Because we all want a wee little place down by the sea.

Beachside property can be really expensive, which is why Nick Willan bought a fixer-upper when looking for a vacation house on the U.K.’s eastern coast. But instead of purchasing a cabin with outdated fixtures or an undeveloped plot, Willan chose an old public bathroom in the seaside town of Sheringham. He gave it to his wife, Sue, as a gift for their 30th wedding anniversary.  The bathroom wasn’t in the best of shape when Willan signed the paperwork. Nevertheless, he wasn’t the only interested party when it was put up for public auction. The original asking price was $83,000 but he eventually paid around $166,000 for the dilapidated structure.

Turning the bathroom into the sort of place that his wife would be willing to spend a weekend required another $141,000 and several months of hard work over three years.  The two-story former pit stop now contains a pair of bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom that doesn’t feature several broken toilet stalls and murky urinals. Willan also added two small balconies. Sue says she loves the place now and doesn’t regret her husband’s decision in the slightest.

The view from the balconies has been described as “stunning.” Several local rental companies have also contacted the Willans about adding the bathroom to their listings. They haven’t made it available to overnight lodgers just yet but they are planning an open house in April to help raise money for charity. The couple jokingly calls their new seaside cottage “The Wee Retreat.”

P-LOO_ITV2000_Vimeo from ITV Anglia on Vimeo.