Episode 5 The £100k House: Tricks of the Trade

Last year, Piers Taylor and me, Kieran Long,

brought ingenious architectural tricks and innovative design

to people building their own home from scratch

for less than £100,000.

Come on, baby.

How much money have you got left?

Let's see.

This year we're bringing our £100K House experience to people

that own a home already...

It's dilapidated,

it's...a dump.

..but are desperate to turn it into an extraordinary one.

Whoo!

They too are on the tightest of budgets.

We've got £540 left.

We'll challenge them to embrace big ideas...

-What you want really is exactly what this place provides.

-Yeah.

..and to be more ambitious.

-I don't know.

-He's come in and torn up the rule book, really.

But with their life savings at stake...

The hiccups are coming now.

If the money runs out, I'm left with half a house.

..can the homeowners create the house they always wanted,

but believed they could never have?

This better fit.

Tonight, two owners stumped for solutions to big problems.

Rita's kitchen needs a total overhaul.

The kitchen is dilapidated, it's ugly.

But with only three grand to spend,

will she be willing to work with what she's got?

People in a New York loft would pay good money for a floor like that.

Yes?!

And another tight budget needs to transform Mikyla's

overcrowded house so that it works for her kids...

We're all under each other's feet.

..plus her new partner.

It's becoming more and more apparent it's a problem.

Ten years ago divorced mum of two Mikyla

bought a damp and dilapidated three-bed semi in Harrogate.

Her hard work and determination transformed it into a family home

for her and her children, Miles and Jasmyn.

Money's been really tight and every penny has gone into either floors,

carpets, re-plastering,

and the poor children had to spend about four months with no floors downstairs,

living on microwave meals

for a period of time until the cooker got fitted.

With the house completed in her own unique style,

a new chapter of her life began when she found love with Steve.

We used to work together and then were friends for about two years.

We're into the same things as well.

We're both kind of arty and Mikyla's a free spirit.

-Aren't we?

-Yeah, I think so, definitely.

Musician Steve moved in.

The house, fit for three, is now bursting at the seams.

I think you grow with your space

and it's been a family of three for, like, ten years

so we've got used to the space, we've spread out,

and now it's difficult to condense that

so that someone else's stuff can come in.

The heart of the home is their cramped middle room.

It's like a dining room, a family living room,

a practice room for Steve, a jack-of-all-trades room, really.

And her retro diner-style kitchen

has definitely taken its last orders.

It's very short on work surface space.

If there's two of us in the kitchen,

it's quite cramped. There's no floor space. It's very difficult.

It's clear that this house was designed for a different time

in Mikyla's life.

It's difficult for Steve moving into a house that I've done

to my taste, so I would like to make it more his home.

But obviously it's my kids' home too

and I don't want to just turf some of their stuff out.

Rising property prices in their area means that, like many of us,

Mikyla and Steve cannot afford to move,

so their only option is to transform the house they have.

We can't overrun. One shot, that's it.

By combining their savings and getting a loan,

the couple have scraped together £11,500

to cover all the work they think they need.

It's quite a big gamble, isn't it, really? But it's an investment

in us living here for a long period of time, that's the thing.

Making this home work for them

as a family is vital for Mikyla and Steve.

The trouble is they have no idea how to do it on their tight budget.

-Hi, Mikyla.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hello, Steve.

-Come through.

Thanks very much. This is a nice, cosy hallway.

That's a nice way of putting it.

Built at the turn of the 20th century,

these houses were originally for skilled manual workers.

Like many houses of this age, they're long and thin,

with rooms functioning as corridors and limited options to extend.

So this is dining room-cum- second living room.

This is where we always eat,

we watch TV and spend a lot of time.

It's quite a cramped room, isn't it?

-Definitely.

-For performing all of those tasks.

Rather than an area to relax in,

the most used part of this home is the most chaotic.

This really has to work better, doesn't it?

Much better, yes, definitely.

Show me the kitchen. Let's have a look in there.

This is my favourite room. It's a very '50 style

-and I absolutely love it.

-I can see you love colour, you love neon,

the pop culture of this era.

-It's a good job I like it!

-Yeah!

-No, I do quite like it.

It may be cute, but it doesn't fit their needs.

If I'm making tea and Miles is getting cereal out of the cupboard

and going backwards and forwards to the table,

it's all very congested.

-Does it cause stress, does it cause conflict?

-Sure, yeah,

it can get a bit hectic in here.

I wish it was just slightly bigger

because I think it's quite a heart of a house.

If this new family wants its house to work long term,

the 11.5 grand budget is going to have to transform

chaotic spaces into usable ones.

With no contingency and no chance of moving,

Mikyla and Steve have one shot at getting this right.

I think there's lots we could do here, Piers, but I'm really concerned.

For £11,500 it's just not enough to reconfigure a whole family house.

There's a tough call to make and I suspect they can't have it all.

My instinct is that

here's a family that's coming together for the first time

as a new unit, and where do they hang out?

Where is their family space?

Where is the space they can sit in and dine together?

If they're really clever with structure they may be able to extend.

The middle room and its connected kitchen

are the key problem areas in this house.

Currently used as a dining and family room,

the central space is also a corridor

into the kitchen, which limits its usefulness.

I think really what we need to do is really unlock

this space for them so it's genuinely usable and communal.

Piers heads to Harrogate determined to find a way to give Mikyla

and Steve the family space they crave.

I am feeling anxious because I know what it's like.

I've been in a similar position to Mikyla and Steve.

I've been married twice.

I've had my new partner coming to a situation where there are

existing children and the dynamic is going to change completely.

-Hi, Mikyla.

-Hi.

-How are you doing?

-Good, thanks. Nice to meet you.

It's really important that

I balance what's possible with making the house better for them.

This is the one we probably use most, this room and the kitchen.

It's immediately obvious to Piers that the solution can't be

provided within the existing structure of the house.

So, I guess my initial feeling is this is a space you can

incorporate into the kitchen.

You take this wall out and you put a roof on with lots of roof lights

and doors that open up completely.

Take the window out

and be able to walk from that space straight into here.

Yeah, and out into the garden.

And it solves a problem, which is that this area is a pinch point.

There are four of you

and you're using the smallest room for everything.

You're eating in there, you're sitting in there,

and this is only a space you can use when the weather is good.

-I'd say we use that space more than that space.

-Yeah.

Piers wants to show the couple that it's worth sacrificing

part of their garden to create a home that works for the family.

So that's the kind of footprint of the building.

We're suggesting you build an extension that is

there, basically.

You cut there and effectively the table moves out here.

Then you cut out that amount of space, introduce a standard lintel

between there and then you have one big kitchen dining room.

It gives you a way of using these spaces effectively.

The average extension costs in excess of £20,000.

The couple have barely half of that.

Will they feel it's worth the risk?

I think it's quite hard to visualise how it's going to look

because I still feel it's going to feel like three rooms, really.

And the gardens aren't huge in these houses.

Not that I use my garden all the time,

but I don't know whether it's going to work for us.

They have some tough decisions to make.

This is the space we'd have.

-Right.

-But that gets the sun all the time and this gets no sun at all.

-Yeah.

When you've got a budget, you've got to prioritise.

They've got to sort out the circulation downstairs

and the living space downstairs before they do anything else.

I still am struggling to visualise,

because it looks like a very small space out there,

how much space we're going to get.

I think the idea's good in principle,

it's whether it's going to give us enough room.

With Mikyla worried about losing an already limited garden,

this build might fall at the very first hurdle.

Our second property predicament is in Birmingham.

64-year-old charity worker Rita

has spent the last six years making her Edwardian terrace perfect.

The first thing I did was the living room

and I knocked two rooms into one, we decorated, did the floors,

knocked down the chimney stack and installed a fireplace.

Sat back then, had a bit of a rest.

But there's one room that's hard to believe is even in the same house.

The kitchen is a sort of sick colour.

It's dark, it's dingy,

not good.

The cabinets are total rubbish.

They're falling apart.

It's dilapidated, it's ugly,

it's...a dump.

When I look at other places in the house

I've known what I wanted to do.

When I look at the kitchen, I'm foxed.

And it's not only ideas that Rita's short of.

I've got about three grand to spend on the kitchen,

which I think is a bit tight.

An average spend on a standard fitted kitchen

is upwards of £8,000.

Rita has only £3,000 plus a bit of contingency,

so can only afford the cheapest of kitchens.

But they don't inspire her.

The kitchens that I can afford I don't really like.

I resent spending thousands of pounds on something

that I don't like and doesn't give me any pleasure.

With Piers on his way, Rita is imagining what he might suggest.

What wouldn't I like?

A lot of poured concrete, probably,

but I don't think an architect would stray into that.

So Piers's challenge is to make this kitchen nightmare

fit with the rest of Rita's beautiful home.

I've got to do something and I need a bit of help.

-Hi, Rita.

-Oh, hi, Piers.

-Nice to meet you.

-Good to meet you.

-This is nice.

-Yes, it is.

-It needs restoring, but...

-I quite like it as it is, actually.

-Do you really?

-I think things get over restored.

There's this notion that everything needs to be spick and span.

-I like things that do have character.

-Oh!

For inspiration,

Piers is keen to take the idea of a kitchen back to first principles.

Historically, a kitchen was a table in the middle.

-That's where they prepared food.

-Victorian kitchens.

-Absolutely, yeah.

And now we have this space where we are supposed to do all that.

I think we need to get away from the whole notion that kitchens are

this wide, this deep, and the same proportions, you know.

That's what's been bedevilling me.

Piers believes the key to this kitchen is a bold bespoke design.

What about rethinking this whole space? That actually you got

rid of everything here and you just went back

and made beautiful islands that had space to walk around it,

but in that had a cooker and a sink

and underneath had cupboards for all your stuff.

I like freestanding kitchens, but I couldn't think how it would work.

But in order to achieve it on a budget, Rita is going to have

to take some risks.

What's under here? What's under this floor?

It's concrete.

-And how do you feel about concrete?

-I'm not fond of concrete, no.

What's interesting about concrete is that it has a very bad reputation,

whereas in fact, that's a nice colour.

People in a New York loft pay good money to have a floor like that.

Yes?!

It needs a sand, it needs a seal,

but it does go an amazing almost duck egg blue.

It's really lovely. Really lovely.

Ditching the vinyl to reveal the concrete floor,

Piers has ingeniously uncovered the basis for a cost-effective,

contemporary kitchen.

Yeah, he's come in and torn up the rule book, really.

Having never considered concrete,

Piers needs to show Rita how it could work.

The great thing about concrete of course is that it can be any shape.

And it actually is incredibly cheap to make a really durable worktop.

I like the idea of an irregular,

flowing shape.

Still not quite sure about concrete everywhere.

Piers's design is daring and should be affordable,

but will Rita go for it?

Part of me still feels a certain amount of trepidation.

I'd like to see the materials and how they look.

Piers is passionate that Rita takes the plunge

and accepts his radical proposal.

My job now is to make sure she can actually do this.

And not just for her.

I want to show that anyone up and down the street can do this.

So this has to be a lesson

on how to do a really good kitchen on a budget.

Back in Harrogate, Mikyla and Steve are still wrestling

with Piers's idea of transforming the back of their house.

I think expanding the space here will bring us

together more as a family unit,

but the only reservation I have,

it's very hard to visualise how much space we're going to gain,

because when you look out there

at what is a patio at the moment, it doesn't look much.

It's a common worry,

but properly executed, an extension can transform a home.

People build extensions simply because they need more space,

but also because most of the housing stock of the UK looks something like this.

They are quite narrow houses. You can't go sideways

because you're in someone else's garden, and you can't go up

except into the loft, so the only option is to go backwards.

To make a successful extension, like this one in Greater Manchester,

it's crucial not just to make more space, but to define its use.

These steps down into the dining area really help to define

a space that is expressly for dining, that's all it's really for.

There's a beautiful view out onto the garden. It's lit from above.

It's a lovely area.

Even in larger extensions like this, maximising the space is key.

Integrating features like this bench allow the designer to make use

of every last millimetre.

The glassy extension is almost like a cliche of contemporary architecture,

and you can see why when you stand in a beautiful space like this.

With skylights and windows oriented in different directions,

this extension is flooded with light and connected with the outside.

One of the things this building does really well is create a clear

pathway from front to back of the house.

It brings materials through, it brings you through to this light-filled space.

For Mikyla and Steve, that's a real challenge.

They've got this grim little corridor

and they are constantly having to walk through the dining room to get to the back of the house.

Solving that problem of circulation

is going to be really critical and a real challenge for them.

Four weeks later, Mikyla and Steve have bitten the bullet

and decided to go with Piers's plan for an extension.

It will slope up like that.

Piers's vision for Steve and Mikyla's home

is to create a flat-roofed extension

over the current patio. The whole rear of the house will become

open plan, with different zones for cooking, eating and lounging.

Multiple openings will solve the problems with flow

and the sleek jewel-like design will be a beautiful addition

to the remaining garden.

Piers firmly believes that in the right hands,

all this can be delivered within the couple's 11.5k budget.

Today, I need to make sure there are no misunderstandings,

because I suspect the first conversation with the builder will be

that it can't be done with their budget, this is going to cost more.

So the critical way is to find a way it can be done.

Hi there, how're you doing?

My thought is to have a sloping roof because it's a cheaper option.

I mean, the point of a flat roof was that it would be

a kind of jewel-like thing that was very different from

the rest of the house. We're using an EPDM,

solvent-welded membrane that just goes over the whole thing.

EPDM is an extremely durable synthetic rubber roofing membrane.

It's popular with architects because it's versatile

and can be made into interesting shapes.

I'd rather use the products I use day in, day out,

rather than use DPM that I've never used before.

I think in a way that is the problem, though.

You're only going to do what you've already done.

It's a classic dilemma -

builders' desire to use tried and tested methods

versus architects pushing boundaries.

When the budget's tight, cost often becomes the decisive factor.

-How much is a metre of tiles?

-8.99. If that.

-You've got tiles in here,

felt lats. It's a cheaper option than...

It's not just the roof that's in question.

Piers' idea of a free-flowing, open-plan space also needs

large openings in the existing walls.

I suppose I felt to make this one room you'd actually

lose all of that, so this was a complete walkthrough to the kitchen.

It's just the structural integrity.

I would like to build up here, the wall.

I worry that if you build that up, you know,

it's not really going to be one space.

That can act as a column and it's supported there

and that beam can just continue right the way across.

Piers' solution is a longer lintel that spans

the length of the kitchen wall.

Without it, the space created could be cramped and less functional.

My only concern with that is when it comes down to building control.

Building control will be happy if it works structurally.

I mean, you need to chip in here, guys. It's your project.

I do like the idea that Piers is saying

of having the whole thing open. If we block it all off it's going to be

like this separate room issue again, isn't it?

For this build to succeed the couple need to take control,

so it's great to see Steve fighting for the integrity of the design.

But there is still one huge stumbling block.

So what about budget? How much is that going to cost?

It's a small budget and if you feel that...

It's pulling it to the tight budget. It is a tight budget.

Builders will try and do what's perhaps the most straightforward.

Initially I was hung on to this idea of making this incredibly beautiful,

bright, glowing lantern here. But actually I realised that I needed

to let go. The project would never happen if I hung on to that,

because Mikyla and Steve aren't experienced enough to know

how to go about that project on their own.

Despite uncertainty around cost, and no final design,

the builders start work.

Any significant work that we do to our homes must be approved

and signed off by building control.

I think it's really exciting that the work's suddenly started coming along.

I'm not sure how it's going to be when I start my new job next week.

But, you know, Dan and Mick know what they're doing, so, you know,

they'll just have the free run of the house for whatever they need to do.

But it's going to be interesting coming in every night

and seeing it being further on.

With no-one around to make the decisions,

Dan and Mick are moving forward with the build and the design.

Since Piers was last here the main change we've come up with

is the two unused outbuildings, we're going to try and incorporate

to a room for Steve to have a producing studio of his own.

Hopefully Piers will like the changes. I know it's not

to his exact plan but it's giving them an extra space.

Adding this extra room is hugely ambitious

on an already tight budget.

The danger is Mikyla and Steve could run out of money

before the project is complete.

When they said they could open up and turn the outhouse into a studio,

I think that was a bit, "Are you sure you can do that for the price?"

Back in Birmingham, Rita is keen to get cracking with her kitchen

and has contracted local builder Martin to start clearing the site.

I'm going to take a photograph just so I can remind myself

how horrible it was.

Goodbye, old kitchen. On with the new.

Rita's still not convinced that adding a contemporary

concrete kitchen to her Edwardian house is the answer.

I want to prove by being brave with the materials she chooses,

she could add her own stamp to her period property.

I've come to see a project today where a young architect has been

completely fearless. With a palette of modern materials he's added

something amazing to the back of a period house.

Architect Simon Astridge has created this kitchen

with just four materials -

concrete, plywood, brickwork and stone.

In terms of materials, of course the most striking thing is this

extraordinary concrete wall.

This is the structure of the building, it's holding up the roof.

But it's also unfinished and allowed to be itself.

I really love it, it has its own kind of beauty,

a beauty that's about imperfections as well as perfection.

And on top of it is standing this plywood roof.

Again, it's the real material that holds up the roof,

expressed quite directly.

Choosing to keep the construction materials on show

is not a million miles away from the qualities

we appreciate in older buildings.

Imagine a place with exposed beams, exposed brickwork

and stone chimney breasts and so on.

You accept imperfections in those traditional materials and you accept

them just the same here. They're just as beautiful and I think

they'll last just as well.

Coming up with a bespoke design using a few simple authentic

materials could revolutionise Rita's kitchen.

I think this project is a really important reference point for Rita

because what it does is it takes a simple palette of contemporary

materials and goes completely to the final mile with them.

It really expresses them clearly and gives them their own character.

This is a building that I think stands up even better

than the Victorian house that it adds to.

And Rita has the possibility to improve her house.

She shouldn't be reticent, shouldn't be scared of it. She should be ready

to add a new contemporary layer that can be even more exciting

than what's there.

Down in the woods near Piers' workshop, he and Rita are working

on a half-size template for her bespoke concrete kitchen island.

I think we need to get a shape that we're comfortable with.

Creating individual design like this requires

a degree of experimentation and an open mind.

-How are you feeling about that shape?

-Um...yeah.

OK, let's start again.

This is crazy!

-Maybe if it was just rectangular.

-The whole thing?

-Yeah.

Yes, that's getting more of a flow to it.

-Sort of breathes a little bit better, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

At last Rita is getting on board with the idea.

Wow. Oh, this is beautiful, isn't it?

-I'm liking this.

-Good.

-Very, very much.

-I'm really excited

that you're excited.

Yeah, can't wait to try it full-size in the kitchen.

-I'm looking forward to it.

-Good.

Agreed on a shape, it's now time to see

if it will actually work in Rita's kitchen.

So that becomes the space for the oven.

The island needs to incorporate all of her white goods and a sink.

-And then your sink...

-On the curve, as it were?

But on top of this, Rita's keen to have a generous seating area

at one end.

And it's starting to look cramped.

That's not looking very big, is it?

No, I don't think all the appliances will fit.

-That's what I'm feeling worried about now.

-Yeah.

The dining zone is tiny, not at all what they had envisaged,

but increasing the counter size

would completely overwhelm the kitchen.

It's surprisingly tight when you come to set it all out.

If there was just, you know, a few feet more, it would make

-all the difference, wouldn't it?

-Yeah, it would.

Design can be a difficult process of trial and error

and Piers is struggling to find the answer here.

-It's crucial decision time, really, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

I'm not usually indecisive but I'm dithering here.

I really want to get this right for Rita. It's got to work.

And I can't quite get the shape right. I think I need to go away

and just sleep on this.

Back in Harrogate, Mikyla and Steve's extension

is beginning to take shape.

But it's not all going smoothly.

When we've took this roof off we found the timber beam

that was supporting the roof - see where it's all sort of degrading?

And the brick is fully loose.

It'll just pull out.

It's just pure rotten.

And that is what is carrying the weight of up here.

The beam must be replaced.

It's more disruption on a project where the budget

is already stripped to the bone.

It's dangerous.

It has to be rectified now.

But it's not just unexpected structural issues that are

causing problems with this build.

Overwhelmed by the task, it appears Mikyla and Steve are allowing

Mick and Dan to take charge.

Piers needs to convince them of the value

of keeping control of their build.

This project that Mikyla and Steve are doing could easily be

just a very ordinary space. I think they really need to do something

more than just make walls and a floor.

It needs to be considered as an incredible space of its own.

Extraordinary buildings need extraordinary attention to detail...

..and this building has that in spades.

So, this is one tiny extension,

designed by an amazing architect.

And there is nothing in here but a table and this built-in seating.

-Wow.

-Really lovely. Really nice.

Created by Gianni Botsford, this minimal glass box extension

is a simple idea, beautifully executed.

What's interesting about this building is that

the proportion of it, the shape of it, is quite ordinary

and it's the detail that makes it extraordinary.

I love the way this is all one material.

So, this is one piece of Corian right the way down

under the seat to the ground.

And then, the one colour. The saturating it in one colour

is fantastic.

I like that idea, the little... Them lights up there.

Like you say, that's not been left to chance, has it?

The one light, that is so beautifully focused on this table.

They have thought so carefully

about how to position that one light. You do not chuck lights in.

-Yeah.

-I mean, everything is considered. I really like the fact

that the glass is not just clear glass. It does have what is called

a frit - the slightly wider spacing there won't be accidental.

That is exactly where your eye is.

The frit markings, echoing the shape of the willow leaves,

and the sunken seating area all create an intimate relationship

with the outside.

Architectural tricks of the trade, like these, raise this project

into something extraordinary.

I definitely got the feeling of being

in the garden when I came in here, which is what you described to me

how ours would feel.

Mikyla was worried about sacrificing some of her garden,

but here, she can see first-hand how an extension can connect

to outdoor space.

This is small, two-thirds the size of yours,

-but it feels big and generous.

-Absolutely.

If this was entirely solid, it would be completely different.

The light here is almost everything, really.

Even the smallest extensions can be made unique and,

if given a specific use, can transform a home.

The strategy, I think, is right now. It's the right building

in the right place and will unlock some important things.

It's the detail now of how that space really works

that we need to get right.

I'm so pleased to have brought Mikyla and Steve here,

because I really think they have seen, and experienced,

how fantastic this is. The singularity of vision

is the beauty of this.

And that is what they need to hang on to -

this perfect execution of a big idea.

Back at the build, Mick and Dan have sorted the new steel

for the back of the house and are pressing on with building

the extension.

Piers has encouraged Mikyla and Steve to pay attention

to the crucial details of their build,

but life is getting in the way.

I think what I'm finding difficult at the moment

is the fact that I'm not here much.

So, those little conversations that you need to have,

I'm finding it a struggle to have because, when I come home,

they've gone and, when I leave in the morning early,

they are not here yet.

And Steve isn't able to help much, either.

He's never done anything like this before.

I'm not very good at this DIY stuff, at all.

I don't have a monkey's. Don't have a clue.

I'm not going to lie, so I can only try and wing it,

cos I really don't have a clue.

Rather than being inspired by the white cube extension,

Mikyla is feeling totally overwhelmed.

-Push it down to me.

-The visit that we went on

showed us what an amazing space it was like. And, then, I suppose,

coming back down to earth.

It's a bit like looking at a designer handbag

and thinking, "I'd love that." But then, your budget is not designer,

so you are not going to get that standard of finish.

I suppose that's a hard compromise to come to.

Oh, hi, Piers, it's Mikyla.

With Mikyla doubting the whole project, she reaches for help.

I've seen it progressing rapidly, as I have been coming home from work

in the evenings, but it feels, like, a lot smaller.

The wall has had to come in quite a lot.

I'm not really getting the feeling that we are going to be able

to work with it, like we were quite excited about.

At the moment, I'm not feeling inspired, basically.

I'm just really worried that it's not going to feel quite

as exciting a project as I thought it was to start with.

It's losing its way a bit.

Back in Birmingham,

Rita has yet to settle on a final design for her kitchen and she is

fed up with the thought of more time spent living in chaos.

I'm surrounded by kitchen innards.

SHE SIGHS

Rita wants a lot from this. There has got to be a kitchen worktop

and a place to sit and eat and I think there just isn't space.

So, it's back to the drawing board as Piers searches for a solution

that is exciting, functional and can be done on Rita's £3,000 budget.

Wrapping round the edge is this very simple concrete worktop.

It just expands where the cooker is and turns the corner in a beautiful

sculptural way that just looks fantastic.

And then, below it, very standard carcasses, with plywood door fronts

running through in a very uniform way.

So, she has concrete, she has plywood and, then, it feels a,

kind of, better solution for that space.

With a new design finally in place, the project can get moving

and the cupboard units, costing £865, are going in.

But Rita has a holiday booked,

so will be away whilst the build is happening.

The one thing that's stressing me out a little bit is the fact that

I'm due to go on holiday and the concrete, the finish,

is a matter of taste.

Cos I want it finished not raw, not highly polished, shiny,

but with a bit of a sheen to it,

so that I don't come back and say, "Uh, don't like it"!

Left to get on with it, Rita's builder follows

Piers' plan for the concrete worktop.

Onto the standard carcasses he puts a plywood base,

to support the concrete.

He then sketches the worktop's unique wavy edge

and makes a formwork for the concrete, using flexible plywood.

This is then nailed to blocks, to maintain its form.

Areas are sectioned off, to keep them clear of concrete.

These are where the hob and sink will eventually sit.

And finally, chicken wire is used to reinforce the concrete

and stop it cracking.

With Rita away, Piers wants to be on site, to oversee the process

and check the finish for her.

-Hi, Martin. All right?

-Hello, Piers, how are you doing?

-Very well. So, ready to pour in, is it?

-We're ready to go.

-Great.

The concrete is spread and smoothed down, to fill the mould.

Martin's leaving this in its natural state, but colourings,

pebbles or even glass chippings can be added,

to change the final appearance.

And, once dry, the surface can be ground, to create a smooth finish,

or left in its rough tactile form.

It's looking great. Looking great.

Martin knocks the bottom of the concrete,

to ensure the water and bubbles rise.

It's really important to get the water up,

so you get a smooth surface, but not smooth like glass.

It's a beautifully undulating, smooth surface

that has real character. That kind of surface is what we want.

So, very slightly uneven, but smooth. That looks great.

A designer concrete worktop could cost thousands of pounds,

but this low-tech solution will come in significantly cheaper.

Two bags of cement, eight bags of ballast

and, probably, two mixes in that machine

and that's a concrete worktop.

Back in Harrogate, work on Mikyla and Steve's extension

is progressing, but their lack of control over the project

risks creating a compromised space.

There are lots of decisions not being made

and they are losing control of this build.

I'm here to see if we can help them take back a bit of that control.

Mikyla and Steve knew that this extension was going to be tight,

but now the external wall is built, it feels smaller than they imagined.

When we came to actually physically measure the space, before all

that was in there, it was, literally, six foot seven by,

sort of, eight foot. I think it's really important that this

is a usable space, because I feel, at the moment,

that it is going to be a luxury walk through to the kitchen.

And that is far from their original vision of a place

the family can eat together.

Are we all going to be huddled round a table, moving the chairs,

so people can get round? That is what I'm feeling like.

-I'm feeling very closed in with it.

-I'm hearing that your big priority,

that dining space, has got to be really usable. That is the heart

of your home. Together, it's where you're all going to spend time.

I do think a bench seat in the reveal that is left behind that

thing can really work. If you ever wanted to have a bigger dinner,

you could have people sat along there.

It can be useful in so many different ways, I really think that.

It is definitely more space-efficient than having chairs.

If you, kind of, design your whole space around your existing table,

-you might not be making the most of the possibilities.

-Yes, I agree.

To make this room as good as it can be, the more openness you can provide,

the better.

A space-saving bench seat will maximise this tiny space,

just as the bespoke furniture did in the tiny cube extension

that Piers showed them, but with their 11.5k budget almost exhausted,

they need a clever way of creating that look for next to no money.

To do extraordinary things, you really do need to think

out of the ordinary and we can just go shopping in ordinary places

for ordinary things. But for the extraordinary,

you need to go the extra mile.

Piers has an innovative, cost-effective idea that could help

Mikyla and Steve fit out the interior of their extension.

I have brought you to a car body shop in north London.

-Should I have brought my car with me?!

-You should've brought your car!

What is interesting about places like this is that they exist all over

the country and these guys have a double life. On one hand,

they are repairing cars and, on the other hand,

they also do extraordinary things with material, so this is a chair,

for example, that somebody has made and these guys

-will be spray-painting this.

-Right.

-And not just

spray-painting it, but spray-painting it

in the most amazing way,

so it looks a little bit like this.

-Wow.

-Beautiful, seamless, almost polished thing.

The high-gloss lacquer effect from spray-painting

gives an even coating, impossible to achieve by brush,

and can be applied to almost any material.

This is MDF

that has been painted by these guys into something that looks

-very like the table that we were sitting at...

-Yeah. It feels almost

exactly the same.

It does. The sunken seat and table used a material that is around

£300-£400 a square metre. This stuff can be done for about

-£35 a square metre.

-Really?

-So, it's about a tenth of the cost.

Fantastic. Yeah.

It might take a bit of hunting,

but finding a car body shop willing to spray your furniture

can not only be cost effective, it can also be any colour you like.

-What do you think of the yellow?

-Really nice. Really nice.

-Pink?

-I love that.

It looks great, yeah.

The transformation from a really ordinary bit of MDF into something

-extraordinary is fantastic, isn't it?

-It is. It's fantastic.

Really, really cool. I'm really tempted by the pink, really!

-The pink looks great.

-I don't know about Steve!

-Steve is probably not as tempted.

-The other day, I was a little bit

apprehensive that the joy, the delight, had somehow been lost

in the expense of getting the project happening and now, I feel

-that's really come back in.

-Absolutely.

I think it's going to be more individual again,

which I was a bit, like,

-it's not really necessarily going to be...

-Us.

-Yeah.

And back on site, Mick and Dan have made great progress.

It's finally possible to understand how the new arrangement of space

is going to work.

All the walls have been taken out that need taking out.

We've knocked the window out, opened the doorway up to bring space

into the living room. We've opened this into the kitchen.

It will look amazing when it's finished,

but it's just getting it there.

We've got a plan, yeah, but on track? I don't know about that!

In Birmingham, 48 hours after the concrete was poured into

the worktop's wavy mould, it's the moment of truth,

as builder Martin carefully unveils it.

He is also tackling the messy,

and noisy, job of grinding

the concrete floor.

With a couple of coats of protective sealant,

it starts looking more like the New York loft finish

that Piers hoped for.

Once back from her holiday,

Rita supervises the finishing touches.

I think it was ideal to go away

whilst it was all being done, actually!

But there's loads to do.

Surfaces to seal, doors to finish.

And with each job finished comes a new discovery.

I haven't yet worked out how you open them.

It's just the right... Oh - look, I did it first time.

Rita's kitchen was a disaster.

With cupboards falling off the walls,

flooring that had seen better days

and the Seventies decor,

this kitchen was way past its sell-by date.

Frustrated by her dilapidated kitchen,

Rita desperately needed guidance

to transform it into something beautiful and out of the ordinary.

But realising that on her budget of just £3,000 was going to be no easy task.

Piers suggested a radical design

using materials we usually cover up.

And whilst Rita took some convincing,

she finally went with a concrete kitchen.

Piers and I are here to see the result.

-Hi, Piers.

-Hi, Rita. How are you?

-Great.

-I'm dying to see how you've got on.

-Oh... I am so happy.

-You won't believe it.

-Great.

-Come and have a look.

-Great.

Wow. This is beautiful.

It's absolutely fantastic, it's so...

So much colour, and so many of your beautiful objects

and things around on display.

And then most of all of course

all these wonderful textures and materials

that seem to fit together really well.

'The standard units have been customised with plywood doors,

'costing just £65 for materials.

'The concrete worktops have been varnished

'with a protective sealant.

'Costing under £400,

'they are a budget-friendly way of achieving a bespoke design.'

One of the wonderful things about using this material

is that you know it was made here, it was cast here

especially for you, and this very curve was kind of chosen for you.

Yes, Piers helped me to design it, to get the curve in, and get it

positioned exactly right, so it's beautiful visually and practically.

'Instead of splashing out on expensive flooring,

'Rita has gone with Piers' idea

'of exposing the long-hidden concrete one.'

I'm quite impressed with just how far you've gone

down the road of using these materials

in quite a rough and ready way.

I remember being asked originally, "What DON'T you want?"

And I said, "I don't want anything too concrete."

Because I was thinking of something brutalist, drained of colour,

oppressive. But how wrong was I?

For me, there's a real beauty

and a richness to these materials that is true to this building.

And something slick

-and overfinished just wouldn't have worked here.

-Yeah.

But this is, you know, in a way a reflection of how versatile

something like concrete is.

'By losing the large fridge-freezer and decluttering,

'Rita's opened up the space

'and created a new dining area in the bay window.'

This now feels like a super light- filled space, and the natural light

on these natural materials is something of real quality.

Yes. And that's what I wanted, I wanted a light kitchen.

And this has delivered on it.

Tell me, did you bring this in for your £3,000 budget?

Well, I've actually spent closer to 5,000,

but that includes things that were originally

excluded from the work, like having a fresh door, and the appliances.

But the actual carcasses, all the rest came in at three grand.

So basically what you see here, you can buy for £3,000.

-That seems pretty amazing value.

-Yeah.

It also comes as a big relief to know that you can do this

for about £3,000, and not have to go and spend £6,000

or £12,000 on a comparable kitchen from a high-street kitchen designer.

Absolutely. It really kind of opens my eyes to...

we don't have to accept the conventional.

And it's a space that can evolve and can grow with me

and I can have fun with it.

I think that was what I feared would be lacking with a kit kitchen.

Whereas this kitchen is great. It makes me smile.

What's interesting for me

is how much Rita has really opened up to this process of design.

What she's done is really do something quite outrageous,

she's taken raw concrete and raw plywood

and a bare concrete floor, and she's put it in a terraced

house in Birmingham, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

And I think that's pretty amazing.

What's important about Rita's kitchen is not that it's low-cost,

but that it's tailored to her. She's got something that she really wants.

It's really a sign of what design can do,

and she's now got a beautiful piece of design that is tasteful

and does fit in with all the beautiful things she owns.

But it also enables her to live better in her house

and that's what I'm really happy about.

In Harrogate, work on Mikyla and Steve's extension

is almost complete,

and the builders are fitting the new bifold doors.

Inspired by their trip to the car body shop,

Mikyla and Steve have decided to take a DIY approach

to getting a sleek finish on benches for their new dining area.

-STEVE:

-Yeah. I quite like it.

-Do you like it this colour?

-Yeah.

-Looking good. It's definitely yellow, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I think my DIY skills have improved about 2% through this project.

It's not been great with all the chaos in the kitchen

cos you use the kitchen all the time.

We probably should have gone on holiday for most of the time!

Put it this way,

I won't be doing any more DIY for a pretty long time.

-The rest of my life.

-Exactly.

Four months ago,

this house in Harrogate was bursting at the seams.

With rooms acting as corridors,

it simply wasn't a practical family home.

When her new partner Steve moved in,

Mikyla knew she had to improve her semidetached Victorian house,

because a home that was working well for three

was causing friction for a family of four.

The main problem was downstairs,

where the dining room-cum-lounge

served as a thoroughfare into the poky kitchen,

and the house lacked a decent space

where the family could come together.

Building an extension to the back of the house

was their preferred solution,

but doing that on their £11,500 budget was going to be tough.

Piers came up with a cost-effective plan

for turning Mikyla and Steve's house

into a fully functioning family home.

Today we're back to see how far they took his ideas.

-Hiya, guys.

-Hello.

How you doing? Nice to see you.

So how's it been going?

Well, it's been dusty and messy, it feels like a long time,

but, yeah, we've finally got there.

But are you pleased with the end result?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Great.

-Come and have a look.

-I'd love to see.

Wow, this is such a... such a different space.

'Before, the dining room-cum-living room was dark and dingy.

'But with the end wall removed, it now flows into the new extension,

'and the downstairs has been made open-plan.'

-I just remember it being a world of clutter.

-Lots of furniture.

I mean, it's really changed here.

Yes, it has. We were using this for lots of different functions

but now it's become like a family space.

The fact we've got rid of a load of clutter helps, I think.

It doesn't give me a headache when I come in!

It feels so light. And all of that light is coming from there.

'The extension has made an enormous difference.

'Going with Piers' idea of knocking through from the kitchen,

'the family now has a modern kitchen-diner.'

Well, this is just amazing, isn't it?

I mean, what a complete transformation from that

yard of a back garden into a really usable space.

Yeah, absolutely.

There was a couple of points when I couldn't really visualise

how big it was going to feel, I felt it was very small.

But obviously now that it's all done and it's painted

it's pulled the three spaces together as sort of one,

it sort of flows through, it feels fantastic.

The best thing about this space is the abundance of roof lights

that bring light in to where it's needed,

and also the simplicity of the white paint

taking the floor right the way through from here into that room -

all of those things make this seem special, but also just...

It's a very sensible and straightforward thing to do in the nicest possible way.

I've been coming down quite early in the morning

and it's been bathed in light, it's been lovely.

'The old unused outhouses have been incorporated into the extension,

'and reinvented as a music room for Steve and all his gear.

'With the space fully utilised and the flow of the house improved,

'has family life changed as well?'

Has it removed some of the tension?

It has. It's meant that we can spend more time together now,

all of us, in the same space at the same time, which before,

it would just be "Let's grab something to eat and go,"

whereas now it's "Let's sit down, let's talk, let's spend time,"

all in the same space but not on top of one another.

Most people wouldn't think of doing an extension this small

because they'd think, "What actual space does it give me?"

But of course this gives you your house back.

'Costing £1,500,

'this bifold door allows light to flood inside

'and links to the outside.

'Mikyla's old patio may have been swallowed up by the extension,

'but a new area has been created.'

Wow. This is great. This is better than before.

It feels so much more connected to the outside space now, the interior.

It does,

and we're using it a lot more now, because it was tucked away before.

It's interesting how you've sort of lost outdoor floor area

but actually it feels like more usable space out here.

Absolutely, cos it's changed the proportion of it.

This is a more usable proportion

than a funny dogleg with a piece of decking at the end.

So that's really successful.

'This was an ambitious project for £11,500.

'But how much has it really cost?'

Do you feel like you've brought it in more or less on budget?

We've gone a little bit over budget on things like flooring,

lighting, radiators and things -

we've probably spent near enough 2,000 on those things

which you don't think about first but obviously they need to be done.

I know you've spent a little bit extra,

but you've known exactly WHERE to spend the money

and that's on the fabric of this building -

the doors, the windows, and those essential things. So well done.

But also, a really complex brief has been satisfied -

you've got a family space that you all can use,

you've got a place for your music

and a beautiful outdoor space that is going to be delightful in summer.

I think when people have a modest amount of money to spend

they often spend it on the wrong things.

Here, Mikyla and Steve have spent money on exactly the right thing,

which is a modest extension.

And it's a really good investment, because what that investment allows

is the rest of the house to thrive and breathe properly.

By embracing Piers' ideas,

Mikyla and Steve now have a space that works for them as a family -

and to share with friends.

I think we've definitely gained the space we needed,

because it hasn't just given us the one space that we've created

but also it's freed up the spaces in the other two rooms.

I think the journey's been what felt like long, even though

it hasn't been in the timescale,

-but it's great to see the finished product.

-Yeah.

It does look really good, I'm really pleased how it's come out in the end.

I've really enjoyed spending some time with Mikyla

and Steve in their house.

They can do the things they love to do finally

and for the first time in that space.

And that's, in a way, what this project has unlocked for them.

Most importantly, they've got a space that they can share

together as a family, and that was really the brief for this project.

I'm proud of them that they've achieved it,

and they've done it in some style.

Next time: homeowners in desperate need of more space.

Throwing inside, we know the rule.

Graham's relationship is on the line,

because of his dilapidated house.

He wouldn't want to lose me over not getting the bathroom done.

It does get you down. You think, "Do I want to go in there?

"Do I want to freeze?"

And with the stuff of family life

overtaking their warehouse apartment,

Ben and Mita are at their wits' end.

There are times I feel quite annoyed and frustrated and teary.

But can a solution even be found within their tight budget?

Just about ready to give up on the project.