A DIY barn conversion

"When I first saw our farmhouse in Hampshire 20 years ago it was the complex of brick and flint outbuildings which attracted my attention," says Doug Palmer. "I felt sure that, one day, these would be easy to convert into a fantastic home. Little did I realise that this would turn into a DIY job of gigantic proportions. I didn't dare say anything to Suzy - I saved that for the day after we moved in!"

The stresses and strains of running a successful restaurant business, together with bringing up a young family, meant that the couple waited for some years before commencing the conversion project. During this time they renovated and extended the farmhouse, landscaping much of the surrounding five acres. The site had previously been used for car repairs and as a small petrol station and transport café, leaving the whole area littered with rusting remains of vehicles, old petrol pumps and piles of scrap.

Although the Palmers had given much thought to the eventual layout and design for the barn, finding an architect to interpret their ideas and come up with a suitable scheme proved taxing.

"There were several factors which had to be reconciled," says Doug. "Suzy was insistent that the kitchen should have the same southerly view down the valley that we already enjoyed from the farmhouse and, as the barn faces east-west, this seemed somewhat difficult. Secondly, much of the main barn was not high enough to accommodate two floors and, lastly, it appeared that in order to raise the insulation levels to the required standard we would have to dry-line the existing walls which would have taken away the very solid and rustic feel we so wanted to keep."

Ultimately, the problem of the kitchen was solved by adding a single storey pitched roof extension at right angles to the main barn, which not only provides wonderful southerly views but also encloses a sheltered terrace area and gives added width to the interior of the property. The dilemma of retaining a solid original feel to the outer walls was resolved by building an inner skin of insulated reclaimed brick and block.

Structural engineer and family friend, Ian Calder, came up with a solution to the lack of headroom in the main barn. "Ian told us that we could get the extra height we needed by digging out about one metre of the existing floor. The bad news was that the walls didn't go down below ground level, and we would have to sit the entire barn on a ring of concrete extending down nearly two metres into the ground!" explains Doug, who by this time had sold his restaurant business, providing funding and giving him the time to work on the build.

A local bricklayer was employed on a labour-only basis to construct the new kitchen extension and build the chimney in the sitting room. Electricians and plumbers were hired when they were needed, and retired train driver, Cyril Gardner - who had already built his own house in a nearby village - was recruited to help with all the general building tasks. Together, Doug and Cyril tackled every aspect of the build including foundations, drainage, brick and flintwork, carpentry, roofing, leadwork, plastering and glazing.

"There were times when we disagreed about how to do something and it would end up like a scene from Laurel and Hardy," laughs Doug. "On the other hand, Cyril's help was invaluable and it would have been very difficult to work entirely alone. Having someone arrive on site each day at 8am made me stick to the task and put in full days."

Once the underpinning was complete, the internal floor was excavated, drainage laid and a new concrete floor poured. An insulated internal skin, constructed from reclaimed bricks and insulation blocks, was then built inside the original perimeter wall. Most of these original walls are constructed from chalk blocks with brick quoins and reveals, and Doug has replicated this in the new inner shell. Steel joists were then heaved into position spanning the full width and running the entire length of the building. These pass over the inner skin wall and are supported by the outer walls, and Doug has inserted reclaimed pine beams under each one.

The family eventually moved into the barn at the end of 1999, five years after the start of building. Landscaping followed and was a massive undertaking. "As the ground floor was now nearly a metre below the outside ground level this had to be addressed all around the property," says Doug. "Fortunately I had invested in a compact tractor, with a front loader and mini digger attachment, and with this I was able to excavate, level and re-grade the land before building retaining walls and steps where necessary."

Doug then turned his attention to converting an attached stable building into a guest suite, which necessitated rebuilding two of the walls and replacing the entire roof. This area also provides a garden room, which links the main house to the guest suite. "We particularly wanted to keep this part of the building in its original state," says Suzy. "Its the only section that still had its Victorian brick floor so, by making it into a garden room, we avoided the need to change it in any way."

"I would definitely tackle any future building programme in a different way," says Doug. "I don't think I could face another eight year project! When I started this I was under the impression that self-build meant that you had to build it yourself, but now I've heard of something called delegation and I'm sure thats the way to go!"

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Further reading:

• A faithful barn conversion
• How to spot the best conversion opportunities
• Find out more about the Homebuilding & Renovating Awards

Read more about converted barns in The Homebuilding & Renovating Book of Barn Conversions