Couple build their first home together for JUST £5,500

Carwyn Owen, 22, and his girlfriend Megan were both living with their parents and were unable to afford a large deposit so came up with the innovative solution for their first home together.

Mr Owen, a furniture-maker from Welshpool, received the lorry backs from a friend who handed them over in return for making furniture for his wife.

The one-bedroom, 800sq ft home has a galley kitchen, a double bedroom and a bathroom with a standalone shower.

The couple also saved money on planning permission because the home is technically a temporary structure and will eventually be moved off its plot.

The pair finished construction of the property, which sits on a family plot in the town, in just six months with the help of an architect and designer.

Mr Owen, who is also a joiner, completed most of the labour himself and built beds, tables and a sofa for the new property.

The property has a larch wood cladding on the exterior and is fitted with handmade windows and copper light fittings.

Other expenses the building incurred included £500 for the new kitchen.

Megan was able to find other cheap items online including an oven for just £20, a fridge for £9 and a washing machine for £30, and they were also able to get their bathroom fitted for just £100.

Speaking about her show How to Live Mortgage Free, which the couple appeared on, Sarah Beeny said: "It's all about finding slightly alternative ways of living.

"If you want to go the standard route where you live near Starbucks and the tube in a three bedroom Victorian terrace, you probably can't live mortgage free, because you need more money for that.

"But a lot of people spend an awful lot of money on rent.

"If you can stop paying rent then you save an extraordinary amount of money.

"Land is the biggest cost involved – if you've got a piece of land with planning permission, that's the biggest hurdle overcome."