Channel 4 Love It Or List It’s life-changing house hunt and renovation causes confusion for Swansea couple

TV property experts Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp headed to Swansea to meet a couple who were in a bit of a groundhog day loop, trying to decide whether to force their current house into becoming a home that could facilitate their family’s needs or admit defeat and put a ‘for sale’ sign up in the front garden.

Maybe the popular Channel 4 programme Love it or List It could help sort out Sarah and Caradog’s property pickle, with Kirstie thinking up ways to reconfigure the original floorplan and, if budget allowed, add to it, while Phil was tasked with tempting the couple to pack up and move on by showing them three houses that could fit their needs without having to find a reliable builder.

But during the home renovation and property search shown on Wednesday, December 27, which aimed to improve the family’s every day lives, the couple faced heartache and also found themselves totally confused by what they should do. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter

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Sarah and Caradog had been living in their Swansea semi-detached period home for 15 years and had been dreaming of a kitchen/diner since day one for the whole of the family to gather and spend time together, including their four children as well as friends.

Having only one bathroom in the property was causing some stress – they needed an extra bathroom for a number of important reasons, but could not work out how to fit one in. Caradog explained: “Back in 2019 I got diagnosed with bowel cancer, I got through that, but I’ve got a permanent stoma, and there’s never a good time to be in the bathroom in a busy house.” It meant a new bathroom would be potentially life-changing for the family.

Sarah was working from home too and although their eldest child had left home, the next daughter was away at university and she wanted to come back home after her studies – so the pressure was going to continue into the future.

When the dynamic property duo arrived the house was bursting at the seams so Sarah wanted to list it but Caradog was adamant he wanted to love it and stay, especially as he was so attached to his exceptional garage as a storage unit for his five bikes and mountains of gear for his busy life of enjoying outdoor activities.

As Phil pondered which dream houses in the area to show the couple for their £500,000 budget, Kirstie was flummoxed as to how the elusive second bedroom could be fitted in, a kitchen diner created, and a loft converted for a budget of £75,000. But there was no way she was going to be telling Phil that.

When Kirstie returned to the property some time later, she had a master plan in her hand – remove two walls on the ground floor to get the kitchen diner, add a small garden room extension if the budget allowed, and turn the downstairs bedroom into a utility room and WC. Upstairs, Kirstie suggested they move a few walls to create a second bathroom as a bedroom ensuite and, finally, convert the loft.

The couple were impressed but surely Sarah was too impressed with the Love It suggestion – she was supposed to be on Team List It. As Phil started the property tours around three houses that offered the couple more space and more bathrooms than their current house, Caradog began to see the benefits of moving rather than remodelling – quite a turn around for Team List It. “That is seriously impressive and spacious:, Caradog commented as they wandered around a new build house in the Swansea Bay marina area.

Back at this likeable couple’s house time was moving on as it was a challenge to find a reliable builder to carry out the renovations, but eventually the work gets underway, although not totally to Kirstie’s suggestions, as the budget would not stretch to the rear extension garden room. Caradog said: “It is expensive and has cost more than we anticipated, the budget is already blown.”

“I think I am possibly sitting on the fence on what team I’m on, because I’m getting quite excited about what’s happening” Sarah said when Phil wasn’t around to remind her it’s Team List it, “I can see all the progress, I can see all the work.” Caradog said: “And I’ve been given a glimmer of what is possibly out there, so I’m possibly on the fence as well.”

With the renovations done, Phil and Kirstie returned to the confusion and team switching but also to the sad news that during the process both of Caradog’s parents had passed away. The house had been transformed, and now had three bathrooms, a loft conversion, and a kitchen/diner, but had the house been improved ready for sale to get maximum price on the market, or to be used and loved once again by the family that had been through a number of life-changing traumas through the last few years but never stopped living life to the full? It seems the renovation had impressed them both and the renovation meant their home now really worked for them so they decided to stay and love it.

This story was episode two of series nine, episode two, currently available to view on Channel 4 streaming service. Plus, check out the winter edition of the Amazing Welsh Homes magazine, packed with renovation stories, interior design ideas, competitions, and discounts – plus a peek inside some celebrities’ homes too. You can purchase your hard copy of the magazine via our online shop here. To get all the latest dream homes and property news straight to your inbox twice a week, sign up here.