A mini castle becomes a regal and cozy family home
Who doesn’t occasionally dream of living in a real castle? This dream became a reality for this family when they converted an ancient ruin into a house. The once overgrown and collapsed castle is now a unique family home with a roof terrace.
Dinton Castle
Dinton Castle is a small, round castle in Buckinghamshire, England. Jaime Fernández and his wife instantly fell in love with this mini-castle, even though the structure was a complete ruin when the couple first saw it. Bushes and weeds grew on the roof, and many of the walls and windows were missing. Nevertheless, Jaime envisioned restoring this castle to its full glory, and decided to transform the ruin into a house.
Dilapidated castle
The castle was built in 1769 by a fanatic fossil collector, who used fossils in the building process, and today, beautiful shapes can still be seen in the walls of the castle. Unfortunately, the castle was empty for many years and it seemed that the structure would not be left standing for long. Architect Jaime Fernández then decided to rescue this special building from the abyss.
Conversion into a house
Due to the poor condition of the castle, a lot of work was required to make the ruin habitable again. The couple bought the ruin for £100,000 (about $125,000), but spent three times more on the renovation. The castle and house now have an area of 130 m2, which is twice the size of an average apartment. It was an “extreme DIY” project, says the owner with a smile, since he designed everything himself.
Read on the next page to admire the result of this renovation!
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