A Scottish man bought an abandoned stone cottage in his village and turned it into his first tiny home over the course of 11 months — check it out

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Amanda GohJul 7, 2022, 07:14 IST
A Scottish man bought an abandoned stone cottage in his village and turned it into his first tiny home over the course of 11 months — check it out

The exterior of the renovated house.George Dunnett

  • A Scottish man bought an abandoned cottage and spent 11 months turning it into a tiny home.
  • George Dunnett, the homeowner, estimates he spent £102,458 on renovations.
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George Dunnett grew up in the small Scottish village of Kinnesswood, about an hour north of Edinburgh. For years, he'd been walking past an abandoned, two-story cottage just down the street from his parents' home.

George Dunnett grew up in the small Scottish village of Kinnesswood, about an hour north of Edinburgh. For years, he'd been walking past an abandoned, two-story cottage just down the street from his parents' home.
George Dunnett standing outside of his house.George Dunnett

There were plenty of nice houses in the village, but this building was one of the few that was left to crumble. The cottage was old and weathered, and the masonry walls were full of cracks.

"It was kind of dilapidated, so I always thought it was a bit of a shame that it was left to this condition," Dunnett, a 28-year-old video editor, told Insider.

Even so, he could see the potential the home had.

Dunnett decided to buy the cottage and turn it into his first home, but it was a tall task: The 400-square-foot cottage was not insulated and it didn't have running water. It didn't even have a proper floor.

Dunnett decided to buy the cottage and turn it into his first home, but it was a tall task: The 400-square-foot cottage was not insulated and it didn't have running water. It didn't even have a proper floor.
The house when Dunnett first bought it.George Dunnett

Dunnett bought the property for £55,386 in October 2020. Insider viewed Dunnett's proof of purchase to verify the price.

"The floor was basically just ground and mud. There was no concrete floor," Dunnett said. "The windows were bad, the roof needed quite a lot of work. It was pretty much just a shell of a building."

Parts of the foundation also had to be reinforced for safety due to the building's age.

"There was a lot of structural work that had to be done before I was at the stage of picking out my curtains," he added.

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A thick layer of dust and cobwebs covered the interiors. Nobody had lived in the building for over 50 years, and it was being used as a storage space by the previous owners.

A thick layer of dust and cobwebs covered the interiors. Nobody had lived in the building for over 50 years, and it was being used as a storage space by the previous owners.
A collage showing the interiors of the building while it was being used as storage space.George Dunnett

"There's a family in the village that's owned a lot of property that they've picked up here and there over the years," Dunnett said. "This was one of the properties that they owned."

Based on what he learned from others in his village, Dunnett believes the building dates back to the 1700s, when it was used as a place to bind and distribute religious books.

"People have said that it used to be joined to a church, which was taken down, and that was just the garden of the next-door neighbor," he said.

After the items were cleared, Dunnett assessed the condition of the house with the help of external contractors.

After the items were cleared, Dunnett assessed the condition of the house with the help of external contractors.
The lower floor after all the items were cleared out.George Dunnett

Both levels of the house have an open-concept floor plan, with no internal walls to section the space into rooms.

There was almost nothing in the house except for an old fireplace and a flimsy wooden staircase, Dunnett said.

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The builders determined that parts of a wall had to be reinforced and that the old fireplace had to be boarded up for safety reasons.

The builders determined that parts of a wall had to be reinforced and that the old fireplace had to be boarded up for safety reasons.
The upper floor after all the items were cleared out.George Dunnett

The wall on the side of the house where the chimney was located turned out to be hollow and unstable, Dunnett said.

"It would obviously be a nightmare if that collapsed while I was living in it," he added.

Dunnett was able to work with the builders to maximize the small space and design the home in the way he wanted.

Dunnett was able to work with the builders to maximize the small space and design the home in the way he wanted.
Progress photo of the second floor during the renovation. Insulation has been added to the walls.George Dunnett

The plan was to section off two rooms on the lower floor, which would become his bedroom and a bathroom, Dunnett said. The combined living, kitchen, and dining area would be on the second floor.

After layering the ground with cement to create proper flooring, the builders raised the ceiling of the upper level and added insulation to the walls.

"With all the insulation put in, it was actually nice to come in here during the cold winter and have it be semi-warm," Dunnett said. The only downside was that he wasn't able to leave the original brick walls exposed on the inside of the house.

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The repair work on the roof was much more extensive than Dunnett had anticipated.

The repair work on the roof was much more extensive than Dunnett had anticipated.
Scaffolding was required for the builders to get up to the roof.George Dunnett

The builder found that the roof wasn't sturdy and had waterproofing problems, Dunnett said: "Because of this, I had to pay a fair few unexpected stacks for the scaffolding and the repair work that followed."

The stones that lined the house's exterior were chipped, and Dunnett had to get a stonemason to repair them.

The stones that lined the house's exterior were chipped, and Dunnett had to get a stonemason to repair them.
Scaffolding around the building.George Dunnett

"The stonemason had to come and repoint all of the cement filling around the stones to make them secure and waterproof," he said.

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New windows were installed on the front of the house and a skylight was added to the roof.

New windows were installed on the front of the house and a skylight was added to the roof.
The building was starting to look like a proper house once the windows were added.George Dunnett

As the external repair works were completed, the house started to take shape.

"The windows brought in so much natural light into the building, and made it look like a house rather than just an empty building on the street," Dunnett said.

Once the electrical wiring was completed, the builders were ready to install the drywall.

Once the electrical wiring was completed, the builders were ready to install the drywall.
Progress photo of the upper floor.George Dunnett

The cottage didn't have a proper wiring system that would serve the needs of a modern home, Dunnett said.

"With most of the installations completed, the joiner was able to put in the plasterboard to block off the rooms downstairs. This helped me to see how the space would work and made the interiors look much cleaner," he said.

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After the hardwood oak floors were laid, Dunnett and his mom painted the walls.

After the hardwood oak floors were laid, Dunnett and his mom painted the walls.
Dunnett's bedroom has a grey feature wall.George Dunnett

"I went with white paint throughout the house to keep it light and cheery, but added a few accent walls in the bedroom and the bathroom using a blue-grey color," Dunnett said.

The renovated home has one bedroom and one bathroom on the lower floor, and a living, dining, and kitchen area on the second level.

Last but not least, Dunnett had staircase railings installed in the house. It was the moment he was looking forward to the most.

Last but not least, Dunnett had staircase railings installed in the house. It was the moment he was looking forward to the most.
A collage of two photos showing the completed staircase and railings.George Dunnett

Up until that moment, there had been no barrier blocking off the open space on the second floor.

"I hated going up the ladder to get upstairs and having this big hole in the floor that overlooked concrete," Dunnett said. "I had this fear of falling through the hole and landing on my head."

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On the outside, Dunnett's dad laid out cobbles to create a walkway in front of the house.

On the outside, Dunnett's dad laid out cobbles to create a walkway in front of the house.
The exterior of the renovated house, with a cobbled pathway out front.George Dunnett

Dunnett thought it would be a nice touch to have cobblestones out front because the street the house is located on is known as "The Cobbles."

"It used to be a fully cobbled street, although it was tarmacked over some time ago," he said.

The renovations took slightly less than a year to complete, Dunnett said.

The renovations took slightly less than a year to complete, Dunnett said.
Dunnett's bedroom is located on the first floorGeorge Dunnett

Renovation started in January 2021. The bulk of the project was completed by August, and the finishing touches — the staircase railings — were installed in November. Dunnett moved into the tiny house in the end of November, and he's been living in it ever since.

"This is the first time I've ever moved out of my parents' house," he said.

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In total, the renovations cost £102,458, including solicitors' and administrative fees, Dunnett said.

In total, the renovations cost £102,458, including solicitors' and administrative fees, Dunnett said.
Dunnett's bedroom is located on the first floor, facing the two windows at the front of the house.George Dunnett

"Using the money I saved up over the years from my work as a video editor and my YouTube channels, I paid for the house and all of the work and furnishing myself, minus the loan amount," he said.

Dunnett estimates that he spent £157,844 on the entire project, including buying the cottage.

As a first-time homeowner renovating an old house, Dunnett has some advice for others who want to do the same: Expect it to take longer and cost more than you initially think.

As a first-time homeowner renovating an old house, Dunnett has some advice for others who want to do the same: Expect it to take longer and cost more than you initially think.
A collage of two photos of the completed bathroom.George Dunnett

"I was quite naive about just how long it would take," Dunnett said. "Initially the builder told me it would be two months and it would cost £40,000 to do it all. But with time and as they get into the build, you'll find that it'll take at least twice as long and cost twice as much."

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Since the house is located on a busy street, a lot of people in the village have stopped by to talk to Dunnett about his home.

Since the house is located on a busy street, a lot of people in the village have stopped by to talk to Dunnett about his home.
The living room is on the second floor. Dunnett bought most of the furniture online.George Dunnett

"They all said the same thing — that they'd always thought it was a shame the building was left unused, and that it was nice to see someone local and young do something nice with it," Dunnett said.

Dunnett already has his eye on another fixer-upper nearby that he hopes to buy with his brother. This time, he's keen on renovating it himself.

Dunnett already has his eye on another fixer-upper nearby that he hopes to buy with his brother. This time, he's keen on renovating it himself.
The completed kitchen is on the second floor.George Dunnett

Dunnett said one of his regrets was that he didn't have the skills to renovate the cottage himself. But, now that he's seen how the builders worked on his home, he wants to try his hand on a new renovation project.

"That's not as severe a project, that's just a building that needs some work done inside," Dunnett said of the nearby cottage. "So I'm going to try and do all the joinery work on that and see how much I can actually do myself."

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