the property for at least 200,000,

allowing them to break even?

If the purchaser were to look at selling this property as a proposed

six-bedroomed property,

he would potentially be looking at offers round about £275,000.

As a six-bedroomed property,

I would put this property on the market for offers over £320,000.

That's way out of our expectation, actually.

It's like...

business. When you put on market, 300,

it is possible sell it for 275, which is good.

Even at the lower valuation of 270,000,

we could see a profit of £75,000, minus taxes and fees,

whereas the higher valuation would mean a profit before deductions

of 120 grand.

So their first property baby really has brought them a bundle but

is there another one on the way?

We are planning to buy more land and also use the capital released

from this project to fund our next project

which we'll be starting real soon.

Well, as you can see, property projects don't always turn out as

you expect but we'll have lots more to watch unfold.

Yes, join us for some more auction action and tremendous transformations

-here on Homes Under The Hammer next time. See you.

-Goodbye.