Garage conversion on a large scale

14:05:20 5th May 2010

Outdoor buildings can be converted into dens for men to 'retreat' too but a couple in Kent have turned an old garage into a family home.

Johnna Giles and her architect husband Bob have adapted and extended the structure of the garage to meet their family's needs over the last 30 years, reports the Telegraph.

The first garage was a three-bedroom house and office space but this has since been developed into a six bedroom house that can be transformed into two separate homes if some internal doors are closed.

The renovated garage has been named the Carriage House and it was bought at auction in 1977 for just £12,000.

Johnna Giles told the newspaper: "At first I thought Bob had gone mad – but you could see the potential. You can change a building, but you can't change a view."

She added that the scenery outside consists of rolling farmland and that her two daughters had enjoyed growing up in the countryside.

Originally the couple spent £25,000 on transforming the garage over six months in the 1970s but the doubling in size of the property cost £110,000 in 2003.

Uncle Wilco, a blogger on readersheds.co.uk, thinks that a garden shed can add value to a home. Renovating a garage into a family home worth £775,000 is more unusual.

Find out more information about garden sheds.