Home-owners with telly vision

Sky Plus has been my enabler for the past three years as it cleverly records every home renovation programme I can get my hands on.

I love the 'before and after' fixes provided by the likes of recent Ch4 offering The Renovation Game (surprisingly good daytime TV) and RTÉ ratings winner About the House (worth watching for architect Dermot Bannon's moments of pure petulance along with his stunning designs).

Despite its focus on house-buying rather than renovations, bar the odd re-visit (easy way to make a one-hour show by adding five minutes of new footage to an old episode), Location, Location, Location is still one of the best homes programmes on the telly after 11 years.

DIP INTO THE PROPERTY MARKET: Toby outside the home he found with partner Nadine on Location, Location, Location. The photo is from the couple's new renovation website,  The Shop Window

A new series kicked off last week and featured designers Nadine and Toby, searching for a non-traditional home. Their wish-list included a house that was wreck, ideally with a flat front (I presume this means no bay windows, etc), a 60ft garden and a 'good narrative'. The budget was £350,000 (approx €422,000) and the hunting ground was south-east London.

True to the 11-second rule, Nadine and Toby fell head over heels with a three-storey over basement (I think) commercial building which had been used in recent times as a place of religious worship by a group called the Universal Brotherhood of Speculative Mechanics. It was the first place Kirsty and Phil showed them and nothing else could compare.

Happily, the couple (whose previous home was testament to their skill and vision) are the now the owners and are documenting their renovation efforts on their brilliant website, theshowwindow.org

KNOCK KNOCK-OUT: Nadine and Toby have chosen Farrow and Ball's Downpipe shade for the front door, which looks great on the historic building. We have used this shade on our old floorboards in our sitting room and hall.
Photo: The Shop Window

It's a website I will be keeping an eye on as Nadine and Toby turn the historic building into a beautiful home.

Location, Location, Location, Thursday, Ch4, 8pm.