In houses up and down the country,
couples are locked in design deadlocks...
Fantastic boot room, utility room, dog room.
I don't know whether we need a boot room,
I don't whether we use the shed.
...desperate to create their dream homes,
but unable to agree on anything.
I think it will be a little bit mish mash.
Mish mash? Probably going to get in trouble for saying that.
But just what do you need to do to turn a project into a home?
To help couples resolve their differences
and find the perfect way forwards,
we're going to immerse them in their own designs as they walk around them
on our virtual reality stage.
Shall we take a look?
Oh, wow. whoa!
Oh, wow. Oh, my God.
Will they still love their ideas,
and what will they make of their partners' plans?
I don't like the colours at all.
I'd rather go for something more traditional.
Then award-winning property expert Kunle Barker and |
will take their best bits and create our own dream scheme.
It bought a little tear to my eye. Yeah, really, really lovely.
Kunle can tailor-make design solutions to make the most
of every space.
Oh, wow. That's clever.
And I will create interiors to inspire them...
Oh, my God! It's amazing.
...which our couples can switch and change until they're 100% happy.
So I thought maybe a heritage green could be, you know,
a nice compromise for you both.
Or a navy, perhaps.
And back in the real world, all they have to do is build it.
We will show you things that you wouldn't imagine possible
to make your home look fantastic and work for all the family.
Welcome to Project Home.
The only thing today's couple has managed to agree on
is buying a family home here on Kent's beautiful south coast.
But since they moved in two years ago,
Scott and Caroline have been paralysed with indecision
on how to make the home their own.
To extend or not extend,
to boldly decorate where no decoration has gone before.
Or just to play it safe and give the home a lick of paint.
We are going to go and see them now,
and settle this argument once and for all.
Scott is a graphic designer and part-time yoga teacher
who loves a curry,
and Caroline is an NHS administrator who loves Christmas.
Like all couples, they don't always see eye-to-eye.
We've been happily married for nine years,
agree on where to go on holiday, what to eat for dinner.
The only thig we just can't agree on is the house.
I just don't think we've got enough space without extending.
No, I think the area's quite big as it is,
we can make the space work with the amount of room we've got.
But it's not just the layout that's dividing them.
It's also their taste.
Sleek, modern, contemporary, functional.
Exposed brick. I really like black and white and the monochrome look.
It's just a bit, like, bachelor pad-y.
My style is a little bit warmer.
I like heritage colours, herringbone floor,
wallpaper, more traditional, in keeping with the house.
But I'm a bit concerned it's going to be a bit like
going round your nan's house.
Well, we do live in an Edwardian house,
that's why we bought an old house.
We don't live in Edwardian times, though, do we?
We just can't make a decision.
I've got ideas, Scott's got ideas,
and we've just completely lost the plot now.
The house in question is a four-bed Edwardian terrace
with big back garden and bags of potential.
Hiya. Nice to meet you.
And you.
I'm desperate for a nosey.
Let's do it.
This is the typical terraced house.
The living room is at the front,
the dining room is at the back
and squashed in between is the real problem area, the kitchen.
Let's start with you, Caroline.
I can sense your mood.
What is it that you hate about this kitchen?
It's completely separate from the rest of the house,
it's not a sociable area,
it's just not somewhere I want to spend any time,
but it's actually the place I spend most of my time.
We play a lot of board games, don't we, on a Friday night?
So I'm in here cooking,
they start the board game, I'm kind of in and out, in and out,
and it just doesn't work.
So you need an area where you can cook and play Monopoly?
At the same time. Yes, basically.
That's the brief, a Cluedo kitchen.
I like that. A Cluedo kitchen.
How annoying does this room get?
I'm a typical man when I cook.
I will use every single pan,
so I need space to accommodate my man cooking.
Yeah, you need that.
How serious are you about changing this?
I was going to move. Oh, so pretty serious.
Yes. Quite serious.
That's not all Caroline and Scott hate.
Off this cramped kitchen is a corridor,
leading to the only downstairs WC.
But their biggest bone of contention is what's happening at the back.
I would like to extend at the back,
only just to come out enough to put the dining area,
and put a pitched roof on. Mm-hm. Mm-hm.
I just think it would make it brighter,
it would give a better connection with the garden.
But Scott, you're not feeling the extension?
No, it's just, like, a lot of money just to put a dining room in
when we've got loads of space in there already.
I like the original footprint of the house,
so I'd quite like to utilise the bay,
maybe some different glazing in there,
maybe an additional window just to the right there,
maybe a picture window, something like that.
Interestingly, you both have identified the problem,
but you've got different solutions.
Yes. Well, let's go inside and take a seat, shall we?
It's a good old room, this, guys.
It's lovely.
It's so nice.
So we are in your dining room right now.
Is this where the kitchen is going to be?
Yes, the kitchen will be moved to here,
and the wall behind us will be knocked through
into the utility room and downstairs toilet.
That's a great idea,
because you've got these two quite generous spaces, actually.
Mm. And if you put them together by getting rid of that wall,
I think that'll make a lot of sense.
We just don't need an extension.
You know, I was feeling quite positive then,
because there was one thing we agreed on,
but now you've brought it back to the extension.
So a big project. What's the budget?
£70,000.
Big budget. Big old budget, but what's that got to cover?
Everything.
The hall, the kitchen, the whole of the ground floor.
We've asked them both to show us their project homes,
starting with Caroline.
Let's do it.
This is going to be good, isn't it?
Oh, wow. Oh, wow.
That's brilliant. Whoa.
Oh, wow. Oh, my God.
That's insane.
The wall's gone. I've been waiting two years for that.
Goodbye, wall.
If only it was actually that quick to get rid of the wall.
Oh, wow. Light!
Oh, love those windows there. Yeah.
Looks so much lighter as well, isn't it?
Yeah, it does, straight away.
They work really well, don't they? Yeah. Just lighten up the space.
It's unbelievable.
Wow, it feels like a totally different room, doesn't it?
Yeah, it's amazing.
"Get rid of the table" might be my new catchphrase.
How did you do that?
I'm very magical with tables, just get rid of them.
How do you feel looking at the kitchen now that that wall's gone?
It's amazing how much bigger it feels just taking out that wall
with that, like, corridor space, it's really opened it up.
Decor, maybe not my cup of tea, if I'm honest.
It looks a little bit too country bumpkin.
But the wall going... The wall going. ..we agree on.
OK, that's one thing they agree on.
One thing they've agreed on, brilliant.
Now just every other detail.
OK, so, Caroline, what is your vision over here?
This is where I'd like the extension,
so nice big doors leading out to the garden, dining table and chairs.
Oh, wow.
That has made a big difference straight away, hasn't it?
It's the light, I think, isn't it?
How are we going to use this space, Caroline?
I'd like the dining table and chairs so that we could sit and play games
and eat all together there.
OK, let's see it.
There's the table.
Aww!
KIDS: Hi, Mum!
Bless 'em.
So is this the Cluedo kitchen you've been dreaming of?
Yeah, we're getting pretty close.
How does it feels seeing the kids in this environment?
Lovely. It's brought a little tear to my eye.
Yeah, really, really lovely.
So Caroline, I really want to see the island, so shall we take a look?
Yeah.
Oh, wow, there we go.
That's lovely, isn't it? Love that type of sink.
Oh! We like the island.
And Scott?
Well, I love an island, but not this one.
I don't think it's big enough.
It's not got prep room, has it?
And the lights, as well.
I just think you're kind of lighting up all your washing up.
I don't really see the point. Oh, yeah, you are.
You don't want to be just highlighting, look, a dirty pan.
Apart from all of that, he loves it.
I think I'd like it bigger.
Bigger island, smaller sink?
I'm wondering if the sink shouldn't be on the island.
Oh! Let's take a look at your plans for this wall, Caroline.
Wow.
Everything hidden away. Yeah. Like so.
Oh, wow, that is brilliant.
I love storage.
There's a lot of storage. Wow. There's a lot of storage.
Shall we see your dream hallway?
Yes, I'd love to. Let's have a look.
And let's see how your old hallway could become your new hallway.
Wow. Oh, wow.
Caroline, talk to me about this bit under the stairs.
I think more storage, shelving and some seating.
I think you've got the aesthetic right,
but I'm not sure about the function. OK.
If I was sitting under the stairs,
I think I'd think I was in trouble or something. Yeah.
So, Caroline, talk me through how you wanted this hall to feel,
cos it's definitely got personality.
I think I just fancied being a bit braver in the hall,
making it a bit more like it would have been originally.
Let's go and have a look at the room you hated the most,
the old kitchen.
Caroline has divided this room in two,
to squeeze in a downstairs loo with traditional fittings
and bold wallpaper.
The rest of the space is a pretty and practical utility room,
with a door to the outside for muddy kids and dogs,
a door opening onto the new kitchen,
and plenty of room for the washer and dryer.
It's a big room to just put the washing on.
Mm. I think we're going to have to think about that.
Yeah. Is there a better way to use the space?
So I think we've got a pretty clear idea of what's going on
in Caroline's head,
but now it's time to see Scott's project home.
Right. Let's do it.
Let's have a look.
Oh, here we go.
OK, so, look, no extension, but that's no surprise.
Why did you keep the bay window?
I just really like the original footprint of the house,
and kind of how your eye gets drawn through the house as you come in
through the hall and you can see the garden.
Caroline, how do you feel about this?
Not as light and bright as my extension.
So it's all right but not as good as your extension?
No, I like it. OK. I could live with it.
All right, that's not a no.
What's going to happen over here?
So we're going to take the wall out on this side. OK.
Yay, my wall's gone.
And then picture window,
so more of a contemporary type window.
So letting some more light in, so we've got a view of the garden.
Let's take a look at what's going to be happening on this wall.
I've gone for some very dark black units. Oh, yeah!
Black worktops, so that black is kind of tying in with the
picture window. Very sleek, kind of minimal look,
nice tall units this side, got this feature round one.
I love the form of that unit. It's very contemporary.
Caroline, could you imagine waking up of a morning to this kitchen?
I think black's a little too much.
It's quite full-on. Yeah.
OK, I'm scared to say this,
but let's have a look at this exposed brick wall.
Wow, it's so different in here.
And is that your old dining table?
It is, yeah. I do love that table, and I think it goes really well
with the sort of industrial look chairs.
Well, let's talk about your island plans. OK.
Oh! I like this, Scott.
Amazing, isn't it?
This is big, isn't it?
Much bigger than Caroline's island, and much more functional.
I can imagine you cooking up a storm here, Scott. Yeah.
It just makes so much more sense.
How do you feel about it, Caroline? Do you like the size?
It's a good size. Yeah, it's a much better size, much more practical.
I think he might have won on that one.
I do actually prefer... Yeah.
Oh, yes! What about the worktop?
I think it's a bit too chunky, a bit too industrial.
I wanted to ask you about the big copper splash back
that Scott has gone for.
I like it, but I don't think it suits our home.
OK. So we thought we could try a few different things. OK.
What about, like, a black marble?
Softens it a little bit.
Still too dark.
Still too dark?
Maybe a white marble.
Yeah, I prefer that.
Yeah, you like that?
It makes the sink stand out more, doesn't it? Absolutely, yeah.
It does. Well, let's go back to Scott's beloved copper.
So, Caroline, you had your sink in the island.
Scott's put it over there - what do you think?
I just think it's a bit squished in there, and no view.
I think there's something we can probably do about that,
so if we just move it for you.
How's that? Oh, wow, that's clever.
Yeah, much better. Still not loving the layout.
Even though you've got a view this time? Mm...
No. No. OK.
And how about these pendant lights?
No, they're not really for me.
They're a bit too much like working in a factory.
Yeah, a little bit factory.
Could you imagine having big family parties
and get-togethers in this kitchen?
I'm not sure if there's enough seating,
and where's my Christmas tree going to go?
It's a big question in any build -
where is the Christmas tree going to go?
Well, let's go take a look a, Scott's vision for the hall.
And hopefully you're a fan of that, Caroline.
Here is your current hall,
and this is Scott's plan for your new hall.
Very brave.
Scott, if you were to be a superhero,
you would be Mr Monochrome.
Caroline, how do we feel about this sort of sea of grey?
I'm not a great lover of grey.
And hey, look, we've got your favourite lights.
They're just boring, they're just not doing anything.
I like the fact that you've got this loo under the stairs here,
but I think that will be a bit tight.
Well, shall we go see what Scott has done with the old kitchen?
Let's have a look.
Scott, what was your vision when you designed this?
I work from home occasionally, so there's a nice office desk,
somewhere for the kids to do their homework, bit of a chill out area.
Caroline, what do you think?
Just a bit of a waste of space. It wouldn't get used.
The kids wouldn't sit there and do their homework.
No, it is a fab room, but it feels just like a room for you, Scott.
Like, sort of, your office.
And also, you wanted this room to be a utility room, Caroline.
I think it needs to be. NEEDS to be.
So, you're going to need the washer and dryer in here.
So, hello, there we go.
Mm. Maybe not.
Maybe not. It kind of start ruining the aesthetic a little bit,
you know, the utility room slash chic New York office.
Turning this space into something that works for them both
is going to be virtually impossible,
so let's hope Kunle and I can crack the layout
and create the perfect project home.
In Kent, Caroline and Scott have spent the last two years
in design deadlock over their home.
We're going round in circles, we just can't make a decision.
Caroline's showed us her project home scheme,
traditional shaker kitchen and heritage colours.
Meanwhile, Scott revealed himself as a modern monochrome man.
But their biggest beef is that Scott wants to keep and update
the bay window, while Caroline wants to completely knock it down
and build an extension.
Kunle, what are you thinking?
Well, an extension is off the cards cos it's just not in the budget,
but I think there is somewhere else we could steal some space from -
the old kitchen locked in the middle of the house.
And I've got another idea -
bi-fold doors are a brilliant way of connecting to the garden.
They make the room seem bigger, and let tonnes of light flood in.
Nick, what are you thinking?
Caroline is a big fan of the shaker kitchen.
They're timeless and elegant.
Now, to get Scott on board, maybe we go down the monochrome route,
like this.
And when it comes to handles, I do think brass adds class.
Edwardians hallways were quite grand affairs,
and I want to reinstate a dado rail and some patterned tiles,
but maybe in monochrome to keep Scott happy.
And top of my list, very important, this -
I think I've found somewhere for Caroline's Christmas tree.
Time to see if Caroline and Scott are happy with our project home.
It's been a bit of a challenge to find a plan
that ticks both your boxes, but hopefully, we've done it.
I think we've done it. I hope we've done it.
OK, let's see it.
Goodbye, bay window.
Hello, bi-folding door.
The light is amazing.
I love it. It's kind of just, like, framed the garden.
It's unbelievable. It's awesome, yeah.
I love it. It makes a big, big, difference, doesn't it?
Yeah, the view is amazing.
What I'm going to do now is I'm going to show you what the light
looks like as it changes from, like, breakfast to lunchtime.
So we're going to start off with what it looks in the morning
when you're tucking into your cereal.
Oh, wow, unbelievable. Yeah.
It's amazing, isn't it?
And now we're about lunchtime,
this is what it's going to look like.
Oh, wow. Look at the light.
I absolutely love the light, I love the doors and what we're
achieving. My only concern is that I've lost my extension and the bay.
I said to keep the extension. She loves the extension.
You know what? OK, I've got a game changer.
So let's look behind us.
What I've done is I'm going to push this wall back to increase the space
here without an extension.
Oh, wow. Nice.
Oh, wow. That's amazing.
So behind that wall was the kitchen that had all that unused space,
and I've stolen some of that, and that's going to increase
the footprint of this kitchen by about the same as the extension.
We'd never thought that, did we? Yeah. So shall we see the kitchen?
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, wow. What do you think?
That's amazing. There's enough room there
for the units to actually sit completely flat back.
Exactly. You've got the kitchen that you wanted. Yeah. It's amazing.
Great idea, Kunle.
Let's take a look at this wall here.
There's some storage. Yep, nice.
Is that storage underneath as well?
Storage underneath. Oh, yeah.
Scott, what do you think?
Yeah, I love it. It really works.
You also wanted a great place for dinners as well,
so we thought the table could work with the bench seating.
Yeah, really practical, really practical.
So I feel like you're happy with that, we've nailed that part.
Yeah, it's nice, yeah.
OK, let's take a look at the island.
Oh, yeah. Much better than the first option.
I thought we could get some colour in now.
Not that much colour, because I am channeling monochrome man Scott,
so we've gone for like a charcoal.
Amazing. Absolutely spot on.
I don't know how Caroline will feel about it,
so I thought maybe a navy, perhaps.
Yeah, I like it with the brass handles, the navy. Looks good.
And then finally, we don't really know what colour this is,
but we like it.
We don't know it's a beige or a biscuit or a fawn or whatever.
I know that Scott you'll be going down the charcoal route,
but Caroline?
Funnily enough, I think I like the charcoal best.
You like the charcoal?! Good.
Yeah, I think we're agreed on that, aren't we?
This is a good thing, we have an agreement.
Well, let's get it back to charcoal, then.
We have gone for a dove grey on the island.
Yeah, love it. And then the lights.
So we've managed to find these, smoked glass.
Oh, they're beautiful. They're good, aren't they?
Which are really great, because they manage to be industrial but elegant.
Yeah. They just match in perfectly, don't they?
It's how we like to pitch ourselves, industrial but elegant.
We do. I mean, I'm elegant.
Yeah, and I'm industrial.
And then, Scott, congratulations, you've won the battle of the island,
the sink is safely out of the way over here.
We have the induction hob right in the centre of the kitchen.
I do like it there.
You like it? I love that here.
The only thing I think we need to discuss a little bit more
is that wall.
Now, Caroline, you love wallpaper, Scott not so much,
I feel like a feature wall could be the perfect thing for you two.
A bit of wallpaper, but not everywhere.
Scott, how do we feel about this?
It's quite full-on.
I quite like that, actually.
Wow, that was an easy conversion.
I'm surprised, actually. Wasn't expecting that.
Let's have a look at the next one.
Not quite so keen on that one.
Too blue and green.
Quite dark, isn't it? That is dark, that one.
Or we've gone for this, which is like a pine.
Oh, yeah, quite like that.
Yeah, I prefer that one.
I thought now we could go and take a look at your hall
and see what Kunle and I have done in there. Yeah.
Have a look.
Colour-wise, we've gone for, like, a heritage green on the woodwork
and up the stairs, with sort of an accent green on the walls.
Floor wise, this is a real compromise, I feel,
between the two of you.
It's monochrome, there's a pattern,
but it's not a crazy pattern, it's quite traditional.
Yeah, so we've got an area now for Scott for you to put your yoga gear.
Caroline...
I've spotted the wine already.
...for the wine, I was actually going to say your aerobic gear.
But, yeah, your wine.
OK, let's go see the room that you hated the most, your old kitchen.
This is a win for Caroline,
a WC and practical utility room,
but hopefully with some touches that will appeal to Scott.
Kunle stole some space for the kitchen,
but there's still plenty of room to do the laundry,
and for coats and muddy boots.
I've gone all out on the wallpaper in the loo,
and teamed it with traditional panelling in a rich dark blue.
OK, there's one last thing that we want to show you,
which I think you're going to like, I hope you're going to like,
so take a look out there,
as we transform to winter.
Oh, it's snowing.
It's so cosy!
I know, Caroline, one of your big concerns was
where are we going to put the Christmas tree?
Oh-ho-ho! We're going to put it there.
Oh, my God, it's amazing.
We are a Christmas family, aren't we? We love Christmas.
I needed a Christmas tree in this room,
and you found the perfect location.
Good spot for it.
I think Kunle and I have done all right with our scheme. Yeah.
There's a few things that you guys still need to decide on.
How do you think we got on?
Amazing. Such a good job. Unbelievable.
I couldn't have imagined all the stuff you came up with.
Made a perfect plan. Yeah, it's awesome.
But the big question is budget.
Now, how much do you think our scheme came in at?
What would you guess?
I would say a lot more. It looks expensive.
I reckon 80.
I think slightly more cos it looks expensive, the fittings, everything.
Actually, our scheme came in £5,000 under budget.
No! Yeah, absolutely.
It did. Do you want to see what we did with the extra cash? Yeah.
Well, turn around. We have one last surprise for you.
Here you go.
That £5,000 has bought you this.
Wow. Oh, my God.
Doesn't it look amazing?
Oh, wow. It's like the outside in, isn't it?
Oh, my God, that's unbelievable.
It feels like part of the kitchen,
feels like the kitchen has kind of just extended out there.
Kunle is the genius that came up with this.
Well, look, I've got to admit, it's a really simple trick.
So we're just raising up the floor level of that part of the garden.
It just makes it part of this room.
And screening off the shed and washing line
makes it a more sophisticated area for entertaining.
What difference do you think this space is going to make
to your family life?
Just a game changer, isn't it?
It's going to be life-changing for us. Yeah.
Are you happy with our vision?
Yeah, it's amazing. Thank you, guys. Thank you so much.
We just couldn't have done it, could we?
Now all you've got to do is build it,
so you need to crack on with it.
Guys, thank you so much.
See you later. We'll see you at yours.
I think they're happy.
I think that's great. I think we cracked it.
I think we did it! High five.
Let's do it Now all we need to do is turn that dream into a reality,
and then get round to theirs for a drink.
And it looks like we won't be waiting too long for that drink,
because a few weeks later, their project is kicking off.
Remember the wall I wanted to push back to steal some space
for the new kitchen?
It's coming down.
Today, we're taking the back wall down, which was Kunle's idea.
Quite excited to see how it opens the space up.
Seeing the space at this size,
I think definitely right not to extend. It looks massive.
Already we've added just under three square metres
to the size of this room.
A great start, and things can only get bigger.
Next to go is that wall between the new kitchen-diner
and the corridor that served as utility room and WC.
They've waited two years to smash it out, but in the end,
it only takes two hours.
Just seeing the wall go down...
It's normal for you guys, isn't it? Cos you do this all the time. But...
Really good.
That's added another seven and a half square metres.
Next on the agenda, the bay window.
I've got mixed emotions, because I really do love the bay,
and it was one of the reasons we bought the house,
but I think now is the time to let it go.
And as it turns out, they wouldn't have been able to keep the bay
anyway.
It's completely rotten.
Is it?
So it would all have to be replaced anyway?
Oh, good, that's made me feel a bit better.
Oh, my God. I can't believe it!
Once the roof and the wooden frame are down,
it's time to move onto the brickwork...
...salvaging everything possible.
The main thing is that Caroline's happy with it as well.
You know, I just want her to see it
and think, "Actually, I'm not disappointed we didn't extend.”
I just want her to feel happy that we're going to have
a good enough space for the family.
We don't want half a project,
it's got to be a finished project for us,
so we've really got to watch our budget.
And that means saving money by living on site.
We've tried to make it more fun by setting up a tent in the garden.
The kids are loving it. They think it's great fun.
Let's hope they still think it's fun when it starts getting cold,
cos there is a long way to go before this project home is finished.
It may look like a harmonious four-bed Edwardian home
on the outside, but inside, the battle lines are drawn.
Scott and Caroline could not agree on what to do.
We built a virtual reality stage
so they could show us their individual project homes.
Caroline had her heart set on a traditional kitchen,
a spacious laundry room, and an extension into the garden.
Scott wanted a raw, industrial vibe,
copper splash back,
a monochrome palette, and instead of an extension,
he went for smart new doors in the bay window.
Nick and I designed our own project,
incorporating their ideas along with a few of our own,
and invited them to try it out.
I couldn't have imagined all the stuff you came up with.
And it's just...
Made a perfect plan. Yeah, it's awesome.
And in the real world, things have been cracking on.
The new opening for the bi-folds has connected this room
to the garden, although it's not a great view at the moment.
The two windows, which were once hidden in the corridor,
are now the same size.
The new wall has made the kitchen-diner bigger,
and on the other side, in the utility room,
the builders have started plastering.
This was the second day of the plasterers today,
and they've managed to finish in here. Downstairs cloakroom,
which I think makes it look almost like a finished room.
My advice here is to ditch the tumble dryer,
one of the most expensive appliances to run, and install an air dryer,
which also leaves room for a practical sink.
Time for me to go and see for myself.
Oh, my goodness.
Wow, this is incredible!
It feels bigger and lighter and brighter.
Taking the doors out, that was the penny drop moment,
I thought, "Wow, this looks great.”
When the sun's setting, it's a gorgeous pink,
and if I had the extension, I wouldn't get that view.
So, guys, I know you're worried about the island,
about the size and its location.
In our virtual scheme,
the central island that they agreed on was two metres by one metre.
Right, if I give you that...
To help nail the size and location...
Brilliant.
...we're making a mock-up.
OK, guys, so we'll put this down.
This is how big the island is going to be.
This is where the island's going to be positioned. What do you think?
Too wide? What do you think?
Yeah, it does look a bit bigger.
As a general rule, a kitchen island shouldn't take up more than 15%
of your floor area or the rest of the kitchen will feel cramped.
And think about your sink-oven-fridge triangle.
But, most importantly,
make sure you don't block any of your thoroughfares.
When we had it in virtual reality, we did have it further over,
but what we hadn't factored in when we did it in virtual reality
was this, the position of the dishwasher.
OK. What that's meant is that it's moved slightly further
into the room, but what I'm going to try and do
is see if we can just shave a little bit off.
I think it's looking better already.
OK. What do you think?
I think it looks better. Do you?
Yeah, it's made a big difference.
But we need to know what it's going to be like with the stools in.
It's quite nice.
Imagine, you've come home.
Where's the wine, then?
For some strange reason, I'm in your house, cooking you dinner.
If you look over your shoulder, I think that's plenty of room...
Yeah, I do. ..for people to be able to walk through.
Yeah, it's the walkway being clear that I kind of wanted to
make sure of. Yeah, it's great. It's more than enough room.
Guys, let's cheers to the island.
Cheers. Just a shame the glasses are empty.
We'll fix that next time. Hopefully.
A couple of weeks later, and it's more glass half full
as things really get moving.
Today we've got our bi-folds going in, so big day. Very excited.
Really looking forward to being watertight.
Installation is a precision art.
First, the fitters construct the outer aluminium frame,
then glue and screw it into place.
Everything today needs to go well,
because everything's resting on these doors going in.
If the doors don't go in, the flooring can't go down,
the kitchen can't be fitted.
Next, the door frames are hung,
then finally, the glass is fitted.
Last panel of glazing going in for the bi-folds.
Looks like a real room now.
Now they're watertight, they can crack on with the finishes.
There's a lot of trades all in at once now,
so literally every day, we've got trades working around one another,
so yes, final push.
That sounds like my cue to get stuck in.
Oh, hi, guys.
Hi.
Wow, wow, wow.
Got some doors.
This looks amazing.
Much nicer than I thought they were going to be.
Just nice to have doors up again.
I like that we have a joined win.
Yes. Oh, definitely.
One thing definitely. Yeah. Yeah.
Really looks amazing.
All right, here we go on the doors, Scott.
Ooooh! They really have transformed the space, haven't they?
So talk to me about the floor, because this is, what,
it's a vinyl floor that you've gone for?
Yes, so the flooring man done an amazing job.
It looks really beautiful. And we agreed on it.
And the main thing is you both agreed! Exactly, yeah.
Shall we have a little look inside? Yeah.
Now, these were the original windows that were in the laundry room.
And I know when we were doing the virtual scheme,
we loved the idea of these windows.
How's the reality?
We've got a drainpipe and a wall, which isn't particularly exciting.
Yeah. So I have come with a plan.
This is just props. This is just for example.
Oh, hi, guys! It's Nick from number 32.
So, obviously I'm not suggesting that you use this,
but my vision for here is putting a mirror out here,
because it'll bounce light back into the kitchen,
cos you're not going to get much light down here,
and don't you always think as you're doing the washing up,
you're like, "I wish I could do my make-up at the same time"?
Be great, wouldn't it? Kill two birds with one stone.
Make-up in the mirror one hand and scrub a pan with the other.
And then, nice plants, so you're going to get light reflection
and it's going to reflect the plants back.
Lovely. Very pretty, Nick.
Very pretty, right?
And, obviously, I'll be here at all times as well.
Can I come back in now?
Yeah. OK, thanks.
I'd say get the kettle on, but you haven't got a kitchen.
The next project I want to tackle is the underused under stair area.
Caroline wanted to create a nice seating space with storage.
Scott wanted to squeeze in a downstairs loo.
I think that'll be a bit tight.
Kunle and I designed storage for sports equipment
and, of course, Caroline's wine,
but now, I've had a better brainwave.
I know that you wanted to have an at-home office, Scott,
in the utility room, so I'm thinking we could do
a sort of mini version under here.
This could be a sort of mini at-home office.
Get a chair and have a practice.
Scott, you pretend you're at work.
Caroline and I will just watch from the doorway.
Can I get a coffee? Yeah. One second, sir.
Yeah, this could work quite well.
Guys, we've got an agreement!
Yeah. I think we're definitely agreeing more now.
I think we've made some good decisions today, really good ones.
Inside is beginning to look really special already.
Just need to call Alan Titchmarsh about the front garden.
In Hythe,
Scott and Caroline had very different visions for their home.
I just don't think we've got enough space without extending.
No, we can make the space work with the amount of room we've got.
To break the deadlock, we redesigned their home
and let them explore the virtual world.
Wow. whoa!
Oh, wow. Oh, my God.
Now they're on the home straight.
It's nearly four months since they began the build,
and the kitchen is taking shape.
The unit carcases are being screwed in
and the sink slotted into place.
Meanwhile, the smart new black and white vinyl tiles are going down
in the hall.
The outside of the house is being re-rendered...
...and the outdoor entertaining space is beginning to take shape.
In the utility room,
they've gone with my idea of dumping the tumble dryer
to save cash and energy and put in a sink.
Everything is falling into place,
but months of living on a building site
are beginning to take their toll on Caroline.
Don't get me wrong, I really, really love it,
but it's really hard to be enthusiastic on no sleep.
I just want all the workmen gone,
I just want to get up in the morning and not have a ding-dong
at 7.00 in the morning with someone turning up.
It's been over four months since we showed Scott and Caroline
our designs for their dream home.
Now there is just one final question.
Is it going to be as good in real life as it was in the virtual world?
Hi, guys.
Hi. How are you?
Yeah, good, thank you. How are you?
You are still smiling, anyway.
Just, yeah. Just, yeah, yeah, yeah.
When we first visited, the hallway was a boring, bland space.
Caroline wanted to go for a more traditional Edwardian vibe
with loads of colour and pattern.
Scott was after a more macho, pared back, monochrome look.
Kunle and I designed something that was both traditional and welcoming.
And now...
...they've made it come to life.
Oooh!
Wow. Big change, isn't it?
Wow, BIG, big, change. It looks great, guys.
It feels so inviting and warm in here.
IT just does what a hall should do.
You wanted it traditional in here, Caroline.
And Scott, you wanted to go monochrome.
This floor, I feel like, ticks both those perfectly.
It does.
Looks like it's always been here.
It does, and the dado rail is in.
Yes.
Feels really refreshed and contemporary as well.
Shall we have a little look in the utility?
The old cramped kitchen, squashed into the middle of the house,
was Caroline and Scott's least favourite room.
Caroline wanted to turn it into a luxurious a WC and utility.
Scott wanted a cool urban home office.
We created a practical place for shoes and coats,
a laundry area, and all-important WC.
Will the reality be as good?
With the late substitution of a sink for a tumble dryer,
it's everything we imagined and more.
Oh, wow, guys.
It's gorgeous, isn't it?
This was the kitchen, wasn't it? I hated it. You hated it.
And now it's my favourite.
And for me, this was the key,
this is the room that we really had to figure out
to unlock the entire design for the house.
And now, it feels perfect size.
Yeah, it's just like it was always meant to be a utility, this space.
Yeah. Sometimes in a home, it's about making sure you get
the right use for the right space. Yeah. And we've done that here.
Look how beautiful my maid looks.
Oh, yeah. And you have this paneling as well.
I know, it's lovely, isn't it?
Which is a great way to give it that more traditional, authentic feel.
And then the loo!
We designed a virtual loo,
with dark blue paneling and dramatic floral wallpaper,
and in the real world...
...Scott and Caroline have recreated it perfectly.
I love it. You love it?
It's one of my favourite features of the whole thing.
Now you have this dream utility room,
we feel like we should have a go,
be one of the first coat hangers in this house.
There's a hook ready and waiting.
Oh, my God, what an honour!
Oh! Nice hooking.
By giving Caroline this utility room,
Scott lost out on the super cool home office that he put in his project.
But to make it up to him,
I found the perfect place for a mini version.
It does actually work really well.
Now I can just sort of rock up there with my laptop,
get little bits of work done,
and as George starts secondary, he'll have a little space,
we can keep an eye on him doing his homework.
Shall we have a look at the kitchen? Yeah.
Their old dining room was detached from the kitchen
and the rest of the house.
Caroline wanted to build an extension on the back
and put in a pretty, traditional kitchen with pastel colours.
Scott was dead set against an extension,
and wanted bare brick walls,
a copper splash back, and a chunky island.
Kunle suggested pushing the wall back to create more space
and putting in bi-fold doors across the back.
I sold them on a dark grey shaker kitchen,
a marble island,
and bench seating with lots of Caroline's favourite thing, storage.
Will the reality live up to expectation?
Wow! OK.
Oh, wow.
This is it. It is just perfect, isn't it? Wow.
Guys, it's insane.
I love this view. Are you happy with that?
Really happy. Beautiful.
We're over the moon. Yeah, it's amazing.
It's the light, I think, that completely changes this room.
Just got light in here any time of the day.
How is this side working?
Scott and Caroline chose bench seating and a pine wallpaper
for this wall, and the reality is virtually identical.
It felt like it needed a bit of detail and a bit of colour
just to lift the whole room, and I think it does that really well.
And of course, the other thing we had to do was to move this wall.
Yeah, it's made a huge difference.
Without that, it just wouldn't have worked,
so that has just given us so much more space.
I know one of the big things that we spoke about was Christmas
and where to put the Christmas tree.
Do we have a spot?
Yes, we do.
Perfect spot for a Christmas tree.
Totally. Yeah?
I can't wait to make it Christmassy in here.
It's just going to be such a lovely room to decorate.
And your windows, they really work there, don't they? They look great.
And I like that you've done the mirror and the plants
that I suggested. Yeah.
Yeah, gives a much nicer view out. Yeah.
Now, I believe these are just Scott's doors, right?
He's the door controller. I'm not allowed to touch them.
Ooh, yes!
In our virtual scheme, Kunle created a beautiful decked garden area
for outdoor entertaining.
And the reality...
...is every bit as good.
This is what this whole design is really about.
Creating this big opening and being able to look out
and having this inside outside space.
It looks amazing, and Kunle, your idea of raising up the decking
outside really makes it feel like another room.
It's kind of like the extension you didn't get.
What a lot of people don't think about is the view back in,
which I think is equally just as spectacular, isn't it?
I love it, guys. I kind of want to move in. I love it.
How does the reality compare to the virtual reality?
It was quite surreal, but also, like, extremely useful,
because we had a clear direction as to what we were doing.
We wouldn't have been as brave, would we? No.
Unless we had seen kind of how it all ties together.
And what difference do you think this has made to your life,
and for the kids as well?
Definitely having family together makes such a difference,
the kids being able to actually sit at the bar stools.
Before I was just stuck in that kitchen on my own shouting.
To have everyone all together is just completely different.
I want to ask you about budgets. Mm. Oh, yeah.
Originally, we thought you were going to spend about £70,000,
so where did you get to in the end?
We had to replace the ceiling, because the ceiling came down.
OK. We just saw an open ceiling, and I said "Oh, can we insulate that?"
They said, "We can if you want, but that will be extra."
And I'm like, "Yeah." So, yeah, we did go over by about 5,000.
But that was unexpected costs. It came in about 75,
but, obviously, it's going to help hopefully with the bills and stuff.
Good work, guys. Nailed it.
Caroline and Scott started their project home
with radically different ideas of how it should look,
but what they've ended up with is something they both love.
And most importantly, the Christmas tree looks perfect in its new home.
So, that's job done.
We did it, and I think we should do it again, don't you? Let's do it.
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