Converting a Workshop into a Country Home

It is easy to feel slightly envious of Dave and Liz Thompson. They live in the heart of the Lake District in a spacious 1840s cobblestone house, full of character, with views of mountains and fells. The house was recently valued at approximately half a million pounds, but they have paid off their mortgage and own an adjoining holiday apartment which provides a healthy additional income. The Thompsons appear to have it all, but it hasn't been easy. They have spent years labouring and scrimping to achieve such an idyllic lifestyle, tackling almost all of the building work themselves.

"We moved into the house six months after purchase, living in just two bedrooms, and managed with just a microwave and plug-in hot plate. All our washing up was done in the shower," says Dave. "An old exterior staircase provided temporary access to our living quarters - where we stayed for two years. It was not particularly comfortable, but we viewed it as an adventure."

The Thompsons owned a guest house in the market town of Keswick in Cumbria and acquired the former boat-building workshop in 1996, after seeing it advertised in a local estate agents. "We decided to make an offer of £65,000, subject to obtaining planning permission for a dwelling," says Liz. "Permission already existed for light industrial use, which meant that Dave could run his joinery business from home, and the quiet location close to town suited us perfectly."

Dave and Liz had a goal in mind: to convert the buildings for just £45,000 - the profit from the sale of their house - which would rid them of their mortgage. Driven by this desire they were determined to complete most of the hands-on work themselves, and tackled around 90% of the project including drawing up the plans. An engineer was employed to make the necessary structural calculations for building regulations approval.

The 1840s cobblestone building had always been used as a workshop, and a two storey brick store was added during the 1900s. "We decided to use the ground floor of the older half as a workshop, and to position the living room on the first floor of the store to make the most of the views," Dave explains. "We wanted spacious rooms rather than a rabbit warren of smaller spaces." The bathroom and two bedrooms are also upstairs, with the kitchen/dining room, third bedroom and cloakroom on the ground floor.

The property is situated in a very sensitive location, within a conservation area, and plans for the conversion were submitted to the Lake District National Park, which controls any development requiring planning permission. Understandably, expensive local materials were specified: green Buttermere roofing slate, cast iron guttering, timber framed windows and slate sills. Liz and Dave undertook meticulous research, seeking advice from local building control and the National Park planning and conservation officers, and searching the local area for similar old buildings to emulate. Everything from the colour of the windows to the style of the bargeboards was considered to ensure that the house sat well in its surroundings.

"We were happy to comply with the planning conditions which included no new window openings," says Liz. "Using reclaimed materials was time consuming as many of them needed cleaning, but actually saved us money and meant that the house looks as though it has always stood here."

Dave spent his days working as a joiner and would then return home and work on the conversion with Liz until 10.30pm each night. The couple were exhausted but, after six months, had prepared the two bedrooms and shower room above the workshop. They sold their guest house, paid off the bridging loan and moved in, hoping to complete the rest of the project as quickly as possible.

"Access onto the site is down a narrow lane, which meant that we couldn't have a skip, so we spent £1,600 on a tipper truck which we used to transport rubbish and materials up and down the lane," says Liz.

From the outside the building appears little changed, although a great deal of work was necessary to create this impression. The solid brick walls were bulging and needed to be dismantled and rebuilt. This required the roof to be supported on acro props while the front and back walls were constructed. Two internal concrete block walls act as bracings on either side of the new staircase.

"The front of the house was open to the elements while we were living upstairs," says Dave, who created insulated cavity walls by inserting a Thermalite blockwork inner skin. Internal stud walls accommodate additional polyurethane foam insulation and help to ensure that the house is extremely energy efficient. The double glazed windows have handcrafted timber frames, and Dave even handmade the hinges for the lounge windows to ensure that they fold back fully to maximise the views.

Funds may have been tight, but Dave and Liz have managed to introduce a number of luxury items to the house, giving the impression of a far more expensive project. "We first read about underfloor heating in Homebuilding & Renovating, and decided that it sounded like a really good idea," Liz remarks. "Not only is the house extremely cosy, with low running costs and no draughts, but there are also no radiators to create hot spots or take up wall space. Most of the floors are simply sanded original floorboards with rugs, and we moved huge slate flagstones from the workshop into the kitchen which look stunning and work well with the heating system."

The Thompsons were lucky enough to salvage several items from the site, including some oars found in the wood store which have been made into handrails for the main staircase. Dave made the front door from an old pitch pine plank, and the addition of a traditional Lakeland porch adds to the charm of the front faade.

Once the Thompsons had completed the main house they took the decision to build a detached 40m² workshop/garage and convert Dave's former ground floor workshop into a luxury self catering unit, which can command £350 per week.

"We had fun with the apartment," says Liz. "Everything is modern, with clean lines and new furniture totally different from the rest of the house. We fitted a beech kitchen and maple flooring, and the underfloor heating was even laid beneath the shower."

Inevitably, considering the original £45,000 budget, the couple overspent by £20,000 - relying on earnings and their overdraft to complete the conversion. Even so, they managed to create a home valued at £500,000 for which they have no mortgage, and are now looking forward to a VAT refund, which will help to balance the books.

"The hardest part has been earning a living at the same time as tackling the building work," says Dave. "It would actually have also been a far easier task to build from scratch. Living in the house meant that we became used to the unfinished rooms and found it increasingly difficult to motivate ourselves - although we are already toying with the idea of moving on to another project, so we obviously haven't learnt our lesson!"

To view more short films about Readers' Projects visit the Homebuilding Home Movies page

Further reading:

• A DIY Barn Conversion
• Converting a Former Maltings
• Find out more about the Homebuilding & Renovating Awards