How to quickly create a basement on a budget

Social media sensation Darren Wilks, aka the_basementman1, is creating a furore in the world of subterranean construction with his modular business, Underground Pods, which offers a quicker and cheaper way of creating a basement than traditional techniques.

Despite his TikTok videos attracting up to a million views, Wilks is no feckless influencer, though — he has three decades of experience in the basement industry. Recent projects include a top-end cellar conversion in southwest London and a vast rear basement conversion in a grade II listed building in Bushey, Watford, which was featured in series two of Tinie Tempah's Extraordinary Extensions on Channel 4.

Wilks, who had the idea for his Underground Pods about seven years ago, says that "people love basements" but are held back