Barn Conversions: Design Solutions

Extending a conversion

Large additions to a barn are unlikely to be acceptable to the planners in most instances, but smaller subordinate additions may be, especially to the minor elevations.

A good justification for such an addition is that it will house facilities like a cloakroom, utility room, boiler room or other ancillary rooms, and thereby prevent too much subdivision of the main space, avoiding the subsequent loss of character this would entail.

Lean-to-style additions with a simple monopitch roof, designed to look like an existing addition to the barn, can be a good option. Extensions that link barns and other outbuildings may also be acceptable if designed appropriately: infilling is unlikely to be acceptable, but as with a listed building, a frameless glass link would be difficult for planners to object to.

Additions such as porches, conventional conservatories or attached garages are not likely to be appropriate. A modest extension using green oak framing may be more acceptable. It may also be easier to gain consent for an extension at a later date, once the initial conversion has been completed.

Garaging is best provided through the conversion of outbuildings, or the construction of new, sympathetically designed outbuildings. These could be styled to look like shelters, open cart sheds, stables or other agricultural buildings.

ABOVE: Be true to the original use of the building - Exposing the original frame – and drawing attention to it through lighting – can make a barn conversion feel packed with character.

A New Barn's Internal Layout

The subdivision of internal space within a barn conversion is usually informed by its limitations as much as the opportunities it offers. The key considerations are the use of natural light, which is often relatively limited; retaining the sense of volume and openness of the original space; and, if it is attractive, making use of the exposed open roof structure as a feature. Layout options may also be limited by the position of existing internal partition walls, particularly if they are structural, or the position of posts and beams. If the building is protected, sometimes little or no alteration of the original fabric is allowed.

Access and permeability – the flow between spaces – are also important considerations, with the room plan determined to a large extent by the separation of ‘private’ and ‘public’ space and the key relationships between different functions such as kitchen and dining, bedrooms and bathrooms.

Barns are usually long and relatively narrow, and so a central hallway is often the most spaceefficient option to provide access and circulation. It is also the ideal place to have a space that is open floor to the ridge, at least in part, so that the sense of volume – the most appealing characteristic of a barn – is apparent immediately upon entering the building.

The first floor will typically need to be linked across this open central hallway — although some design solutions have two staircases or a split staircase, with the bedroom accommodation divided into two, the master bedroom arrangement to one side, and family or guest bedrooms to the other, accessed from a galleried landing.

A key consideration here is to avoid cutting across the main glazed barn door opening, so a galleried ‘bridge’ landing, with a void either side, is a good solution.

In some instances, an upside-down configuration can be the best solution, with an open plan living, kitchen and dining space on the top floor, underneath an open vaulted roof structure, and the bedrooms and bathrooms on the ground floor where there is more flexibility for layout options, and fewer access problems created by restricted headroom. Such living spaces are often open plan and have a gallery overlooking the stairwell.

Open plan room arrangements for the living spaces help maximise the use of borrowed light, as will splaying window and door reveals and rounding off the arises (the external corners of walls). A light-reflecting colour scheme will also help.

ABOVE: Maximise natural light - Double-height spaces and plenty of internal glass (balustrades etc.) enable light, often limited in conversions, to filter through.

Adding Floors

Options to divide the space horizontally to create additional storeys will depend on the height of the building. Barns often combine sections with single, two or even three storeys to take best advantage of the volume that is available.

Use of this space may be restricted by the slope of the roof, tie beams or collars on roof trusses. In some instances, it may be acceptable to alter the roof trusses to create access between first floor rooms, but if this is not possible it may be necessary to design sunken stairwells.

It is usually necessary to excavate the existing floor in order to lay a new floor structure, and in the process it may be possible to create addit ional volume by excavating to a lower level.

Subject to calculations to assess loadings, it may be possible to use existing brick or stone walls to help support new floor structures, but this may necessitate underpinning. In this case a completely independent structure, such as an internal timber or steel frame, supported by piers and columns, might be preferable.

ABOVE: Getting glazing right - A bank of glazing may be more appropriate than a scattering of rooflights. (Architect, Buckley Gray Yeoman (buckleygrayyeoman.com, 020 7033 9913)

Designer's View: "Handle with Care"

Damien Blower, Stedman Blower Architects (stedmanblower.co.uk)

The way local authorities interrogate plans for barn conversion is getting stricter. What would have passed even five years ago as a design methodology now often needs to be supported by independent advice and reports. Often we find the local authority will delegate detailed inspection of the plans to historic building officers, and they increasingly require such work as independent structural surveys, to prove that these buildings can be converted without significant reconstruction or compromise to the original fabric.

They also increasingly ask for drawings showing the internal frame elevations, as well as details of how the new insulation, structural works, pipes and cables can be retrofitted within the building fabric without harming it unduly. This involves a certain amount of detailed drawing and can often include structural designs also — for how any new walls, floors or beams can be inserted within a historic building, without significant alteration to its fabric. Sometimes, historic buildings officers prefer the new structure to be entirely independent from the old building, and one way to do so is to design new steel columns and beams independent of the old walls and frame.

Expect an increasing requirement to consider the sustainability of any scheme for the recycling of a redundant barn. This does not only mean a consideration of the use of the building, for we know that residential development is preferred near transport hubs, local shops and other resources necessary for the family, and isolated conversions will need to be considered within the widest possible meaning of sustainable development. As such, retrofitting a barn for residential use will increasingly demand careful thought. For our part, we believe in close consultation at the earliest stage with the local authority, as they share the desires we all do — we are just temporary custodians of these beautiful old buildings, and we want to ensure their survival as authentically as possible. They are a finite resource and should be handled with care.

Damien Blower MA MArch (USA) RIBA SIA FRSA: Damien is Director of Surrey, Cheshire and Swiss-based Architectural Practice, Stedman Blower (01252 783574) and formerly of Frank Gehry Architects (Los Angeles). Damien is a registered architect in the UK and in Switzerland and has completed a dozen or more barn conversions in recent years including listed buildings and for which he has won numerous awards and earned a wide distinction as a foremost specialist in this field.

Barn Conversions: Case Studies

• A Single Storey Barn Conversion
• Converting a Cow Barn
• Converting a Barn into a Family Home

Further reading:

• Design Masterclass: Barn Conversions
• How to Self-build or Renovate in the Countryside
• Everything You Need to Know About Conversions

Barn Conversions - Brand new selections of barn conversions in one of our most popular books.