George restores property to our TV screens
After two and half years and 11 projects, George Clarke has learned just about all there is to know about restoring historic buildings.
He has travelled the length of Britain to film a rich variety of projects including a family converting a ruined folly into a home, a former soldier restoring a listed 15th century tower in Scotland as a weekend retreat and a Georgian coach house, whose strapped-for-cash owner overcomes her fear of power tools to build her own kitchen.
The dramas, the tears, the frustration and, for one poor owner, a heart attack, combine with some wonderful happy endings in his new TV series Restoration Man, which starts tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 4.
His favourite project is a chapel conversion in Wales.
"It's done by a man called Gareth, a free spirit who has no money but loads of passion. I call it the restoration by eBay," says George.
"He bent the rules and he found thing like fireplaces and slate worktops on eBay and did all the work himself, apart from some help from a friend who is an electrician.
"His budget was so limited he had to do everything and that's what makes it a unique project. It was definitely a self-build and an amazing scheme."
Many of the projects are done on small budgets by romantics who fall in love with the building's history and somehow manage against the odds.
"There are one or two projects that are very aspirational, but most don't have Grand Designs style budgets.
"Most people in this series don't have a lot of money, but they have big ideas, big hearts and a lot of passion and commitment and that is what makes it interesting," says George. "A limited budget focuses the mind."
The biggest hurdle in most cases, he says, was red tape and restrictions imposed by planners and English Heritage.
He would like to see planning laws relaxed to help historic buildings evolve and become more financially viable.
"We've gone from one extreme to another, from buildings that had no protection 60 years ago to buildings that are now over-protected to the point where people don't want to take them on because they are too difficult and costly," says George.
"It is counter-productive because no-one will restore them, they fall further into ruin and we end up losing them. There are hundreds of buildings like that on the at-risk register and even more that aren't. It's madness.
"The issues with planning and heritage laws were the most common theme in this TV series."
He adds: "The heritage bodies seem to have forgotten what makes old buildings so interesting.
"These places have been adapted and changed and given new uses using different forms of construction. They've evolved and reinvented themselves over time.
"What we're now doing with all these regulations is to try to
stop history."
Still the frustrations presented by planners, conservation officers and heritage bodies make for good TV and so does George, whose emotions are never far from the surface.
He has a soft Sunderland accent and he is passionate and full of empathy. As a successful architect and small-time property developer, he also knows what he's talking about.
This all makes Restoration Man manna from heaven for property show lovers. It's a Grand Designs with discernible points of difference.
George says he was a mix of therapist, architect, historian, financial adviser and friend for the intrepid restorers, all of whom underestimated what they needed to spend on their projects.
"They always do," he says.
"They are romantic and a bit naive but then that's what you need to be to take projects like this on in the first place.
"If you knew what you were letting yourself in for, you'd never do it."
The best advice he can give to anyone considering a restoration is to do their homework and think about getting a structural engineer's report.
"That's sometimes more informative than a surveyor's report.
"I'd also say that getting advice from a conservation architect is useful as he or she can give you an idea of the costs to put a building right.
"You should also talk to your local council about the chances of getting planning permission.
"We have people in this series who have bought a place thinking they might be able to extend and then are told there is no chance.
"You also need to have a realistic budget and don't forget that you have to pay VAT on the restoration materials.
"Finally, I'd consider taking on a project manager," says George, who became a TV personality six years ago presenting Build a New Life followed by the The Home Show.
He is still a practising architect in London and has a small building and property development company.
"People think I spend all my time doing telly, but I have never stopped doing the day job.
"I'm hoping that another series of Restoration Man will be commissioned and we are launching another series of The Home Show later, so I am juggling work at the moment.
"But as long as I am dealing with buildings I am happy."
The Restoration Man starts tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 4.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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