17/09/12….Locals to feature in House make-over programme

THE work of a business from the Thame area is to feature in Sarah Beeny?s new Channel 4’s property show, ?Double your House for Half the Money?. The episode of the series, to be screened tomorrow, September 18, features the story of how a local family set about creating their perfect family home in the village of Easington, near Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire.

Their late 19th century farm worker’s cottage was in a fantastic location, but was much smaller than required for the Croft-Baker?s growing family. Local company, Porter Consulting and Management Services Limited (PCMS), stepped in to project-manage the build which includes a rear extension, side extension and substantial internal alterations.

The number of bedrooms was doubled to four, a family bathroom and large new en-suite was installed and a large and flexible kitchen/dining/living space was created by extending to the side of the house.

The camera crew, production company and, of course, Sarah Beeny herself paid regular visits to the site to keep up with progress, keeping a lasting record of the project at every stage. Being filmed has given an extra impetus to everyone involved to finish on time.

Director of PCMS Alex Bond said: ?It was a very rewarding and fascinating experience to be involved with this project. Everyone, including our own staff, the construction firm, and particularly the family themselves pulled together to meet all the deadlines and the Croft-Bakers now have a beautiful family home finished to a very high standard.?

The focus of the new Channel 4 series is about families maximising the use of all potential space in their existing homes, extending every which way and combining this with internal reconfiguration to deliver larger and more flexible living areas. The challenge is to increase space by up to 100% for much less money than it would have cost to move into a larger home.