Property: 8 incredible architect-designed conversions
Combining historic charm with contemporary comforts, we can’t get enough of high-quality conversions. All these architecturally interesting buildings have been given a new lease of life as design-led homes – and are on the market now.
1. Penicuik, Midlothian, offers over £250,000
A state-of-the-art duplex, forming part of an imposing stone building that was previously a department store. The spacious accommodation extends to over 1,400 square feet and includes a double-height kitchen/living/dining room, ground and first floor bathrooms, two double bedrooms, patios on both levels and a mezzanine space that could be put to good use as a study or even a third bedroom. In addition there’s a car park, bike storage and a shared roof terrace. Contact Mov8 Real Estate.
2. Church Balk, Dunnington, York, offers over £900,000
This former water tower, which dates from 1937, has been transformed into a fabulous family home. It’s arranged over three storeys and consists of a good-sized entrance hall, office, a 37-foot kitchen/living/dining room on the ground floor, and four bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first. A spiral staircase leads up to a circular second floor living room with sweeping views towards the Wolds, The White Horse in the North Yorkshire Moors and – in the winter months – York Minster, four miles away. Find out more from Hudson Moody.
3. One Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City, USA from $1.33m (approx £1.059m)
Developer Macklowe Properties has just completed the largest office-to-residential conversion in New York’s history, a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments spread across a 50-storey Art Deco building in the heart of the Financial District. Residents automatically become members of The One Club, giving them access to amenities including an art-filled restaurant and bar, a private dining room, demonstration kitchen, a fitness centre, playroom, and a 38th-floor pool with a wraparound outdoor terrace. For more information, visit Onewallstreet.com.
Read more: 9 steps to taking in a lodger
4. Canada Water, London, £1.4m
The current owners of this two-bedroom maisonette, which sits within a Victorian pumphouse conversion, have renovated it throughout.The bulk of the living space – an open plan kitchen/living/dining area, a bedroom, bathroom and a utility room/gym – is on the ground floor, and a further bedroom and bathroom are above, plus cast iron mezzanine levels which won a structural engineering award. Arched windows, exposed brickwork and girders are among the original features. Via Anderson Rose.
5. Great Whittington, Corbridge, Northumberland, £1.4m
One of the most spectacular barn conversions we’ve come across, Bowbridge is an industrially-inspired, single storey house with panoramic countryside views. Comprises five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a utility and a magnificent open plan kitchen/living room with an island, a stove, a dining area seating up to 10 people, and wide aluminium sliding doors leading out to a deck. It comes with three acres of land, including a paddock. Get in touch with Yopa.
6. Nassington, Cambridgeshire, £1.5m
Former station houses make wonderful homes, as demonstrated by this red-brick property, built for the local station master in 1880 and sitting in grounds of over two acres. After becoming redundant, it was converted into a three-storey family house and extended and renovated in 2010. Its hub is the roomy kitchen/breakfast/dining room opening into an orangery, and it has five bedrooms, a sitting room, study, utility, a play room and a summer house/games room. Planning permission’s been granted to add a double garage with an office above. From Norton Rickett.
Read more: 8 awesome Arts & Crafts homes
7. Sutton, Norwich, Norfolk, £1.75m
Sutton Windmill’s claim to fame is that it’s the tallest surviving structure of its kind in the UK, though its journey to the six-bedroom, six bathroom house it is now hasn’t always been straightforward. Dating from 1789, it originally had eight floors but an extra level was added following a serious fire in 1860. After being struck by lightning in 1940, it ceased operation as a working corn mill. The site was a museum from 1975 to 2008, and in recent years has been completely restored, providing over 7,000 square feet of living space across the windmill and adjacent granary, plus a three-bedroom holiday let. Highlights include an 85-foot kitchen/living/dining room and a wealth of original features. By Design Homes.
8. Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, £2.25m
Such is the provenance of Ferry House that it was mentioned in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. However these days this Victorian house – which once housed the local ferry – is far from Dickensian as it’s been remodelled as a sumptuous waterside haven. You’ll find two of the four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study and utility on the ground floor, and the remaining ensuite bedrooms, the kitchen and reception room – with doors out to the patio garden and Thames – on the first. There’s also a private mooring and boathouse. Via Dexters.
Watch: How much money do I need to buy a house?
Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.