Weird but wonderful

You can make a home from almost any building you like. TV property expert Michael Holmes visits some truly unusual conversions

Stone water tower, Lymm, Cheshire

A local landmark for nearly150 years, the five-storey, 33m stone water tower ranks alongside a former nuclear bunker, an underground reservoir and even a former public lavatory as one of Britain’s most unusual conversion projects – proof that there’s no limit to what Britain’s imaginative renovators will take on and call home.

Its creator, television producer Russell Harris, used to walk his dog by the octagonal-shaped tower. So when it came on the open market in 1997, he impulsively put in a bid of £138,000.

Russell’s initial renovation budget was £75,000 – a calculation that turned out to be hopelessly wrong. “First, we thought we’d build a cottage and have the water tower in the grounds,” says Russell. “Then we considered a wrap-around extension. With help from a local architect, Julian Baker, we settled on a minimalist two-storey glass and concrete annexe, with five upper floors in the tower.”

It took eight years to bring the project to fruition, a journey that became a personal odyssey for Russell, as he waded through planning battles and more obstacles than he could ever possibly have envisaged. Happily, the result is a truly spectacular, multi-award-winning home.

Wrapped around a cosy central ‘winter’ living room at the base of the water tower is a vast split-level ground floor living space, with tall ceilings and minimal styling.

The main family bedrooms are all on the first floor of the contemporary annexe, while the fully restored tower contains the master bedroom and its spectacular mezzanine en suite bathroom.

Ascending the tower’s spiral staircase, there’s a library and study, and a guest bedroom suite. Finally, there’s the roof terrace, complete with hot tub and amazing views of the Cheshire countryside.

“At times I wished we had never bought the tower,” says Russell. “We sacrificed so much… family holidays and more, as we invested every penny. But it was all worth it in the end.”

Ellis Williams Architects, ewa.co.uk

More unique conversions

The lochside steading, Kilconquhar, Fife

It takes imagination to see the potential in a pair of derelict stone animal shelters and to decide to call them home, but that’s exactly what Lesley and Guy Mace chose to take on. The result is a highly individual loch-edge conversion in a picturesque village in Fife.

The four-bedroom property was stripped back to just the original walls at one stage, and a new single-storey flat-roofed extension was added to link the two buildings, along with a brand-new wing.

Although they weren’t allowed to add any new window openings in the original buildings, the Maces were able to include a wall of glazing at one end of the new wing, so that both their kitchen and first-floor living room and balcony have spectacular views out over the loch. The 600sqm conversion was undertaken by a small local building firm and cost around £630,000.

pollockhammondarchitects.co.uk

The brick windmill, Reigate, Surrey

Once a common sight across many parts of the country, few windmills are still in existence. Those that have survived have only done so because a new use has been found for what is a redundant, but irreplaceable, piece of our agricultural heritage.

Wray Common windmill, near Reigate in Surrey, dates back to 1824 and was saved by chef and restaurateur Paul Baker and his wife Helen. They have since turned the original solid brick tower, and the adjoining granary, into an unusual six-storey home.

For Paul, who bought the windmill at auction, it was love at first sight. “It was a wreck, but there was something magical about it,” he says. As a Grade II* listed building (one grade behind cathedrals and stately homes), work on the 218sqm project took two years and was closely monitored by English Heritage. The windmill cap had to be taken away for extensive repairs.

At around £2,270 per sqm, “it cost more than double what we expected and has consumed every spare minute of our time,” says Paul. “But we’re extremely proud of what we’ve achieved.”

The stone flax mill, Crieff, Perthshire

Like so many 19th-century industrial buildings, Locherlour Mill, near Crieff in Perthshire, had fallen silent long before finding a new lease of life as a home.

The original water wheel, fully restored and visible from the enormous open-plan kitchen-dining area, now produces electricity instead of linen and helps to power a stylish and modern energy-efficient home.

“When I bought Locherlour Mill back in December 2007, it was just an empty shell with a leaky roof,” says John Burke, who managed the 600sqm project himself and spent a hefty £600,000. “It’s a big old property, and you’d expect it to have some chilly corners, but it’s now unbelievably cosy.”

The kitchen features an island, stretching more than four metres in length, and opens on to a double-height dining area, large enough to entertain 22 guests. It’s also overlooked by a first-floor gallery that is used as a library.

A spacious lounge, a playroom, a light-filled orangery with views over the Perthshire hills, and a home cinema completes the transformation.

james-denholm.co.uk

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