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Property Programme Review
You Deserve This House
Reviewed by a Surveyor
We are Independent Surveyors and Structural Engineers who take great pride in our survey work and are very proud of the high standards we achieve in our building surveys. As well as Building Surveys, also known as Structural Surveys, if you want to know what the property is worth we can also offer Independent Valuations, Engineers Reports, Specific Defects Reports and Homebuyers Reports. If you need help and advice with regard to building surveys, structural surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects reports, dilapidations, valuations or any other property matters please free phone 0800 298 5424
As Independent Surveyors we note that there are many television programmes covering the property market aired on terrestrial and satellite television stations which we review in this section of our website. Our television review is our light hearted opinion of the television programme and may get you talking and thinking about what you see. In no way are we advertising the television programme or receiving remuneration for promoting it on our website we hope you find it of interest.
You Deserve This House is aired on Channel 4 and is made by Crackit Productions in association with Home from UKTV who have also produced televisions programmes such as The Dark side of fame with Piers Morgan, Angela and Friends and Teen Dad.
The show is a half hour programme aired on a morning day time slot aimed at capturing an audience which includes Mums and stay at home Dads being able to watch after the school run, shift workers, unemployed, retired etc... who are interested in the home.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Structural Survey, What Does a Surveyor Do?
You Deserve This House Presenter Amanda Lamb
Amanda Lamb is the host and anchor to the property television programme You Deserve This House and has also presented programmes such as A Place in the Sun, My Flatpack Home and What the Neighbours Did. Amanda was born in Portsmouth , Hampshire and started her career as a model before becoming a regular and popular television presenter. The Scottish Widow long running advertisement featured Amanda dressed in a black cloak and was so successful it ran for many years. 
Amanda is professional in presenting on You Deserve This House and appears friendly and informative whilst hosting the show discussing the challenges ahead with the professionals and shows compassion when talking to the homeowner and the volunteers.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Why Have a Residential Survey?
Why You Have Never Seen any Building Surveys or Structural Surveys Like Ours
Programme format
You Deserve This House is a daytime property television programme with a twist whereby instead of helping regular homeowners transform their properties the show focuses on helping people who have dedicated their lives to help others. The You Deserve This House programme is presented by Amanda Lamb who each episode introduces a deserving recipient of a home makeover who is then given a treat whilst the team and volunteers secretly carry out the transformation to the property. The show is part makeover; as we see a home transformation, part lesson in home improvements; as the viewer gets to see how work is carried out, and part reunion; whereby the unsung hero meets their volunteer helpers who wish to thank them for their good deeds and all in all a different slant on transforming your home.
As Surveyors we are not only requested to carry out structural residential building surveys and valuations we are also often asked to consult on design ideas and alterations to existing properties. It is always a good idea to ask an expert as your home is the largest financial purchaser most make and alterations can add value if carried out professionally.
You Deserve This House travels the length and breadth of the United Kingdom featuring well deserving people's home makeovers and includes a Middlesbrough lady who works with children with extreme behavioural problems to a Southampton lady who works tirelessly for cancer charities to a lady in Thornton, Lancashire who runs a wheelchair sports club. The programme highlights the participants good work whilst showing the avid DIY viewer transformations from kitchens to bathrooms, conservatories to gardens and bedrooms to offices.
The property programme format is endless in showing how to transform a room or area within a home but is unique in featuring some of Britain's unsung heroes who give up so much of their time to others without a thought about themselves or those jobs around the house that never get done as they are so busy.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Cowboy Builders and Cowboy Clients
How to get on with your Builder
You Deserve this House programme example in Surrey
The property television programme You Deserve this House has a different angle on home improvements with the homeowners featured, as presenter Amanda Lamb explains at the beginning of the show, being people who have devoted their lives to helping others rather than themselves often at the expense of their own lives with You Deserve this House set to help them for a change. People whose lives the homeowner featured have helped come together to help makeover their home with everything carried out in s
ecret.
You Deserve this House this episode focuses on a community helper who has incurable cancer but despite his illness he has dedicated what time he has left to help others and make a difference to them. The gentleman featured, Chris Lewis, is completely selfless and does not put himself first but is dedicated with helping others volunteering for a number of organisations including Macmillan Cancer Support and has set up his own charity to care for those suffering with cancer. Now is the time for those he has helped to come together and secretly makeover his home in an effort to say thank you and to show how grateful they are for his help and support. The challenge ahead takes place over a day and a half with Chris having no idea what is happening at his home or who is behind the surprise.
Please see our property television articles on:
Property Ladder and Property Snakes and Ladders
Helping hand
Chris, after a routine operation to remove his tonsils he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable bone marrow cancer and not given very long to live. He has had a stem cell transplant and serious surgery carried out although he cannot do anything about his illness he has become determined to help others as he has had such good care and attention he wanted to put something back.
Chris' aim is to dedicate his live to help with the medical and mental well being of others cancer patients. Chris helps in a volunteer role at a hospital, is a member of the Lipoma Association and talks at some of the Macmillan conferences for Macmillan professionals as well as his own charity which raises funds for the unit in which he was treated. He has set up a buddy/befriending scheme where people newly diagnosed with cancer can receive help and support as he feels that talking to someone who has been through a similar experience is invaluable alongside the help they receive from health professionals to help people cope with their condition giving them emotional support. Chris' scheme is there to help people at anytime and even gives his home telephone number for evening calls if people need support he is always there.
Home improvements
Due to his illness and being so busy helping others Chris has not been able to carry out any work on his house which needs attention and updating so the You Deserve this House team have got together some of the people he has supported with cancer to give up their time to secretly makeover his home.
Chris has been nominated for the show by a friend who is concerned how he will accept the help as he always helps others not wishing anything back in return. You Deserve this House presenter Amanda Lamb and his friend surprise Chris sending him and his wife on a luxury spa break in order to have time to carry out the makeover on their home.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Dangers of working on your own
Good Design can Save you Money
House refurbishment
The makeover is focusing on three areas; the dining room and both ends of a dwell aspect lounge and is carried out by a team who have been fortunate enough to have been helped by Chris. The team will be helped by specialists together with interior designer Joe McCann who explains that the dining room, which is very narrow, will have a bespoke makeover and lounge, which is essentially two rooms, will have one scheme but with an element of individuality in each area which will work together. Chris likes to sit and read in the lounge, the room is dominated by an old fashioned brick 1970s fireplace which he dislikes the You Deserve this House team will remove this replacing it with a new, modern, contemporary design. The fireplace replacement is a big job that most people put off doing as there is a lot of work involved. There is a window seat which is a bit dated so the You Deserve this House team plan to have this reworked in a New England style. To the rear of the lounge the family area has a layout which is to be changed moving the television and large sofa to r
econfigure the space.
Often when you move into a new home you arrange your furniture in a way that suits and then in years to come never change items around however if you do re evaluate your layout moving furniture into a different position it can transform your room.
Moving furniture around can also help highlight problems areas within a home such as damp that could be hiding behind large furniture. Whilst carrying out structural building surveys it is helpful when a property is empty of furniture and fixtures and fittings to allow the surveyor a full view of the property. However, if furniture and fixtures and fittings are in place when a building survey is conducted areas may have a limited view and issues such as dampness may be detected externally rather than internally for example.
Updating the home begins
The You Deserve this House team pack up and move out all the furniture and household items, two helpers are cancer patients in remission and are on hand to help and give support in an effort to give something back to Chris who has helped them.
The Dining Room makeover is discussed next as the room is quite long and narrow and it is thought was an extension to the original house. The furniture in the dining room is oversized for the scale of the room and needs to be narrower so the plan is to build a bespoke table that is in keeping with the scale of the room. The lady helping in the dining room also has incurable cancer and due to Chris' help and support is giving up some of her time to help and thank him. The table will take time and skill to craft so there is a professional carpenter on site to carry out the design Joe wishes to create using newel posts which are usually used for staircases as legs.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Property Eras and Common Problems
Should I have a Structural Survey?
A treat for the homeowner
The viewer is given an insight into the couple's spa treat with Chris having no idea what is happening back at his home carried out by people who he has helped as a thank you.
Home improvements taking shape
The dining room has been stripped out including removal of the radiator under the window in preparation for wallpapering. A lady called Ilene is helping as she has been inspired by Chris to join the Ice committee which strives to improve the cancer experience for future patients as she too has blood cancer which is incurable and talks highly of Chris and just wants to help someone who does so much for others.
The table top which is a fine layer of walnut on top of MDF has arrived, inside painting has started in the rear end of the lounge. 
You Deserve This House presenter Amanda Lamb talks to Elsa who along with her mother has had breast cancer, she has been helped by Chris with him finding her a role at Macmillan where she can help others by volunteering discussing her personal experience with others in a similar position. Elsa's experience whilst contacting several cancer charities was that they were more interested in her professional qualifications rather than her experience but when talking to Chris he recognised her cancer experience as well as her career attributes and helped her find a role within Macmillan. Helping at Chris' home to say thank you is the least she can do and feels that a practical hands on approach to express her gratitude is a way she can give him her time to help as he gave his time to assist her.
The carpenters set with the task of making a new dining room table and window seat are still working away o
utside this carpentry work is taking time as there is much to do and its fingers crossed it will be completed in time.
Time frames should always be discussed with your builder prior to work commencing, we often find when as Surveyors asked to prepare a Specific Defect Report on a property the homeowner has been unaware of the time scale that should be allowed for professional workmanship.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Windows and how to understand if you have a problem
Where do I find a good builder?
Interior design
Interior designer Joe has some interesting wallpaper which has a panelled illusion effect to make a feature in the dwell aspect lounge to make the front of the area more a formal gentlemen's lounge ambience with the same natural stone colour continued in the rear lounge area with the paintwork colour giving continuity between the two areas transforming the large room.
The window seat is being transformed with tongue and groove panelling to the seat back and a cushion base with scatter cushions; the carpenter is having fun cutting the awkward shapes to form the back which will give the seat a New England style.
In the dining room which is being updated to create light and space there is natural patterned wallpaper adding a traditional elegance giving the room a illusion of being much wider than its width.
The chimney breast in the lounge has been stripped out and plastering carried out which will need to dry thoroughly before the new fireplace can be put in place and it can be decorated.
Updating the home 
Some self assembly furniture is being put together in the lounge which is easy to bring into the property as there will not be any problems negotiating doorways for example and simply fits together not taking long to construct.
There is an issue in the dining room as they have run out of wallpaper but Joe is on hand deciding that they will paint the remaining wall which will help with the overall effect of creating space in such a narrow room. Many people think that to wallpaper a narrow room will make it feel smaller but Joe explains that if you use a subtle colour scheme and patterned wallpaper it will work.
As Surveyors we carry out residential building surveys on many types, ages, and styles of property and can give helpful advice on making the most of space and keeping to the period of the building with alterations.
Please see our surveying articles on:
You deserve this house team in action
Day one over and the beginning of the next day the dining room table is made and in place and a polyurethane finish is being added to protect the walnut veneer top. The table top is sanded in the direction of the grain to make sure that the varnish bonds evenly then two coats are applied as smoothly as possible with a brush taking slow, even strokes. The careful brush strokes help to avoid the creation of bubbles in the finish which can be created if the strokes are too quick and there are too many stops and starts. A second coat is applied and a three hour time span to allow it to dry thoroughly is adhered to before lightly sanding then a third coat is applied which will give the veneer a deeper shine.
The plasterwork has dried thoroughly overnight and the new fire surround is being put in place which has a contemporary feel and will really make a huge difference to the room as the 1970s style brick fireplace previously was very dated and dominated the room. There is a problem with the specialist mock panelled wallpaper as the edges are not sticking so a solution of PVA glue is applied along the edges, partly allow to dry to become tacky and then put into place.
Susan, a lady also in remission from cancer and is giving her time helping with some curtains, Chris had encouraged her to help with this buddying scheme which helped her focus on rebuilding her life. She cannot speak more highly of him as he works so hard and nothing is ever too much trouble as he helps others.
Helping others
Chris worried what he would do whilst battling with cancer and did not know what he was good at but then realised he was good at talking to people. The challenge was how was he going to utilise talking to people into a worthwhile job. He could see how he could make a difference and that money was not important but the feeling helping gave him in his heart that was uplifting of primary importance.
When battling with terminal cancer Chris lost his job so has no income anymore so for the You Deserve This House team to transform his home is something special to help a unique gentleman at a difficult time in his life when his focus is not on himself but others it is a way of giving something back to him.
Makeover complete
Chris and his wife are on route homeward bound whilst the team and helpers are helping with the finishing touches to the makeover. You Deserve this House presenter Amanda meets Chris and the camera reveals the new dining room to the viewer then Chris is quite taken aback particularly when Amanda reveals that people he has helped have got together to help him; Chris is quite emotional.
More home improvements to be revealed
Again the You Deserve this House camera reveals the before and after of the double aspect lounge; Chris again cannot quite believe his eyes and again the emotions flow. Chris cannot quite believe how people he has helped have got together to help him. The front of the room is now shown with the new fireplace and revamped window seat; he cannot quite believe the new look. 
Outside the You Deserve This House team and helpers cheer Chris as he steps out to thank every member.
A happy conclusion.
Please see our property programme articles on:
You Deserve This House in summary 
You Deserve this House has a very different angle on the homeowners chosen to have a home makeover being people who dedicate their lives to help others. The programme we have reviewed which takes place in Surrey transforming a dwell aspect lounge and dining room in a day and a half shows just what can be done to transform rooms with some professional help and help from volunteer DIYers.
The You Deserve this House gives an insight into how Chris is helping others as well as giving the viewer helpful tips in how to refurbish rooms. The programme's aim is to help volunteers who have been helped by Chris a chance to say thank you to him in a way that will surprise him as well as being helpful. 
Compared to other makeover property television programmes You Deserve this House has an emotional tie with the homeowner whose home is being transformed as the viewer learns about their lives which are dedicated to others. The show has a feel good factor with a happy result being revealed and a chance for the featured homeowner to thank those who have come together to surprise and help him.
References
Channel4.com
YouTube.com
DailyMail.co.uk
JoWandermanagement.com
AmandaLamb.com
Independent Surveyors
If you truly do want an independent expert opinion from a Surveyor with regard to building surveys, structural surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects report, dilapidations or any other property matters please contact 0800 298 5424 for a Surveyor to give you a call back.
Independent commercial property surveyors
If you have a commercial property, be it leasehold or freehold, then you may wish to look at our Dilapidations Website at www.DilapsHelp.com and for Disputes go to our Disputes Help site www.DisputesHelp.com.
We hope you found the article of use and if you have any experiences that you feel should be added to this article that would benefit others, or you feel that some of the information that we have put is wrong then please do not hesitate to contact us (we are only human).
The contents of the web site are for general information only and is not intended to be relied upon for specific or general decisions. Appropriate independent professional advice should be paid for before making such a decision.
All rights are reserved the contents of the web site is not to be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or part without the express written permission of www.1stAssociated.co.uk
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