Minehead/Somerset To Buy or Not to Buy

-Good morning viewers, you're gonna love this.

-OK. Oh, my head!

-Are you joking?

-What?

-That's the best you could come up with?

Yeah. It's just a little clue. I used "my head".

That is Simon's unsubtle way of explaining where we are today. Roll titles.

One second. Two things, first of all, rubbish gag.

Secondly, we're not in Minehead, but we're in Somerset.

All right then, how about this? My neck!

-What's that?

-That's near my head.

-OK.

Today we're in an area steeped in history, full of hostelries and hopefully houses.

It feels like rainy September.

-What do you mean?

-Like when summer's set.

-Shall we meet today's buyers?

-See we're in Somerset...

-I got it.

Anyway, on today's To Buy Or Not To Buy,

we go head over heels in the topsy-turvy world of house hunting.

I like it but I'm not sure about coming upstairs to sit in the living room.

We encounter some stubborn resistance from our buyers.

Yep. Mm-hm.

You can hear in Lee that she's not happy. When somebody goes, "Mm-hm, yep, mm-hm."

Before last-minute salvation with the help of some fantastic features.

That's impressive. That is a fire and a half.

Here are today's buyers, Richard and Lee Turner.

-And the best thing about them?

-They're avid To Buy Or Not To Buy viewers.

Well yes, but also Lee's from Liverpool.

-Typical. And what about Richard?

-Not from Liverpool.

So I'm not outnumbered?

No, I think you'll cope. Shall we meet them?

Now, can you describe briefly the current house that you live in?

It is a five-bedroomed house. It's an old vicarage.

So it's got large rooms, and big back kitchen.

Which is important, because we spend more time in the kitchen.

You've got an amazing house, so why are you looking to move?

I'm actually based in Aldershot, live in the New Forest and work in Warwick,

so it's rather a big commute to see the family.

At the moment I only get back on the weekends to see them.

If we move the family closer to my work, I'll get to see them more.

-Family is you two and four kids?

-Four boys.

Older boy, now, he must be getting to a point where he wants some independence?

Yes, he is.

When we're searching, are we looking for anything specific for him?

If we saw a property that had an annexe to it, or anything like that,

that would be handy for him. He's 21.

-He needs to do his own thing.

-Yeah.

-Is that going to be a deal-breaker for you?

-No, definitely not.

We'll just buy a tent, put him on the land and leave him to it.

Absolutely. Put him out in the woods.

Put him out to pasture.

-Is this a short-term thing? A medium-term move?

-No, this will be the final move for us.

We don't plan to move again.

But we haven't set our mind on a particular property, yet.

-Are you fussy? What's going on?

-No.

It's trying to find the right area.

Because we're going to actually stay in this one,

we've got to be 100 percent that this is the area that you want to be in.

You paint me a picture, with words, your house.

I think you've got quite a clear image in your mind.

An older property. Five bedrooms. Good-size rooms on it,

with not a lot, a lot of land to the point where you've got got that much land...

A wooded area with pastures, maybe a waterfall.

A couple of thousand acres. Not too much.

We want a bit of space so we're not on top of the neighbour.

We need that space around us for the family.

We've got a lot of boys, lot of noise, football, cricket.

We don't want to annoy anyone.

We also don't want to be too far from civilisation that I can't get to work.

OK. Important question.

Older properties, beautiful, full of character.

Sometimes they do need a little bit of upkeep. How are you on the DIY skills?

I'm not too bad, because my wife usually decides it all needs changing when we get there.

I mean, most people like to put their own mark on the property.

Colour schemes, that sort of thing.

-Lee is very much the interior designer.

-I do all that.

-What is your maximum budget?

-About £850,000.

-850? That's the maximum we can push you to?

-Yes.

That's a decent budget.

-Right.

-This will be fun.

-It will.

-Pressure's on.

-They're not fussy.

-Sounds like they are!

-We'd better get going.

-See you in a bit.

-Thank you.

-Big budget.

-Big houses.

-Big deal.

-Big responsibility.

-Come on! We're big enough for this.

-We can do this.

I'm off to look at some big property details.

OK. I'll big up the local area.

It's easy to see the attraction of this area, with its lovely scenery

and proximity to beautiful north Devon.

We're also on the edge of the Exmoor National Park and the Quantock Hills,

so there's the best of British countryside all around.

This area was also home to two of the greatest poets Britain's ever produced -

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge,

famed for their lyrical ballads about rural life in England in the late 18th century.

The two poets walked the hillsides seeking inspiration

before returning to local hostelries such as the Bell Inn

and putting their thoughts onto paper.

It was here that Coleridge penned The Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner.

Published in 1798, it's the story of an old sailor

who shoots a lucky albatross that was following his ship.

When his ship foundered,

he was forced to wear the dead bird around his neck as penance,

giving us the idiom "to have an albatross around your neck".

Lest we fall into that trap, let's see what else Richard and Lee

could buy with their 850 grand elsewhere around the country.

How about this beautiful four-bed Victorian villa

on the banks of Loch Lomond?

It's on the money at...

Or could this magnificent six-bedroom Yorkshire property tempt you?

Also on the nose at...

Or what about this eight-bed property in Dartmoor National Park?

It's currently serving as a B&B and the guide price is...

Our couple today have got a budget of £850,000.

How far does that go down here?

They would buy a nice property at that level.

Certainly you would get a nice detached property

in a local, close-by village.

If, like me, you love a bit of etymology, you know, the origin of place names,

when you turn up in Minehead you think, easy, there used to be a mine here.

It's the head of the mine. Good guess, but wrong.

The origin of the name is the Welsh word "mynydd", meaning mountain,

because 12 miles as the crow flies is the Welsh coast.

If you're standing over there, looking back,

all you see is a mountain rising out of the sea.

How are you finding things with the bigger properties?

As it's a sought-after area, are they still moving?

One of the issues in our area is that most people are selling for a lifestyle reason

rather than a necessity for a job,

so the prices tend to be pitched a little higher,

and quite often are happy to sit on the market.

Minehead owes its existence to that all-important factor location, location, location.

There is evidence of a port here dating back to 1380, trading with Ireland, Wales and Bristol.

Over the centuries however, ships left to places much further away -

France, Virginia and even the West Indies.

Something I've seen when we've been looking around is

there isn't much around that 850 figure.

There seems to be a lot up to 700, then a gap,

then everything jumps up beyond a million pounds.

Generally, a nice quality detached house, set in nice gardens

will probably be up to 650-ish.

After that you're starting to get properties with land.

You're probably up to 850, and then there is a gap

-where we then jump to a much larger property with more acreage.

-Yes.

We're then into 1.2 million or something of that nature.

But times change. These days it's tourism that brings in the money, not shipping.

Minehead is home to one of Britain's best loved institutions - Butlins holiday camp!

It's said that when this place is full, the population of Minehead virtually doubles.

Jonny, I have been working with my socks off today.

-Don't you mean working your socks off?

-No.

Anyway, how have you got on?

I went to the estate agents and we are struggling to use up their entire budget,

as you probably found.

There were a couple of properties that were ideal, but we couldn't get the viewings.

So we've had to compromise a bit, but if they're looking to stay for the rest of their lives...

I couldn't agree with you more. It is very rare that I don't spend the whole budget.

And that is what's happened today. But property one

is absolutely gorgeous.

This is value for money. It comes with nine acres of land.

It is in a beautiful position, very close to those amenities that our couple want.

That's property one. You'll go well to beat that.

Now, property two, I think it looks lovely. There you go.

Stone barn conversion.

Versatile and adaptable accommodation.

It needs a bit of money spending on it,

but if you're staying somewhere for the rest of your life, you want to personalise it.

This gives them the money to do that.

Now then, the wildcard.

This is the most isolated of the three properties.

It is set in the heart of the Exmoor National Park.

It's a beautiful property. That's the wildcard.

We think they'll love it.

-Shall we start the tours?

-Property one.

-That's my choice.

So here is property one. Barn conversions can be tricky,

but this one's been done exceptionally well.

It has indeed, Simon.

Do not forget that it's a two-horse race.

Should you fall at the first, I'll be there to take the reins.

OK. Property one today is my choice.

Before we talk about the house, let's put ourselves on the map.

We are a mile

from the village of Williton, where you will find an excellent primary and secondary school.

One box ticked.

As far as getting onto the M5, 30 minutes, easy access

to the M5 to get to Warwick and the rest of the country.

So, location-wise, I think I've done pretty well. Property-wise,

beautiful, random-coursed rubble barn conversion made from local stone. Lovely pink colour.

What are you thinking?

-Beautiful stone.

-Very nice.

-Gorgeous, isn't it?

What else are you thinking?

-Mm-hm.

-Come on. There's a little "Mm-hm".

-No.

-No?

-Nothing like,

-"Those neighbours are close"!

-Yep!

Are you not think...

I'm just asking the question. That's legitimate.

That was what I was thinking.

-Blame him.

-It's a fair comment. That's a fair comment.

What we know about the neighbours, two retired couples.

The people who live here at the moment,

they rarely see each other. But you do have neighbours.

Besides, when you've got nine acres of land

with your property, including

-fantastic new liveried stables over here.

-Yes.

-All right?

-Yes.

We'll look round all the outhouses in a bit.

But, first, we want to know if this barn conversion works for you.

-They can be a tricky thing.

-Absolutely.

Right then, only one way to find out.

Get in there and enjoy. We'll be listening.

Thanks for bringing that up.

-I was being nice.

-No you weren't. Your card is marked.

-It's nice, isn't it, the hallway?

-That's nice.

-Yes.

Shall we go into the kitchen? That's nice.

Very nice. Look at the cooker.

-You like the cooker?

-Lovely, lovely cooker.

Look at that!

Fantastic.

Would you say this is the living room?

-The living area?

-I'd think so.

One. That's one of your living areas.

-Very nice.

-I don't think you'd need to do any decor changing.

-It's lovely.

-Nice floors again. I like the wood floors. That'll keep it nice and clean.

Quite right. Practical flooring is what you need when you're living in the countryside.

Is that because of your hooves?

No, you don't bring the horses in.

A converted barn is just for people.

We'll go through into the...

That's your conservatory. I like that.

-Go back up this way?

-Yeah.

-Look at this! Wow.

-Stained-glass windows.

That's a feature, isn't it?

-It's lovely. Never expected to see this, did you?

-No.

It is amazing, isn't it?

That for me is the winning feature of this property.

It's too easy when you redesign a place like this

to squeeze the space out of the hall.

Don't do it. It's what you want when you first walk in a place.

And this is a little...

-fantastic, an office.

-Brilliant.

That means I can work from home.

They must have wireless as well.

The problem facing any business person living in the country - wireless connections.

This is a bedroom.

A downstairs bedroom? That's interesting.

I can see Anthony in here.

Another downstairs bedroom. OK.

This is a good size.

If this is an en-suite it'll be fantastic. Yep.

Big double shower. Lovely.

I think this will be better for Anthony.

-We'll put Declan in the one next door.

-Definitely downstairs.

If they're picking bedrooms already, I'm happy.

Look at that! Lovely, isn't it?

It goes round. The boys would have good fun running round there.

-I can see it.

-Yeah.

-Lovely view.

-It is.

-Really nice.

Another nice one. Bedroom, big double.

Look at that view. Wow.

-I like the stained-glass windows. Very good.

-That is lovely.

-And then we have the en-suite.

-Look at this.

-Burgundy, you like that.

-A bath, no shower. A bath! Fantastic.

Another room.

En-suite.

Right.

So this is what, bedroom...

-This would be off of bedroom four.

-Yeah. Brilliant.

So far then we've got Anthony, Declan and ourselves sorted.

This could be Rees's. This is a good double.

-Good-size double.

-It's a shame all the rooms aren't that size.

Mm... Yeah.

-There's only four bedrooms and they need five.

-Yeah.

-You've only given them four.

-Yeah.

Goodness, look at that!

The other room that I was looking for downstairs.

That is pleasantly surprising.

Lovely high ceilings.

The fireplace. Wow.

-That's impressive.

-This really needs to have been downstairs.

Touch of upside-down living here.

-Perfect though.

-They've made the most of the fabulous views from this property.

I like it, but I'm not quite sure about coming upstairs to sit in the living room.

It's just different.

We haven't got that other bedroom that we need.

But it is lovely, and it's got potential.

Lee, I heard a lot of positives from you. Richard,

you seemed a little bit reticent. Talk to me.

I guess I'm a traditionalist. I couldn't get past the idea of a living room upstairs.

Also, I thought the bedrooms were a little small.

-I did ask, didn't I?

-You did.

-What will I do with the other child?

-I'm glad you asked that question.

That's why we're standing here.

We have this stable block out here.

It's a very modern block. Now the local feeling is

they're starting to get restrictive about any more outhouses being converted

if they have historic value.

This is so modern, there is a feeling that if you applied

you would get permission to convert this into an annexe.

That's answering that question.

-Also, then allowing him to get a foot on the property ladder.

-True.

So, possibilities here. On the other hand,

if you could make the inside space work,

these four stables here, if you fancied a new business,

if you wanted to manage this livery with the school here,

you've got potential of 20 grand a year income.

-That's very appealing.

-Isn't it, just?

I can see two boys in a bedroom.

HE LAUGHS

I like your practical mind.

I'm interested by your approach to this property, it is quirky.

You have to have the elevated lounge to ensure you maximise

these beautiful views from the location.

That's why they've put that lounge upstairs.

I don't see a problem with the upstairs living area because of the view.

It's fantastic. I can understand Richard, but...

There's a few issues to overcome with this property.

Maybe I can convince you,

when we play guess the price.

Right, your maximum budget, £850,000,

so how much do you think for this lovely

converted barn with nine acres of land?

-Who's going to go first?

-Thank you.

-Richard.

-I guess 725.

-OK.

I'd say 700.

You would, would you?

-You think this is 150 grand below your maximum budget?

-Yeah.

You're wrong, but you win.

It's £200,000 below your maximum budget.

It's been reduced massively. It's on the market for 650k.

1-0.

-That's all you're interested in.

-It is.

These Liverpool supporters, they're so competitive.

For what you're getting, it's a fantastic price.

-You see why it appealed to us?

-Definitely.

-Right. So, food for thought?

-Absolutely.

That's property one out the way.

-Jonny, are we hot to trot?

-Stop horsing around. Property two.

Time now for my selection, another barn conversion

with fantastic potential and incredible views.

I'm surprised there are any barns left.

The cows' loss is our property hunters' gain.

We'll see about that.

Lee, Richard, welcome to my choice, property two.

When I was paying you out about the proximity of properties to your choice,

I'd forgotten that the neighbours to this property are a bit close.

It has neighbours? It does?

That's what you were saying, this property has neighbours?

It's not as isolated as we were hoping for, but,

we are in Luxborough,

and you have four and a half acres of land. Gorgeous countryside.

The Exmoor National Park.

-What do you think of the house?

-From the outside, lovely stone.

Richard, what are you thinking?

I'm thinking all the work that will be needed

with all the woodwork around it.

We love wood and stone.

We like lots of not work.

I see. Hang on a minute.

Can we all do one thing for me?

Can we all turn round?

Look at this.

This is the Exmoor National Park.

Beautiful rolling hills.

You've got four and a half acres with your own river down there.

-This is a gorgeous place. That's why you want to move here, isn't it?

-Yeah.

But property-wise, it is really lovely.

There's a little bit of work to do.

It's not as daunting as you think it is.

-Right.

-But, you know...

-Come on.

Get in there. Keep an open mind. I can see you've already closed it.

Don't. Open mind, get in there, enjoy this property.

You'll find one thing in there that I didn't provide before.

-What's that?

-You'll have to go and find out.

A-ha! Keep looking, now!

-Well, I didn't expect that.

-That's very different.

-Mm.

-That's very open-plan, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Assuming Rich and Lee can hold off those negative thoughts,

the property itself really does tick all their boxes.

I like the gallery landing.

-Yep. Mm-hm.

-Quite nice, isn't it?

-Yep.

You can hear in Lee that she's not happy. When somebody goes, "Mm-hm, yep, mm-hm."

-Big dining area.

-Yeah.

-Patio door out onto the garden.

-Right. Yeah.

Wooden floor. Hm.

Jonny, that is not a good sign.

-What's that?

-They've just whizzed round that gorgeous lounge-kitchen area

with the gallery, and now they're going down the corridor.

And then down here's... I think there's some bedrooms down here.

And this is a double bedroom.

-Have we got any en-suites?

-No, just a sink.

So we're on the bottom level, because we came up the stairs, in,

kitchen, down the stairs, so we've gone back down to the bottom level where we came in.

-Yeah.

-So we're sleeping downstairs.

-Yeah.

-In effect.

-With a door outside, so a back door.

-Yeah.

-In the bedroom.

-Right.

-What?

-That is so you can access the lovely gardens and countryside.

OK, and then in here...

-is a bathroom. They like their wood, don't they? They do like all their old wood.

-Yeah.

And then we're into another bedroom.

Two single beds in this one. How many bedrooms have we seen now?

-That's one, two, isn't it?

-Yeah.

You've got another room here,

which is...

-just another bathroom.

-OK.

-Yep.

And then I guess this must be another bedroom.

OK, this is a single.

-Very narrow, very small again.

-Very small, isn't it?

-Hmm.

-Hmm.

Another room.

-This must be the master bedroom.

-OK.

-Possibly. Yep. Yep.

-Again, no en-s... This is the master, you say?

-Got to be.

-There's no en-suite or anything.

Upstairs.

So we've seen the bottom, where you eat.

This is funny, isn't it? Look at this.

Wow, that is odd, isn't it?

Like a little room and then a bridge.

THEY LAUGH

Is it?

-It's a bit like a loft conversion.

-Yeah.

Must be. Oh, and you've got like a little snooky room.

This must be your lounge. We haven't seen a lounge.

So you're downstairs to eat and then you're back upstairs.

Lounge upstairs, beautiful views.

But I do think you could have made the mezzanine bridge a bit smaller

-and given yourself more space up there.

-I agree.

-It's quirky, isn't it? This is more quirkier than the first house, don't you agree?

-Mm.

-Oh, this is another...

-Oh, right, this is another lounge.

Would this be... I can't quite work out what this would be.

There's when a barn conversion doesn't work.

You walk through that living room,

but because it's the only way through to the next room,

it's actually just a glorified corridor.

We have another kitchen.

So this could work as an annexe for Anthony.

There's a lot more than I thought we'd actually see.

Yeah.

We've got another bathroom.

You've got like a house plus a little annexe as well.

-Which is good.

-Shut the kids out, live in here.

-Give the kids the rest of the house.

-Put the boys upstairs.

That's exactly what you've got - a family house for you and the kids

and an annexe for your older son. Perfect.

I think it's a little bit quirky for me, to be truthful.

The only thing that works if you use it for Anthony,

was he's got his own back-door entrance to this area.

-I want to go and tell them about something. See you in a bit.

-Absolutely.

Just enjoy some splendid isolation.

-Hello, hello.

-Hello.

Have you found the thing that I gave you that Simon didn't?

The separate kitchen-annexe area.

Just five bedrooms in the house. Now follow me.

Now, that is obviously a bonus because you haven't got to worry about converting barns and stables.

You could do it here too, because you've got that space.

Does he really need his own kitchen?

-Probably not.

-I would open this entire room up.

Take that kitchen out, knock straight through.

If you knock on that wall, Lee.

-Stud wall.

-It's just stud, and you've got vaulted ceilings.

You've got big windows either side.

He can have his own way in. Bathroom and bedroom no problem.

Knock the kitchen out and that would give you the kind of size lounge you want.

I do think the solutions are there.

-You're looking to stay for the rest of your lives.

-Yep.

-Therefore you want to make it just right.

-Mm-hm.

But all that will cost a bit of money as we know.

Let's find Simon, play guess the price,

then you can really go after me, I can see it in your eyes.

Come on, then, what do you think?

I just think there's a bit too much work to do.

We'd have to almost turn it upside down again

for the way I would want it myself, so really,

it's not for me.

It just doesn't work for us at all.

Because of the sort of property you want as your final home,

unless you build something exactly to your specification,

maybe you have to find something a little cheaper that you can then knock around

-and tailor it to what you want.

-The thing is,

we're going to live in the house while renovating it.

-You've got four children...

-Stables.

Possibility.

But four children and a major renovation programme to that extent

inside and out, and we wouldn't be happy anyway because of the proximity of the neighbours.

I still think it's a contender from you're saying.

-OK, let's move on if we can.

-I'll move us on, shall I, swiftly?

It's guess-the-price time.

Now then, your maximum budget, £850,000.

It's 1-0 to you, Lee.

Who's going to go first this time? Your turn, ladies first.

-645.

-OK.

-I'd say 585.

-Mm.

Well, Lee, no competition, you have won, congratulations.

It's 2-0 to you and you're only five grand shy, £650,000.

So knowing the price and with over 200k to make the necessary changes,

does that swing it back at all?

It's still the near neighbours.

I think if we could have seen this on its own with a bit more land...

-More than four and a half acres? There's no pleasing some people!

-There could be.

-Ah, yes, there's one more to go.

-The wildcard.

Let's all go in again and leave by a different door.

So here we are at the wildcard, and it's been a long road.

Today's wildcard has actually taken us into the wilderness.

Or at least the Exmoor National Park.

That's pretty wild, I suppose.

I hope there's a barn there in case we need to take shelter.

OK, Rich and Lee, here we are at the wildcard.

Now, there is a neighbour here,

but Simon and I agree there is so much going on with this house,

a gorgeous property, fantastic views and the overall setting,

we thought it was a compromise worth considering.

That aside, if you want isolation, how does 22 acres of land grab you?

Very good.

You literally own most of Exmoor National Park.

-I'm sure it works out something like that.

-It's a sizeable chunk.

We'll get to that later. First impressions of the house?

-Nice.

-Very nice.

-Stone again.

-Lovely stone. Mm-hm.

-Yeah, very striking.

-Yeah.

We also think the inside is beautiful. Striking is the word. We hope you'll agree.

Get in there and we'll be listening in.

It's got your Aga again. You like those, don't you?

And the tiles, what do you think?

-I like the motif. Nice, isn't it?

-It's different.

Very nice. First impressions good.

Look at this.

-Proper wood floors.

-Yeah.

That's great.

Once again, this is a kitchen that opens up into a lovely family room that forms

a new extension, underfloor heating,

beautiful materials used, it's lovely.

It's lovely, isn't it?

-It's different.

-Nice and light.

That's lovely. They look like doors that

open right out so you're onto the patio. Very nice, isn't it?

Great first impressions. Best we've had, I'd say.

Stairs up.

Wow, look at the fire!

-Superb.

-Wow!

That's impressive, isn't it? That is a fire and a half.

Wow, that is lovely, isn't it?

I love the ceilings. Gives you plenty of room and space.

But could be tricky to heat in the winter. Jonny?

There is underfloor heating to give you a good base,

and the fire throws up so much heat.

The vendor says that room is beautiful in winter.

And the gallery.

And plenty of room for the furniture.

-And the big telly.

-And the big telly, to go with the big fireplace.

-Yeah.

We've seen two barn conversions already today.

Of the three, this is the one that's been done best.

-I completely agree.

-It really works as a space.

Also the shape of it, the others were very linear buildings.

This one has a dog-leg, which lets you develop it differently.

-Little...

-What have we got in here?

-Bathroom.

-There's a stairs.

-A stairs and a downstairs bathroom.

-That's nice.

Isn't it? I like the tiles. Do you like the tiles?

-Yes, it's nice, isn't it?

-That's nice.

-It's like a Pandora's box, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

Pandora's box, of course, because...

What lay at the bottom of Pandora's box, Jonny?

-Hope.

-That's what the wildcard is giving us.

-It's a large bedroom as well.

-Yeah.

-Couple of windows, so you've still got plenty of light.

-Yeah.

Brilliant. Yeah, it's good.

This is just like a little hallway again.

Bedroom, single.

So who would you put in here? Which of the children?

That we'll leave till the end,

because we don't know where the other bedrooms are.

If we had that one, we'd have to have Conor in here.

But we'll leave that until we see where the rest are.

Bit tight.

This place could suffer from that barn-conversion syndrome I was talking about.

But with the spiral staircase at one end, that problem is solved.

Wow, look at that, they've got a toy room up here.

Oh, now that is nice, isn't it?

Isn't that lovely?

Jonny, this is a done deal.

No. I'll tell you, as an agent, do not get too excited.

-OK.

-Let the tour finish.

-I'll try not to.

Just thinking whether you could make it a separate entrance for Anthony.

Let's see what's further on, but

yeah, good idea, give him his own space.

Yeah.

Oh, look at this, definitely, Anthony, here you come.

A bath and a toilet, but would he use the bath?

A-ha.

THEY LAUGH

-Possibilities. There are possibilities.

-There are.

But we have a better idea.

Very nice. Look at this.

This could definitely be a suite.

Yeah.

Wow.

We could put three of them up here. Put Anthony in that little room,

-Declan and Rees in there and we may never see them again.

-Yeah.

Very good. We're coming back down.

Here's the living room for them.

-Look.

-Look at that.

The gallery over the actual living room.

What a lovely area.

-I like the idea of the office space. Fantastic.

-Very good.

-We could put something similar so they could play games.

-Yeah.

An upstairs apartment for the boys.

-Fantastic view from the top.

-Yeah. It's lovely, isn't it?

It is great, that galleried area, and also if you're a parent,

-good for keeping an eye on the kids down below.

-Oh...

Wow, another en-suite.

-Right, OK.

-Again, really done nice, isn't it?

-Oh, this one's got a shower.

-Look at the size of that.

-Yeah.

So you think this could be a master suite?

Yep, and I think I'm right, look.

That's different, some stairs coming down into it.

Wow, really good.

Good size. Looks as if we've got a master suite,

-and another master suite further down.

-Yes.

With two bedrooms

and their own bathroom, and then a small living area.

-Yeah.

-So it flows quite well.

-It does.

Specially for the boys. They'd have a bedroom, a bathroom and a living area.

So you could actually put Anthony and Declan together and then have the two little ones,

so they wouldn't be too far from you.

And then you've still got your giant big living room downstairs. Very good, lovely.

-They think this place works perfectly, but I can take them to another level.

-Really?

Well, another building, anyway.

Come on out here, something I want to show you. Right, now then.

We have this extra outbuilding. This is what I want to show you.

Come on up.

-Oh, it's a big office.

-Yeah, it's a big office.

-A-ha.

-But you know what I'm thinking.

-Annexe for Anthony.

-That's what I'm thinking.

-Happy?

-One day, Richard and Lee,

all of this will be yours, as far as the eye can see.

That's not true. The 22 acres goes down to the bottom of the valley.

Metaphorically speaking, as far as the eye can see.

OK, so the borders of the land spread right around the property, which is masses,

as Simon said.

He told you about the grain store, to convert that for Anthony.

All these things in mind, what do we think?

It is lovely, really nice.

Yeah. Got potential.

So, guess-the-price time, Lee, you are our winner, clearly.

Richard, do you want to have a go? Maximum budget £850,000.

-725, I think.

-OK.

-Lee?

-I would go slightly higher

because it's got more land.

I would say 755.

OK. Well,

it is a whitewash.

-You're so rubbish at this.

-I am.

THEY LAUGH

Also a bit of wishful thinking.

We played down the first two where we were under budget.

And this really sits right on top of the budget, £850,000.

On the nose, yeah.

What do you think?

It's got potential, definitely.

Having spoken to the estate agents,

this is one of the very few properties within your budget

that ticks enough of your boxes,

so it's a good example of what £850,000 buys here.

Anyway, we've shown you three very different properties

in three different locations, all in the lovely area of Somerset.

You have to decide which one to spend more time in, so

take yourselves off...

Tell him which one basically, because he's no good at guessing.

Tell him which one and we'll see you in a minute.

-What do you reckon? Property two?

-Not convinced.

-Quick recap?

-Let's do that.

First up was an exquisite barn conversion with land and stables.

What more could you want for...

My choice: an exquisite barn conversion with land and stables.

What more could you want for...

Hang on... Then the wildcard.

An exquisite barn conv...

In the heart of the Exmoor National Park, with a whopping 22 acres of land and great views.

Yours for...

Well, you've decided to test-drive the wildcard, and why wouldn't you?

You benefit from the wisdom of our surveyor.

He's had a look round and come up with a few things that are worth bearing in mind.

Fascinating stuff, actually. If you look behind there,

-you can see the bedrock, can't you?

-Yeah.

This building is built straight onto that bedrock,

and he thinks they might have cut away into the hill,

dug out the shellac

and built the building out of what they dug out, so

the building could have literally come from where it stands now.

With that comes a few issues.

Think about it. It was built as a cattle shed, as a barn, not as a dwelling place.

There wasn't much thought given to making it dry and habitable.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

So the issues are how you keep the damp out.

He thinks it's been done very well,

but it's something to keep an eye on.

The other thing is that this kind of rock is not the best stone to be building with.

You've got to keep an eye on it and keep it pointed up and looked after, basically,

but it gives it character, makes it what it is.

Those problems do not exist in the extension,

which uses the same materials but done in a modern way.

He loves the extension -

underfloor heating, well insulated, the walls are done brilliantly, double glazing, superb.

One last thing he said is that beautiful living room,

the fireplace has been done to a very high standard.

It's properly insulated so it will be very efficient.

There you go. All in all, a beautiful house.

A beautiful setting.

-Go and enjoy it.

-See you later.

It's test-drive time and Lee and Richard take a closer look.

Should take some photos for the kids.

Look at that fireplace. Fantastic.

You get the full effect, with the beams and everything.

Where the boys would be.

This is good, isn't it? Really good.

It's all taking shape, I think.

Don't think we'd ever see them again, Richard.

And in the granary, they can plan what to do with the space.

Oh, this is good space, isn't it?

Yeah.

All the brickwork again, beautiful, isn't it?

I love that "brickwork".

Something tells me Lee will feel right at home here.

Is Richard practising how to walk?

While he does that, Lee takes a picture of some of the land.

Great potential for sledging. Oh, and for the record, Jonny,

-he's pacing out a swimming pool.

-Ah.

-I'm glad you've test-driven this place. Amazing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

How has the space worked for you? Would it suit your family needs?

Yeah. It is big enough for a family

of six.

HE LAUGHS

The less-than-subtle Lee, I like it. Brilliant.

OK, let's talk about what you did like.

What was working for you here?

I loved the living room. Beautiful.

And the granary.

You know, to be changed to a granny flat, and it could, or an annexe.

-A granary flat!

-A granary flat!

I'm sorry.

This would be a part-time home for you anyway.

But the office space, the general feel of the property, how did that feel?

It was very bright and light, which appealed to me.

I liked the fireplace. I could see myself there

on a winter's night in front of the fire.

And with the galleried landing as an office space,

-that's a nice touch.

-Yeah.

-OK.

It's that time of the programme. The ultimate question.

£850,000 worth of house.

22 acres of land. Middle of the Exmoor National Park.

To buy or not to buy?

It's a not to buy.

-Right.

-The proximity of the neighbours was one of our main specifications.

-All right, we know!

-So beyond anything else, then,

is the isolation the thing you're not prepared to compromise on?

-Definitely.

-Would you rather find a smaller house on its own

than a bigger property with neighbours nearby?

-No, we'd go to a bigger property.

-But less land.

-OK.

-As we've learned, we just can't seem to get...

-That balance is hard to find.

-Very hard to find.

Well, it's been a pleasure wandering round Exmoor with you, and Somerset.

You've picked a fabulous part of the world to set up in.

-Good luck with your hunt. Better get back on the road, mate.

-Thank you.

It's been a pleasure. Cheers.

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