She Converted An Old Garage Into A Shabby-Chic Dream Home!

I want to say a huge thank you to love and pies for sponsoring this video and helping to make what we do possible love and pies is a super cute an absolutely fun baking themed game you play as the main character who after the mysterious disappearance of her mother and a tragic fire is left to rebuild the Family Cafe together with your friends you investigate your mother's disappearance while maybe also finding true love along the way the main gameplay is also really satisfying you match ingredients to create baked goods that you serve to customers to collect tips with the money earned you redecorate all the unique rooms in the cafe I've especially enjoyed the design aspect of this game as you get to renovate your Cafe and style it just the way you like it the story is really sweet and engaging and this is an extremely relaxing game to play be careful though because once you get into this game it's hard to put down give love irees a go and find out for yourself the game is free to download just click the link in the description of this video remember supporting our show sponsors helps to keep us creating new content so download the game and let us know how you you design your very own Cafe with a little bit of vision and a lot of effort almost any place can be transformed into a home and today we're about to meet a remarkable woman who has taken an old garage and transformed it into the most remarkable home for [Music] herself hi Anna how are you hi Bryce it is so lovely to meet you likewise thank you and what an amazing place you've created here thank you very much yes very special to me can you talk to me about what you've created here because it's so unusual what you've done it was a matter of finding something that was a blank canvas I suppose because it had a old utility and a garage and I saw the potential of having a home and making the garage into a home and using the existing buildings on the property so that's really where it all started I suppose and what was it that made you decide to convert the garage into your home because I didn't have to start from scratch there was something here that was a huge Plus for me yeah otherwise I would have to start from the ground up and it just it just felt right you know it just had everything I wanted it had amazing C views but it also had a bush which is pretty cool I just knew that it was the right place to be really and this lot going on here on the property can you give me an overview of what you've created here when I bought the property obviously it was just the garage a little old utility at the top very basic toilet shower you know typical kiwi campsite you know I didn't really want to get rid of the utility I needed a toilet and shower obviously because there was nothing here and so we kept that and then the garage it just happened in a lot of ways it happened and it was a financial thing for me as well you know I'd stretch myself and and and I knew that I didn't want to stretch myself anymore because then I was on my own as well and I think for me it was just I like the position of it cuz it was kind of off the road and I could have put a house up the front I could have done all that stuff a lot of people why didn't you build on the section why didn't you do that I said well I didn't really need to CU I love the bush and I kind of like the Privacy so that's what sort of brought me here really and the exterior of it was pretty much what it is now was a bord and Baton construction and then there was the carport and that was kind of an area where I thought oh yeah that's that can be my garage but not really because I couldn't really access it but the actual construction of the garage really was a matter of deciding what I wanted to do the outside of it for me was more about keeping that garage lock just so it's a garage so people still come down and think oh yeah okay she lives in a g because people used to say that they come down and oh I live in the garage oh okay yeah you know people have that concert oh okay yeah it's a bit more than a garage it certainly is and at the front you've got all these gorgeous tiny homes can you talk to me about how that all came about I just decided that I didn't want to build a conventional house up there so the Cottages were a financial possibility for me and it was also part of being able to create and put them up and help be part of that so those are BNB rentals now those are my airbnbs yeah but the Cottages I think now for me have really made it where I know that I can live here yeah because I've got an income coming from them and I love them and it's such a fantastic spot that you've got here for it too this section is just beautiful you've got spectacular views here I've always L that kind of slight elevation once because you get the views obviously yeah you know and around your home you really have created such wonderful outdoor areas like this place here is just so wonderfully immersed in nature and what a place to sit and watch the sunset yeah it is yeah the deck was something I didn't know whether I could D because originally there was just a retaining wall here so we can see it runs right through there that was it and the trees were literally here you didn't see Blue Sky we took out a lot of trees here there was probably about maybe 40 plus they had Black Rock they were kukas it was hard to do that but I knew that we would replant but once we took all those down then all the pungas started coming up you know once I'd built this I thought oh my God the floating deck concept and looking down into pangas and things like that is amazing yeah I love it yeah there's a few kind of interesting things here and obviously you can see quite like pickets there pickets on the front of my property there are actually originally from one of my dear friend's cafes one of the first cafes here in Fang Wows are from the front of her Cafe and that was one of my first jobs too right as that is Winery so yeah so there's little bits of things that are from history for me yeah the garage here what size is it 42 square m 42 Square me and can you talk to me about the process of of converting it from a garage into a home well the first thing was to take the garage door out getting that framed up also the windows at that time I was just going to have Windows opening like that but when you're walking past it can be a bit of a hindrance you know and in some ways having the windows that open like this is once again you can open the whole house up yeah so that was the first part I wanted to do it all very French you know I wanted to French doors and I want but realistically I had an opportunity to Glazer it would probably would have been crazy if I hadn't yeah it would cuz you know it still gives you that insulation obviously I mean it's very insulated cuz all the Eco rules in there it's a pretty pretty cozy little house was it already insulated before you so you did all of that yeah all it was was garage concrete floor and the framing so that the double glazing is definitely a plus well from the exterior I can see you've done such an amazing job of taking a garage and turning it into a place that just radiates with a sense of home and I cannot wait to see what you've done inside can we check it out of course come on thank you wow this place is exquisite you have such an amazing sense of style thank you it's a love of recycled I suppose I'm a collector of a lot of you know things but I generally if I see something I'll know that it's going to work in my home you know even before I get it here to be honest people always say to me how do you find those things or how do you and I go I don't know I just I see something and I I can see it on my home and that's just how it's evolved it's so funny to me because you think of a garage and a garage is such a utilitarian space it's sort of cold but this place is just exceptional you walk in here and it just emanates the sense of homeliness it is I've created something amazing and yeah you would never ever think it was a garage no you know someone would have thought I would have built this home but that's what it was it was just a garage yeah and this is such a lovely living room that you've created can you talk to me about this the couch I had to sort of really get custom made to fit the space you know I had to reconfigure things where the bedroom was going to go and and obviously the dining area but I want it to be still comfortable and you know I can have quite a few people in here as well so that's how I created it really but yes you do have to make things fit in a tiny space you do you know you have to think a little bit out of the square and think okay that shape's not going to fit there as you can see I don't have many round things in here because they take up too much room this is eventually what I wanted it to be you know the things that I love and manag to get things out of storage etc etc and collect things of course yeah I keep doing what would you call the style of this place how would you define it well I don't know I suppose some people would say it's Chevy Chic some people come in here when they've walked in here say oh wow it's so French you know I think it's because of the chandeliers and things like that but I think it's a mixture there's a little bit of cottage in here as well so I think it's my style yeah absolutely and definitely that very sort of comfortable Lounge that big sofa that you can just fall into yeah I want Comfort I like to just be able to have you know go from there to there and and and feel that it all flows which it does I've never felt crammed or cramped or that it was too small I've never ever felt that in here ever well 42 s m that is quite a compact footprint but one of the things that I think helps to compensate for that is you've got these lovely High ceilings yeah that was a real big thing originally my partner at the time you know wanted to ceiling in there but that would have made it feel so much smaller and once again having the rafters up there is what it is I love that feeling of space and that also enabled me to just do the half wall as well cuz you don't need to p a wall right to the ceiling it's me here so I don't I don't really have to worry about the noise but it also gives it open feeling and you've added onto the space with the annex as well that was originally just a carport and that was pretty basic but it was a workable space because they had a concrete pair obviously down and then I sort of put some shade cloth which just you know cuz that's all I could do really just dropped it off the roof and then it had bit of ply and it was it was a bit of a tack it together look actually to be honest and then over Co actually is really when we turned it into what it is now my partner now and I did that that's made a huge difference it's great so it's all lined now and it's got bats in it obviously it's got windows so it's all sealed so yeah it's another really cool living area and you know I've got a dog I've got bu so that's kind of his little hangout and then obviously we built the Lou cupboards out there so that's storage and then Charming dining area here yeah that was a a find like most things that I have in here it works really well because you can pull it out but it doesn't take up all that room I want it to still have room to move around even though I've got lots of things in here I feel that it still feels very spacious yeah and then over here we have your kitchen and of course your gorgeous style has just really con continued in here I love what you've done with all of this open shelving it's sort of like a little curiosity cabinet almost it is originally I was going to do buil in proper cups in but I didn't want it all closed in you know cuz I've got there's lots of memories on there um there's lots of my mom and dad's put some pieces and things from a childhood and so that was a pickup from trade me I think it was and I had no idea whether it was going to fit and it came in two pieces we picked it up put it down and it was unbelievable it was a perfect fit I mean it was insane I I really had no idea so it's worked beautifully I love looking at everything the dinner set is something we used to have on Christmas day every year you know that would come out the picnic basket is my family picnic basket so there's a lot of history there that went on a lot of camping trips it's kind of a visual story you know I think adding these elements that elicit these memories for us that is something that makes a home a defining space for us right like that's a place that actually when you can walk into a space and and you're sort of flooded with these positive memories and the sensations of our families like ultimately that is one of those things that can just immediately transform a blank space into something that just feels like home I agree definitely and then the design of the kitchen itself again this is beautiful Exquisite countertops you've got here yeah I was lucky once again I mean I wouldn't have normally been able to have something like that and my previous partner who had a building company so that happened to be sort of like off cuts and things like that that we utilize I love it I loved all the color with the blonding and as you can see this a that color sort of follows through because originally I wanted to do white in the kitchen and things like that but it's a lot cooler and I found this color is warmer so it gives that lovely warm feeling and then also I wanted the butler sunk so they're all sort of tied on yeah so you know it's that whole look I wanted to have and then you've opted for open storage on this side as well yeah once again if I had cupboards then I'd be opening the cupboards which takes up space it's a space thing and well I can see where everything El baskets and things like that which is for food and storage Etc I love this way absolutely I think this is such a good way of doing it one thing that really does stand out about this kitchen is the way that you're not hiding anything at all even your pots and pans everything is on display yeah I think I just like the feeling of everything being accessible but I like display like you know I don't have a drawer for my Cutlery I mean I'd rather have it sitting out there I like to be able to see things that I'm working with yeah and I think that's the way that you've been able to put everything on display without it actually feeling cluttered at all absolutely yeah absolutely everything's happy in its place yeah I like that happy in its place yeah happy in its place yep and next door we have your bedroom do we yes can we take a look at that absolutely all right oh wow now this room feels very plush yes it do was my little Sentry my little BWI yeah so to speak you have done such an exceptional job with sourcing all of the furniture for this place yeah I have to say I mean I've had various things over here but this was a real treasure for me because it is actually French and once again it was a trade me purchase wow and I actually got that at the same time that I got my table and chairs so yeah very heavy but once again it just said in there beautifully I didn't want to build a war job I just didn't the Shelf was already there so it just worked this was really lovely a woman actually painted this for me which is really amazing and once again a tiny space so those drawers were the perfect size so yes I think everything sort of worked in here the bed size the bedside tables there's still plenty of room in here yeah it's sort of such a fusion of style isn't it those bedside tables it's kind of beachy it's kind of it is I don't even know what but it looks really cool yeah they were actually from the shop that I used to manage they are sort of but they are also shabby because they're sort of chipped you know and they've got their little decal on them which is kind of French every biki I like that distressed look it's kind of that aged look so it works I like it yeah and you've got the functionality of the blindes for your window dressings but then on all of the windows you've got these wonderful soft dressings over them that really just make the space feel well so much softer yeah once again from the interior store that I worked in as well I fell in love with those they gave me that really lovely soft feeling I had the blind set and I do like the blinds but yeah I just love that look it's a lovely soft look and it's me and then you've got an onsweet style bathroom in here absolutely I wanted an on Suite cuz once again it's just myself here so it wasn't really a sheared bathroom or such yeah so yeah I wanted an on suite and I've got a you know good shower Me by met a shower it's quite a good space pretty big space and obviously the Lou sliding door which I can close off it cuz privacy if someone else is using or whatever but also just to give it a little bit more Ambiance really in the bedroom yeah and again the bathroom is just perfectly matched in style to the rest of the home it is it is there's a few little things in there that I've sort of picked up I've got a little area there where I have the toilet rolls and things like that which is not a you know normal sort of toilet roll holder lots of things on my vanity uh dishes and things like that you know obviously I've got a reason good sink and and drawers and things like that but once again that whole display thing that right through into the bathroom for me yeah wonderful and so how long have you been living here now I have been back here now for nearly nine coming up 10 years wow permanently now so it's good to be here there's been some struggles you know obviously financially where I didn't think I was going to be able to stay here but I've just never given up and being able to rent out the Cottages now up front obviously helps with that oh it definitely helps I do have a mortgage but I don't think I could ever replace it I could never be able to get this property again and fr so yeah I'm definitely very protective of it and something that I would never want to lose living in a small home is really made me feel secure it's given me that feeling that I have somewhere to lay my head that I'm in a safe space and it's intimate and it just makes me feel like I'm sort of all wrapped up in this little cozy little space I I always walk in here and I just I can breathe and whatever's been happening on the out side or good days bad days or or whatever I come here and and that's gone cuz I realize I'm always grateful for what I have here always doing a conversion of a garage like this is such an unusual project can we talk about the cost that was involved in transforming the garage into a home the initial build would have been around 100,000 right and your home is so beautifully finished now do you have any other fun plans for the property or projects that you'd like to get stuck into I think I'm always going to have a project that that's kind of part of my personality to be honest I mean I'm always doing something or changing something or you know maybe down in the bush I might carry on down there and do a bit more work down there and put some Paving down there I'm always doing something always doing something but in my home I think it's perfect for me I think it is absolutely perfect for you as well this is such a Charming home that you've created for yourself here thank you so much for sharing it with me thank you it's been a pleasure pleasure is all man when you think of a garage you think of the absolute opposite of what Anna has created here you think of a place which is cold which is utilitarian but this has been transformed into a place which elicits warmth Beauty style what Anna has done here is just absolutely exceptional she has turned this place into something that truly just radiates a sensation of home and that really is very [Music] special

Channel: Living Big In A Tiny House

Views: 586,347

Keywords: garage, garage conversion, garage home, garage house, tiny house, small house, small space design, home tour, small home tour, architecture, home design, up-cycling, french style, home decor, living big in a tiny house

Id: -r6OPeU8ris

Length: 19min 25sec (1165 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 16 2024