Budget 'blown out the water' on Stoke-on-Trent house feet from old mine shaft entrance

A buyer took on a 'tired' Stoke-on-Trent terrace just feet from a former mineshaft entrance — before the project hit an unexpected and expensive snag. The Northwood home, featured in an episode of the BBC's Homes Under the Hammer on June 9, saw developer Rosie's budget 'blown out of the water'.

Presenter Tommy Walsh described the house as a 'typical' two-bedroom mid-terrace, but it was hiding issues that would leave Rosie with a 'challenging' project, running over budget and past the deadline. Tommy immediately discovered issues even before entering the house.

A set of steps up to the front door were very steep, narrow, and crumbling away in places, with co-presenter Martin Roberts describing them as 'an accident waiting to happen'. Tommy asked: “How you going to get up there on a Friday night after a couple of beers?”

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The electrics in the front room were exposed, an internal door did not meet modern safety regulations, and there were signs of damp in the rear reception room. Further issues were discovered in the kitchen, with the boiler being situated above the cooker. This presented a safety risk, as heat from the cooker could damage plastic components in the boiler.

Stepping back out into the typical Stoke-on-Trent street, Tommy explained another, potentially serious issue just outside the front door. "There was a mining report done on the property," he said, "and it shows that right here was an entrance to a mine shaft, directly outside the house.

"The problem is that it could affect the mortgagability of the house," said Tommy, noting that there were no cracks or obvious signs of subsidence. Despite all the problems, developer Rosie snapped up the house at auction for £50,000.

Rosie said she was not worried about the mine shaft, saying that "quite a few properties in this area have all got one.” She added that her plan was to rent the house out, rather than sell it, so she didn't need to worry about its mortgage-ability.

She had a budget of just £6,000 and hoped to have the work complete within six to eight weeks. But as things turned out, she ran into even bigger problems than those that were evident to begin with, and her budget proved to be far too low.

When the BBC team returned the following year, the property was certainly looking a lot better. From the outside, a new front door, double glazing and a fresh coat of paint made the house look much more attractive. And the dangerously steep steps had been made less perilous, with Martin saying they had been 'brought up to safety standards.'

Martin said Rosie 'must have been having fun with the renovations', as she had gone further than she had initially planned, adding a completely new kitchen and living room. She had also plastered, repainted and added new flooring to the bedrooms.

To make the house safe, the electrics had been replaced in the front room and the boiler had been moved to the kitchen cupboard. However, Rosie's biggest issue came when she discovered that the chimney was leaking.

Rosie was forced to replace the chimney breast in the rear reception room, and also had to replace the entire roof. “The cost of an unexpected new roof and repairs to the chimney breast must have blown the original £6,000 budget out of the water,” Martin commented.

Sure enough, Rosie had spent a lot more than she had planned, although that was also partly due to her improving the standard of the renovation as a whole. She explained: “So we've gone way over budget. Originally the budget was £6,000 and now we've gone to more like £17,000 to £18,000. I decided, instead of just doing the property basically, I've now done it to a standard that will last.”

The developer had a helping hand from her dad Craig, who fits bathrooms and is a tiler. “My dad's been brilliant throughout this,” Rosie said.

“He's been really helpful. He's helped me to do quite a lot of the work. He helped me to do the roof, to do the floors, to do the kitchen, to do the bathroom... and I'm very grateful for him.”

The project also took longer than expected, with the work going on for four months. But despite all the challenges that were faced, the property ended up looking very impressive and much nicer than when Rosie bought it.

Local estate agent Phil Jones was impressed, saying it had been done 'to a really nice standard'. He explained that it would be wiser to rent the house out rather than sell it, as the mineshaft would affect its value.

He said he expected the property to fetch a rent of £495 to £525 a month, which Rosie – who already had a tenant in place – was pleased with. She said: “I'm more than happy with that. I've managed to get roughly middle ground. So, yeah, I'm really chuffed with the outcome.”

Reflecting on the project, she said she had gained valuable experience from the challenging work. “I've learned to give yourself lots of time and you always are bound to go over budget so always allow for extra on the budget as well,” she said.

Rosie said she would be taking a well-earned break next, but would then be keen to do something similar again. She said: “I'm going to have a holiday first and then I may go to buy another property in the future.”

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