The popular BBC daytime TV programme Homes Under The Hammer often sees presenter Martin Roberts rummaging around Welsh homes and buildings that are going to auction.
For years viewers have been hooked watching Martin telling the story of the challenges, budget busting problems and over-run timescales, and then revealing the transformation of the properties that were sold under the hammer.
Martin visited a three-storey terrace in Abergavenny that was going to market with a guide price of just £48,000, but he was not too impressed with the busy main road right next to the front door and from the outside he didn't see anything too remarkable about the house to gush about.
But not everyone experiences love at first sight, and little did Martin know that he was soon going to be falling hard for this rundown property.
The welcome was not the start Martin wanted, with the cramped hallway leaving no room to turn and with no light Martin described it as dark and dingy. No love to find in this space.
But as he ventured further in, the house started to work its magic and Martin's love-induced, rose-tinted glasses came out.
He said: "Lots of period features but needs a bit of work, but it's a real cottage with character, it's actually charming!"
As he scanned the rear reception room he noticed one original feature that needed attention, saying: "The single glazed windows may cause problems because of that old traffic noise and there's low ceilings but you haven't seen the worst yet!"
Martin moves into a small room at the back that's in a terrible state that he proclaims is the kitchen.
He comments: "I'm not sure this would pass many health and hygiene standards, a place to cook up your breakfast - perhaps not! It needs work. Do we care? No - because it's brilliant, because it's got so much character - love it!"
Yes, Mr Roberts has now fallen madly in love with this renovation property and he didn't care who knew it.
He said: "I know I might be in love with this house but others could run a mile - there's the worrying signs of damp, a lack of central heating and because there are no signs of a kitchen it's probably un-mortgageable as it is - but you know what they say, love is blind!"
The relationship continues on the first floor and this time Martin is impressed with more space that's available on this level.
In the main bedroom he decides to be a bit naughty and start the renovation process himself when he spots a boarded up fireplace and wants to look behind to hopefully find a hidden gem.
He asks viewers: "Shall we have a look behind?! I don't recon this has been pulled back for over 30 years. Wow, look at that - beautiful!"
Even signs of damp and woodworm could not deter Martin from gushing about his new found love for the house, saying: "Upstairs is a real surprise - there's a good size bathroom and the bedroom is absolutely enormous, it's basically the width of the house! Like downstairs it needs a bit of work, but it's wonderful"
Then it's up to the top floor and in one of the bedrooms Martin is messing about with the building again, and this time it ends up with some of the ceiling plaster falling off. Oops.
Luckily the building was not listed, so this accidental 'helpful' removal of part of the ceiling that was already crumbling did not get Martin into trouble.
As Martin leaves the building, he is torn between two sides of this love affair - his heart and his head - saying: "Some people will say this tugs at your purse strings, some at your heart strings, and with this property I think it's both.
"It's a lovely little house just waiting for that tender loving care."
Three potential buyers felt the love for this house too. At the auction they fought over the property which meant the hammer eventually fell at £74,000 and the new owner was delighted, even though he paid £26,000 over the guide price.
The house was bought by Rod, who worked in the transportation department of the local council for over 30 years, as a retirement project to work on with a close friend, who Rod explained had experience of restoring period houses.
He told Martin he wanted to retain as much of the original features and character as possible, sell the property and then do another one.
Rod had a budget of between £25,000 and £30,000 and hoped it would take between six and nine months to complete.
But a staggering four years later, yes that's four years, the show returned in 2018 to see what had happened to Martin's 'love is blind' Welsh house.
Due to a run of bad luck including retirement being delayed by months, his friend being unavailable to assist and a family bereavement, the start of the renovation was considerably delayed.
But it was the scale of work that really smashed the hopeful initial timescale, with Rod admitting that he seriously underestimated the sheer volume of work needed.
A significant amount of the work was not just fixing problems and restoring features, but also altering the layout and adding windows.
To gain space and light, Rod removed most of the wall between the hall and the lounge, and in the small kitchen he added a clever triangular window into the pitch roof shape of the room, as well as roof skylights.
Rod says the kitchen was completely rebuilt and insulated and that the house has had full damp and woodworm treatment, and been rewired, re-plumbed, with virtually everything either replaced or painstakingly repaired.
Many of the original features have been retained and restored, with new modern additions such as new kitchen, bathroom and radiators where required.
To add extra character, some of the walls have remained as exposed original stone or brick sections and many of the floorboards have been salvaged. And the quarry tiles and original fireplace in the rear reception room, now a dining room, have been given some of that TLC that Martin recommended.
The fireplace that Martin uncovered and loved so much has been fully revealed, restored and is now the main focal point in the main bedroom. And as for the ceiling in the attic that Martin accidentally helped to crumble, well, that's been fixed with plasterboard and re-plastered.
The whole project might not have come in anywhere near on time, but the budget did, with Rod saying he spent £29,000. The estate agents who visited the finished project in 2018 valued the house at that time at £170,000.
With the purchase price and budget spent combined Rod was in for a profit of £67,000 before fees and taxes but at that time, even though he was still considering selling the house, he was living in it as his home, maybe he fell in love with it as much as Martin.
You can currently watch this episode of Home Under the Hammer on BBC iPlayer, series 22 episode 57.
