Elaine and Alan Taylor took a chance on an abandoned toilet block on the beach in Barmouth, Wales, and transformed it into their unique one-bedroom dream home over a decade.
During a seaside stroll, Elaine and Alan Taylor stumbled upon an abandoned building that would dramatically alter their lives. The structure, a modest, disused toilet block , held untapped potential in the eyes of Elaine and Alan. Driven by a shared love for Wales , Barmouth , and the ocean, they envisioned transforming this beachside relic into their dream home . Elaine recounted their discovery to Wales Online: 'We have a love of Wales , a love of Barmouth and a love of the ocean.
We were on holiday in Barmouth and the council had put a 'for sale' sign up on the building. We thought that it would amazing because of its proximity to the sand dunes and the sea, and what an opportunity to renovate something and improve the area, take something that's unloved, unused and make it into something really nice.' The couple diligently monitored the council's website, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to bid on the primely situated property. When the time came, they cautiously submitted an offer of £33,000 (€39,550) in a blind bidding process. Their bid was accepted, but their unconventional choice left friends and acquaintances perplexed. Elaine recalled, 'A lot of people told us 'that's an interesting choice!' and I think you hear about things like this a bit more now but when we bought it I think it was quite unusual and people kept asking if we were keeping them as toilets!' The couple had no intention of repurposing the building as public restrooms. There was already an existing, functional toilet block on the beach. Instead, Elaine and Alan harbored a more ambitious vision. Elaine, 53, explained their motivations: 'We had always thought about buying a property by the seaside but we'd always resisted because I understand why it's not a good thing for the local economy, not good for young people in the area, and pushes the house prices up. 'So part of the reason we bought and transformed the empty toilet block was because we felt like we weren't taking housing stock away and we were just improving the area by reviving an abandoned building. 'It has been shut for years and inside it was awful, it has been essentially boarded up for years and everything was still there, all the toilets and everything, it was very sandy as it had managed to get into the building from the beach and it was very smelly is how I remember it!' The transformation, however, wasn't a swift endeavor. Delays and unforeseen challenges stretched the project over a decade. Despite initial planning approval in autumn 2016, a condition stipulated that construction couldn't commence until the summer holidays of 2017 due to the building's proximity to a school. Adding to the complexity, Elaine shared: 'As the toilet block is located by the beach the planners wanted us to consult with Natural Resources Wales. 'Our vision all along was we would renovate the toilet block including the slate roof but NRW wanted us to raise the floor level by about a metre for flood mitigation. So when the floor level was raised, the roof level would have to be raised. 'And that's when it all changed completely because at that point we had to put in completely different plans, the vision changed completely, and when we discussed it with the planners they said if we couldn't retain the features of the building then they wanted it to be a brand new, quite modern looking building, they didn't think we could replicate the old.'Further complications arose during the classification process. The building, initially treated as a renovation project, faced scrutiny as a new build due to the extensive work required. Elaine recalled: 'We had to retain the foundations, which meant the building had to be taken down by hand so as not to damage the foundations.' The blind bidding process had also presented unforeseen hurdles. Elaine explained: 'When it was up for sale we couldn't go into the property and so it was a blind bid so we assumed it would have electric because it has been a toilet block and water too. 'After we bought it, we discovered that the electrics were hooked up to the street lamps, and unfortunately, with the water, once the pipes had gone past a certain age, you have to replace them. So the pavement had to be dug up to install electricity and replace all the plumbing, so the project just grew and grew.'Elaine estimates that the total cost of their unique one-bedroom home reached £260,000, a substantial sum added to their initial £30,000 purchase price. Despite these financial burdens, Elaine and Alan's commitment to their unconventional dream remained unwavering. They were particularly impressed with their local builders, G and W Wigglesworth, from Talsarnau, who, along with other contractors hired from the area (save for a specialized roofing company), played a pivotal role in realizing their vision. Although the local community initially found their project somewhat baffling, Elaine reports that they have since been incredibly supportive.
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