Yahoo Finance Property: 8 cool conversions to call home
Design-led conversions bridge the gap between old and new, blending original features with 21st century additions to create unique homes in repurposed redundant buildings such as factories, warehouses, churches and mills.
All these converted properties have given a fresh lease of life as individual houses or luxury apartments and are currently for sale, so why not try them out for size?
1. Ixworth, Suffolk, £395,000
The Chambers is one of four freshly-converted houses formed from Robert Peel House, a former village police station.
The spacious first floor kitchen/living/dining room was previously the building’s courthouse.
One of the three bedrooms and the laundry room/cloakroom were carved out of the ground floor detention cells. Find out more info from Bedfords.
2. North Clifton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, £700,000
You don’t have to be a trainspotter to appreciate the merits of The Station, a converted late Victorian redbrick railway station with a contrasting extension.
Its hub is a contemporary open plan kitchen/living area, and three bedrooms and two bathrooms with vast arched windows are housed in the original section.
The disused train track that runs past the house is now a walking and cycle trail. Available through Finest Properties.
3. Canary Wharf, London E14, £945,000
A roomy first floor apartment in Grade I listed West India Quay, once a warehouse where sugar, tea, rum and other goods imported from the West Indies were stored.
It consists of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a guest cloakroom, a huge open plan kitchen/living/dining room opening out to a balcony overlooking the water at North Dock, and has exposed brickwork and rustic timber beams throughout.
Swotting up on your local knowledge will be easy, as the Museum of London Docklands is in the same building. Via Foxtons.
4. Peterculter, Aberdeen, offers over £1.2m
B-listed Upper Kennerty Mill is a historic, water-powered grain mill that’s been fully renovated and converted into a sustainable family home with a modern extension.
The two water wheels have been retained, and it includes four bedrooms, a lounge/library, an inviting whisky snug and a wow factor all-in-one kitchen and dining area with a central island.
There is also a glass viewing floor that looks down on to the restored mill machinery below. Find out more from Galbraith.
5. Wendover, Buckinghamshire, £1.4m
Move to The Windmill and you won’t have to worry about joining a gym as its five flights of stairs provide a pretty good workout.
Believed to date from the end of the 18th century, this tapering octagonal five storey tower capped with an ogee-shaped dome is among the largest of its kind in the country.
The kitchen and dining room are on the ground floor, and there are 360 degree views from the second floor quadruple aspect living room.
Five bedrooms are arranged over the top three levels, and the vaulted loft room contains many of the original workings. Through Tim Russ.
6. Spitalfields, London E1, £2.15m
At over 2,500 square feet, this apartment in a 1930s textile factory really is something special.
It was bought as a shell by the current owner, who has turned it into a beautiful and versatile home, spread across three levels.
The ground floor comprises an amazing living and entertaining space with double height ceilings, full length windows and a gallery, leading out to a decked garden.
Two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a guest WC on the first floor are accessed via a spiral staircase, and the kitchen and dining room are in the basement.
However, the walls are all floating so the new owner has the option to play with the layout. Contact Sotheby’s International Realty.
7. Torquay, Devon, £3.7m
No expense has been spared in turning a neglected Victorian High Gothic church into a spectacular five-bedroom family home, known as Trinity House.
The main living space, complete with soaring ceilings, gothic arches, stained glass windows and colour-changing lighting occupies the central nave, from where two symmetrical staircases rise majestically to the first floor.
A bar and snooker room are in the chancel area, and another, hidden staircase leads to the restored tower which enjoys views over the harbour. Get in touch with John Couch.
8. Kensington, London W8, £5.95m
This former artist’s studio has been cleverly transformed into a four-bedroom house set over six storeys and as you’d expect, it’s filled with light.
There’s a kitchen/dining room on the ground floor, a cinema room and bedroom with ensuite on the lower ground, a games room in the basement, and a reception room on the first floor.
The rest of the bedrooms are on the upper two levels, together with a roof terrace at the top. From Knight Frank.
