Barn Conversion Architects in Alfington in Alfington
Get in touchConverting a barn in Alfington EX11 1 gives you an incredibly unique opportunity to create something special. Whether you are refurbishing an old barn or taking part in a modern barn conversion project, there are countless ways that you can create something special with the extra space.
The hardest part is knowing where to begin and what kind of steps might be involved in creating a stunning barn conversion. The more you know, the easier it becomes to plan ahead and understand what you should focus on first.
Why Make Barn Conversions?
If you have a property with an attached barn, you probably are not using it for much except storage. Most people ignore them entirely unless they need the extra space for anything.
While farms and industrial companies can find them incredibly useful, the average barn is not suitable as a living space and does not have access to everything that a second home would require.
Barns, and other similar farm buildings, are not going to work as modern living spaces unless you convert the original structure into something fresh, like a contemporary home.
A converted barn also offers a lot of open space to work with, as well as the outstanding natural beauty of rural surroundings.
Our services can make barn conversions incredibly easy, helping you get started with the conversion work and allowing you full control over what your barn eventually becomes.
If you need to know anything specific, contact us, and our experts will do their best to help.
What Can a Converted Barn in Alfington Be Used For?
A converted barn can be many things: an indoor tennis court, a sheltered swimming pool, an extra house, guest accommodations, or almost anything else you can think of.
However, most barn conversions provide a similar set of improvements, making them suitable as relaxation or living spaces.
A New Home
Making a second home out of a beautiful barn conversion is quite a common option. Even though many barns are only a ground floor building, the spacious and versatile accommodation makes them useful as both private grounds and a rental home.
Multiple Homes
A barn conversion can also span multiple homes, especially a larger barn. Many barn conversion projects have involved turning one large space into multiple distinct homes or spaces, even if that means splitting the main room into several smaller ones.
An Office
A rural area can often have limited office space, especially in smaller communities. Converting the entire first floor of the barn into an office can make it a popular village workplace, and you could even lease it out to entire companies who might not have buildings of their own.
Studio Space
The natural light and rural setting of a barn can make it a great opportunity for creating your own studio space to lease out for some extra income or for your own uses.
Artists, photographers, musicians, and even filmmakers could be willing to lease your barn for a while, working on projects that benefit from the spacious interior you offer.
Lodging Space
It is possible to turn a large barn building into multiple small 'house' areas, each of which you could rent out in the short term.
The amount of room offered by a barn means that there are a lot of ways to convert it into multiple living spaces, each of which is suitable for rent.
What to Consider Before a Modern Barn Conversion
While barn conversions are very simple on paper, there is a lot to consider about the process. A conversion can go off without a hitch, but if something is wrong with the building or the planning permission that you have acquired, then there might be other issues to tackle later on.
Rights
Make sure that you check the rights to the barn. Some agricultural buildings have strange ownership rights and responsibilities, especially if you are technically sharing them with somebody else.
You can't always convert a barn until you can show proof that you own the building itself, so have the right documents on standby, just in case.
Listed Barns in Alfington
Listed barn conversion can be even riskier since listed buildings in a conservation area can't usually be modified much.
There are restrictions on anything that modifies the 'character' of listed sites in England, including the exteriors of properties or the gardens and greenery nearby.
While a listed barn can be converted, you have to preserve the same style and feel as the original building.
Listed country properties can take more money to have converted since you have to create a modern house around the shell of an older building.
Planning Permission
You always need permission to change the original features and design of a barn.
Even if the barn is entirely on your property and there are no other property owners nearby, having the right legal documents is important for making sure that the finished conversion is safe (and legal).
In certain situations, you might be able to rely on permitted development rights. This only happens with Class Q conversions, which are more limited in scope.
If you want to know more about this, contact us, and we can offer a full breakdown of what changes your barn could undergo. Our experts are able to explain any relevant restrictions or laws involved.
Budget
Your budget is everything. A full barn conversion can be as cheap or expensive as you make it, but there is more than just material costs.
Are you making multiple bedrooms? Is each room getting its own plumbing and heating? Or are you keeping the space open and using the barn as one large room?
Even something less obvious, like keeping the vaulted ceiling or converting it into a loft, can impact the costs involved. Many barns are effectively just large outbuildings, so a modern conversion might involve a lot of unexpected work to make it into a liveable, comfortable area.
Safety Surveys
Having a proper survey done of the barn and surrounding property can be a vital step in figuring out your conversion requirements.
Even something small, like exposed beams in the roof, can require you to replace them before the property can be used for anything safely.
Repairs
Barns often need some repairs before they can be converted. Sitting out in the country unused will often lead to them wearing down or decaying, and a damaged building is not suitable for conversion into a family house.
These repairs can eat into your budget, so be careful. Some can be incredibly costly, and there are times where replacement is better than repairs.
Heating
Proper heating is important, even in warmer months. Before you move into anything fancy like underfloor heating, look at windows, walls, and any other part of the barn that might matter.
Does it have triple glazing? Does the roof leak heat or retain it? Keep track of these details before any work starts since they might have a direct impact on the heating effectiveness of your finished conversion.
Flooring
Not all barns have an actual floor. While a modern barn usually will, older barns are sometimes dirt-floored or use loose wooden planks, especially if the barn has not been used in a long time.
In extreme cases, you might need the entire barn re-floored to use it as anything but a barn. This often happens with older barns that did not rely on actual flooring, meaning that most of it is dirt and mud with no foundations.
Conversion Limits
A conversion project can only push a barn so far before you essentially have to reconstruct the entire building. Figure out how far you are willing to go, especially if you want the barn to still look and feel like a barn in each room.
How Do I Get a Stunning Barn Conversion?
Where do you actually begin when you want a barn conversion? It can seem tough to actually figure out how barn conversions work or where you are supposed to start if you have never considered it before.
A barn is far larger than a house, and there is not always a clear conversion idea in your head.
We can make the process much easier. We have worked with countless clients in the past, helping them create perfect properties out of barns that otherwise would have gone unused and underappreciated. Projects like turning an old property into a modern home are one of our specialities.
Plan the Project
A basic plan is always helpful when preparing for a barn conversion. Even if you are not very good at sketching out your ideas, come to us with a very basic plan, and we can help you define the rest.
Even small details, like where you would want double doors, can be extremely important. They define the shape and layout of your new conversion.
Note down any ideas you have for the project, no matter how small. An abundance of notes only makes it easier to tailor each space to your needs, especially if you plan to have at least one bedroom in the new house.
The more in-depth your plan, the easier it becomes to figure out what you might want. We can work with you to map out bedrooms, gardens, roof improvements and other tweaks to your new house before the work has even begun.
Consider the Character
A barn conversion can either retain the barn character, replace it, or get something in between.
When planning out a new house, think about every space, from the bedroom to the garden. Do you want the same country style as an old barn, or a brand new style, as if the house was created from scratch?
This can be important for rental and future sale, too. Do you want an office or multi-bedroom home that you can lease based on its unique style, or do you want something more modern and practical?
Remember the Location
A barn out in the country can be quite a far walking distance away from many other important locations. Whether you are making a family home or a studio for hire, your renovations need to consider location.
Each acre of field or garden around you can be a benefit to some people but a detriment to others. A bedroom looking out onto an acre of beautiful garden land is good, but offices can struggle if they are surrounded by gardens that do not leave much parking space.
Get in Touch
We have dozens of different ways to help you with your barn conversions, whether you are making a family house out in the country or something completely different.
Every barn conversion is created differently, and it can be tough to search for the right options for your next family home or leased office space. That search becomes much easier with our experts working alongside you, and our experience can help you get the best possible plan for your needs.
What Now?
Do not be afraid to contact us and let us know what you are looking for. No matter the scale of your project, we have the skills and resources to help you pull it off - all while keeping the same style, character and layout that you detail in your finished plans.
We cover Alfington (Devon)