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DADDY DAY CARE
I converted my garage in to a mini-bungalow for my dad after his divorce – it looks so fancy thanks to Lidl & Wickes
The price of this two-bed will make you kick yourself for forking out on a mortgage
WHILE most of our garages might be piled high with overflowing junk and neglected fitness equipment, Kitty Battams' is quite the opposite.
The super savy mum-of-three, from Melton Mowbrary, Leics has transformed her garage into a swish tiny home for her dad - and all on a tight budget.
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The self-contained spacious two-bedroom annexe is home to, Peter Christopherson, 70 , a band tour manager.
He’s been there since his divorce - but after he’s gone it’ll go to Kitty, 36, and 43-year-old web designer husband Ollie’s kids’ Bruno, 10, Nuala, three, and Rex, 10 months.
The couple are future proofing against rising inflation rates which they fear will leave their three priced out of the housing market.
Future proofing
“I beat the cost of living crisis by turning our garage into a flat for our kids so they can save for a house deposit,” Kitty tells Fabulous in an exclusive interview.
“I refused to pay full price. I stalked Wickes, Poundland, B&Q, Asda, and Lidl to cut costs to turn our garage into a cushion against rising rents and house prices.
“I even used ClubCard points and vouchers for some purchases.
“I taught myself how to lay flooring, use filler properly and install insulation by watching YouTube videos.
My parents converted their garage into a luxury apartment for me - it’s so spacious there was even room for a walk-in rainfall shower
“I haggled, hunted for bargains, learnt new skills and saved more than £30k on our garage conversion.”
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Supermarket sweep
According to Kitty people can’t believe the ‘high end’ conversion was done using supermarket purchases and end of run products.
“Buying a building kit, LED lighting strips and taps from Lidl’s middle aisle was one of my best money saving moments,” she says.
“I even bought other people’s discarded mixed paints and used them to add glamour to our garage makeover.
“People are shocked that I learnt to mix my own paints from leftovers to create the posh and spacious feel of our two bedroom garage revamp.”
She said people were “shocked” she had done much of the work - but says it was second nature.
“Ollie and I run our own business,” she says. “We know what it’s like to take on unusual projects. As a family of five, saving money is critical.
“We also wanted to ensure we did everything to hedge against rising house prices, the cost of living and give our kids, even though they are still in primary school, the chance to be able to save for a house deposit without leaving home.
Planning ahead
In February 2021 Kitty and her family moved from Petworth, West Sussex, to Leicestershire due to the comparatively high prices in the south.
The couple bought a five-bedroom detached house with a three-car garage, admitting they could never afford to buy a property like it in Petworth.
“When we bought our new home we knew it needed work,” she says. “It would have been double the price down south.
“We also wanted a house with a garage because we planned to convert it into an annexe or mini bungalow for my dad as he was downsizing after divorce and the kids when they got older.
"We did not want our kids to struggle to save for a house deposit like we did.
“Rent is astronomical, purchasing a house as a first-time buyer is near impossible today.
“We knew in 20 years’ time our kids would find it even more difficult. So, we decided to fix that problem by converting the garage.
“We wanted to future proof our kids' housing purchase chances, have a self-contained apartment my 70-year-old dad could live in or if we wanted, we could rent out.
“When the kids got older, they could live in it and save for a house deposit. It’s our generational method to solve the housing crisis.”
The couple factored in their £20k garage makeover main costs into the mortgage of their new home, carefully budgeting so the garage had all the mod cons.
She was questioned whether she could do it by friends and relatives so cheaply.
That’s when Kitty decided to prove the critics wrong.
“I had to learn very quickly how to stick to a budget and project manage,” she says.
"Once the main work which included plumbing, installing walls, running in central heating and power was complete I took over.”
Interior flair
Kitty used different wall colours, to distinguish between the kitchen and living area.
“I refused to pay £80 for a pot of high-end paint," she adds.
"I discovered posh paint stores have shelves of mixed paints people didn't collect or had ordered but refused to pay all in bespoke shades.
“I nabbed these for a tenner a pot saving up to £70 per colour. The colour choice was amazing. Discovering this bargain section was lifesaving.”
Kitty found a fashionable retro red and mustard yellows mixed in the discount section. She also bought a posh pre-mixed paint for £10 and then softened it with extra white paint at home creating her own unique colour for one of the bedrooms.
“People always comment on the paint,” she says. “It’s not a normal off the shelf colour and they assume it was a fortune,” she says.
She also used stripes in one bedroom to make it look bigger.
“I painted bold retro red and yellow stripes which look like 3D beans on the ceiling in the living area,” she says. “It looks expensive but was less than a tenner to do.
Kitty learnt to lay vinyl and installed the bathroom floor herself using an end of run floor she got at a 70 percent discount.”
According to Kitty most people who convert a garage into a flat or bungalow are worried about windows and the lack of natural light.
“We got creative,” she says. “The garage had three roll up doors. We left the door spaces and replaced them with floor to ceiling windows and a door. It made an amazing difference and gave the annexe a unique designer feel.
“That was something I had never thought about doing. Garage doors can easily be turned into windows for £1.5k.”
Home at last
In Easter 2023 Kitty’s dad moved into the two-bedroom garage conversion.
“Dad still works as a tour manager and is away for weeks at a time,” she says.
“It’s an economical alternative for him. It means the grandkids get to see Pop Pop regularly.
“Like many people I worry about my dad’s health and having him independent but living in our driveway is amazing.
Kitty says her garage conversion has allowed the three generations to all live ‘together but separately’.
“The conversion is self-contained,” she says. “We have rules that we knock on each other’s doors and don’t walk straight in. It's independent living on our doorstep.
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“Now I know when the kids are older, they can live in their own ‘flat’ and save for a house deposit.
“If mums and dads like us don’t start thinking ahead our kids will find themselves renting all their life. It’s genius.”
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