A house in need of a total refurbishment in London's St John's Wood sells for well over a million pounds, while a terrace in Birkenhead near Liverpool and a piece of land in Handsworth in Birmingham sell formuch more modest sums. But all three projects require a lot of hard work from their new owners to make the best of their auction buys.

A couple buy a former shop and flat in Haverfordwest in Wales, a mother and son work together on a maisonette in Raynes Park just outside London, and a first-time developer buys a run-down house in Erdington in the Midlands with a plan to transform it into a home for his family. Martin Roberts, Dion Dublin and Martel Maxwell follow the progress of the three projects all sold under the hammer.