I built a proper old-school pub in my garden – now I’m selling up

Karl Lake, 60, grew up in pubs as a child, but doesn’t view his younger years through rose-tinted glasses. 

‘I had a working childhood. There was a pub, The Queen’s Head in Tharston, to help run, and land and animals to look after around the clock’, he told the Daily Mail. 

‘While I regret not having a proper childhood, I experienced a lot more than most people.’

Karl’s love of pubs endured, to the extent that he built his own in his back garden a few years ago. 

Together with his wife, Karl purchased a bungalow in Poringland, near Norwich, in January 2020, just before lockdown. 

The property underwent a seismic renovation after Karl got his hands on it, and getting a pub in the garden was near the top of the to-do list. 

Pub proud: Karl Lake built a traditional pub in his back garden at home 

‘I knew before I purchased the house that I wanted to create a proper old-fashioned and traditional pub in my own back garden’, Karl told the Daily Mail. 

He said: ‘I wanted to create the kind of pub that you just can’t go to anymore. I remember going to proper drinking pubs. I think the days of pubs are finished now, unless you have a free house offering food. To buy or rent a pub now is just too expensive.’ 

Karl also thinks it has become too expensive for many people to go to a pub.

‘People are under too much pressure financially and many just can’t afford to go to a pub as the prices are too high’, Karl said.

To make his dream of a pub in his garden at home a reality, Karl spared no expense.

‘We had the pub insulated and soundproofed to ensure we don’t annoy the neighbours. The neighbours are great and we’ve had no complaints’, he said. 

He added: ‘I’d say I spent £40,000 on the pub building itself. The roof was expensive and has a 25-year guarantee. We also had a toilet installed in the building.’ 

The pub, adorned with an old Watney Combe Reid sign, has a wood burner, various seating areas, ice makers, a bar with integrated fridges and spirit shelves, three functioning beer pumps, a fruit machine, jukebox and dartboard with electronic score. 

Memorabilia man: Karl Lake has spent in excess of £15,000 on pub memorabilia for his pub

Legendry: The Watney Combe Reid sign over Karl Lake’s garden pub

Hidden surprise: Karl Lake’s home is on sale via Winkworth for £525,000

Design: Karl Lake wanted to create a good old-fashioned British pub at home 

Mod cons: The pub toilet has been kitted out with a chic and modern Dyson hand-dryer 

Recline in style: The main loving of Karl Lake’s house has been exquisitely furnished 

Luxury: Karl Lake spent around £40,000 kitting out his house with a new kitchen 

Entertaining heaven: Karl Lake’s house has a outdoor kitchen, barbecue and entertaining space

Restful: One of the four bedrooms in Karl Lake’s house now up for sale 

‘The three beer pumps in the pub which are always free for visitors’, Karl said.  

Karl’s pub is also jam-packed with pub memorabilia, ranging from bottle labels, ashtrays and beer mats. The walls and ceiling decorated with bottle labels and beer.

He said: ‘I’ve spent £15,000 on memorabilia for the pub over the years, probably more. I’ve even got a full bottle of Watney World Cup Willie beer dating back to 1966. I’ve spent a lot of money on Watney memorabilia.’ 

Karl enjoys entertaining and has loved being able to hold birthday and anniversary celebrations in his own pub.

He was once enjoying a steak dinner with his wife in the pub during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, while his daughter posted the event online. 

‘As it was during lockdown, everyone online was accusing us of being outside in a pub when we shouldn’t have been. They didn’t realise we were in our own back garden!’  

On renovations to the main house, Karl said: ‘I started renovating the property immediately. Everything been redone and renovated to a high standard. We’d have been better off knocking it down and starting again, but ended up reworking what was there. 

‘We had a new roof, rendering, windows, tiles, kitchen and bathrooms fitted. The kitchen alone cost £40,000. The artificial lawn outside cost £6,000 and we had car ports installed. We even got underfloor heating installed in the kitchen and living room’, Karl said. 

He added: ‘In total I’d say we spent more than £250,000 on updating and renovating the house. Everything has been done to an extremely high standard because we thought it was going to be our forever home.’ 

Karl, who owned a landscaping business for 30 years, may be semi-retired, but he is in the process of setting up a new online company.

Karl has amicably split from his wife and purchased his own four-bedroom house nearby. His wife has also bought her own new property. Karl has no plans to create a pub in his new back garden. 

The family’s four-bedroom house in Poringland is nestled in a quiet cul-de-sac in the middle of a large village, and up for grabs via Winkworth for £525,000.