THE TV CARPENTER : Home Makeovers with Wayne Perrey
THE TV CARPENTER PODCAST was voted in the TOP 5 home podcasts by "The Sunday Times" home magazine! As a TV Carpenter and DIY expert I have worked on the most popular UK interior design and garden makeover shows including, BBC "The Great Interior Design Challenge", "Interior Design Masters", Garden rescue" with Charlie Dimmock and ITV "Love Your Garden" with Alan Titchmarsh. In this weekly Podcast you will find out what happens behind the lens as I have fun interviewing the most talented Interior Designers, Gardeners, Colour physiologists, Producers, Lighting experts, Home makers, all with aim of inspiring you to pick up the tools and encouraging you to create your dream home.
THE TV CARPENTER : Home Makeovers with Wayne Perrey
Series Highlights 7-12 TV Carpenter
To celebrate the first series I choose my favourite nuggets of wisdom from the last 6 episodes of series 1:
*EP7 I interview Interior Designers Jordan and Russell
from 2LG Studios (Two Lovely Gays)
We discuss what happens in Milan and how they hear about upcoming trends.
www.2lgstudio.com
*EP8 I interview Reena the queen of all things Hygge, as she explains the
"Danish way to live well"
www.hyggeforhome.com
*EP9 I interview Lynne Lambourne about her campaign to help people to become plastic free and learn how to be a "Warrior On Waste".
www.warriorsonwaste.co.uk
www.lovenellie.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk/shop/lynnelambourne
*EP10 I interview Frances Tophill, Horticulturalist and presenter of
ITV Love your Garden and Gardening World.
We discuss how Alan Titchmarsh supported her through her first TV job.
*EP11 I interview Blue Peter gardener Mr Skinny Jean Gardener (Lee Connelly) as we discuss how to get kids in the garden.
www.skinnyjeangardener.co.uk
*EP12 I chat with property expert and presenter Amanda Lamb as we discuss her TV show " Flat Pack Home"
Contact me: Wayne Perrey on Twitter and Instagram.
Music: "What's the Angle" by Shane Ivers
On today's show, I share the highlights from season one. I'll be talking to two LGS, Jordan and Russell as they tell me all about what happens in Milan on the whole interior design trends. I'll be speaking to Rina from Hooga and she tells me all about what is huger and how to create the perfect calm, comfy home. I'll be speaking to Lynne Lamborn who is one of the most amazing inspirational friends that I have. She created warriors in way, so she'll be teaching us how to be sustainable in our house and how to banish single use plastics. I get to chat with my good friend Francis topple from love your garden. And she tells me what it was like working with Allen and the team on the garden show for the first time and all the advice that he gave her skinny Jean gardener will be dropping in and he will be telling us how to, um, encourage kids to plant and how to inspire them to get in the garden. And finally, my final guests will be with Amanda Lam property expert as she lifts the lid on. Boys like to have a flat pack home. Hello and welcome to the TV carpenter. My name is Wayne[inaudible]. Perry. I've been really fortunate to do this podcast. At first I started it out just not really as a whim, but something I really wanted to do. And over the last 12 weeks of putting episode out weekly, I've got to chat with some amazing people and just, we connect with some of my friends and people I've worked with on the interior design show and garden shows. And I've learned a lot in the response I've had from the audience has been insane. Just people are constantly messaging me going, Oh my God, I didn't know that loving this episode. Thank you for that. And what's really interesting is I listened to podcasts as well. You tend to listen to the latest one and when you find a new podcast and then if you like, you go back and, and mock up on all the rest. And so I thought I'd create, um, a little bit of, uh, a best up or around up, um, of some of the, the, the, the best bits. So on today's episode, um, I'll be sharing some of the best bits from episode seven to 12 and that rounds up season one before we start a fresh with a season two of the TV carpenter. So as I said in the intro is another jam packed episode, but we start with my dear friends Jordan Russell from two LG studios to LG studios, originally known as the two lovely gays is their nickname and what they call their company before it became two LD studios are probably one of the most influential, um, DEOs in interior design and they're my really good friends. I live around the corner from me. I worked with Jordan[inaudible] and the great interior design challenge, which kind of launched them. Um, but they'd be around our house for dinner. They're friends with my wife and I and uh, I managed to interview them on episode seven and they lift the lid and what happens in Milan and tell us
Speaker 2:all about interior design trends and where they come at the end of GRDC that that Hopwood kind of[inaudible]. Yeah, I remember when you first guys are going. I remember that thing. It was a, I don't really mind me saying when I was cutting out a podcast, but I've been told to get a new wardrobe[inaudible] look better than you are here to tell us about that whole process and walk down with[inaudible]. Do they make you join something we loved on done. I would say this. I'm sure he hates it. He was like, I'm used to me on Slack, but he really was. He really, he was pretty sick, not younger than mr[inaudible]. He was so supportive and yeah. Open and welcoming. You know, he was at the time he was president of the bid. I know he's still involved heavily in what they do. Um, and he, he took some of his, when he got signed up, as you say, it took us out to Milan for the first year, a bank loan out today. Literally on the board, right? Yes. We were ridiculous. Now we just went like the same trains every day. Don't because it's a lot of work. Yeah. The first year was just all blisters. That's my intro. I go home. Um, it's, um, so what was the, so going back to that, why do you go to an iron man? I'm, I'm, what do you see when you're out there? It's just a global view of what's happening in the design world. So obviously London has a particular salon and a particular take and um, the Milan design scene, the whole world comes to Milan basically for a week in April. And all the new launches happen. New collections, new designers showing things. It's like the broadest collective, officially the biggest design showing on the planet. So I mean it's, it's where everybody shows first. Yeah, they have it at the place. Salone is a mobile[inaudible] which is in like, I would say it's like 10 old school told them lined up together. It's ginormous. It's like$29. Yeah. The first year we took it upon ourselves, well down and took it upon himself that he was on a mission to show us all of it, just so that we knew and we never went. No, you just[inaudible] go somewhere else. There's one section called the Classico section, isn't there? But she's just like renter. I mean everyone should take once, but then it's like, you know, it's like, well it's like the opposite. Like Shell's spoons with like a peacock eyeball. The 27,000 pounds that no one needs or should that the Bali, is that like obscene isn't it? Asked to go to certain holes or set cease. I mean we've lost, last year we were actually taken to Cilento mobile as guests of Milan design week, which was amazing to me. Yeah, a real privilege. You know, there was a fancy dinner and they flew us outputs in a lovely hotel and sort of, so I think, you know, bang, I guess Milan wasn't being covered on social media by any body.[inaudible] not at all. And in fact I remember an interior designer we met at a party once said to us, why do you go to Milan? What's the financial return? What's the, because the direct return to your business from going out and spending all that money and going to land. And I was so gobsmacked by it cause I was like, it's not about that. It's about feeling your creative pool and knowing what's out there so that we can offer our clients the beds, the, the, the most unusual collection of works from around the world. Do you know what I mean? It's a bit like saints, but out to the wide she goes Broadway and see shows cause I love it. It makes me excited again to be doing this direction. Yeah. Yeah. And actually it's a really good point that you just said sort of back when done first because that it wasn't being covered really by that many people. There wasn't a lot of[inaudible] well it was still a secret wasn't it? It was still like a, it's a secret club. We all know[inaudible] to kids getting into the parties when we first started going. Now it's ridiculous isn't it? You can sort of see people not that week. You can see keep down the street. So your, a bit of back in designs diet. Do you have a designs that, do you think your clients come to you because they want a second set and style or do you still flex your muscles and seeing when they meet you when you meet them, you see what they think that's developed? I think when we first started we were yes people like you said earlier, and we wanted to do everything and there's value in that being a really positive force and just saying, yes, I want to make this work. And that's what we did for the first two years or so isn't it? And then we sort of started to develop our own style and then we bought this house and this house became quite a massive force for change in our business because it was a moment for us to kind of really express who we were. And up until that point we'd been working with clients in a very collaborative way, which think we still do. I think the whole design something, yes we do, we like to wear with color. We, we use a lot of pattern and we like to work with new young designers and artists to commission new pieces and[inaudible]. I think also we learned because we train as actors, we love to get under the skin of other people. And that's actually what makes it really interesting and it's really nice to meet different people and try and make the best version of them in their home. Yeah, it's not that Arrigo is, but leaving our ego at the door and trying to visually translate someone else into something beautiful.
Speaker 1:Last year my wife has bought a book called the little book of Hooga and I was like, what's that? And my wife explained to me from what she'd read that it was about living in a cozy home about it just being a safe Haven place to relax and unwind. And in the stressful times, it's something that we all I think we strive for. So I looked into it and I came across this amazing lady called Rena who has a Instagram handle who go for home and she's huge in the world of Huga and Instagram. Her, her grids is beautiful. And everything about it looks stunning. So I contacted her and said, would you mind being on the podcast? And she was like, yeah, never done a podcast. I would absolutely love to. So I got on on the podcast on a episode a and she, she shared with us what it is to be a who go to live Hooga and how to make your home the most calm and relaxing place possible
Speaker 3:is who guy, is it a fear is a look or is it an experience or is it all three of those things?
Speaker 4:I think it's all three, especially when you read that book as well. And I think as well it probably means something different to, you know, I've read a lot about it and you know, in Denmark I think people would think we're all quite ridiculous here in the UK and you know that[inaudible] everywhere. Like you know, in especially, I suppose the thing, I mean I have no idea what I'm going to think about that because they who got to that, it's just natural. It's not something they talk about, it's just their way of life. It's just the way they do things, you know, they're very kind of, um, you know, house powered family-orientated like my friend from Denmark who's told you love notice that they knew from a very young age when if that kind of birth they could get Christmas gifts to be something for the house, for their bedroom. You know, and I just loved that idea and I've started doing that with my girls as well, that, you know, from an LDH game, them really aware of their surroundings and wanting it to, you know, feel a certain way, you know, making their rooms really cozy and relaxed as well has been really important to me. Um, that I think it, you know, it's not just the physical of what something looks like. It is that feeling that comes out of what that looks like.
Speaker 3:Okay. So if we go back, like you said, it's all three of feel can experience. So to create the feel of who Gar, what would you recommend? What's your top top tip for that then?
Speaker 4:Well, I think there's a few. And so for me, if we're talking about, you know, you interview and you say, um, and having that feeling of contentment things and you know, bringing who go into the home and it's texture so that, you know, having, um, you know, lots of things that you want to touch and feel, you know, like fabrics, I thinking about the start books that you use thing. Um, and I think it's having everybody calming, um, you know, color palettes. So, you know, not, I don't have like, you know, I like light and tibia, but it doesn't have to be like a stark white, you know, there's no brilliant lights in the house. Um, you know, it's all about off lights and you know, even dark colors work, just keeping them neutral, um, natural materials. So I like, I have lots of wood in my house, but I like the juxtaposition of, so I like hard and soft together. So I have my dining table made and it had like an, an O, uh, tall that then it has a steel frame. Yeah. And then I think daylight. So I think having a connection to the outdoors. So one of the universe things we did in our renovation was, you know, the by full doors and a connection to the garden. And I think who got a lot, the emphasis is on just always being connected and having those views out. Um, and then I really like having some metallics in my interior, so I do like, like, um, you know, coppers and I like, uh, you know, brass and mixing metals rather than say CHRO and Silva. Um, so yeah, and then I think the practical side of things is having, you know, good storage, but it's not about having everything hidden away. I think with you guys about, you know, having things that you love on display and you know, having things out in the kitchen, not having everything just, you know, in cupboards and pushed away, but actually having things that you like accessible that you can look up and you know, easy to kind of, yeah.
Speaker 3:Access. So it's not, it's not a minimalist way then. So it's,
Speaker 4:no, I meant, unless no base, equally not[inaudible].
Speaker 3:So is the idea of having storage suiting cleared away, all the plastic stuff that are all these kids have. Um, but then being able to have the nice things that the, the tactile, touchy feely kind of things. It was interesting, interesting. Like I never imagined in my head, I'm always thinking cause I'm a carpenter and what makes me happy is woods and grains and that you're saying different textures, Oaks. But having the coppers there and having uh, the, the, the metal of the table, I never imagined that to be in there as well. So that, that, that was quite an interesting and interesting shift and it's an interesting thought. I never thought that you would have metals in there.
Speaker 4:Yeah. I just think that it um, you know, it's the contrast that gets it a kind of more, I guess it's more at a distance. I think design wise it looks kind of really good. But also, you know, those two materials together I, you know, from a TV's is really subjective. I just think it works.
Speaker 1:I'm pleased to say that being plastic free and thinking about single use plastics is, is really trendy at the moment is, it's like the buzzword, everyone's talking about it and using it part of their business model. But well before we were even talking about it five years before, my dear friend Lynn Lamborn was banging on about it and at the time we were like, yeah, yeah, whatever. But actually she's made a whole career out of teaching children, empowering people and giving people the resources to to be sustainable and to, you know, think about what they buy and how they buy it and how they source it. And I've worked with Lynn a lot. We would design show gardens that'll home show together. We've designed rooms and we've done lots of different events and talks together on the main stage at various events. So I knew I was always going to get on the podcast, but she came along and she talked loads about loads of different things. But the main thing I wanted to talk to her about was if you are living at home as we all are and thinking about trying to be as sustainable and plastic free as possible, how do you go about it? And she shared with us all the top tips and the resources so we could be as plastic free as we possibly can.
Speaker 2:You do a sustainable workshop and I remember we with the DOR, I do as we're wrong, just um, after you, yeah, I remember sitting backstage watching your slides and listening to all, all the products and things that are sustainable that can be used in the house. And that's what I wanted to talk mainly about with you today. I want to, because I think knowing you, working with you, you've had, you just filtered into my psyche trying to say in a nice way. I'm a real nag. Yeah. So already you've got me to change my toilet, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, I met you today. We've, we've been in a craft fair today and I made sure I had my S my water be totally, I have my used little coffee cup. I got back in the house. Go get it cause I love you. Anyway.[inaudible] against the fuck. I remember when[inaudible] I forgot to bring my water ball and there's lack of discussion. I've really felt like it upset you. So I want, I, I want to chat to you today just to, to give people insight of where they could buy things on what all the little things we can do in our hot house that can help the environment and show people how easy it is. Absolutely. Okay. So where would you start?
Speaker 5:I probably first start by saying we're about to leap into talking about shopping. But the first thing you can probably do is think twice before you shop. It's do you need it? Sustainability, you know, at the moment there are lots of shops popping up and everything. Same with sustainable. The most sustainable thing you can do is not buy it in the first place. So really question yourself before you go shopping. Do I need it? Could I, you know, someone says let's store a lot of cereals in jam jar in, um, storage jars, but could I use a jam jar? Could I use something that I've got already? So that's my first point is really think carefully before, you know, rushing off from buying. And then second day if you can buy locally, always go for local. It's, it's difficult at the moment because lots of these sustainable products aren't in our shops locally, but always try and do that if you can. And then look for things that are made ethically made sustainably recycled materials, things like that. Um, and then, you know, by the bamboo toothbrushes and those draws all of these, everybody knows about them. It's just putting it into action and thinking twice, thinking a bit more carefully. Um, your weekly shop, you know, there's alternative type bags you can take. Nobody ever gets a plastic bag anymore. Now it's just so, you know, water bottles, everybody knows all this stuff. This is so well documented, but it's about changing a habit and it's about doing it two or three times. That becomes second nature. Like you running back into the house to get your cup because that's just something now that you do. And I want people to feel bad. Actually. I want people to feel, Oh my God, that's embarrassing. I'm walking around with a plastic water bottle. The hell is wrong with me because it, to me it's just so uncool. It's really continental. But it has become that. And I don't think it's just my circle of Instagram, friends, Facebook friends. I see it across the board and people are realizing, you know, a plastic water bottle isn't gray or that carry bag. I remember we, we were guys and we put it out as I'm sure a few times now and we were there and used to kickoff about the plastic stuff going on. Yeah. And this year it's changed. You change it. Yeah, they've been, um, I think it's taken me three or four years of nonstop moaning and they just eye-rolling at me. But this year we are, there's showed the whole show is much more sustainable. They're really asking every single person who books at the show to think about their sustainability, think about what they're bringing to the site. And also I'm working with them to showcase some sustainable brands. So it's going to be sustainability section where I'm going to try and showcase as many of the brands I work with and some of the charities that I work with so that we've got a little elements that people could come down and get a snippet of, you know, a snippet of information if you like and see some of these amazing brands that just doesn't seem to be a showcase venue at the moment for them. And often they're very small and it's hard to get out there because I haven't got money to do that. They're small startups and if I can support them, then that's exactly what I want to do. Really. Um, you know, I'm constantly being sent brands or meat brands in my work and I just want to be able to pass that on in a simplistic form to people just say, look, come to the idol home show. These guys are here or you know, on my website they're there or I've got this new Amazon marketplace as well. So that's brilliant. I don't home share on board this year. So you said that about your website. So what is your website? Well, up to while the complicates ugly. So I've got love nearly designs, which is my interior design and my sustainability side of things. But then I've also got something which is sort of a little sideline passion, which is I'm more is on waste.co. Dot. UK which say sideline and passion. But that's if I'm being honest, I know you more for that. Yeah, it's taken over my life. I started it as something I taught kids to up cycle and that meant that we were tying trash to treasure. And then I thought this is the perfect opportunity to teach them a little bit about things that I'm passionate about to deal with the plastics to do with living more sustainably. So we started talking about that and then I thought, well, I'll make a movie. Um, and I'll rope in some help. What's the movie called? What have you done today to save the world? And it's actually on my website, you can click from the website through. And so I made it. Yeah, I've made it so that children could really understand it and this could some hard hitting things in it. There's the turtle with the store and those as the whale that died. And actually everybody I contacted was so brilliant and just like, yeah, use offer church, use this, don't worry if it's to do with plastic. And they were great. And then I've got a lovely local company who put it all together and professionally did it for me. Living room films in Henley and um, yeah. And so that's on the website as well. And I started doing that and it gathered momentum. And the idea of home show actually the first peak. And I said, could we show your movie? And I've thought, Oh my goodness. Yeah. And for me that was, there's some very powerful music at the beginning of it. And I remember being in the idol home, Shane and purchase huge and just somebody to hit play on the button during one of the sort of run through of it. And this music came on in this huge venue and I just thought, Oh my God, I'm really doing something now. I'm really making people change. And then it was Helen Shepherd who's there, one of the compares who runs, who came out to me after she pushed and she had tears in her eyes and she said, Lynn, I'm never using the store again. I thought, Oh, people are starting to listen. And it's gathered momentum from there. It's just been fantastic.
Speaker 1:Can you imagine what it'd be like if you graduate from college or actually not even graduate, but you're in your final year at college and then you get plucked to being a prime time TV garden show with the best garden presenter. Um, there is out there or the most loved garden presenter out there, mr Alan Titchmarsh and that's what happened to my guest. Francis topple. She is one of the presenters as four presenters on love your garden. And she joined me on the podcast and she told me all about her experience of working with Allen and the team for the first time and she shares with as what it's like to be on set and around these gardening legends and how amazing they all are and where when she first joined the scene
Speaker 6:we've all gone through the phase. I mean David was a noncompete cause I don't think we get the KTN on both students and they are completely brand new and I think we've both gone through different phases of like starting off being like okay I can maybe do this and then going through a complete phase of being so embarrassed because your friends are working there when you're in the garden it's not just you that crew that the producers that you guys all kind of go in the building. We've all become the friends and it is quite embarrassing. That stayed again like get, I see the fact that they're friends is kinda cool cause you can no have a lot of that. How many times they're having to do the same piece over and over or you know, that kind of thing.
Speaker 1:Did they give you any advice? Like what was the best piece of advice that Alan and David gave you when you guys first started out?
Speaker 6:I'm an always says be yourself, which I think is really good advice. He always, if you're joining to cultivate something and be something, then you're just only thinking and you're going to come a Cropper when people realize that you'll be attending. But I think other than that, I mean there's not, the thing about Island is he's such a pro, he sort of lets you be, you want to step on anyone's toes. He wants to encourage and always have to come out of our shells and be the that can be, can be. And to be honest, just sitting and once again, I don't know, have you ever done it when like everyone's at lunch or something. And our interesting thing about an ACO or he might be talking about and he'll be only, they don't need to sit and what's him and it's so relaxing and loving to, to listen to him talk about things. Yeah. And just what to not, and learning from him is the best educational I possibly could have had at doing. Presenting I think. Pretty lucky.
Speaker 3:Oh no, absolutely. And um, what I found really lovely as well is, you know, there's, there's not really a hierarchy. There isn't a way that certain things, you know, we have a, I've spoken before on the podcast where, you know, there's certain things we know Allen doesn't like. So Allen doesn't like Windchimes. He doesn't like, you know, there's certain things or you know, but it's all done. Or even we'll create a raised bed and there'll be a saying, well that's not deep enough for Alan. Meaning he cares that much that things have to be done right, isn't it? But it's never done in a, in a deaverage way. It's always done for the good of the show, for the good of the garden, but also I've seen it with you guys when you're planting stuff and you've have, I've seen you throw over to Alan going and would that work with that, but vice versa. He's done it with you sometimes. I saw it on the last guy we worked out. It was like, what do you think about this Francis, do you think that would go with that? And I love that on the show
Speaker 6:and he doesn't remind not admitting that he doesn't know a pill as well. You did that on the last program, but he was just like, yeah, yeah, I've seen this before. And I said, no, I'm not. I know the theses but not that one and he's going to take me me BA. Oh, interesting. I wonder what, and we Googled it together. It takes a big person to admit, especially when you're such an authority on a subject to have the comments got to go. I actually don't know this. Not many people, especially cognitive story are the gardeners, but a lot of Godness is part of your job is you go into a client's house and they go look them. If you say, Oh I, you know, then you're not going to get that job because that's what you're judged on and you don't know it. So for Gardner so ingrained to say, Oh, it's a, you know, make a D Mark to say, I don't know, there is so big and not just what he's likely an and in terms of kind of the, like you think about the deviousness, which he doesn't have, he does a really good at kind of fighting your corner. If any one of us mean if you have the same thing. Got, can say, look Allen, I don't think this has been Tom that well, I'm a bit worried that this is gonna fall off for that. That's a bit unsafe or whatever it may be. Yeah. He knows that he's the person who can go to the producers or whatever and say, look, this needs to change and it will, and he'll fight your corner as well. In terms of how the garden is.
Speaker 3:No, absolutely. And we all feel supported by him, but it is that thing, like you say, he's not a DV, it's just all collectively he wants everyone to have fun and you know and get the job done. You know, ultimately we've got, we've got to get done before daylight hours finish as it's getting worse and worse at the moment as the daylights are drawing in as we're doing these late later filming shoots. Oh my God, isn't it? That's insane. That is going to be absolutely, absolutely insane.
Speaker 1:I have so much to be thankful to. The next guest, which is leaf mr skinny Jean gardener. I first met Lee last year at the idle home show cause we both designed show gardens there and he was telling me about his podcast and how successful it is and and how, you know how he created it. And he actually gave me all the information and all the info and supported me and gave me lots of top tips about creating the TV carpenter podcast. So I got him on my podcast to chat about all the things that he does because he's written a book about empowering kids to get green fingered and, and how little things you can do with your children to encourage them to show them how things are grown and to get them involved in growing fruit and vegetables and plants in the garden. So here's some top tips from mr skinny Jean Gardner.
Speaker 7:Okay.
Speaker 3:Is there anything in the book, cause I've seen your stage show and I've seen some of the stuff that you've made on there. Just quickly, is there anything that you, that you want one of the thing makes that you're proud of that you can quickly tell us about? Which is an easy fix
Speaker 8:because it's just start off with, I say grow your is the biggest thing. And plastic is a massive issue with ones. Chain is a problem, especially in the garden industry. Plastic pots. Yeah. Can't believe they're still being sold just on their own. It's crazy. Like if you look on market place for anywhere, okay. I'm for Andre. It's free. I've gone to do my lawyer, I'm potting shit just to get rid of two people, but I just think if you're starting in in grow your own and starting to like grow from seed, there's so much in around the house that you can use like just um, like the cardboard tubes with robos, turning them into little pots and easy eggshells. I love John if what you're going to do, and actually I was checking in the composter or you could start growing your smart suit from it or even the egg boxes, all these sorts of things that you can use instead of going out and buying plastic pots, sick trays. You've got, you can, you've got around the house costing you absolutely nothing if you want to grow from PLA cheaper as well. You get more plants and you see, I mean yeah, the cost of a tomorrow plan from like one of the big sheds you get for like two quick liquid or something. A pack of a tomato seeds is literally about two pound 50 so many more pounds from it.
Speaker 3:I remember doing it years ago, my daughter's 11 now. When I, when she was younger, we did a load of stuff from seeds and we put them all in trays and we put them up in the loft, you know, underneath the Velux window when crazy. Do you know what I mean? So I didn't have to go, we live in a flat, so we weren't, we didn't have a greenhouse or anything, but we did it indoors. It was amazing. And that we, I did vege with her as well. And that whole idea of Patel, I spoke to her gardener friend, this is before I was doing the gardening shows. And I said, what's the best thing I should grow? And he was like, potatoes for the first year or two. Just cause it turns a soil over. It's getting it going. It's so easy. You can't really fail with it. Do you know what I mean? We did a pink for Apple ones, little um, little new potatoes in
Speaker 8:the tasted amazing. Yeah. You know, I mean now listen, I go eat. Can you just go and get some tomatoes? Can you get his? And she loved popping down and get in it. And I think it inspired the tab ago and you know, realize where the foods come from. Yeah, exactly. I think it's really important as well. Like you said, you don't have to have a gun to a garden. Everyone's got a winter suit. I can do bits on a lot of my stuff. I start on the window sill and just picks. It's easier than I've got pond shed and greenhouse, but it's easy just doing it on the window sill not. And my wife would agree, um, February between February and April, they'll all the windows.
Speaker 1:My final guest is the lovely Amanda Lamb. Amanda Lamb is a presenter and property expert and she's been influential on our TVs with regarding to buying properties abroad, but also she has a program called flat pack home where if you thinking of buying a kit house, she tells you how to do it and she explores that world. So I got her on the podcast and she filled it all in with some of the top tips when getting a flat pack out
Speaker 3:slap pack home. Now this is you, this is living my dream. So you this, you know, everyone dreams of building their own house. And I am, for me, it stemmed from, dare I say it, the competition like grant grand design. When an old couple made a Huff house, they got the, and that, I don't know if you remember seeing that episode, but that's spurred on that whole idea. My dad's a builder, so my dad's built houses from scratch. Um, and that series, but what always interests me, you can answer some technical questions mortgage wise. Can you get a mortgage on a kit house?
Speaker 9:You, you have to, I mean, the best thing to do if you're thinking of buying one is to go and get your finances in place before you even start. I mean, you know, most financial advisors will be able to tell you that I'm sadly not financially quite so. But you know, I think you probably don't mean, I'm sure you can, but I think you would need to make sure. I think the thing is with, with kit homes is they're amazing. I mean, they are, they go up really fast. Um, I remember filming up, turning up to film on, um, one day. Um, the roof was going on. And you know what it's like when you turn up to film, there's a lot of faffing about isn't made over. It needs a cup of tea and then the sign mom's gonna get stuff out. And so we'd all gone into this lady's house to get ready and sort of go through the script and work out what we'll be doing. And by the time we'd done it, we've let me about an hour, the roof facade, like not yet.
Speaker 3:Can you undo that? Cause that happens on interior design shows. Like can you just cut that piece of water again?
Speaker 9:Already done it. But the great thing about flat pack is, is that they do go up incredibly fast. They are, you know, environmentally happiness. Um, there's so many different types now. You know, we did sort of six bedroom detached Oak framed building and then we did the little granny annexes in the backyard. And what I love about it is, is the speed and the ease of the, you know, as long as you get a good recommended company. I mean there are a lot of the German ones, for example, not the half houses, but there were lots of German companies where it's all done. You have to go over to Germany and you spend two or three days choosing door handles, door frames, kitchen cupboards, work tops. And then they just bring it over, put it all together. So depending on how well you are at making decisions on it cause otherwise you, that guy like Oh God, do I go blue or green?
Speaker 3:Yes. And I was just gonna say the, the best piece of advice for someone choosing, cause it's like, cause it's a new world. If you were, you know, if you've got your mortgage in place, you've got, luckily you've got a plot of land somewhere, you know, um, wha what's the biggest piece of advice because you've seen so many people do this now.
Speaker 9:Yeah. I think the biggest piece of advice, well number one, make sure you've got your finances in place. You know, make sure you can afford it. I mean, the good thing with a flat pack as opposed to sort of a conventional build is your it. Nine times out of 10 your cost is set at the very beginning so you're not going to get things spiraling out of control. You know, sometimes as well, you know, when you do a build yourself, things go wrong or something happens or things that you haven't foreseen, you know, occur and you have to add an extra whatever. I mean, I always say to people, if you're building a house and they say it's going to take 12 months, it'll take 16 months and if they say it's gonna cost 200,000 it will cost 300 know whatever you do. It's always going to cost a bit more. But the good thing was that packs is that you have to figure up from them and then so make sure you've got your finances in place and you know exactly what you're, what you're dealing with. If you can and you choose a company that you liked and you trust, ask to go and have a look at other houses that they've built because I think that's quite important. You know, walk around them, open the doors, turn the taps on, all of that sort of thing. So the look at the quality of the build and, and see what you're getting. I mean there are some companies, um, there's one called border ope that we worked with and they would find the blocks of land for you and then build the house on top. Have a very good idea about how you want the property to look. That's also quite important, you know, so think about your flooring. Think about, you know, um, the colors that you want to use. Think about your kitchen workout. Spend some time on the pot working out the landscape. You know, what, where does the sunrise, where does it set, cause if you've got a big plot and you want to build the family house, you know, you can really have a lot of fun with it, but don't rush into anything. I think that's probably a piece of advice I would give as well.
Speaker 3:No, it's like very much try before you buy, if you can go like the fact that you can go to their factories sometimes and walk through them. Um, would you ever consider getting a flat pattern? I,
Speaker 9:well, funny you should say that because, um, I mean I, the house that we live in at the moment, we live in a Victorian townhouse, which I adore. I've always loved it. It's a very higgledy piggledy house, you know, it's sort of lots of different levels and lots of different, um, the bedrooms. Things went on, lots of different levels, but I was just thinking, um, my teenage, well when she becomes a teenager, Willow, my eldest, so she, she'll be 11 in February and at some point, you know, when she's about 18 or 19, we've got the pathic space at the bottom of the guard, which at the moment has the trampoline in the shed. Those two, the normal is going, yap, work that one out, but I'm going to put that down there. Yeah. Because as lovely as this house is only has three bedrooms, so if ever we have any anyone to stay or you know the kids want people, it can be a bit snuck, but building a flat pack that could become a guest cottage or a place of her to go in and you know sleeping. Definitely. Yeah, in a few years time. That's, that's next on the list.
Speaker 1:So there we are. That really is the end of season one and I look back and all the other episodes all nicely wrapped up with a bow on top by Amanda Lamb I'd love to create in this podcast. It's been really, really good fun and I'm really pleased to save. I'll be back again for season two and that my sponsor is once again at the fabulous thorn down paints, so you'll be hearing lots from them. I've been interviewing them and you'll hear about their amazing products and their amazing paints throughout the next season too. If you have any questions for me, as always, if you liked this podcast, remember to share it. Like subscribe, do all the usual things you do on your, your podcast app. But if you have any guests, ideas, people you'd like me to interview, um, you can message me at Wayne Perry on Instagram or Twitter. But just to say next series we have the contestants from interior design masters. I've been interviewing them and finding out what life's like after the show is being aired and what it's been like while they were doing the show and they can fill us in and all the inside gossip and what went on while they were filming and how it's been since the show was ad. But also I've got interviews lined up with people like Alan Titchmarsh and some amazing garden and interior design producers. So all from the world of TV, the people behind the scenes you don't necessarily know about but who are equally as amazing. So again, thank you so much for listening to the season. One of the TV carpenter. And all that's left for me to say is thank you for listening. And I look forward to chatting with you on season two of the TV topic.
Speaker 10:[inaudible].