Category: Property on TV

Architect George Clarke leads Empty Homes Campaign

Does your area need better housing conditions? Want to do something about it?

Channel 4’s George Clarke is presenting a new TV series which will campaign on housing issues across the UK. The campaign offers you the chance to share your housing problems and join the search for solutions.

Across the country high rental costs, long waiting lists for council houses and difficulty getting mortgages are forcing many people to live in cramped conditions, stay with friends or family, and give up the dream of owning their own home.

It’s been described as a national housing crisis – ordinary families are being priced out of the market and there are 5 million people on the house waiting list. Yet, a million homes in this country lie empty. George’s campaign aims to combat the housing crisis, and one of the key questions we’re asking is: Could empty homes be put to better use?

If you, or anyone you know, is struggling your housing situation, or want to find out more about the campaign, contact the Homes team:
Email: homes@tigeraspect.co.uk
or
Call the Homes team on: 0207 544 1663

If you’re a fan you might have already seen the very first one back in 1998.
It’s a great show where the budget is so reasonable you’ll be shocked!
Grand Designs Series 1 episode 1 – A couple in Newhaven face a race against time as they build their dream home on windswept cliff-top site in time for the birth of their baby.
Plot costs them about £80,000 and they spend another £80000 building the house.
It’s a kit build and sticks mostly to schedule!

Well worth watching just so you can be wowed at how little they spend. It’s not the most grand of designs but it’s still a pretty nice house!

Sarah Beeny and her team of specialists head to the Murphy family’s chocolate box cottage in Cheshire.
This episode of Help, my house is falling downn was interesting.
A couple had bought a 4 bedroom cottage in Cheshire and within a few months they started noticing problems like damp, wobbly floors and cracks appearing.
Watch it on 4onDemand
They’d only had a basic survey and which didn’t pick up on the 10% of roof tiles needing replacement or the big gap at the edge which allowed water to pour in when it rained.
The children’s bedroom floor was also wobbly. I can’t imagine how they’d have not noticed it being wobbly when they bought it though! There was also woodworm in the main bedroom. The floor between the children’s room and downstairs was not fire safe. This necessitated a trip to the Gloucester fire training centre and setting fire to a mock up of a child’s room.
The property needed re-roofing which took all the couple’s budget of £10,000 – but at the end of the program it appeared they’d completely redone everything including replastering, putting in an ensuite in the children’s room and getting new furnishings. The couple said they’d dipped into their savings. I thought this was strange. If they had savings then why did they say they could only spend £10k at the beginning? Would it be a worse TV show if they said “we’ve got buckets of cash”?

Help! My House Is Falling Down series 2 started last night.
It’s available on 4onD now

In Narborough, Sarah Beeny meets Jamie and Charlotte who fear their house is sinking.
They recently discovered an alarming slope in the first floor of their Edwardian home and are terrified the property could be tilting to the point of collapse. Not only that, the roof is leaking and black mould is growing on the walls.

I think this is the house.


One of the few new property programs at the moment. Just check out the dates on the other programs to see. Although we know Homes Under the Hammer are visiting a local auction house for their next series.

I watched a few of the first series of these and thought it was quite interesting to see Sarah encourage people to tackle structural problems themselves – although with unseen structural engineeers giving advice of course. For most people the thought of doing major structural work is just too scary and it’d be time to ring the builder.

The main advice I can garner from the first series is “a survey is a good idea…”

The Grand Design that floats on a loch – or it appears to – is for sale – Stilwater, Killearn Fishery, Killearn

Stilwater is a unique contemporary villa in a truly remarkable position perched over a small private loch. It was designed by McInnes Gardner Architects and was completed in 2006 and received recent acclaim on channel 4’s Grand Designs.

They quite often have remarkable eco-features on Grand Designs.
The one I watched last night on More4 was no exception.

Grand Designs

Season 8 Episode 7 of 7

Bill and Jean Letley, a couple in their seventies, plan a highly contemporary bungalow in their back garden in Maidstone, Kent, complete with underfloor heating and prototype steel foundations. The project would test even the most accomplished workmen, but has been entrusted to their daughter and son-in-law, who have little building experience and will need to make personal sacrifices


It had pile foundations with the heat sinks built in. I thought this was very interesting. There was also heating systems in the roof to capture heat for hot water. I’d love to see a current visit to the house showing how little the place costs to heat!

Fancy watching the episode?

My neighbour just told me about “Home Is Where the Heart Is” where celebs take in homeless people for two weeks.

You can watch it again at itv here

Celebs are:
Colin and Justin
Anneka Rice
Aldo Zilli

Alex James

Find out when it’s on to watch again – click here

Whilst not quite about buying houses – it will give you a chance to see inside these celebs homes and see how they can get on with homeless person.
It’s an idea based on an assisted lodging scheme managed by a homeless charity.

Loved the Home Alone films? The house is for sale – ‘Home Alone’ house in Winnetka for sale for $2.4M

Following the “Young, Rich and House Hunting” program, perhaps it’s time to have some sensible TV on.

What about a show that follows people on a minimum wage struggle to try to save a deposit. What about a program that shows just how hard it is to buy a house on a normal wage – perhaps take a family on an average wage.

We could have programs on how to apply for council housing, the history of council housing and a debate on whether council housing should be extended to meet the growing demands of our society.

We could also take a look at less glamourous self-builds – those where people build boring normal shaped houses rather than glass monstrosities. (Although Grand Designs did so a sweat equity program in it’s early years about a housing association allowing people to self build!)

Young, rich house-hunting is a new BBC3 program about buying a house. Not your normal first time buyers though.
It’s on today 2nd May at 8:30pm on BBC3 and again at 11:45pm

You can watch this on iplayer now

For those struggling to save a deposit it might make you feel sick watching affluent young people being given budgets of between £500,000 and £1 million to spend on a property.

My review of Young, rich house-hunting –
I’m sorry I have tried to watch this but it’s horrid. I got about a minute in before deciding I am not going to watch anything so horrendously out of touch with reality. In these credit crunch times it’s insulting TV for anyone who has to work for a living.