Ugly House To Lovely House With George Clarke: S1E5 | Only Human
George Clarke, a popular British architect, with the help of other architects, gives a stunning makeover to some of the unloved homes in Britain.
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From: Ugly House To Lovely House S1E5
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Never under estimate an architects ability to ignore a budget. That been said, I do like the finished product. I just hope the stress of paying for it doesn't lead to health problems or divorce.
We can transform your house for more than you paid for it is not quite the magic trick the show makes it out to be.
I just started watching these videos and was wondering the same. It seems like the family always has a £50,000 budget - that is NEVER adhered to. Who pays for going over budget? The homeowner?
The architect started it by showing them more than their budgets worth of work to start will!
I’m sure they had ongoing discussions about the increased costs.
They could have saved money they chose to go the whole hog
The last text on screen (the architect's fees aren't included) killed me.
Shouldn't that be donated in exchange for the publicity that the show offers? Or paid for my the show's producers?
Quote: 'The architect has come up with a plan to fit their £120k budget.' The first words that came out of the architect's mouth was that they cannot have everything in the plan. They will have to treat it as a menu.... All of these builds are the same. The architect fails before they start. Do what they are commissioned to do... Design the house to the budget, so they can say yes to everything in the plan... Every architect on the planet knows that as a rule of thumb, allow an amount of 30% for the unknown.
Completely agree, this architect didn't impress me. It looks amazing, but this isn't the solution they needed for their budget :(
EXACTLY!!!
I do agree with you to a point. I also think the architects should have a few tricks to help come in on budget or else not take up this kind of work. I also know that when you cut into a house that’s been worked on many times over the decades, you typically uncover some unpleasant surprises.
I did renovations to my home with plans, and in the end it cost us 2/3 herds more than expected
I think it definitely was an improvement on what was, and there was much to like. The couple loved it which is the most important thing. BUT, IDK, if as an architect you're given a budget and a list of problems to be fixed within that budget- it seems rather odd to me that the architect then returns having cherry picked what problems to fix to suit their architectural vision within that budget. It seemed to me like she refused to compromise at all, find cheaper solutions than HER norm, to suit the clients budget and meet their needs. So in the end they had to stress their finances for years, perhaps decades to come in order to fix all their concerns to her designs. Of course they decided to spend a bit extra on the kitchen, but what is an extra 10,000 when you're already 90,000 over budget?
I think you need to look at the big picture. This was a family investing in their home. They had no desire to leave their home or neighborhood. If you calculate the original purchase price plus the refinancing for the total Reno they have a home in their desired location for a price far below what it would cost to sell and purchase a new home. My sister just spent a little over 125 thou cdn to redo their 1973 built home. Granted my brother in law did all but the kitchen reno but he did do all the demo and gyprocking for the kitchen. He saved thousands by doing most of the work himself. They lived in their okder home for 15 yrs before doing all the renos over the last two yrs. Like this couple they loved where they lived and just wanted a newer fresher home. It would have cost them an additional 500 thou to sell and buy new for the same house footage as well as the garden space. Newer homes are more expensive to purchase with less yard / garden area. As far as they are concerned it was money well spent and they love their " new home".
@@denisegreene8441 I get that renovating is cheaper than buying a new house. That wasn't my point all. My point was that if you go to an architect with a list of problems and a budget to do that renovation, then you'd expect the architect to choose design options to make sure as many of your problems can be solved within that budget, not choose expensive design options because they like them and then tell you that you have to pay more to have ALL your problems solved.
@@denisegreene8441 now they're slaves to the bank. They should have just painted to start. What a mistake.
@A. Westenholz she never said pay more. It was their decision to pay more.
@@flowerpink724 No but she did tell them to choose which of their problems she would solve for their budget instead of trying to solve all their problems to budget. Some of her solutions were unnecessarily expensive.
I've watched 6 of these episodes now and imo all these semi-attached homes have one problem in common and that's the lack of windows/light... adding another bedroom on the attic floor will give extra space for the adults but totally unnecessary= $35K+..!!! sleeping doesn't require a lot of space..they need more downstairs space!!...add more windows on the sideyard and eliminate the glass interior dividers!! a cleaning nightmare with teenagers!...
For me this is a brilliant transformation. Pretty straightforward and elegant. ✨✨
I just can’t with this channel. Every design is just so cold, ultra modern (and not in a good way) incredibly sterile. The uk has so many beautiful ancient stone homes and yet everything they touch in this series is charmless.
At the end of the day, it's about preference. And regardless of your style likes and dislikes, this is much better than it was before.
I agree. This kind of put, biting and industrial architecture has nothing in common with the cottage style of these houses.
100%
Even I had a great stress watching this esp. the budget escalation. I can't imagine how I would really be mentally if it were me. I must have a stroke not long after enjoying the new house...
Beeeeeeautiful!!! As with so many renovations, the budget gets thrown out the window with construction problems and set backs. The end result was absolutely incredible.
You know it's a success when the owners are speechless.... can't put into words how they feel...
They could be speechless for other reasons than delight!
Only critique: the Front door. The entrance is fine but the windowless, featureless door needs a few features (glass panels?)....something (perhaps a miniature reproduction of one of the 6 glass - but glazed - rear doors to mimic/introduce what is on the other side of the home. The House itself is a Vast improvement.
Absolutely agree.
@@lovingmayberry307 Yes, the windowless entrance is worse than the original entrance!!
Ummm, did you miss the side-facing huge window and the skylight at the entryway? they don't need any more light in there lol. I can see why they put them in places other than the front door; they don't want everybody walking by to see straight in...
I love this..its open and not empty feeling.. Usually big homes feel empty. And i lovvvvve light
Stunning!! WoWoW!! Worth every penny.
All that extra space and only one bathroom?
The house was transformed beautifully.
I agree with the neighbour. It is a lot of money to spend on an ex-council house. Also, nowadays it is usual to have more than one bathroom or at least a downstairs loo. The attic bedroom could do with an ensuite shower room.
There is a loo downstairs 11:05
What does it means that it’s an ex council house?
When you are in debt and worrying about money, your quality of life drops significantly. So *NO*, it is not always worth it George! That being said, I love the glazed screens and the house turned out lovely.
I love Jo's vision and it's even better in reality!
After watching 5 of these episodes, I'm moving to the UK and starting my own business! I have renovated 8 homes with framing and electrical experience...these clients would love me!!! Every episode the budget is thrown out the window and rarely do the architects listen to the home owners and their wants and needs😢
Absolutely beautiful! It doesn’t look like a hovel or a pub anymore.
They seem like a really nice couple, but if I were them I'd have just repainted the house and rearranged the rooms to distribute the use better.
I'm with you. Paint has a miraculous effect. Pull the conservatory area into the downstairs. Replace the porch. Remediate the problems. To me, it's a mistake to go deep into debt when your kids will be gone in a few years. They move out and the parents are stuck with the debt and no certainty of being able to sell the now overlarge house for what it cost them. For this couple, they expect to house their children into their twenties so the bedroom rearrangement and cost works out okay.
I love watching as you do this project. You are amazing family great parents. I love the house and watching your dream come to life! Vancouver 🇨🇦
Stunning, my favorite 👌😍
missing was a quotation on what the value of the house is now... if the owners were to sell it, they would probably gain a hefty profit...
I live in a studio apartment. I'd LOVE to have that "dark, dreary house" any day. Coat of paint, some landscaping and I'd be good to go.
Yeah except for the mold... And when the garden wall fell over...
And people who live on the street would love to have your studio.
This is f*cking GORGEOUS!!! I felt a bit stressed about the budget getting bigger, but in the end: sooooo worth it. They have an amazing house!!! I'm in love with this place!
I love glowing face of architect ❤ she really meant to be that angel creating transformation of homes to heaven level
I agree the architect didn’t even try to deliver a plan that came close to budget. Not to say she didn’t have some grand plans but that wasn’t the brief. She should have had a $120,000 option, fits and finishes could take it over but the core plan should have been on budget. Other episodes of this show the architect gave more respect to the budget.
The couple made their own choices that put them over budget
Shame they couldn't keep those arches over the windows, like the other houses have. And having a loo come out into the kitchen puts me off. It's not allowed here in the Netherlands (allthough maybe the rules are different for older houses?) But, overall, great improvement, well done.
definitely, the brick arches were 70% of the charm of the house, and they took it off 😢
its beautiful full of light i love it
Astonishing reno! Wow!
Must be a bit of a shock to start a remodel and find mold behind walls and a bad foundation. I assume their health may have improved with better air quality. Beautiful renovation even though it went over budget, as they all do on this show.
I hope the cleaning of the glass does not become too much of a drag . It all looks very lovely, and is a vast improvement on the horror it replaced
I think the windows might have a special coating on them so they stay cleaner longer.
I'm imagining that in my house with my dogs that like to make window art with their noses 😂 That's if they don't shatter a pane or 2 while having the zoomies, especially my clutz of a Great Dane.
This turned out amazing
Im a big fan of ur transformation series,,,,its like a learning session😊
What a fantastic chenge....beautiful ❤
its a nice makeover but i hate how the architects never design anything that would actually fit into the budget considering space up for purchases. those flat roof windows will have moss growing on them within a year, i am afraid
Hopefully that's a toilet I saw on the ground floor plans! Can't imagine having a gorgeous house like that but only one toilet!
I'd love to see a follow-up on this couple. Did they get to stay and enjoy it or did they have to sell?
Oooh I so much love the place and the opening ❤❤❤❤❤❤
This one looks stunning
Beautiful one of the best one. I'm wondering who is going to clean all those window glass
Glass is really easy to clean.
Gorgeous!!! Bravo!!!💕💕💕
I actually loved the grey pebbledash but this is my favorite transformation to date !
I absolutely love your home! My face is smiling for you(s).
A rebuild never comes in on budget. I’d happily live there.
Gorgeous
Really nice, however the front living room need more lighting. upper windows along the back wall? Perhaps, frosted?
Love it.
Lovely but only one full bathroom?
It is quite beautiful.
Although the final cost exceeded their original budget, their happiness with the beautiful result would transform their outlook on life so much more positive than before and might even increase their earning power so considerably as to pay easily for the renovation in no time - for example, I know a U.S. Juilliard-graduate violinist who teaches private music lessons at home; after her architect husband rebuilt their house to include a dedicated “music/lesson” room, she felt much more relaxed and comfortable while teaching and her students felt much better as well, and in turn she gained more students. So here I say: KUDOS !!!
The internal partition between the living room and kitchen is pointless, the window next to the door offers an interrupted look into the inside to people in the street, we can see the traffic outside.
I personally liked the wood beams they had in the ceiling. I think now it looks like a modern library & is Not a cozy house any more
Beautiful transformation, especially the glass wall.
Why do they always find architects whose designs are 'strikingly modern' when that won't fit the original house or be sympathetic to the neighborhood? And 'strikingly modern' always means a glass box and all period features obliterated...
Exactly, thank you
Because people of today don't use their houses the way people did in the 1920s. People like open airy houses bathed in natural light.
It's a matter of preference. They just like the style. That's probably the same thing that people said when these houses were built, too. This house fits in wonderfully with the rest of the neighborhood, especially at the front. It was a great blend of old and new.
Why they should sympathetic to the neighbor since it was their own property? I mean their house not their neighbor house, its all about personal space for their personal life
Yes, it’s not what I would have done!
Beautiful transformation. But with all that extension & money spent, they should have at least added another bathroom or a powder room at the ground floor instead of those dividing glass doors inside & that overpriced kitchen! Imagine guests going up just to use the loo!
The exterior certainly looks better, but there are noticeable seam lines I'm not a fan of construction-wise. I'm also not a fan of the wall-length window and the office window mirroring it (way too many windows, it feels like a zoo or aquarium). But other than that it's bright and lovely.
eyes bigger then their pocket book ..... the story of my life. as my dad used to say of me , "you have a champagne appetite on a beer income" 😔
”What a beautiful space” tshirt print
Who welded the steels (28.44)?
It’s nice to see people who aren’t in “flip” mode,looking at their house as an “always” home…and not looking to just make a profit in 10/20 years…
All of that money and still only 1 bathroom! There should be at least a ground floor half bath for convenience but also for guests to keep them within the public spaces. It’s certainly very nice to be able accommodate a 70+% increase in the budget!! Initial £5K kitchen budget was just not realistic. I wonder what they would have gotten with their original £120K budget?
GuY tightening then bolts with an adjustable spanner and holding the bolt with the ratchet?
All that talk about creativity and still the architectures are not doing anything creative and still going over budget. Its run of the mill ideas which we see everywhere.
This is a cautionary tale. Never do this. Never spend money you don't have on luxury. Live below your means, don't sign away years of your life on working to pay off interest. That's how we become wage slaves. Luxury and prestige will NOT make you happy. That thrill is short-lived. Make your living space functional, comfortable, and pleasant - not impressive. Cosy is the way to go. Just keeping all that glass clean is going to be a massive chore, and when the kids leave in just over a decade, that house is going to feel too big and empty. I was young and dumb and overly ambitious, and I built a big house with large open spaces and tall ceilings, and now it's monstrous to heat, and all of those surfaces have to be maintained. But at least I didn't go massively into debt, I only spent all the money I had.
Could someone please explain for us Americans why the house being "an ex-council house" means the owners can never recoup this investment? I understand council housing is subsidized, does the government limit how much you can sell it for?
council houses tend to have a derogatory meaning: they were built for the poor and they were dirt cheap. The old man had spoken some truth: don't overspend because a council house remains forever a council house, although as time passes, people will perhaps forget the past.
@@katalinrobin6222Are you sure a council house stays a council house forever? I thought the tenants were given the opportunity to buy it if they’ve lived in it for 3 years.
@@eam4689 I should have said: in peoples' mind a council house remains forever a council house.
It's nice if you like the Industrial look.
POV: the neighbor seeing this episode 👁👄👁
As it often happens with architects, it is a beautiful project for a magazine (which is what architects wish for), but very unpractical for living: not enough bathrooms, not enough storage space, nice office area although very unsuitable if you are using any kind of screen, and no privacy......and I know from experience because I lived in a house like that.
Can't wait to see what they choose to do. The first flaw in the initial plan for the ground floor is that to get from the front door to the kitchen means going through the snug at the front. There must be direct access from car parking to kitchen. Unless anyone ciming through the front door heads directly upstairs, that snug is a corridor, a path into the house. Two teenagers in "packs" will mean a LOT of groceries. Also, try living with windows that have aluminium frames. No thermal break means the frames tramsmit cold in winter and heat in summer. Terribly inefficient windows, no matter the glazing. Not impressive so far. Sorry, George, but without walls you cannot have a great home. The glass walls offer zero privacy on the entire main floor. Why do they keep getting surprised by work being required in a house that is about a century old. The carbuncle of a porch stuck on the front detracts from the simple elegance of the facade. Had the design fit in with the house it would have been great. As is, it is fighting the old house. At the start the comment was made about the house having none of its 1930s charm left. Now it is a bland, boring, modern house. The kitchen is sort of functional, but it is cold and designed to look well rather than function well. For me, the entire project is a disaster. Those windows certainly makw it look and feel industrial, not at all like a home. The 1st floor and attic work. Again, no character at all, but useful. Glad they like it, but it would be my worst nightmare. That escalation of the budget by that amount is crazy. The former council house is lost completely.
“ krittle” ?? or crittle ? I have never heard this word before. Guess it is a UK thing. Their back yard needs , IMO, more plants ( just have guests each bring one) and paint for that brick in the back could make a huge , difference for just pennies.
The grumpy old neighbour was actually right!
They actually saved who knows how much money in healthcare and lost wages costs by fixing the mold problem...
You know they have free healthcare in the UK? Not saying it wasn't a good thing to remove the mold of course.
Do they not have flying insects in the UK? Why do they never have screens on windows and glass doors? Here, if you left those beautiful doors open the house would be filled with bugs.
20:46 That house has everithing I hate. Perhaps even a glass in the shower
well if only architects knew what the word budget means
Probably a bit OTT but if they intend to live there for the rest of their lives then it's an investment. Very jealous of that kitchen.
Still only one bathroom in a house that size?
There is a loo that you get to from the kitchen....
The architect didn't seem to listen to them at all. That said, it's a beautiful home but one cannot help but think that the money could have been far better, or more practically, spent.
17.000 pound for a kitchen? that's madness. 🙃
Yes going to London to a showroom is mad. They could have got a used kitchen online for a quarter of the price.
It was actually 25 in the end, lol.
We bought an Ikea kitchen and it cost us $ 120,00 just for the cabinets, not including appliances. So £17,000 is actually very reasonable in my humble opinion.
I hate and love this show. They can have everything just just design in their budget. It’s not Pennie’s.
It’s funny they are complaining about the open space concept & people in the U.S. all want to open space concept
I love the extension and the interior design. But the front view is sad: the house has been completely robbed of its character. And the front door looks repellent. At the beginning, the architect said that she wanted to free the house from the mistakes made in the additions and conversions of the past decades and thus bring the house back to its origins. Unfortunately, she didn't manage to do that at all. A pity.
But I’m not sure that the owners were that much enamored of the original origins of the house. They wanted something fresh, not a restoration.
@@fotter9567 I agree. It's unfortunate when people who want a contemporary home must, for one valid reason or another, buy a vintage house. Like you, I hate to see architectural history obliterated by makeovers when a historically sensitive renovation is a reasonable option. By all means, remodel the home to present-day lifestyle and usability standards. At the same time, though, retain architectural tributes (even if only minor ones) to commemorate the structure's origin. Based on other renovations I've observed, a tasteful design's juxtaposition of the new and some preserved, original details makes both aspects 'pop.' It can be stunning. In this case, I don't begrudge the interior/rear addition work because, thanks to prior owners, no original details remained. On the other hand, although I like it, the new facade would look better if (along with the new render finish) they could've found a way to leave visible the original, brick jack arches over the windows.
But why plastic grass?😑
No one wants to tend to the garden. Did you not see the before?
Better for the environment, maybe? You don't have to waste water on it.
That's what lack of planning will do to you... They bought a house, tore it down, and spent the same amount to build it up again. In what world does that make sense!? They could have bought a 400k house, it would be much bigger, and they could have looked for one with a configuration that would suit them. Or they could have initially bought a vacant lot and built the house however they wanted, instead of buying the house and tearing it down entirely. 🤦🏻♂ Also, the architect showed them options, it wasn't supposed to be doing all of them. For instance, if they are remodeling the upper floor, there's no need for those glass panelings.
I usually adore British home improvement and decorating shows - enjoying this one, as well, my only niggle is that almost every episode, the architect just throws something really modern looking onto the house. Could they not work with the older designs and make something a little more in keeping with the original character of the home and/or the neighborhoods? I've never understood why British architects are obsessed with modernist design, when they have such lovely styles already extent on so many buildings, styles the rest of us (including here in North America) are adopting in imitation (including the plethora of neo-victorian homes in so many of our subdivisions). I'm definitely 'over" seeing 60s-looking, modernist redo's on almost every home in this series. By the way, I live in exactly this style neighbourhood myself here in Canada - all of the homes have this 60s swank modern design. It's considered very dated here, and homeowners are opting for lovely, neo-victorian or country cottage looks, with gingerbread, full front porches, eyelash windows, the whole nine yards.
With age climbing stairs are going to be a problem
Your neighbors are going to have to follow your lead. Bring up the neighborhood market value.
I've come to the realization that I don't like modern architecture-feels cold and sterile to me.
Nice 😊💋💕💞💋💋💋💋
Those are just big apartments
Do the architects on this show get paid or is it just marketing for them?
They should be offered a return cash back for this UFO, tbh.
Just move at that point. You put in almost what your originally paid for the house.
I worry that they've over-improved their house beyond any hope of not losing money at eventual sale.
They said that it was a forever home and that they weren't moving, so I don't think they will have to worry about it.
I hate the cold modern look.
This couple part is not money wise. Already overextended the budget then wants a state of the art kitchen 🤦. I suppose they really wanted to stress themselves
None of the briefs in these episodes is ever met. The clients budget is NEVER respected. So annoying, why bother having a budget then.
These programs make millions at the expense of these people and they still have to pay $200,000 for the renovation, not to mention the architects' fees! Ludicrous!