cry it out
Woman breaks down in tears as she discovers Nick Knowles’ clearout has added £25,000 to the value of her Brighton home
THEY'D splashed out on a two-bedroom house in Brighton after they got married, hoping it would be the perfect place to raise a family.
But Lauren and Mark were left devastated when they were told, after years of fertility struggles, that they were unable to have children of their own.
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Reeling from the news, the couple began to seek solace in objects - filling the home with more and more things until it was jam-packed with clutter.
In fact, the house was so full that their goddaughter Holly, who lives with them, had to spend most of her time in her bedroom as there was nowhere else to go.
As well as that, Mark kept having panic attacks because he envisioned himself being squashed by an avalanche of stuff.
That's where Nick Knowles stepped in and, alongside an army of helpers, offered Lauren and Mark a life-changing deal.
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If they could get rid of 50% of their belongings in just two days, he would help give them a home to be proud of - and the journey would be followed for
The team began transporting items from the house to a huge barn - with 302 boxes unloaded in total - before Lauren, Mark and Holly began the process of sorting out what they could get rid of, and what they wanted to keep.
It was more of a challenge for Mark but, with the help of some friends, they finally managed to narrow down exactly what they needed in their house.
Builders and decorators were on hand to transform the home - adding a feature wall in the bedroom with some wallpaper, and providing a sleek background in the kitchen for the couple to display some of their interesting crockery.
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Then came the time they'd been waiting for - Lauren, Mark and Holly were shown the extent on the house transformation.
Walking into the kitchen, Mark exclaimed: "It's incredible!" as his wife broke down in tears - stunned at what she was seeing.
They'd created a rest corner for Lauren in the kitchen, as she struggles from fibromyalgia, complete with a mini footstool.
Sitting down with Nick at the end of the programme, Lauren reflected: "I honestly feel so much lighter. We were using the stuff as a bit of a barrier."
"Not being able to have a family," Mark added.
"And then realising we were left with a huge amount of stuff we couldn't cope with - we used it to fill that void."
Nick then told them that they'd had the house - which was valued at £475,000 before the clearout began - revalued once it was done.
And, after the transformation, it had been revalued at £550,000.
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"Amazing!" Lauren exclaimed, as her husband remarked: "That can't be right!"
Nick Knowles' Big House Clearout continues on Channel 5 next Thursday night, as he and his renovation team help a family "clinging onto grief".
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