I couldn’t afford a mortgage so converted by dad’s old barn into my first home – and it even has a mini library
Getting on the property ladder is tough for a first timer buyer, with sky high mortgage rates and house prices.
But one young woman has revealed how her parents let her convert their outhouse into her dream bachelorette pad, even helping her to physically renovate the property.
Isobel Perl, 28, said her dad had been using the barn in the garden as office space for his work as a therapist before they came up with the ingenious plan to create her own home.
She said: “My dad made a huge mistake.
“There is no DIY project that is too big for him but I think this barn conversion probably did tip him over the edge.
“Using all the money I saved for a house deposit and every ounce of spare time between myself and my dad, we converted what used to be their office into a house for me.”
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She explained that the downstairs area, which was one big room, was converted to an open plan kitchen and living space, using her budget of £25,000.
“But upstairs needed a lot more TLC as we needed to build internal walls so that we could create an en suite and a walk-in wardrobe,” Isobel said.
“And this was the part where me and my dad realised we had probably bitten off more than we could chew.
“Especially when we decided to do the tiling on the hottest day of the year, plus the fact I decided to buy 13kg of 60 by 90 tiles. But that’s another story for another day.”
Isobel, who runs her own skincare brand, has now moved in and on TikTok, she showed off the huge kitchen-living room, vast landing, new bedroom and fancy en suite.
“There’s more DIY to come this year,” she said.
“I’m so grateful for my parents letting me do this and I will cherish the memories of building this with my dad forever.”
Isobel’s followers were full of praise for the project - but also her dad’s support to help his daughter create a home.
Sophie Bamford said: “This is amazing. And so nice to be so close to family but still have your own space.”
DaFox83 added: “What a legend your dad is and a grafter.”
But some were cynical, with Em asking: “Wait… what happens when you want to move or they sell and you’ve spent all that money on their property?”
Isobel replied: “I hope they will never move but if they do - I get back the money I invested and hope by that point I’ll be earning enough income to get a mortgage on my own properly.”
