http://exforcespropertyservices.co.uk/

Ex Forces Property Services, manor park, Washington (2026)

22/08/2026

Broomshields Avenue Update 🏠🔨

We’ve had the FOI request back from Sunderland Council and it certainly made for some interesting reading.

As part of the historic issues around Broomshields Avenue, the council had previously requested specialist ground investigations around the properties, particularly Nos. 10, 12 and 14. Having that information has helped us get a much clearer picture of what has happened in the area over the years.

We’ve since had engineers out to inspect our property and review the information available. The proposed solution is a combination of piling and resin ground treatment, with the remedial work being backed by a long-term guarantee.

We’re also still waiting for the information requested from Northumbrian Water, which may give us some further detail on historic leaks, drainage issues or water-related ground movement in the area.

With the information we have so far, we’ve made the decision to crack on with preparing the rest of the house.

⚡ Full rewire completed – plenty of sockets throughout and some sleek new lighting added.

🍽️ Kitchen – under 10 years old and still in really good condition, with granite worktops and good-quality appliances, so thankfully there’s no need to rip out a perfectly decent kitchen.

🛁️ Bathroom – again, relatively modern and in very good condition, so only minor improvements needed.

🛏️ Bedrooms – both are a good size with fitted wardrobes. The wardrobes are solid but looked quite dated, so we’ve sanded them back and are going to give them a complete makeover with some nice panelling, decorative sockets, lighting and a fresh lick of paint.

🚗 Driveway – we’ve temporarily reinstated the existing block paving where it had dropped. Once the piling work has been completed, we plan to lift and rebuild the driveway properly with a geotechnical grid/reinforced base and finish it with a resin-bound surface, giving us a much better long-term solution.

There’s still plenty to do, but it’s good to finally be moving forward after spending so much time investigating what was actually going on underneath the property.

Hopefully the next update will start showing some of the transformation rather than surveys, reports and ground investigations! 😂🔨🏠

17/07/2026

Well, this week has been a bit of a challenge.

The football result obviously didn't help! Then, at 3am on Tuesday morning, I woke up in absolute agony with what turned out to be gout. My foot has been in bits ever since. I reckon the football, beer, and too much processed food finally caught up with me!

Anyway, rather than sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I've been hobbling around the garden and managed to add a nice little feature to complement the sauna.

There was a small space between the sauna and the seating area, and after removing one of the gabion baskets, I realised I could squeeze in an outdoor shower. But I thought I'd make it a bit more interesting and added a water dunk too!

Once the basket was dismantled, I lined the area with some old Yorkshire stone slabs I had lying around. I installed a post, braced it to the fence, picked up a couple of storage boxes, and used a toilet cistern mechanism to create the dunk tank. It took a few attempts (and a bit of head scratching!), but I eventually got it working just how I wanted.

To finish it off, we added some bamboo screening. You can take the boy out of the Army, but not the Army out of the boy… so I also dug out some old camouflage netting I had. It actually works really well, making the area feel much more private and enclosed.

I kept the shower nice and simple with a basic shower head, which will also be perfect for washing the dogs off after muddy walks.

Overall, I'm really pleased with how it's turned out. Now it's over to Mrs W to add the finishing touches! 😊

07/07/2026

The new project Broomshields Avenue – The Story So Far

I thought I'd give everyone an update on what has probably been our most challenging purchase to date.

This one was bought at auction by my business partner, Mark. When the hammer came down, I was absolutely buzzing because, on paper, it looked like we'd picked up a bargain. The reality was a little different.

I hadn't viewed the property or read the legal pack before the auction. Mark had, but with this being one of his first auction purchases, a few important warning signs were missed.

The biggest one? The house next door was badly cracked and surrounded by security fencing. The other neighbouring property was also standing empty. Looking back, they were pretty significant red flags.

Then there was the legal pack. It came with unusually high fees and only a 10-day completion period, which should also have set alarm bells ringing.

Since then, it's felt more like a detective job than a renovation. We've spent weeks contacting the council, Building Control, Northern Gas, local councillors and anyone else who might have information about the neighbouring property and any ongoing issues. We've submitted Freedom of Information requests and chased every lead we could think of, but getting clear answers hasn't been easy.

Yesterday we finally got inside. There are a few cracks throughout the property, but at this stage nobody can say whether they're cosmetic or something more serious. We've got a structural engineer booked to inspect it, along with a specialist resin company, so we'll let the experts tell us exactly what we're dealing with.

In the meantime, we'll probably start stripping the house out so it's ready for whatever the next step is.

So that's where we are. It could turn into a great refurbishment, or it could make more sense to move it on once we know exactly what we've got.

That's property investing. You don't just post the wins—you learn from the mistakes too. Hopefully by sharing the whole journey, someone else might avoid making the same one.

I'm very much an optimistic. I think we'll do ok and make a couple of quid.😃

I'll keep everyone updated as we know more.

03/07/2026

It's been a bit quiet on the Ex Forces Property Services page recently, but not because I've been sitting around!

I decided to take a couple of months away from taking on major projects to concentrate on a few things that had been on the list for a while.

The biggest one was finally building The Doghouse —a project I've wanted to do for years which has been a game changer for Team Wilson. Alongside that, I've been catching up on jobs at home and across our rental properties, as well as fitting in a few jobs for regular customers.

It's been a busy couple of months...

- A composite fence that certainly had its challenges!
- New fencing at one of our buy-to-let properties.
- a mate property renovation, including hanging oak doors, fitting architraves and skirting, installing a new kitchen with an unbelievably heavy granite worktop, and laying herringbone flooring throughout.
- Garden improvements, planters and water features.
- Finishing bits at home, including the kitchen ceiling, chasing in new sockets for a new TV (thanks Tyler! 😂) and getting ready for some wall panelling.

Sometimes it's nice to take a step back from the day-to-day, get your own projects finished and enjoy working at a slightly different pace.

That said... the break is over.

Back to it on Monday with a exciting new project. The new project has been quiet challenging so far getting it over the line but I'll do an update on that when we get the keys.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

07/05/2026

Another week, another load of hard graft done 🔨💪

The roof is now fully on and sealed up 👌
Soffits and fascias are fitted and looking smart, and the boys got the downlights installed in the soffits which finish it off nicely.

The lad also had a go with the router and put a really nice edge on the shelf under the dart board — came out spot on 👌

We picture framed the dart board area using some leftover timber from the shuttering, and I ordered a new surround which goes perfectly with the light surround the lad 3D printed 🔥

We also glued on the wine corks we’ve collected over the years around the surround… although it turns out I clearly don’t drink enough wine because we’ve ran out and need more 🍷🤣

I bought a few whiteboards for the mancave as well… which the Mrs obviously absolutely loves 😅

The old fridge finally gave up grafting, so I replaced it with a new one:
£480 down to £280 including delivery 👀
Cheers Indesit 🙌

I’ve also built some timber doors to go over one of the windows, as there’ll eventually be a TV mounted there facing out towards the outdoor seating area.

Outside is coming together nicely now too:

- Reclaimed Yorkshire stone all laid and grouted
- The old rough wall has been covered with composite fencing
- Framework is up for the canopy
- Opal roofing has now been ordered

And the cinema chairs… 😃
The uncomfortable sofa bed has officially been launched out, and the cinema seats are now wrapped in a red leather and looking class.

And finally… after what felt like forever, I managed to get hold of the cladding company and they’re delivering the remaining bits on Saturday 🙌🙌🙌

Slowly but surely it’s turning into exactly what I had pictured in my head all those years ago 🍻

25/04/2026

Well… today’s the day. The lad turns 18 🎉

We’ve been pushing hard to get the mancave finished in time for a proper shindig—and we got there.

All electrics are in and I’m really happy with how it’s turned out.
Industrial-style light over the pool table on dimmers, 14 downlights (also on dimmers), and LED lighting on the bar and dartboard—sets the place off nicely 👌

Picked up some absolute bargains on FB Marketplace again… Beerwulf sub and PerfectDraft for £200 and I’ve got to say, I’m impressed—proper pints at home now 🍺
Bar’s stocked, shelves filled, and a big mirror in for the gym area.

The boy even sorted the dartboard setup with a custom surround—nice little touch 🎯

Pool table (another FBMP find) plays spot on, leather sofa bed in, and a solid oak table to finish the seating area.

Upgraded the tech as well—new TV, amp, and ceiling speakers… sounds quality.
Ran a CAT6 and added a router so WiFi is solid too.

Even got a couple of Melody’s guitars mounted up with an amp on the wall—she can just flick a switch and play 🎸

Overall, buzzing with how it’s turned out.
A lot of hard graft—but 100% worth it.

15/04/2026

Another few long days on this one… and me and the lad have been absolutely knocking it out the park 💪

I’ll admit — I’ve been that busy I keep forgetting to take photos of the progress .

Nothing much has moved on externally but everything inside has been falling into place.

I was back and forth on whether to go plasterboard finish inside or try something different…
Ended up finding a local mill doing panelling to order, so bit the bullet and went for a timber pine finish. Plan is to clear matt varnish it — should look class when it’s all done and I love the fresh wood smell.

Ceiling’s been drylined and I threw a coat of magnolia on as a base…
Liked it that much it ended up staying magnolia with a dew extra coats.

The Mrs chose the flooring which is now down and looking spot on. She got good taste.😃

And it’s a good job I live with Tyne and Wear’s second strongest woman 💪🤣

The running machine and weights are now all shifted from the office into the mancave — and it’s finally starting to look exactly how I’ve had it planned in my head for years.

Tomorrow though… tools down.
Off away for a well-earned weekend with the lads 🍻

Then it’s back to it next week for the final push…
All in time for the boy’s big 18th 🎉

11/04/2026

Another busy week and some serious progress made

We’ve now got the roof on but not quite watertight yet. Facias, soffit and drainpipe to do but progressing.
Went for a warm roof build-up:

22mm OSB

75mm PIR (Kingspan)

11mm OSB

Rubber roof finish

Inside is now fully insulated — 60mm PIR in the walls and floor, all sealed up tight.

The penine conservatory i bought years ago has been dusted off and the windows have been installed, cleaned, and looking spot on, although I’ve managed to misplace the blind clips 🙄
£25 for 10 replacements… painful 🤢

All first fix electrics are complete too — sockets everywhere (no extension leads in this place 😅).

One thing I’ll say… going full throttle on this when I saw material prices creeping up was the right call.

PIR boards already up around 15%

Cladding going up another 7% Monday

Glad I’ve got most of the big materials on site now (minus a few bits missing from delivery… standard!).

Next up:

Ceiling going in tomorrow

Then onto the Karndean flooring I picked up today

Plus a few Facebook Marketplace bargains I’ll show once they’re in 👀

The big question is…
Can I get this finished for the lad’s 18th in 2 weeks? 😬

Small issue… I’m away next weekend with the lads for a bit of chaos in 🇲🇩🍻

Let’s see what happens…

08/04/2026

Today I’ll mostly be baking in the sun ☀️ 🍅

Plan of attack is getting the roof insulation on before the weather inevitably turns again… because let’s be honest, it will 🌧️

It’s been full-on with this project lately — non-stop from morning till night — but we’re making serious progress now.

Once I get this roof watertight, I can finally take a step back and start tackling the ever-growing admin pile that’s been building up in the background 😬

For now though… it’s tools out, head down, and make the most of the dry weather while it lasts 💪

05/04/2026

Well… the great British weather has definitely had its say this week 🌧️💨

I could really do with a couple of dry days and no gale-force winds to get the roof sorted, but it’s been a constant battle with materials getting battered all over the garden.

I managed to get the rafters on, but had to put the roof on hold — so I cracked on with insulating the walls and running the electrics instead.

All was going well… until I realised the rafters weren’t fixed quite right 😬
So it was a case of stripping back the top insulation and calling in the SME… Big Andy 🙌

He got the rafters sorted properly and even popped the first few sheets of OSB on — and it’s already looking sharp 👌

Massive shoutout as well to friends and family who’ve jumped in to help:

Foaming insulation gaps

Running cables

Taping seams

Cleaning frames

Making brews😃

Makes a huge difference having good people around you 💪

I’ve been going flat out from dawn till dusk, and I won’t lie — it’s starting to take its toll…
Back’s sore, hamstrings are tight, hands are in bits… but it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Today though — tools down.
Time for a bit of rest, a few social drinks, and to recharge 🍻

Back on it soon.

Ex Forces Property Services

22/08/2026

17/07/2026

07/07/2026

03/07/2026

07/05/2026

25/04/2026

15/04/2026

11/04/2026

08/04/2026

05/04/2026

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