He's the dad-of-three inspired by watching Homes Under The Hammer to buy and renovate some of the "worst of the worst" properties in Wales. From rotten floors, collapsed ceilings, smashed windows and mold covered walls - there's no challenge too big for Gavin Thomas, the self-styled 'house flipper' from Nantgarw in Rhondda Cynon Taf who's spent years transforming ugly and unloved houses into homes that are liveable and inviting again.
Not even his latest acquisition - a sprawling, long abandoned address in Pontypridd - has been able to put him off, despite one of the rooms being completely filled with poo. "It could have been human faeces or it might have been left by an animal, I'm not really an expert," said the 37-year-old, whose day job involves designing and building garden ponds.
"All I know is that it stank and was in what was probably once the living room. It had clearly been used as a toilet many times by someone or something during the several years the house had laid empty."
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His most ambitious and expensive punt yet at £178,500, he added that the plan is to turn the ramshackle Valleys address into five separate flats. Although he admitted to having his work cut out for him.
"Everything with any scrap value, from the pipework to the gas meter, had been nicked and it looked like it had been a squat at some point," he added. "You can't even see it from the road, the garden's that overgrown - it's got zero kerb appeal.
"But that's okay, I never let things like that put me off - the smellier the better as far as I'm concerned. You see, if a property is in really bad shape it means it can be bought for less, and the more improvements I can make to it the more its resale or rental value increases.
"It's houses like that which get me out of bed of a morning to be honest." Gavin explained that his love for fixing up neglected properties began in 2007 with a house he still lives in to this day.
"Luckily that one wasn't too bad, but it needed 100% updating," he said. "No one else wanted to buy it and I managed to take out an interest-free mortgage on it - they don't even do those mortgages anymore, unless it's buy-to-let."
And, by his third purchase - "holes in the floor, holes in the walls, holes in the ceiling - it was so bad" - he was hooked. What is more, since then he's gone to tackle another six, the worst being "a top to bottom re-do" in the Rhondda which cost £25k but which was then revalued for the "tidy return" of £96k.
"It was in Pentre and had been derelict for nearly six years - there were mushrooms growing everywhere, dangerous wiring, zero central heating and no roof. It took me two years to complete," said Gavin, adding that he rents out the majority of his finished projects.
He also posts online videos of his various works-in-progress, which often results in phone calls from private investors wanting to get involved in some way. "There are also different grants you can apply for when it comes to renovating properties.
"All that money then has to be paid back once the house has been resold or remortgaged. The remainder I use to set up the next project."
He recalled how watching the popular TV show Homes Under The Hammer whilst growing up first got him interested. "Everyday it'd be on the telly when I got home from school and I'd think to myself, 'Hmm, I'd like to have a go at that'.
"Another inspiration was my dad. He was a bricklayer and worked his guts out all his life. He slogged away at that job in all weathers until he was in his sixties and suddenly suffered a stroke, forcing him to retire.
"I just knew I needed to go a different route. I want to be able to provide for my family but still have the time to spend with them enjoying the little things."
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