I’m 18 & turned my parent’s garage into a flat – it didn’t cost me much & people are ‘so impressed’ with the results
AN 18 year old has revealed how he transformed his parent's garage into an entire flat for himself to live in.
Lewis Tattersall shared his garage renovation journey via a series of videos posted to his TikTok channel @lewistattersall._.
The joiner started off his work by removing the old roof and building a new vaulted roof.
He then took off the garage door and, with the help of a bricklayer, filled in the bottom half of the space where the door was and added a window to the top half.
Next, he got a plumber and an electrician to run pipes and wires through the floor and set about adding insulation to the flooring.
He then built stud walls and installed a kitchen and bathroom and added in wood flooring.
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The completed project looks amazing, and Lewis should be very proud of his work.
Whats more, it hardly cost him anything as his parents said that if he did all the work for free then they would fund the materials.
When Lewis moves into the flat, he will pay for rent, electricity and water bills.
The garage conversion has a fold out bed, to conserve space when it is not in use, and a small kitchen, complete with an oven, sink and cupboards.
A large TV is attached to the wall and beside the bed is a small, cosy looking sofa.
The flat looks spacious and nothing at all like a garage and there is a skylight in the roof for extra brightness.
Lewis said that the project took him six to seven months to complete and said that he worked on the garage in the evenings and at weekends.
The joiner added that he is now looking to convert other people's garages for them and encouraged TikTokers to message him if they want their garage converted.
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, more and more adults are struggling to get on the property ladder and are choosing to live in their family home for longer.
The 2021 census revealed that over half of people aged 23 and under still live with their parents.
The average price of a house in the UK was £285,000 as of March 2023, and this rises to a whopping £735,254, which is completely unaffordable for many.
Moreover, research from the Resolution Foundation found that the average first time buyer deposit tripled from 5% of the property price in 1989 to 15% in 2019.
This means that buyers have to save for far longer and use up a larger percentage of their earnings to get on the property ladder.
Recent research by property site Zoopla found that 42% of adults under 40 who do not already own homes have given up, due to the astronomical cost of buying a property.
This included 38% of people earning over £60,000 (almost double the average salary for the UK).
Lewis's TikTok has clearly left many openmouthed as it has racked up an impressive 3.1 million views in just two days.
TikTok users raced to the video's comments section to share their thoughts on the garage conversion.
One user said: "Not only have u done this but you’ve also added value to your parents house!
"Congrats man amazing job."
Another user added: "As a mother of an 18 year old son I congratulate you! Well done."
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A third user said: "So impressive".
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