From an unloved garage to luxury bathroom – this is one DIY project you have to see

Need more rooms but can't afford/face moving? This garage conversion might be just the inspiration you're looking for.

When couple Kelly and Sean Magness, from Wales, found out they were pregnant with their second child they knew they needed more space. But with a child on the way, moving wasn't really an option. Instead the couple decided to rejig their home, to make space for the new arrival – and save some money in the process.

The room they decided to sacrifice was the garage. And choosing to doing it themselves, they saved a small fortune.

Related: Loft conversion ideas – how to create extra rooms in your attic space

The results are this amazing garage conversion, which the couple shared with Latestdeals.

Garage conversion before

'We knew we would need another bedroom so instead of paying thousands for planning permission and an extension which we definitely couldn’t afford, we decided to move the bathroom to the internal garage,' Kelly says. 'And turn the old bathroom into a bedroom.'

'We had a few companies come round to quote at the start, I don’t quite know what we were expecting? But one was £14,000 and another was £11,000 – many moons away from what we could afford.'

Faced with a lack of space, an impending birth and a mindful budget the couple bravely decide to 'wing it', as Kelly says, and do it themselves. Watching YouTube tutorials to learn as they went on.

Kelly explained, 'I follow so many home accounts on social media and love seeing transformations. This is exactly where my inspiration came from – Instagram, DIY pages on social media, Pinterest and home programmes on the telly.'

Removing walls

We had to get all the necessary checks done first. My husband had to raise the floor level, which was great to allow us to hide the pipes. A window had to be cut in as there wasn’t one in there. And the double garage doors had to be bricked up.

'A huge wall had to be knocked down to utilise the corridor behind the garage, which leads to the rest of the house. All water needed to be plumbed in and connected to the drainage outside. All this is before we could even start to build and design the bathroom. This is where the bulk of the cost went.

In order to make sure everything was done properly, Kelly drafted in the help of friends. She even contacted fellow renovators, on social media, to ask for tips.

'We paid friends, one who is a plasterer to plaster and one an electrician to come in to help', she says.' We had a tiler, who was a friend of the plasterer, to tile and my husband did everything else.'

The bathroom reveal...

Talking of the plans Kelly say, 'I knew I wanted a freestanding bath, so I could clean around it.' Alongside that they wanted a walk-in shower, double sinks and a hidden toilet system.'

The DIY duo scanned the internet daily to find the cheapest deals on bathrooms.

My advice to anyone looking to renovate themselves is 100 per cent go for it! But be realistic and plan. I’d also say don’t buy expensive materials, have fun and don’t be afraid to ask for help.’

Here’s how much it cost

Bath, free standing tap and shower head, double sinks, double taps, toilet and cistern and flush, ceiling shower head and handheld shower and wall dials , £1400, Victoria Plum
Mirrored Shower Screen, £170, Victoria Plum
Tiles, £500, B&Q
Sink unit and worktop, £300, B&Q
New window, £200
New door & fittings, £100
Spotlights and automatic light sensor, £100
Mould resistant and wipeable paint, £80, Dulux
Large white & grey cabinet, £260, Ikea
£3110 (main spends)

'We didn’t start off with a budget,' explains Kelly. 'We planned to buy some things or put a bit of money aside each payday, for items or tradesmen as we knew we had over a year to complete.'

Related: Incredible bathroom makeover for under £500 – DIY done right!

Kelly says of the garage conversion, 'It did not come without its problems and struggles. But overall it’s saved us thousands of pounds and brought us so closer as a family, because we all got involved in even the kids.'