East Kilbride man transforms garage into traditional pub with cosy fireplace for less than £1k
A man has transformed his old garage into a cosy traditional pub complete with roaring open fire, cask ale pumps and branded beer mats - for less than £1,000.
An East Kilbride man has converted his garage into 'Stoaters', a cosy six-seater boozer filled with genuine pub memorabilia.
He kept the budget down by ensuring everything inside cost less than £10 or was being given away for free.
Iain Mason, 55, sourced everything from pint glasses and tables to a dartboard and even the bar from charity shops and Facebook Marketplace.
Scoured Marketplace for bar memorabilia
He used timber from old palettes and wardrobes, and scoured Facebook Marketplace and charity shops deals and within four months he had constructed Stoaters, his garden pub.
Iain said: "My younger brother had a pub down the bottom of his garden.
"I thought it was brilliant - just to walk down to the bottom of your own garden, sit in your own pub, have your own music on, and to feel like you're somewhere different.
Finding bargains gives sense of achievement
"I didn't have an overall budget in mind - but I'd seen other ones where people had end up going wild.
"I think the sense of accomplishment is greater when you do have a budget and you can save here and there.
"By finding bargains and finding things to repurpose, there was a much greater sense of achievement.
"I set an initial budget of £10 and under for everything. It's been really well-received. It's probably the best thing I've ever done.''
Free furniture
Iain travelled the country on his days off - finding furniture being sold for cheap or given away for free, and repurposing them to add to his 13 sq m bar.
The only exceptions to the rule he says, were the fridge and TV, which required a little more of a splurge.
Overall, Iain believes he spent around £900 creating Stoaters over a four-month period.
Dad taught me DIY
"I'm not a handyman - but my dad is very good at DIY and has taught me a few things over the years," he said.
"Once I had the layout of the bar, I was determined to do it properly. When I made a mistake, instead of living with it, I'd take it down and start again.
"I had to pay for things like wood stains and screws, but I didn't pay for any timber - it was all palettes and old wardrobes.
"I did have to spend a bit more on the fridge, which was new. The TV was second hand, but that was still a little bit more.
"There were a couple of things I had to spend a little bit more on, but the initial budget was everything £10 or under - and I was so determined to do it like that.
"The dartboard I got from a young couple in Greenock, who had just moved into a new flat and found that in a cupboard - that was £10 and I drove to get it as soon as I saw it. I was really happy with that.
"The top of the bar itself was an old table that was broken, so that was given away. It's quite a long bar, so finding a big table probably would have been quite expensive.
Fireplace given away as scrap
"There's a small table in the corner that was being given away for a fiver by a cricket club. The fireplace was also being given for scrap.
"The shelves behind the bar that all the bottles are on - that was an old sideboard that a couple was getting rid of in Paisley.
"That was a great find - a really nice, sturdy old sideboard.
"When I put that up in the corner of the bar, that's when it really started to turn into a bar and not just a room."
Bar rules
Iain unveiled his bar to his family and friends after keeping his progress secret from even his wife Sheena and daughter Olivia, 16.
He said: "My wife was genuinely impressed. The biggest compliment I have is when people say it's like a real pub."
Iain has two rules for visitors to his pub - everyone must take a turn behind the bar, and punters should leave behind a foreign banknote or a business card, in homage to a bartending job Iain had 30 years ago.
"We've had some great nights," he said.