It may be small and a little bit different from the average studio flat.

Sharon Williams fell in love with her dream home at first sight because it is in the heart of a quiet residential area but just a short hop to shops and bars.

But it was only recently that she discovered her dream home in Islingword Place, Brighton, started out as a garage.

Now, three years after it was bought by a builder for £50,000, the former workshop is worth a staggering £155,000.

Ms Williams, 37, was struggling to find a home after she got divorced when she stumbled across the property.

With its own freehold, a roof terrace and spiral staircase, she immediately entered into a bidding war and paid £127,000, £2,000 more than the asking price.

She said: "I had no idea it was actually a garage - it was listed as a workshop and you just wouldn't know it.

"It is very different but I wanted somewhere with features and a bit of character."

The homeowner said she was impressed with how well it was converted and that there was easily enough room for her belongings and her Jack Russell, Dave.

She said both the main room and the wet room-style bathroom had underfloor heating, an effective dimmer light system and plenty of storage with shelves cut into the wall.

Ms Williams said she had even held parties for up to 30 people.

She said: "I originally thought I would live in it for about two years then move on to a bigger place. But now I have no plans to move - I am completely happy here.

"I suppose it is the future to convert properties like this. Having seen how this one is done I find myself looking at places when I am walking down streets and thinking they could do this and that with it.

"There's so much potential out there."

David Maslen, of Maslen Estate Agents, said he thought the property would probably be worth around £155,000.

He said it was still rare to find garages converted into homes but expected it to become more popular as demand for property grows.

He said: "There is pressure on new homes - so many have got to be found.

"It could well be that the council will look more favourably on plans like that and it becomes quite frequent."

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