A builder left Dion Dublin astonished at his incredible work rate when he turned a Mansfield house from an empty shell into a stunning family home in just a few weeks on today's episode of Homes Under the Hammer.
To start with, the house looked in a sorry state, with nothing in it and plaster coming off the walls. But Sofiane and his wife Shazina worked tirelessly, sometimes staying in the partially refurbished house overnight, in order to get the impressive transformation completed in time.
When Dion first arrived at the property, he was positive about its potential, despite holes in the ceilings and rubble everywhere. Seeing that some of the walls downstairs had been knocked down, he excitedly ran around the open space, saying: “You have got open plan living already! My work here is done!”
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The house was in need of a new downstairs loo, a new kitchen, a new bathroom upstairs and the double glazing required fixing. A “cosmetic refub” was also needed, including in all three bedrooms.
But another huge benefit the property had was that it came with a neighbouring plot of land that would be big enough to fit at least one – possibly two – new-build houses. Anyone hoping to develop the site though would need to first secure planning permission from the council.
When Dion first met Sofiane, he asked the mechanical and gas engineer how he felt about taking on a project where so much needed doing. Sofiane replied: “Basically, I'm a builder, and I like doing things from scratch.”
He said that most of the work in the house would be done by him and Shazina. The pair would seek to get planning permission for new houses on the spare plot of land, but would then be most likely to sell the whole property on with the planning permission secured, rather than build the extra houses themselves.
“90% of the job will be myself,” Sofiane said. To which Dion responded: “Wow! That's a big undertaking!”
But the developer wasn't fazed as he had worked quickly in the past, telling Dion: “The first project – I've done it myself. I renovated a two-bedroom semi-detached house within a month, four weeks. Took it to bare walls and built it again.”
“On your own?” Dion asked, astonished. “On my own,” Sofiane confirmed. “But working like 16-17 hour shifts a day.”
The presenter added that Sofiane must have been “shattered” after working so hard, to which Sofiane admitted he had been. But he was determined to put just as much effort into this new project to ensure it was successful.
He said that his budget for the refurbishment was £30,000 and he planned to get it done in just six to eight weeks. But if he chose not to do a loft conversion, he reckoned he could do it quicker.
Eight weeks later, the BBC team returned, with Dion keen to find out if Sofiane had “sorted out this sorry-looking house”. He certainly had, with the property now looking like a comfortable and stylish family home – nothing like the shell of dust and rubble it had been to start with.
Sofiane and Shazina had created an open plan lounge connecting to a “swish, modern” kitchen. There was also a new shower room downstairs, while upstairs there was a new bathroom and the bedrooms were now “crisp and clean”.
“That is impressive,” Dion said. “To take a house from bare brick to looking like a brand-new home in just eight weeks – that takes some doing!”
Sofiane said he had done most of the work with his wife, as planned. “She was the boss you know! Planning and all that, it was her,” he said.
The couple ended up deciding that a loft extension wouldn't be financially worthwhile, so had focussed their efforts on making the rest of the house look extra special. But the project hadn't come without its challenges, especially given that they lived a long way away in Wolverhampton.
“One of the challenges we had is the distance this project is from our home,” Sofiane said. “We had to travel so often. So for that reason, sometimes, we did sacrifice at the beginning when we started demolishing, when we couldn't stay here. So we were just trying to work long hours and get the first fix done.
“After we managed to do a room, sometimes when working until really late, we'd just sleep here.”
The pair had also hired an architect to draw up plans for two three-bedroom semi-detached houses on the land beside the house. They had submitted the proposals to the council and were waiting to hear if they would get planning permission.
Their plan was to sell the whole property on, hopefully once planning permission was secured, so the next buyer would be able to build two new homes. Sofiane had stuck to his initial £30,000 budget, meaning his total costs were £146,000 including the price of the house, so he was keen to hear from local estate agent Glyn Heywood what the property could now be worth.
“The owner has done a very good job in transforming it throughout,” Glyn said. “I particularly like the open-plan space, which is what families are looking for.”
He reckoned the property could now sell for between £145,000 and £150,000. While this wouldn't mean a large profit, Sofiane was pleased nonetheless.
“I think it's quite good,” he said. “If that happens, then I'd be happy, so I can take my wife on holiday. I think she deserves it.”
If planning permission for the neighbouring land is approved, the value of the property would likely increase a bit. And Glyn also explained what kind of money the couple could make if they did decide to build the new houses themselves.
He said if they built two semi-detached, three-bedroom, new-build houses, each one could sell for around £160,000. Dion said that even after building costs, that could mean a decent profit, possibly in excess of £100,000.
Sofiane said: “I think that would be amazing! I would be rich!” He then explained how the work was building towards his long term goal of gradually increasing the value of his projects.
He explained: “This job I'm doing now is full-time. I have my own company – a limited company – now. So I'm waiting to get to that £1 million property.”
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