A PREFABRICATED house has been valued at nearly ten times what it was worth two years ago.

The house, made of reinforced concrete, was bought by Joan and Gordon Walls for £13,500 two years ago, but is now worth about £130,000 after it was clad with bricks.

Prefabricated homes were built after the Second World War and were only intended to be lived in for a few years.

Mr and Mrs Walls, from South Shields, South Tyneside, contacted Kingswood Properties, in Swindon, Wiltshire, to have their home converted.

The work cost £34,000 and took five weeks to complete.

The couple said that the conversions will enable other council tenants to get on the property ladder.

In the past, tenants desperate to buy prefabricated properties have struggled to get a mortgage.

Mrs Walls said: "They think they can't get a mortgage for their property because they are classed as defective, but that's not the case.

"By converting their homes to brick, people will have the opportunity to get on the property ladder instead of renting."

Mr Walls said: "We always loved the house, the area and have great neighbours, but it was hopeless to heat before the conversion, it was basically just a concrete shed.

"The transformation is amazing, so many people are commenting on how good it now looks. We want others to be aware of the potential. It's about giving people opportunity."

A spokesman for South Tyneside Homes said: "We are pleased for Mr and Mrs Walls.

"We have sold pre-fabricated houses to other customers and advised them to seek independent financial advice for the individual property they wish to purchase."