Stacey Solomon gives the couple Japandi-inspired architecture ideas but also crucial tips to help them save on their bungalow extension
Stacey Solomon gets hands on helping this couple from Enfield finish their bungalow extension(Image credit: Channel 4)
Stacey Solomon helped a couple with their bungalow extension as part of her new show Stacey Solomon's Renovation Rescue.
Caroline, a psychotherapist, and her husband Erick, a web designer, from Enfield, London, were building an extension for their two bed detached bungalow but came unstuck after builders left the job unfinished after they were paid £70,000.
Stacey though came and gave the couple tips and design ideas inspired by minimalist Japandi (Japanese and Scandinavian) architecture, which also crucially helped them save on their already stretched budget and we take a look at the final result.
Couple left with uninhabitable home after spending £70k
The couple were left with an unfinished extension after spending £70,000 before Stacey arrived to help the couple budget for their extension(Image credit: Channel 4)
A year ago the couple hired builders to extend and renovate the property for £70,000 and the couple had to move into Caroline's parent's house whilst the work was being done.
However, the couple realised things were amiss as Erick said: "I realised the work starting to be bad quite early on. I took pictures of the roof and said "This is not straight" and they said "Oh it's not going to be like that".
"They sealed everything and it was still the same, slopey... That's when we realised like you don't know what you're doing."
Bags of screed were also used to cover the underfloor heating that the couple noticed said on the back "Not Suitable For Underfloor Heating" and the skylight in the kitchen-diner was leaking.
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The couple hired new builders after nine months who told them the extension cost would now be £140,000, double their initial budget, to complete the work due to undoing the previous builders' errors.
Stacey gets 'hands on' removing window panes
Erick said he didn't expect Stacey to be so "hands on" with the project(Image credit: Channel 4)
Inside the extension there were windows above the entrance to the bedrooms that the couple had initially decided to remove.
However, after convincing from Stacey who liked the daylighting that came from the windows the couple decided to simply replace the windows instead.
Stacey duct taped the windows shut to stop them shattering and then removed the pane by loosening the beading around it with a chisel and hammer.
"You know what it looks better already" Caroline said. Erick remarked he didn't expect Stacey to be so "hands on" with the project.
Erick inspired by Stacey's advice replaced the glass in the internal windows by measuring the window frame before cutting the beading to size and holding the glass pane whilst the beading is fixed into place.
Stacey fits a bathroom sink
Stacey decided to "give it a go" at plumbing by installing a bathroom sink and cabinet(Image credit: Channel 4)
Although all the first fix plumbing had already been done in the extension a number of jobs were still needed such as fitting a basin and a toilet in the en suite.
"There's a lot of things in plumbing you really need to have professionals do, but there are some areas on the second fix we could do ourselves.
"Plumbing is not a string currently in my bow. It just really intimidates me but I'm excited to give it a go today."
Stacey and Erick installed the bathroom cabinet with the sink as well as attaching it to the water pipes after which Stacey excitedly said: "I'm gonna go home and say to Joe [Swash] "I've just fitted a sink today.""
The process saved around £300 by not hiring a plumber to do the work.
Stacey gives DIY guide to laminate flooring
Stacey Solomon gave a guide to installing laminate flooring and used a mitre saw to cut the decking for the extension(Image credit: Channel 4)
The couple had also bought DIY friendly laminate flooring for the bedroom, which would cost around £50 per square metre to lay, so Stacey suggested doing the work themselves to save more money.
Stacey gave them a demonstration as to how the laminate flooring system works as she explained: "This is a general click system. Basically all of the planks click into one another and you lay it like brick work or block work."
Laying the floor themselves saved around £1500 but Stacey wasn't finished there as she also helped the couple install the decking outside.
With a mitre saw she cut the pieces into place before using a T-Clip system to attach the decking to the frame by screwing into T-Clips between boards that then tighten as they're screwed to create tightly fitted decking.
Erick stated: "The decking is amazing. I'm gonna do barbeques, and dancing, singing."
Couple saved £6k using pocket doors for the partition
The partition with sound insulation divided the music room from the kitchen-diner(Image credit: Channel 4)
The couple wanted a partition between a music room and the kitchen inside the extension, but Stacey gave the couple some other house extension ideas.
The couple wanted full height bi folding doors, which was estimated to cost £10,000 but to save on costs Stacey suggested: "If we reduce the size of the opening we could introduce some kind of pocket door system, and, potentially, something like that could cost around £4k rather than £10k. A massive saving."
Stacey helped the couple install the sliding pocket doors with oak panel cladding that also include soundproofing insulation.
With the final result Stacey called the doors her "favorite thing in the house" and even starting wondering where in her house she could install pocket doors.
Finished home 'looks like a whole different house'
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Stacey said the finished home looked like "a whole different house"(Image credit: Channel 4)
The finished black decking was done with the help of Stacey, which helped save £1500(Image credit: Channel 4)
At the end of the project Caroline said she had "fallen back in love with my home"(Image credit: Channel 4)
When Stacey returned to see the Japandi bungalow designed home as she exclaimed: "It looks like a whole different house, doesn't it?"
The couple revealed to Stacey that they were quoted at the bear minimum £65,000 to get the work done, even with doing a lot of the work themselves, but they managed to complete the extension and renovation for £60,000.
After over a year of work the couple were finally able to live in their home again as Caroline stated: "I've fallen back in love with my home."
The first episode of Stacey Solomon's Renovation Rescue is available to watch on Channel 4.
News Editor Joseph has previously written for Today’s Media and Chambers & Partners, focusing on news for conveyancers and industry professionals. Joseph has just started his own self build project, building his own home on his family’s farm with planning permission for a timber frame, three-bedroom house in a one-acre field. The foundation work has already begun and he hopes to have the home built in the next year. Prior to this he renovated his family's home as well as doing several DIY projects, including installing a shower, building sheds, and livestock fences and shelters for the farm’s animals. Outside of homebuilding, Joseph loves rugby and has written for Rugby World, the world’s largest rugby magazine.
