Yahoo News Family on Homes under the Hammer transform Staffordshire village property with 'nasty' issue
A family are enjoying the fruits of their labour after completely transforming a rundown Staffordshire village property. The two-bed, mid-terrace house in Penkridge featured in an episode of Homes under the Hammer this week.
Former Premier League star Dion Dublin, a presenter on the hit BBC daytime show, visited the property - boasting off-road parking - which had a guide price of £100,000. After walking into the front room, he told viewers: "It feels quite dark in here I have to say.
"You've got a pretty small window - it's not letting a load of light in." The walls were in need of reskimming and the carpet ripping out, he added.
It was a similar theme as he entered the second reception room, but Dion did point out that as yet there were no major issues visible. He then headed into the kitchen, describing it as "a little bit tight" but "nice and bright".
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The property had a small lean-to at the back with an adjoining door to next door's house, which caught Dion's attention. He whispered: "That must be next door".
He then goes to turn the handle but decides against it, saying: "No I'm going to leave it alone. Interesting hey?" Fellow presenter and voiceover Martel says: "Yes Dion we only have permission to view this house."
She adds that the house boasts a decent-sized, two-tiered back garden but it was in need of work as it had become overgrown. Upstairs, Dion found two decent-sized bedrooms, also in need of redecoration, and a "really good-sized family bathroom".
"You could actually get a bath and a freestanding shower in here," he tells viewers. All seems promising but then Dion spots something that is a cause for concern.
In the back bedroom there is a "significant crack". He says: "There's been a bit of movement, you can clearly see that. Get that looked at, get the issue sorted ASAP."
Dion adds that overall it should be an easy refurbishment with the right team and budget, but warns: "Make sure you deal with that nasty crack first."
The house was snapped up by mum and son Anne-Marie and Joe, both locals, for £136,000. This would be their second property development project and they were keen to make it part of a rental portfolio.
Joe explained that they were looking to replace the lean-to with a rear extension to create a big open plan kitchen. He explained it would be a family project as dad Andy and brothers Ben and Sam would also be involved in the revamp.
They set a budget of £50,000 and hoped to complete the work in six months. The BBC cameras returned nine months later to find the property had been completely transformed.
Joe revealed that the planned extension didn't end up going ahead as financially it "wasn't the best option", but a smart and modern open plan kitchen and dining area had been created none-the-less.
It featured "new high quality fixtures and hard wood flooring". They had also knocked through into an outbuilding to create a downstairs toilet. The back garden had also been transformed with the trees cut back.
The lean-to that connected to the neighbouring property had been removed and French doors fitted leading out to the new-look back garden, which had been made private with a new fence.
The front room and two bedrooms had been redecorated and a bright and modern bathroom was installed. Joe explained that a structural engineer was called out to assess the wall.
Luckily for them, the issue wasn't subsidence and could be addressed by "rectifying the drains at the back of the property", saving them money in the process. The property was also rewired and replumbed.
In total they spent £40,000. Estate agent Mark Caley, of Caley and Kulin, was impressed with the new-look property. "They've done an amazing job on it," he told viewers.
He valued the house at between £235,000 and £240,000, which would give them a pre-tax profit of £64,000. However, their plan was to rent it.
He reckoned they could fetch £900-£950 a month in rent, much to the delight of Joe. "That's a great valuation - we're very pleased with that," he said.
