A man struggling to get on the property ladder landed spent just £15k on his first home - by building it in his parents' garage. <br /><br />Josh Jones, 21, convinced his mum and dad to let him convert the garage attached to their four bed family home in Tunbridge Wells into a one-bed apartment.<br /><br />Having saved up £4000, Josh decided to spend the cash transforming the space into his own home rather than putting down as a house deposit. <br /><br />He started the build in January 2023 and took eight months to complete the work - with tips he picked up on YouTube. <br /><br />Josh did all the work himself- completely stripping the garage roof, levelling out the floor, adding drainage, building a kitchen, installing a bathroom and a bedroom.<br /><br />He spent £14,700 on materials, moved into his new abode in May 2024 with his girlfriend and say his parents are "happy for him".<br /><br />Josh, a landscaper, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: "Renting is ridiculously expensive.<br /><br />"I was living with my mum at dad and I knew renting could never be an option.<br /><br />"As I was still living at home it was a no-brainer really.<br /><br />"I learned to do it all on YouTube, as I have been in the building trade since I was 16.<br /><br />"I knew what to do with most bits but I used YouTube for anything I didn't know about."<br /><br />In December 2022, Josh approached his mum and dad with the idea to transform their garage into a small home.<br /><br />He says to start with his parents weren't into the idea but Josh was able to win them around. <br /><br />He said: "Initially, they were not on board. I kept going on and on about it.<br /><br />"The garage was full of crap from over the years and I think dad realised that it was a serious situation when I started to take stuff out of the garage."<br /><br />Josh started working on the garage in January 2023 - stripping it of all the items and fixing the roof.<br /><br />From there he levelled the garage floor, added drain work and damp-proofed the structure.<br /><br />He said: "I had to completely strip the garage roof, repair it and then insulate it.<br /><br />"I levelled out the garage floor, we damp-proofed it and added drainage.<br /><br />"I added walls, a kitchen, bathroom and living room."<br /><br />Josh said the hardest part of the project was the drainage.<br /><br />He said: "We had to dig a six-foot deep hole and I dug too far down and broke a pipe that I didn't need to so I had to replace that.<br /><br />"The most challenging part of the project was the drainage - it is very complicated."<br /><br />Josh said his favourite part of the build was putting in his kitchen.<br /><br />He said: "I love my kitchen, it was second-hand from Facebook Marketplace and so cheap - costing £500.<br /><br />"The most exciting part of the build was when I put in the window and doors.<br /><br />"It felt like I was getting somewhere."<br /><br />Josh said he will be in the property for the next 10 years due to the state of the rental market.<br /><br />He said: "Renting is ridiculously expensive and never an option for me as I didn't want to be paying someone else's mortgage.<br /><br />"I can see myself living here for the next 10 years - I don't see why not.
