Homes Under the Hammer viewers left surprised by 'pretty unique' auction lot

Homes Under the Hammer viewers were surprised when presenter Dion Dublin was sent to a "pretty unique" auction lot, unlike anything they had seen before. The re-aired BBC show on Monday, June 10, featured three properties, a semi-detached home, a bungalow and something keen fans of the show were definitely not expecting.

Dion arrived in Harriseahead, a village north of Stoke in Staffordshire, where he joked: "I've got something a little different for you today, It's not a house, it's not a flat, it's not even a piece of land." The presenter revealed the property was a former Methodist chapel, built in 1924 and used as a church until 2018.

The beautiful building was still standing strong and had plenty of original features inside, such as pews and wooden beams. There was also an organ, however, despite Dion's hopes of performing his version of Chopsticks, the instrument no longer worked.

Regarding the building, Dion said: "Ah nice, this is nice. Spacious, loads of space in here." The chapel had a guide price of £225,000 thanks to planning permission for two three-bedroom properties, and it was due to be sold at auction on June 1, 2022.

However, the sellers accepted a pre-auction offer of £225,000 made by property investors, Shobhit and Richa, who have appeared on the show before for their projects in the Midlands. The planning permission was described as a "game-changer" for the property, but Dion felt the homes would be massive with just three bedrooms.

Shobhit told Dion that he and Richa had a budget of £200,000 to complete the two homes and hoped to do it within six months. Almost a year later the presenter returned to find that whilst the exterior of the chapel was still very similar, the inside was completely transformed.

The duo had gone back to the planning committee and got permission for two four-bedroom homes which made more use of the space, and made the large homes even more versatile. The pair had also gone over their budget by around £15,000 as they wanted to increase the quality and specification with things like better lighting, premium flooring and a more modern kitchen.

With a total investment of £440,000, viewers were keen to learn about what the houses were worth. Each house was valued at around £280,000 to £290,000 depending on the size as one was slightly bigger than the other, and Shobhit added that he hoped they could achieve £600,000 total for both properties.

This would leave the duo with a pre-tax profit of £160,000. They "have a few projects in the pipeline" meaning it will probably not be the last time fans of the show see the pair.