Sinong mag-aakala na ang isang lumang water tower ay puwedeng gawing tirahan? Naintriga ang factory worker na si Robert Hunt ng United Kingdom nang makita niyang for sale ang lumang water tower. Nakitaan niya ito ng potensiyal na maging kanyang tahanan. Aniya sa isang , "It was within 20 miles of where I lived, so basically local. “I could see there was an opportunity with it and the price was pretty good for the size of the property and the land that came with it." Pero hindi kumbinsido sa kanyang plano ang mga taong malalapit sa kanya. "They probably all thought it was either not going to happen, or that I was just mad to even think about it. "But if it was easy then everyone would do it, wouldn't they?"

Noong November 2019 ay binili ni Robert ang property na nasa Cloverly Cross sa halagang £150,000 (PHP10,087,029.18).

CONSTRUCTION

Ang water tower ay hindi na ginagamit simula noong 2000. Ang loob nito ay may malawak na espasyo, walang dibisyon, walang interior walls, at walang bintana. Mayroon naman itong linya ng kuryente at tubig. Paglalarawan ni Robert, "When I first viewed it, it was hard to describe. No windows, and no stairs.

“You had to go up a ladder in the center of the tower to get to the top of the tank." Sinimulan ni Robert ang pag-aayos sa water tower noong December 2019. Kumontrata siya ng mga arkitekto at trabahador. Para makapag-concentrate, nag-resign siya sa trabaho at ibinenta ang kanyang lumang bahay. Pansamantala siyang tumira sa isang mobile house. Tumulong din siya bilang laborer sa kanyang ipinapatayong bahay. Ani Robert, gumastos siya ng halos £600,000 (PHP40,348,116.73) sa kanyang proyekto.

FROM OLD WATER TOWER TO COZY HOME

Noong May 2022 nakumpleto ang renobasyon at nag-umpisang tumira si Robert sa kanyang water tower. Pagbabahagi niya sa bagong kaanyuan ng water tower, "The black cladding on the outside, the white render on the bottom, the layout inside, the windows, and other things were all my ideas.

“There was an architect involved, but they just drew up 90 to 95 percent of what I envisaged.” Nasa first floor ang kanyang working area, bukod pa ang isang spare bedroom at bathroom. Sa gitna nakalagay ang bathroom, na orihinal na puwesto ng original access shaft ng water tower. Bagaman at maganda ang kinalabasan ng transformation, aminado si Robert na sobrang challenging ng kanyang proyekto. Klima ang pinakamabigat niyang naging problema. "When I was in the mobile home on-site, in the middle of winter, the weather can be quite draining when it's a week of wind and rain."

Paborito naman niyang spot sa bago niyang tahanan ang master bathroom na nasa second floor. Lahat ay kulay black sa master bathroom, maging ang sahig at dingding. Mayroon itong double shower at double basin, at black freestanding bathtub na nasa harap ng malaking bintana na tanaw ang landscape sa labas. Nasa second floor din ang master bedroom at dalawang spare bedrooms.

Paglalarawan ni Robert sa kanyang proyekto, "I'm happy with that because it's quite a bold thing. "People think it's going to be too dark or a bit like a cave. But you got big windows, big views, and it's worked out really well." Nasa pinaka-itaas ang primary living area, dining room, at kitchen. Open floor plan ito na may mga bintana sa paligid. Pinanatili naman ni Robert ang ilan sa original exposed concrete sa interiors, maging sa ceiling at sa pinupuwestuhan ng dining table.

"Because I wanted to keep the original ceiling exposed on the inside, all the insulation on the roof and the walls had to be done on the outside of the original concrete structure. "When you look down inside the dining table on the top floor, and if you look up from the ground floor bathroom, you can see the original access shaft with the ladder still inside it." Pinaikli naman ang hagdan at ginagamit para makasilip ang kanyang mga bisita sa bintana at makita ang labas. "I've been down there in the shaft, but it's not like a day-to-day thing. It's only for like if you want to clean it." Isa aniya sa pinakamahirap sa renobasyon ay ang pagkakabit ng fixtures dahil sa curved walls ng water tower. "It's what you don't see behind the walls that are difficult, like curving the plasterboard, the timber, and the plywood on the outside before the cladding. "Nothing's sort of meant to be round—it's all bespoke pieces." Plano ni Robert na ibenta ang bahay. Sa pagtatasa ng dalawang property evaluators na tumingin dito, nasa £1.8 million ang market value nito. Pero para kay Robert, "I wouldn't really want to sell it for less than £2 million, to be honest."