A couple have spent £50,000 transforming a derelict water pumping station into a stunning luxury countryside getaway - which is now being booked up by celebrities.

Tyler Richards, 29, and his girlfriend Megan Mullen-Knight, 26, snapped up the neglected concrete tank in Trimpley, Worcs., at auction in May 2022.

The innovative pair paid £55,000 for the former Severn Trent Water building - which measures just 3.5m (11ft) x 2m (6ft) - and found it "dark, damp and full of spiders."

Builder Tyler and dad Darren, 57, then went about transforming the site into a £200-a-night deluxe retreat - complete with hot tub, indoor cinema and putting green.

They took out thick concrete walls - built to withstand thousands of tonnes of water - to put in French doors and an outdoor area offering amazing countryside views.

The upstairs control room was converted into a stylish living space, kitchen and bathroom while the downstairs tank is now an underground cinema bedroom.

The property recently featured on Channel 4's 'George Clarke's Amazing Spaces' with the host describing it as "off-the-scale brilliant" with a "serious wow factor"."

The incredible deluxe duplex was built by Tyler and his father with the inside being decorated and furnished by interior designers Megan.

Tyler, of Kidderminster, Worcs., said: "I only live a few minutes down the road and I was driving along one day when I saw this place and wondered what on earth it was."

"I jumped the fence and went and had a look at it and I instantly saw it had potential as a possible property mainly because of the stunning views up there. "

"I showed it my dad and he thought the same so we had a look online to see how much it was being auctioned for. At that point it was only £15,000."

"In the end we paid £55,000 for it, which we were over the moon with as we'd been prepared to go up to £100,000 as we could see the potential yield. "

"We sort of just fell in love with the place - even though it was this neglected Severn Trent building."

"When we got inside it, it was dirty, damp and dark and we knew we had one hell of a job on our hands. "

"But Megan has an amazing eye and we had this vision for it, which we determined to make a reality."



""We had to wait a year for the planning to go through as it faced some opposition from the local council and residents originally."

"But as soon as it got the go-ahead in May last year, we were up there night and day most days a week and it took five months to complete. "

"We faced obstacles because the concrete in the pump station itself was reinforced to withstand tonnes of water pressure."

"It was the strongest concrete you could get and took some getting through. "
Severn Trent really built the tank to last.

"We then tore out the equipment from the control room. It all had to be stripped back to brick and we had to dig out loads of soil too outside as it was so raised."

"Once we put the stairs in, it brought it all together as one and makes it feel bigger than it is. "

"I called in a couple of favours from lads I know in the trade and bribed them with a few beers and pizzas."

"We put in a fireplace, a hot tub, a putting green. Down in the water tank where the bedroom is there's a projector screen so it's like an indoor cinema room."

"We tried to put as many as amenities as we could so when people come in they don't want to leave, they want to stay here and enjoy it."

"People are driving hours to get here now. We've had Love Island contestants staying here and other celebrities enquiring. "

"We went about £20,000 over budget but we didn't skrimp on anything - everything is the best quality as those are the standards we set ourselves."



"The word 'Instagramabble' is thrown around a lot but that's the sort of thing we were after. People love taking and sharing pictures of it."

"We've got seven properties now and we're making a business on Air BNB. We're booked up until September pretty much."

"To overcome everything and create this amazing space has been a big accomplishment."

The couple featured on the hit TV show on July 18 showcasing the challenges they overcame - including their struggles to break through the reinforced walls.

Tyler added: ""Megan's mum suggested we write to George Clarke thinking they must have thousands of people entering and never expected to hear back. "

"They said they weren't filming at the moment but would be back in touch and then out of the blue they just said 'George is coming tomorrow'."

"It was an amazing experience. We rented out a hall with our friends and family to watch the episode which was really lovely."

"A lot of hard work and dedication went into finishing the water tank project. You don't get to see all of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes on TV. "

"There were many early mornings and late evenings that we spent creating the space alongside doing our normal day-to-day jobs." "

Megan added: "Between us we bounce ideas of each other, as soon as we stepped in here we thought we can put this here, this could be the kitchen. "

"We would bring people up and they would be like 'wow, I'm not sure how you're going to create that.'"

"It's not big enough to live in but when we've got a free night we come up and enjoy it. "

"First time we came down it was dark, cold and full of spiders and now its amazing."

"It's been a labour of love and we hope it inspires others to think creatively about reusing and repurposing spaces."

The creative couple are now letting the transformed space on Airbnb alongside other properties via their company Hidden Gems Luxury Escapes.

The family-run business has more than 150,000 Instagram followers with many of their posts getting more than six million views.

To book visit: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/users/show/455938042