Rob Hunt sold his home and quit his job to convert a once-derelict concrete water tower into a most unusual five-bedroom house.
After spending four years on the project, more than two of them living on site in a mobile home, Rob is now waiting to find out if his property gamble has paid off.
The former water tank in Higher Clovelly, near Bideford, Devon, is now on the market with estate agent Knight Frank, priced at £1.4 million. “It is unique and I feel that is where the value is,” said Rob, who put his life on hold to work on the tower.
His efforts will be featured on the next series of Grand Designs, providing inspiration to another couple battling to convert their own water tower, and he also starred in a 2022 episode of the HGTV series, Derelict Rescue.
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Rob, 43, was living in a three bedroom semi in Bideford and working at a factory when he spotted an advert for the disused 1940s concrete tower and decided to take a look.
“I had done the usual DIY things — kitchens, bathrooms, and redecorating — but nothing like this,” said Rob. “ But I was looking for something a little bit unique, I could visualise what the layout could be, and there was a bit of naivety I suppose.”
Rob bought the tower in late 2019, with a loan from his parents. He then sold his home, as well as a buy-to-let property he owned, to finance the build. Finally he quit the job he had had for some 17 years, and moved onto the site.
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“A builder friend of mine who is good at everything worked with me four days a week for two years, and I was working 24/7 as a glorified labourer learning as I went,” said Rob.
The tower, when work started, had no windows on its upper floor, no services, and a giant domed roof.
The work involved adding windows to the upper floor of the building – where water was originally stored – and converting it into a circular, open plan kitchen and living room with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. The bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, and reception hall, are on the two lower floors.
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“You get quite bad weather up there, it is very exposed, and the mobile home was like a tin can rocking in the wind,” said Rob.
“Mentally it was quite challenging. There were times when there were 100 mph winds, the building wasn’t water tight, and the shrink wrap covering it was blowing off the roof, which was pretty stressful. But I got through it.”
After two years the building was habitable enough for Rob to move in, but having a watertight roof over his head wasn’t the end of the on-site drama.
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“One Sunday I was replacing a pane of glass, I was on my own, it was a spur of the moment thing, and I fell off some scaffolding, breaking my leg quite badly,” said Rob. “It was a pain because we were quite near the end by then.”
The tower was fully completed late last year, at a final cost of around £850,000, excluding Rob’s own labour. He is selling up so that he can finance his next venture. “It was always the plan to sell it and move on,” he said.
Rob’s life has changed considerably since he first saw the water tower — he has two daughters, one born earlier this month, a partner, and two step children. This means that while he is now “actively” seeking his next project it is unlikely to be anything quite so extreme as the tower.
“My girlfriend has been through three quarters of the project with me,” he said. “I think she is open to general renovations, but not to living on a building site.”
