Salvage Hunter star Drew Pritchard faced immediate challenges with his new property just one day after making the purchase.
The celebrity antiques dealer had recently sold many of his possessions, including shutting down his Conwy shop in May 2022 and selling his cottage, to fund a passion project – a Grade I listed Georgian townhouse nestled in the stunning city of Bath.
The townhouse was far from being in perfect condition, having been divided into flats that had seen better days, and refurbishing it posed significant risks, reports Edinburgh Live.
Speaking on Quest’s Georgian House Restoration, Drew admitted: “It’s a big, daunting prospect, the whole thing, it really is,” before confessing, “I must be mad. I’m gambling the lot.”
After coughing up more than £1.5 million for the historic five-storey residence, Drew was met with an unwelcome surprise when he eagerly returned to check on his investment: a severe leak leading to flooding.
Recounting the unfortunate event on the programme, he said: “This happened the day after I bought the place. I came back the next morning all excited to look at the place again. There was water pouring through the ceiling and this whole floor was flooded.”
Fixing the damage required putting up scaffolding around the building and stripping off the roof, causing Drew to worry about the financial implications of the repairs.
The discovery of a seriously damaged wall in the cellar behind some panels has led to a new hurdle for Drew, who urgently needed council approval to install hefty steel supports to shore up the structure.
Commenting on the state of the wall, he said, “This is bad,” and pointed out the damage, stating, “There’s no way of buttering this up and making it look good. Look (pointing to the struts), there’s metal holding up the house – this wall has come loose from its fixings from the wall behind it.”
Facing a costly surprise, Drew explained, “This is a big, expensive problem I didn’t expect. Basically the walls got to come down piece by piece and be rebuilt from the bottom up to exactly how it was. Then we’ve got the roof to come off. These are big, big jobs that need doing and it’s where the bulk of the money is going to go.”
After falling for the property during an open house in the summer of 2022, Drew didn’t hesitate to make an offer and successfully acquired the house.
To fund the purchase, he sold all his assets in North Wales, which left him with little to spare for such unforeseen repairs—a point he illustrated by squeezing his fingers together—and admitted, “I’m all in, you know, this is, this is everything”.
He shared that he had to sell his business and several properties he planned to restore, including a shop, a rental cottage in Conwy, a derelict chapel, and a plot of land.
Additionally, Drew had to let go of his cherished collection of classic cars – all assets sacrificed for his new home.
“I’m very, very fortunate to be able to do what I’m doing. But it’s not a never ending supply of money,”he said.
His renovation plan involves removing partitions from the early 1970s, taking out modern bathroom and kitchen fittings, and sealing up new doorways added during previous flat conversions to restore the original floorplan.
The ground floor will house a dining room and kitchen, while the first floor will feature a reception room and study, where Drew will run his antiques business.
His personal quarters, comprising a bedroom, dressing room with an “enormous” bathroom, and a shower room, will occupy the next level.
Three additional guest bedrooms and another bathroom are planned for the top floor. Drew also has the task of replacing 22 windows.
Despite the building’s long period of neglect, he is keen to undertake the renovation: “It’s a start of a very long, expensive journey,” he concedes. “It’s every penny, it’s everything I’ve got is all going into this building. So yeah, it’s a big roll of the dice, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it now.”
His enthusiasm for the property is evident as he exclaims, “This is the house I always dreamed of. It’s mine! It is genuinely exciting. I am, and have been for as long as I can remember, completely obsessed with the Georgian (period) – the most beautiful houses ever built.”
The restoration of the basement wall required specialist stone masons, costing £5,000. For the roofing material, Drew sought out the “best in the world” in Gwynedd.
Originally, the property was roofed with Welsh slate, but at some point, it was replaced with unsuitable terracotta tiles. Determined to correct this error, Drew decided to restore its original splendour.
He pondered, “So what slate do you put on? The best in the world, from North Wales, the Blaenau blue slate.”
Drew feels a deep personal responsibility to respect both his heritage and the integrity of the house, stating, “I’ve got to do the right thing by the house and for myself, which is to put back what was there. I’m a very proud Welshman and I have to have something to come from Wales, that’s the very best of something – and the slate is – so we’re going to put that back on.”
To refurbish the roof, a total of 1,018 slates were required.
Drew faced a decision when it came to sourcing slates for his property’s roof restoration. While imports would have cut costs to £1,500, he opted for local quality from Blaenau Ffestiniog at £3.73 each, totalling around £3,950 with delivery.
He stands by his choice, emphasizing the importance of not cutting corners: “This is the thing with this house, I can’t scrimp. When we do do something, we’ll absolutely make sure we do it the very, very best it can be.”
During a trip to Blaenau, Drew met Michael Halley from Welsh Slate and experienced the traditional craft of slate-splitting. One of these locally split slates now adorns his Georgian home.
The roofing project, costing £60,000, took six months from planning permission to completion. On seeing the finished work, Drew couldn’t hide his admiration: “I don’t know if a roof can be beautiful, but that, that is beautiful,” he said.
“It’s a thing of beauty. They’ve just done such a great job. We’ve sourced it really ethically – we’ve got it from North Wales, it’s handmade, it’s employing loads of guys and it’s keeping a tradition and a skill base in that area that will continue. This is a milestone. It’s as good as it gets. It could not be better one iota. Brilliant.”
Drew, an aficionado of stained glass windows, realised his ambitious restoration project would need additional expertise. He teamed up with master builder Kieran Dixon Squire and architectural historian Rhys Brooks, a collaboration that shed light on their work.
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During urgent structural renovations in the basement, the trio uncovered a series of unexpected treasures. They found a charming storage space hidden behind a modern stud wall under the stairs.
But even more enchanting was the discovery of a faint light shining through a brick wall; upon its removal, they found a passageway leading beneath the garden. Drew believes this was likely a Georgian cold room once used for storing meats and cheeses.
Reflecting on the discoveries, he said, “The house is giving up some secrets,” and “We’re finding rooms, not massive ballrooms, but we’re finding rooms here.”
The excitement of uncovering new spaces in a recently purchased home was palpable as Drew exclaimed, “I mean, what’s more exciting than finding rooms in a house you bought? Brilliant! It’s like Scooby-doo. It’s great.”