Homes Under the Hammer sees incredible transformation of 'grim' Crewe house
The semi-detached house was in need of a massive revamp, with the walls and flooring disintegrating badly
The three bed semi is just a mile from Crewe's town centre(Image: BBC)
Martin Roberts described a derelict three-bed property as "all a bit grim" as Homes Under the Hammer visited Crewe.
The house, valued at £78,000, had been left empty for a long time, and was stacked with rubbish and was falling apart all across the house.
Needing a major revamp and a thorough clean up in the garden, joiner Michael from Crewe took on the task of bringing the house back to life for his first major property development.
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The red brick home presented Roberts had a very badly damaged front door, and the overgrown front garden didn't impress him.
The garden had been left a mess, with an old trampoline and a wheelchair left amongst the overgrowth.(Image: BBC)
Downstairs, the floor joists and skirting boards had disintegrated in the living room, showing signs of damp and rot, and it became clear a massive rebuild was needed to deal with the old Victorian wood fittings.
Walking through the property, it showed its signs of ageing, with the massive cobwebs and dirt highlighting the scale of the clean up needed.
The kitchen was in desperate need of a facelift(Image: BBC)
Roberts said "the house hasn't been touched in any significant way for quite a while" with the broken door leading to the remark "It's not doing a very good job is it."
Bemused by the wonky radiators and the hideous green bathroom, Roberts made his way upstairs and noticed the scale of the rubbish left behind only proceeded to worsen, with the old rocking horse a notable feature.
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Describing the scale of the work needed in the garden, Roberts claimed you'd need to "take a machete to it" to rid the house of the excess, but hinted the potential to extend the property out the rear.
Michael bought the house at auction for £95,000, and after valuation from the estate agent at £130,000 TO £135,000, the six month timescale would need to see a lot of work done quickly to get the property ready.
He noticed the potential in the property however, with HS2 due to reach the commuter town in the coming years, and knowing the area well from living up the road from the house, he was eager to make a success of his first major revamp to a property.
"I just love getting a bit messy and a bit dirty and seeing the end result" said Michael on his excitement to get started with the works.
The front of the house looked far better once refurbished, and the old broken door had been replaced(Image: BBC)
A year later, and the house had been totally transformed, with all the rotten wood replaced and repaired to create a neutral coloured living room with French doors and a refreshed hallway.
The stairs had been carpeted, and led to three very well cleaned up bedrooms, with much more space and the old rocking horse left behind as a gift for the new owners; the adjacent bathroom had also been totally refitted.
Michael was keen to retain some of the old features, with the wooden arches preserved, and the front of the house tided up to maintain the old Victorian brickwork.
The newly fitted kitchen looked much more spacious and inviting(Image: BBC)
Both gardens had been cleared up and made ready for sale, with the fresh lawns and new fencing making a much more inviting space for those living there.
The extension from the kitchen had also been finished despite inclement weather hampering the paint work, with the newly fitted kitchen and new downstairs loo ready to go on the market.
The total spend was £121,000 on the purchase and remedial works, after the improvement costs ran £8,000 over the £18,000 budget.
The newly tidied garden looked far more inviting(Image: BBC)
A new valuation however saw Michael offered between £145,0000-£150,000, and he had even had an offer of £155,000 for the property.
If he decided to rent out the three bed home, he could see between £650-£675 per calendar month, and this success saw Michael pleased with how his first home renovation had gone after doing most of the works himself.
"I love it now, hopefully I can do it for many more years, but we'll see where we go."