Velvet - I think the bamboo probably would have exactly the same maintenance problem, but in my mind's eye it looks quite stylish with a matching floor. Hmm.

I take your point on not having it round the sink, but then what should I have round the sink, and won't it look rather ug to have the change in materials? I suppose I could have a tiny amount of granite round the sink...

(Thank you for your continued interest Velvet - you show far more interest than Mr Hatster, who only pokes his nose in to complain and demand something twice the price)

I thought I heard their names as Michael Fitzpatrick and Patrick Fitzmichael.

Maybe not.


lee

quote:

Originally posted by lee33:
Yes you could. The gay looking couple borrowed 500K out of 554K. Have you got 54K in equity?


lee

They were ,most definately

I did something like the couple (not the Blokes)did some 15 plus years ago and I vowed never but never to do anything like that again. The stress levels are just too great and didn't it show on the couples faces last night?
He visibly aged by 15 years with the worry of it all and didn't he say right at the beginning he regretted buying the house in the first place and would have backed out of the project given the opportunity?
These major Grade 2 type renovations are really only for the experienced person and I would go so far to say that someone with a small building company or as an experienced tradesman in his/her own right should undertake projects like this. These two were really out of their depth on this one but they were in the fortunate position to throw large sums of money at it in order to finish off the job.
I thought the finished property was very good but the location (side on to a road) was not ideal. I presume it did sell? Lot of money though for that type of property.
Mel.

Yes it sold above the asking price, I think around £425K. Anyone else but those 2 could have gone seriously awry with it, the differences in new builds to renovations is now clear to them. However, when she took control of the project management things sped along. They did make a good team I thought.

Thought both couples did okay this week. Anyone who is prepared to take on the amount of debt the almshouses guys did deserves all the profit they can make.
Even trophy prom couple did alright once she was on site and got her nails dirty. What exactly was their own house style though? Georgobethan late ironic a la Jewson. Meeeow.

quote:

Originally posted by Hatster:
Velvet - I think the bamboo probably would have exactly the same maintenance problem, but in my mind's eye it looks quite stylish with a matching floor. Hmm.

I take your point on not having it round the sink, but then what should I have round the sink, and won't it look rather ug to have the change in materials? I suppose I could have a tiny amount of granite round the sink...

(Thank you for your continued interest Velvet - you show far more interest than Mr Hatster, who only pokes his nose in to complain and demand something twice the price)

lol, well I am rather preoccupied with worktops myself.
I've seen it done with black granite, which looked great with the wood (it would never have occurred to me but it did look really stylish & not at all ug). The one I saw, the kitchen was an L shape, the sink under the window with a short length of granite all around it, then the wooden worksurface on the long bit of the L adjoining it, and it didn't look odd. If the sink was not in a 'discrete' area like that, I would still do it - not sure how but I'd make it work. Believe me, you don't want manky rotting wood round your sink.

And that will please Mr Hatster no end won't it - a nice small piece of expensive granite!

quote:

Even trophy prom couple did alright once she was on site and got her nails dirty. What exactly was their own house style though? Georgobethan late ironic a la Jewson. Meeeow.

Have to agree with you and metalmickey, I thought their own house was totally yuk,and so did SB by her reaction when she went in.

The whole programme does seem very staged now,(we want a scene where you look really stressed and suggest you run your fingers through your hair and talk on two mobiles at once!!)
I was surprised that the planning permission was granted on the bakery so quickly too.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cakehead:
Thought both couples did okay this week. Anyone who is prepared to take on the amount of debt the almshouses guys did deserves all the profit they can make.
/QUOTE]

Well the two blokes haven't sold all the properties! So I expect they are still paying some interest on that loan!!

The problem is with the granite in our kitchen is that it's a long thin kitchen with units down one side, and the sink at the end, and I'm worried that having a granite chunk will make it look rather bitty. It will already look slightly bitty because we don't want to replace our appliances, so they're all white, and won't tie in with the rest. I quite fancy these Corian worksurfaces but they're terribly expensive.

However, Mr Hatster now says 'Why do you think I don't like laminate? I just don't like specific laminates.' So perhaps I'm back to laminates again...

quote:

Originally posted by lee33:
It was 6.5 at the start but I'm sure it went up at the end.
lee

The plumbing and electrics went from 5.4k to 5.6k.
(Saw the end of it again last night having taped it for my other half.)

Hatster if you think it would look bitty go for the lamiate you can always afford to replace it in the future.
The gentlemen working together were quite brave to risk all thet money but I can't help wondering how they did finance it. Lenders always want to see the ability to meet repayments- they don't like working as pawnbrokers ie they will keep the houses because selling half completed houses can be a risky business. But I was glad to see the whole terrace brought back to life.
The couple at the bakehouse didn't seem to have much sympathy for the history of the building and I hated their previous new build house, yuk yuk yuk! I am amazed that they didn't understand what listing meant but we know somebody who didn't even know that their house was listed! If they had gone into it eyes open they almost certainly wouldn't have done it, then yet another old listed building would have continued to rot maybe until it fell down and could be demolished which would have been an even greater loss. Do you think that maybe somebody from CABE and listing might just realise that listing status causes buildings to be left to rot! Just in case anybody is not put off by that apparently unapproved alterations to a listed property is a criminal offence not civil!
I did wounder how they got plans through so quickly, our own plans were turned down after waiting 4 months despite written confirmation at pre-planning that they were acceptable, making all the changes that the planning officer wanted (except not actually doing anything which seemed to be his prefference), the removal of a number of nasty previous alterations (flat roofs etc) the full support of all neighbours and parish council, and that the property has been empty for years. If this house was listed it would have been left to rot like many other houses in the area. The planners are causing lots of houses to be left unrenovated, exaserbating a housing shortage and house prices to rise.

The Bakehouse - can anyone confirm whether there was a village shop whopped on the side???
I kept thinking I could see it when they did the exterior shots but don't think anyone ever mentioned it? Unless I missed that bit?

Yes, there was a shop. Early in the programme SB described the property as semi-detached, but didn't actually say what it was attached to.

Simon

It was semidetached to another house, but also had a shop at the front of it. If you looked at the picture from the end where you could see the shop, you can see there is a fence separating the property from it's neighbour opposite.

quote:

Originally posted by cakehead:
Georgobethan late ironic a la Jewson. Meeeow.

PML Absolutly brilliant. Bang on the money. You have hit the nail on the head.

Not bitter at all.

P.S Got my maple block worktop fitted on Saturday. Have put 3 layers of Danish oil on it so far and no marks yet!!! I think it looks fab. Go for it Hatster we have a 4 meter long worktop. Didn't have an underhang sink thought as thought that would not work.

quote:

lol, well I am rather preoccupied with worktops myself.
I've seen it done with black granite, which looked great with the wood (it would never have occurred to me but it did look really stylish & not at all ug). The one I saw, the kitchen was an L shape, the sink under the window with a short length of granite all around it, then the wooden worksurface on the long bit of the L adjoining it, and it didn't look odd.

And that will please Mr Hatster no end won't it - a nice small piece of expensive granite!

Our kitchen layout's going to be a bit like that! I would be interested to know: which work surface went all the way into the corner of the L, the wood or the granite?

Thanks!

Just watched this on video .... I thought all the houses were fab and yes, obviously the married couple had some dosh behind them but didn't they say at one point that the pad they were living in was just until it was sold? ie that too was a development? May have mis-heard as my partner found this couple as objectionable as many others seem to have done on here and kept pointing this out to me.... I didn't think they were that bad and just reflect the more business orientation this series has taken. The two blokes, were in the business too....

I wonder if the flats the Beeney took the guys too were the same price as the houses? I was convinced that the estimated 170k was too little for a 'new' period property. Beeny kept going on about how small they were but she obviously hasn't looked at too many 2 bedders at 170k lately!

I reckon the guy of the couple was very shrewd. I think he only contacted PL when he realsied that the building was listed. Everyone knows that TV shows get away with murder at the planning stage.

I think that the original owner would have applied to get rid of the bakery but had been refused.

What do you think?



lee

quote:

Originally posted by lee33:
What do you think?



lee

I think you may be right Lee. I was wondering why he or anyone for that matter would get a BC officer out at such an early stage. There must be people...let me put it another way..

..it would be very unfortunate if a van accidentally backed in to it and knocked the whole thing down, before they asked?

Many builders would see to it that the bakery had a 'break in' removing (or vandalising) the controversial oven at a stroke. The officer probably knew this and was happy the thing hadn't gone missing already and they were doing it kosher (no bagel jokes please).
I thought he'd got the telly in to get round the problem too.
I can't understand why the planner got his knickers in a twist over what was a lean-to and clearly a later addition to the property anyway. I swear POs make it up as they go along.

Yes Reeny, the couple were living in the "Georgobethan late ironic a la Jewson" house until it sold.
I did wonder how seriously they wanted to sell that one though...

quote:

Originally posted by cakehead:
Many builders would see to it that the bakery had a 'break in' removing (or vandalising) the controversial oven at a stroke. The officer probably knew this and was happy the thing hadn't gone missing already and they were doing it kosher (no bagel jokes please).
I thought he'd got the telly in to get round the problem too.
I can't understand why the planner got his knickers in a twist over what was a lean-to and clearly a later addition to the property anyway. I swear POs make it up as they go along.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks PO make random decisions!
Go any tips on dealing with one who is straight out of school, thick as **** and thinks he knows it all?

Planning officers are gatekeepers of the expedient and the arbitrary. Models of inconsistency, their pronouncements are unaccountable and represent an old style top-down tyranny that's hard to find in any other walk of life these days.
Stasis is their watchword as Canute like they endeavour to stem the tide of improvement -at least on their watch. Arguments of precedent and historical accuracy mean nothing to them, for them reconstruction is a genie who must never be released lest he interferes with their quota.
Thus speaks a man thwarted by a PO recently for a set of reasons that would make the inhabitants of Alice's world blush.
Best insight into their minds was on the recent C5, 'So you think...' series where the local officer, seeing logic going against her commented, 'But you'll make money out of this'.
Not my favourite bunch of people.