A mum and dad of three have changed their unused loft into ‘magical’ spa complete with a sauna, bed, TV and seating area – and say it’s added £86,000 to the value of their home.
Avigail Adam, 40, a jewellery designer from New Jersey, US, and her husband Tom, also 40, purchased a four-bedroom, detached property for $650,000 (£564,000) in August 2013 and could see the potential as soon as they walked through the door.
But the couple wanted to add their own ‘unique’ twist to the home, and started by doing things like transforming the bedrooms of their three children, Leo, seven, Jamie, five and Maya, one, with different themes in mind.
One is inspired by the clouds, and another by the vastness of the solar system.
They’ve also renovated one of their lofts, changing it into a fully-functioning jewellery studio for Avigail.
For their second loft, the pair wanted to do something really off the wall.
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‘It was a huge space that was part of the house which wasn’t being used and we had a vision for it,’ Avigail said.
‘The truth is, it came from our imagination and my husband is a true visionary, so is very brave when it comes to bringing our crazy visions to life.
‘Officially, it could have been used for storage, but we didn’t use it for anything and rather kept the door shut as it was dark, dusty and very spooky.’
Accessed via a rope ladder that hands in one of the kids’ bedrooms, the room is now full of natural light thanks to a large bay windows and skylights.
Inside, there’s a deep-fill clawfoot bathtub, a cosy double bed, a TV and a private seating area.
On top of all that, there’s also a multi-seater sauna hidden behind a patterned door.
What’s more is that most of this finery was made with Avigail and Tom’s bare hands.
In total, it cost them $35,750 (£31,100), but has increased their home’s value by $100,000 (£86,000).
Avigail said: ‘In the beginning, we drilled fibre optic lights from the unfinished attic floor to the kid’s room, so there was a glistening star effect on their ceiling.
‘We cut an opening for the rope ladder, as well as drilled a hole to connect a tipi swing into our bedroom.
‘The ladder was Tom’s idea and I won’t lie, I was sweating a bit when I saw him cutting that square in the ceiling – but he asked me to trust him and it turned out to be a smart move.
‘After that, we installed insulation, flooring, drywalls and wood panels for the walls in the spa and sauna.
‘After that was done, we got the bathtub upstairs which was a very hard task – but with the help of eight friends, we got it in.
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‘We hired a plumber to create the installation for the bath by running some extra pipes and we brought in professional window fitters for the skylights.
‘It was the one part we splurged on, as it was key to turning around this spooky space with lots of natural light.’
They couple also installed a fireplace, as well as shelves and fitted the sauna as a final touch for the spa area.
In the playroom, they kept it simple and painted the walls a light purple, and filled the area with antique chests to store toys.
All told, the renovation took three months to complete, and there were certainly a few bumps in the road.
Avigail said: ‘Getting the bathtub up there was much harder than anyone anticipated.
‘We got a few friends and asked them to help out, but as it’s made from cast iron, dragging it through the corridor, up the stairs and through two upstairs rooms on the way, was probably one of the hardest things they’ve ever had to do.
‘We’re beyond lucky that only a few scratches to our floor were made and once it arrived, everyone was safe and sound.
‘I think it came out perfectly, as it’s great to relax in, and we spend lots of leisure time there, either playing or in the bath watching a movie.
‘As a family, it’s great while getting all the kids bathed, as they can play at the same time, so it’s killing two birds.
‘We really enjoy it when we have intimate gatherings with just a few friends at a time as well.
‘Now the hard work is behind us, I can say it was all worth the effort, and it’s a magical space that adds a lot to our home.
‘Our home always seems to be a work in progress and there are always things being added and changed.
‘I enjoy inspiring viewers with our unconventional home design, as I think it’s important when it comes to designing your space to think outside the box.
‘Be brave and make sure you’re creating a space that is part of you and expresses who you are.’
Abigail decided to upload a clip displaying the fruits of their labour on TikTok (@avigailadam1), which has so far earned 2.9 million views and 500,000 likes.
In it, you can see the spacious spa is filled with greenery and light from those big windows, and the sauna is lit with fairy lights.
Viewers have filled the comments with praise for what they’ve done with the place, with one writing: ‘This was my dream as a child.’
Another said: ‘This house is out of a fairytale’.
Someone else said: ‘What a fabulous whimsical home! Great life for kids and their imagination.’
The total cost breakdown
- Skylights – $20,000 (£17,415)
- Cast iron bathtub – $1,500 (£1,300)
- Wood – $6,000 (£5,220)
- Insulation – $500 (£435)
- Electrical – $1,500 (£1,300)
- Plumbing – $1,500 (£1,300)
- Fireplace – $750 (£650)
- Sound – $1,000 (£870)
- TV – $1,000 (£870)
- Misc. (including furniture) – $2,000 (£1,740)
Total cost: $35,750 (£31,100)
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