Stokie developer’s ‘ominous’ find in Hanley terrace he snapped up for £53k

Homes Under The Hammer presenter Tommy Walsh was pleasantly surprised to walk into a Hanley house and find it ‘generally in good order’. However, on closer inspection the host was worried about an ‘ominous sign’ in one of the rooms.

The two-bed mid-terrace in the city centre featured a staircase in the heart of the property, and appeared to just need a rewire, replumb and redecoration. But keen-eyed Tommy spotted an anomaly in the heart of the house and flagged it as a ‘big concern’ for a potential buyer.

That’s because the DIY expert discovered a missing chimney breast in the front room, but the chimney stack still stack remained in an upstairs bedroom. Tommy was worried that the remains of the chimney could come tumbling down at any given moment.

The buyer was a Stokie bloke named Lee, who was appearing on the popular BBC One show for the fourth time and paid £53,000 for the property at auction. The new dad had more than 20 properties on his portfolio since becoming a developer, and planned to rent this one out.

READ:Homes Under the Hammer’s Dion Dublin thrilled by what he finds on property in ‘serene’ neighbourhood

READ: Inside ‘stunning’ modern Stoke-on-Trent house on the market right now

Tommy said: “It needs a little bit of TLC, but other than that it’s not too bad. The [chimney breast] is a bit ominous because it’s missing from there and doesn’t look like it has any rolled steel joists taking the weight and you’ve got about three to five tonne above it from the chimney breast and the chimney stack.”

Tommy Walsh said the Hanley mid-terrace was in "generally good order" with the exception of a missing chimney breast in the front room
Tommy Walsh said the Hanley mid-terrace was in “generally good order” with the exception of a missing chimney breast in the front room

The Hanley terrace had needed updating, as it had an old fashioned peach bathroom with gold plated taps and accessories, pink tiles in the kitchen, and very old and dusty carpets throughout. Outside the property was a shed used as storage for rubbish, with Tommy suggesting that it could be a lovely communal area for guests if it was de-weeded and slabs taken up and relaid down.

Lee’s budget was £12,000 and thought he’d have a tenant within three months. However he went over this and ended up spending £17,000 and took five months to renovate. He has had a steel gallow bracket put in to support the chimney breast in the bedroom above, as well as fully modernising all the rooms with grey flooring and white walls.

Tommy Walsh said the Hanley mid-terrace was in "generally good order" with the exception of a missing chimney breast in the front room
Tommy Walsh said the Hanley mid-terrace was in “generally good order” with the exception of a missing chimney breast in the front room

The kitchen and bathroom have been updated, and the house has been fully rewired and replumbed throughout. Estate agent Tom Williams, of FindAHome Online, valued the mid-terrace at £95,000 or £575 per calendar month if it was let out.

Lee had managed to find a tenant willing to pay £600 per calendar month. His total spend was £70,000.

NEWSLETTER: Sign up for email alerts direct to your inbox

READ NEXT: Scrap of Staffordshire land with ‘vast potential’ becomes £300k house on Homes Under the Hammer

Stoke-on-Trent Live – What’s On | News