A couple immediately feel successful after 10 years and £ 300,000 spent by transforming a 'smelly' and dilapidated toilet block in an idyllic house with an incredible sea view.
The unique renovation story of Alan and Elaine Taylor started with an ignorant walk along Barmouth Seafront in the northwest of Wales.
During their walk, the couple saw a small and deserted toilet block just a stone's throw from the sea.
“We have a love for Wales, a love for barouth and a love for the ocean,” Elaine, 53, told Wales Online.
'We were on holiday in Barmouth and the council had a signed up for sale on the building. We thought it would be great because of the proximity of the sand dunes and the sea.
'And what an opportunity to renovate something and improve the area – take something that is unloved, unused and make something very nice of it.
'It had been closed for years and it was terrible inside, it has been in essence for years and everything was still there, the toilets and everything.
“It was very sandy because it had succeeded in entering the building from the beach and it was very stinking.”
The Taylors spent in the previous months with a sharp eye on the website of the municipality, waiting for the swamp to come on the beach on the market.
In the end it did that, and in 2015 the couple insured the site by the sea for a blind bid of £ 33,000.
The unique real estate trip from Alan and Elaine Taylor started when they noticed that this unused toilet block was for sale
The couple had a number of problems and tried to build their dream house in Barmouth, northwest wales
The following year the couple received the planning approval of the council with building that started in 2017 – but not before the couple encountered a number of obstacles.
“While the toilet block is on the beach, the planners wanted us to consult Natural Resources Wales,” Elaine added.
'Our vision was all the time that we would renovate the toilet block, including the slate roof, but NRW wanted us to increase the floor level by about a meter for flooding limit. So when the floor level was increased, the roof level should be increased.
'That is when it all changed completely, because we had to place completely different plans at that time, the vision completely changed.
“And when we discussed it with the planners, they said that if we couldn't keep the characteristics of the building, they wanted it to be a brand new, very modern -looking building, they didn't think we could replicate the old one.”
Further problems arose when the structure began, forcing the couple to demolish the property by hand to prevent his foundations from being damaged.
And because Alan and Elaine protected the property through a blind bid, they could never view the toilet block before completing – which caused even more challenges.
Alan and Elaine said the 'proximity' of the block to the sand and the sea made it the perfect location
After 10 'long' years, the couple eventually transformed the 'smelly' toilet block into their dream house
Due to the working conditions, Elaine and Alan have now mentioned their real estate on the market for £ 295,000
The hiding place with one bedroom is described as 'The Perfect Holiday' Home
The house offers an incredible view of the coastline and a plush, unique interior design
Elaine and Alan called the building 'Hafan Y Traeth', which translates into Sandy Haven in English
Elaine and Alan bought the building without a formal view and came across a litany of problems on their journey
The building consists of three main rooms – a main reception and kitchen, a bedroom and a private shower room
Elaine said: 'When it was for sale, we could not go into the building and so it was a blind bid, so we assumed it would have electric because it was also a toilet block and water.
'After we bought it, we discovered that the electricals were connected to the street lamps and unfortunately with the water once the pipes had passed a certain age, you have to replace them. So the pavement had to be excavated to install electrically and replace all the sanitary facilities, so that the project just grew and grew. '
Eventually, after about 10 years and an estimated £ 300,000 flushed an renovation hole, the couple was able to complete the incredible transformation.
Now, due to Elaine's circumstances, the couple offered the real estate for sale after what Elaine described as a 'long journey'.
“It was really a real work of love, it has been a long journey,” she added.
'But I think it is so important that people now find buildings that are unused and unloved and make them something great, to give them a goal again.
“We kept making a joke that if things could go wrong, things went wrong, but we wanted to see through it, even though there were a few times we thought we thought about packing it.”
Offers an incredible view of the coast and sea, the real estate with one bedroom, called Hafan Y Traeth (Sandy Haven in English), is mentioned by Homes of Wales for £ 295,000 and described as a 'unique coastal retreat'.
It consists of three main rooms – a main reception and kitchen dinner, bedroom and a suite shower – and offers an idyllic view of the coast.
'Newly renovated and constructed from the ground with the best available materials. Located right on the tip of the Barmouth coast, this hiding place with a bedroom would be a perfect holiday home for anyone who wants to get away from the bustle of life, “the list reads.
