Tommy Walsh was left gobsmacked after he came across a home that was covered in illegal plastic cladding on Homes Under the Hammer. The 67-year-old BBC presenter took a trip to Brereton and Ravenhill in Rougley, Staffordshire.
Situated on a quaint street of terraced houses, the homes looked picturesque, however, when you walked to the end you were met with a dark house that appeared to be covered in timber. When Tommy touched the material, it was in fact plastic – which is highly flammable and what he described as “hazardous”. Not only was the property’s curbside appearance off-putting, but it posed a huge risk.
The new owners would have to rip it down and strip it back its former brickwork exterior. However, as the presenter entered the inside of the home he was met with further risks.
The ceiling was covered in polystyrene that would need to be ripped out. As Tommy walked around, he was seen pointing to elements in the home and heard saying “That’s illegal”.
It was like going back in time as Tommy described the interior as looking “like something out of the Flintstones”.
He went on to say “It has all got to be stripped down. Everything has got to come out of here.”
The guide price for the house was £45,000 but sold at auction to for £85,000. It was purchased by Jack and his two business partners who planned to turn it into a house in multiple occupation property.
The home needed to be completely ripped out from the exterior as well as the interior. The buyer said the first thing on their list was to remove the cladding.
Jack was ready to take on the huge project and move around the structure the inside as he planned to turn it from a three to five bedroom.
He went on to say that their budget was a maximum of £25,000 and planned to get tenants in within three months.
The project took three months and the trio managed to stay on target with their budget. Jack explained that they were over the moon with the outcome of the project.
Despite worrying about issues, they may have run into regarding what was beneath the cladding he said he was “pretty plane sailing”.
They transformed the house into a light and modern property that boasted space and had a stunning curb-side appearance.