- A former light aircraft hangar in rural Essex has been given a Grand Designs makeover to modern eco standards
- Five-bedroom home comes with country views and a sprawling 4,000 square feet interior bathed in light
- Is a sauna, yoga room, and 22-foot-long master bedroom, with stunning 29ft covered terrace on the first floor.
They were designed as cheap pre-fabs that could be put constructed in four hours, but this World War Two Nissen hut has outgrown its modest roots to go on sale for £1.4million.
The former light aircraft hangar in rural Essex is a far cry from the days of rationing - having been given a Grand Designs-style makeover to modern eco standards.
The five-bedroom home comes with countryside views and a sprawling 4,000 square feet interior bathed in natural light streaming in through huge windows.
It has been insulated to the highest possible levels and uses a ground source heat pump, which draws warmth from the surrounding earth.
The property has an open-plan layout which includes the kitchen, dining area, and large living area.
Upstairs, which is accessed by an Italian staircase, houses a 22-foot-long master bedroom, with a stunning 29ft covered terrace that looks out over the expansive countryside near Braintree.
And any green fingered buyer can also enjoy a half acre garden or purchase one of the unfinished hangars to complete as they please.
Owner Claire Benbrook submitted a planning application to convert the Nissen in 2012 while living in a grade-II country house next door.
This first application was rejected, but the council accepted altered plans three years later and the conversion was completed in winter last year.
'It's just amazing every day I wake up to these incredible views and it's like always being on holiday. It's lovely.'
Mark Davies, from Strutt & Parker, told MailOnline: 'This is an eco-friendly design in a fantastic location for schools and access to London.
'The interiors are contemporary, with the old frame retained. So everything inside is a new house.
'Also, there are ground source heat pumps and double glazing throughout to create a very warm and cosy interior.'
Nissen Huts were designed to be put up by six men in four hours, with the world record for construction one hour and 27 minutes.
The original design was masterminded by Major Peter Norman Nissen of the 29th Company Royal Engineers of the British Army during the First World War after which the British government ordered 100,000.
After a stay of absence from British production lines, the Nissen re-emerged during the Second World War and used for a wide range of functions from accommodation to churches and bomb stores.
Very few survive, but examples can still be found in the UK, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.
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