I’ve had to keep quiet for a while, but I can finally tell you about my exciting summer.

Back in May I was invited to join the team of the BBC2 show Great Interior Design Challenge as one of the regular decorators.

In the show, amateur designers get a grand and two days to transform a room. I was part of the small team working to make their designs happen.

On every shoot the houses were a different architectural style and ranged from houseboats in Surrey to townhouses in Edinburgh and even a stately home in the Lake District.

The challenge for the decorators was working fast enough in the middle of the chaos of filming but to ensure the standard was as good as for any everyday client. I also had to decide what could realistically get done in the timescale and advise the designer if things needed to be cut back on.

The shoots were hectic but I had a great time. I ended up working on ten of the 16 shows and my first 15 seconds of fame is due to be shown tonight, October 28th, at 7pm on BBC2! A beautiful Cotswold village was the gorgeous setting.

It might well be a case of blink and you’ll miss me but it was good fun and really interesting to get an insight into how programmes are made.

Recent work

Other than enjoying TV stardom I have had a really busy summer. From garden makeovers to full house decorating, I don’t think I have stopped for more than a day! Here are photos of a very few of jobs from this summer.

This garden was heavily shaded and the lawn was also quite boggy in areas. First task was to remove the trees.

Finding the source of the water under the lawn was more challenging. This meant digging for a length of over 40 metres to find the underground stream and for a while the garden looked more like the trenches! Once identified, a drain was dug and the water now drained safely away.

Another garden before and after.

Decorating The Dog House Cafe in Yeadon – a great little dog friendly cafe which will be perfect for warming up after walks round the Tarn!

I’ve added a few more films to my YouTube channel – Dean Taylor Property Man.
 

This is the link to my latest video – the first in a series of wallpapering advice.  Hope you find it and others helpful – if you do please give me a Like and feel free to subscribe to the channel. I think it notifies you when a new video comes online.

Also let me know if you have any requests for video subjects.
 

I hope you have found this newsletter helpful and interesting. Please visit my website at www.deantaylorproperty.co.uk or my Facebook page Dean Taylor Handyman & Property Services. And you can follow me on Twitter at @CallBaldy