Iconverted my parents' garage into my first flat for less than £15,000
- Josh Jones, 19, from Tunbridge Wells transformed his parent’s garage for cheap
- READ MORE: We bought a home untouched since the 1960s and transformed it ourselves… it was a journey through time
A savvy teenager who couldn’t afford to move out has transformed his parents’ garage into a cosy first flat by doing most of the work himself and snapping up bargains from Facebook Marketplace.
Landscaper Josh Jones, 19, from Tunbridge Wells transformed his parents’ garage into a ‘dream home’ for himself and his girlfriend – and people are impressed.
In a series of clips recently posted to his TikTok account @joshjonesacepaving, the tradie explained his desire for his own space in spite of his limited finances.
Over the course of eight months, he carried out the vast majority of the refurbishment himself, although he did outsource the electrics, plastering and plumbing.
The impressive transformation cost substantially less than a deposit to buy his own house outright, setting him back just shy of £15,000.
Josh Jones, 19, from Tunbridge Wells took matters into his own hand when he transformed his parents’ garage into a beautiful cosy home for himself and his girlfriend
A tradie by profession, it didn’t take much for the landscaper to get stuck into the renovation
It cost him £14,700 in total, a far cry from how much he’d have to fork out on a mortgage
Cost break down
- Roof – £1,150
- Drainage – £450
- Front door and window – £470
- Plumbing – £750
- Fixing hole in roof – £500
- Electrics – £3,750
- Bathroom – £570
- Kitchen – £500
- Flooring – £520
- Decorating – £700
- Miscellaneous – £300
- Insulation – £1,450
- Skip removal – £500
- Other costs – around £400
Part of the garage conversion process saw Josh raise the roof, which came at a cost of £1,150.
He sold his parents garage door for £50 before bricking up the space, and bought a front door and window for £470.
Josh also put in a stud wall and insulated the walls, with free materials from a friend.
He paid £750 for the plumbing and spent £500 fixing a hole in the roof.
The thrifty teen also secured a few bargains during the refurb, using Facebook Marketplace to buy a sink, washing machine and second-hand bathroom tiles.
Their home is now complete with a bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen.
In another clip, he disclosed that he forked out £3,750 for electrics, £570 on the bathroom, £500 on the kitchen, and £520 on all the flooring.
Pleased with his hard graft, he spent £700 decorating the minimalistic place, and £300 on miscellaneous bits and bobs.
TikTok users were quick to praise the tradie who impressively transformed his parents’ garage into a home for less than £15,000
Insulation was another huge expense – an eye-watering £1,450, and skip removal cost him £500, all totalling up to £14,700.
In the comments, the landscaper confirmed that he had to get planning permission, but described it as a ‘smooth, 1 week’ process.
TikTok users were quick to praise Josh for his innovation and self-starter mentality.
One user penned: ‘To be fair it’s a win win. Helps you with your own space and puts value in your parents’ house which will eventually be yours anyway’.
Another wrote: ‘Would be nice to do this for our kids who can’t afford to buy’.
A different user said: ‘Good for you! Looks great. Your own space to grow’.
A fellow admirer added: ‘Nice work. You’re a legend, mate.’
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