A COUPLE who purchased a NatWest bank for just £32,000 have transformed it into their new home, but they wont touch the enormous safe dominating their living room.
Ryan Green, 28, and his wife Nicole, 27, have turned heads by transforming an old NatWest bank into a stunning home.
The couple, hailing from Penmaenmawr, Conwy, North Wales, snagged the former bank for a bargain £32,000 in February 2022.
They then embarked on a renovation journey that would see their £60,000 investment breathe new life into the derelict building.
Ryan, a property developer with roots deeply embedded in the village, said: “I grew up in the village, and the bank had been shut down for ages.
“It was such a cool building, and it was going for so cheap – it was a no-brainer.”
The former bank, which had been sitting empty for nearly a decade, presented quite the challenge.
With a tight budget and a vision, Ryan and Nicole rolled up their sleeves and set to work.
The renovation wasn’t a walk in the park.
They faced a massive overhaul: installing a new bathroom and kitchen, replacing eight double-glazed windows, and tearing out 75 per cent of the walls.
They even had to replace two roofs and tackle significant damp issues, rebuilding an entire wall along the way.
Despite the hurdles, the couple persevered.
Ryan said: “It was just an empty shell.
“We had to install new plasterboard, new ceilings, new heating, rewiring, and a fire alarm. It’s been a big learning curve.”
Their hard work has paid off – the transformed property is now valued at a whopping £250,000.
But while the renovation has been a triumph, one peculiar detail remains: the giant safe that occupies a significant portion of their living room.
The property developer said: “I won’t touch it. It’s part of the charm of the place. It’s a bit of an eyesore, but it’s a reminder of the building’s past.”
Local residents are thrilled to see the once-dilapidated building revived.
Ryan added: “I know most people in the village, and everyone seems happy to see it come back to life.”
The Green’s story is a testament to the potential hidden in forgotten spaces.
And they’re not the only ones to look for homes in unconventional places.
One man revealed he’s saved himself thousands now that he doesn’t have to pay rent or bills after converting his shed into an off-the grid home.
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, more and more adults are struggling to get on the property ladder and are choosing to look for cheaper homes in unconventional spaces.
The 2021 census revealed that over half of people aged 23 and under still live with their parents.
The average price of a house in the UK was £285,000 as of March 2023, and this rises to a whopping £735,254, which is completely unaffordable for many.
Moreover, research from the Resolution Foundation found that the average first time buyer deposit tripled from 5 per cent of the property price in 1989 to 15 per cent in 2019.
This means that buyers have to save for far longer and use up a larger percentage of their earnings to get on the property ladder.
Recent research by property site Zoopla found that 42 per cent of adults under 40 who do not already own homes have given up, due to the astronomical cost of buying a property.
Meanwhile, others who have managed to save for a property can find themselves struggling with planning permission to create their dream homes.
One fuming builder told how he got his hilarious revenge after being denied planning permission to convert an old pizza takeaway into a three-storey, seven bedroom.
