On Monday’s episode of BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer, a Derby couple experienced quite the shock at their Chaddesden property. Lee and Laura snapped up the plot at auction for an impressive £60,000.
The pair stumbled upon this exceptional find when a prime residential plot with pre-approved plans for a four-bedroom townhouse emerged.
Labelled as “a developer’s dream come true” by the show’s host Dion Dublin, an astounding revelation was unearthed regarding the site’s original development phase.
While preparing to lay the site’s foundations, Lee, who runs a building company, happened upon a hand grenade among the back bushes of the plot.
“We found a bomb, didn’t we?” Laura said, to which Dion held up his hands and asked: “Hold on, what?”
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Lee and Laura found a hand grenade on the site (Image: BBC)
“It was quite scary,” she added before Lee explained further: “There was a 20-ft hedge along this fence, about six ft deep, and when the lads were digging it out, they came across a hand grenade.
“We had to call the police, and the bomb squad came down. They evacuated all the houses down here.”
After disclosing their nerve-wracking encounter to the presenter, the family conveyed that, aside from the unexpected discovery, the plot was perfect for a novel construction.
Unfazed by the explosive start, the couple, along with their children Amelie and Louis, were keen to embark on their building venture.
With designs to construct a three-level home and a budget set at £170,000, they intended to create a rental property to supply them with passive income.
Lee and Laura wanted to build a four-bed house (Image: BBC)
Laura voiced their ambitions for it to be a high-spec family residence, reports .
The envisioned home will feature an expansive garden, a driveway fitted with electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and a heat pump system to curb carbon emissions.
Lee was poised to undertake the project with his crew of eleven plus a selection of subcontractors, aiming to complete the build within eight to ten months.
A local estate agent projected that upon completion, the property could potentially be rented out for around £1,200 per calendar month or sold for a sum of £325,000.
You can watch the episode on .