A Converted Brick Barn

"We’d been planning to move out of London for some time, but weren’t sure exactly where we wanted to live,” says Conrad Whelan. “With family and friends dotted all over the country we guessed that it would be a house which would finally dictate where we put down roots, and sure enough, as soon as we saw this barn we just knew we had to live here.”

The couple had been due to travel to Suffolk to see another property, which was withdrawn from sale at the last minute, leaving them without a viewing. A quick search on the internet turned up a detached Suffolk barn and an acre of grounds in idyllic rural surroundings. Originally built in around 1830, the building was used as a stable with a first floor granary, and had been part of the village vineyard, but was disused and ripe for conversion.

“To be honest we’d never even considered taking on a major building project,” says Fiona. “We were hunting for a property to renovate, but when we stood in the garden on that sunny day, looking at the old brick barn, it was just so appealing that we made the decision to go one step further.We spent several hours wandering around the place and sitting in the garden, talking about how it would work.”

The barn was fairly watertight, although many of the roof joists were rotten and the first floor was unsafe. Realising that the entire structure would require major remedial work, the couple decided against spending additional money on a survey.With its mellow redbrick walls, exposed oak timbers and clay pantile roof, the building already had Outline Planning Permission for a conversion, although the Whelans were not particularly enthusiastic about the existing plans.

Their architect was recommended to them by the owner of an antiques shop, who had overheard Fiona discussing the project with her mother and immediately suggested contacting London-based architects Buckley Gray Yeoman. “We’d approached several different practices, but as soon as we met with Richard Buckley we had a really good rapport,” says Conrad. “He had already converted his own barn in Suffolk, and we liked the fact that we had such similar ideas.”

Conrad had previously worked as an estate agent in Central London, a job which involved visiting a number of glamorous and unusual houses. Inspired by some of the ideas he had seen, he and Fiona were keen to introduce a contemporary feel to the barn’s interiors without losing any of the original character.

“We wanted a flowing space on the ground floor which would enjoy views out over the garden without being totally open plan,” he explains. “The answer was to have a vaulted family room, with brick archways opening into the kitchen/dining area and a separate sitting room.”

The whole process of designing the conversion and submitting the plans took eight months to complete, partly due to the fact that the original design was rejected — primarily because of the number of proposed new openings. Armed with some examples of previous projects, architect Richard Buckley travelled to visit the planning office and succeeded in convincing the planners to approve the carefully detailed scheme, albeit with certain conditions.

“We formed two new glazed doorways and added a long rooflight, which drops light down onto the landing and into the hallway below,” says Fiona. “Leaving an opening in the wall between our sitting room and the inner hallway means that light can percolate into this space as well, and the whole house is extremely brightly lit.”

Seven building contractors were invited to tender for the conversion, five responded and the Whelans met with three before making their final choice — which proved to be a good one, as the company was enthusiastic and competent throughout the project.

“We moved out of London and lived in a little family-owned house in Surrey while the building work was going on,” Conrad says. “The barn required extensive underpinning and was partially rebuilt, with metal wall ties and a new damp-proof course, before being completely re-pointed. At one stage we were down to just three walls and no roof because it had subsided in one part, but it wasn’t really anything we weren’t expecting.”

The builders saved the existing pantiles and reused them once the roof structure had been rebuilt. “We were really lucky that all of the main building materials were already on site, and we could make a feature of the exposed oak beams and bare brick walls,” says Fiona. “It was hard work for the builders to have to clean and reuse the old bricks and tiles, but it was worth it to see the end result.”

Ultimately, the work overran by approximately ten weeks, and the Whelans ended up moving to Suffolk to stay with Fiona’s mother until the barn was habitable. During this time they were able to visit the site on a daily basis and keep an eye on progress, with Conrad buying almost all of the materials himself in order to save money — hiring a lorry and collecting oak flooring, bathroom suites and door furniture from London.

He also used this time to work on the driveway and garden, so that gradually the landscape was transformed from an overgrown nettle-filled field to a wildflower meadow, with a large deck area – built directly outside the barn by Conrad and a friend – inset with a row of dainty trees and fragrant lavender.

Walking into the main entrance hall of the barn, two things instantly strike you. One is the full-sized suit of armour standing opposite, complete with a St George cross shield (“I’d always wanted one since I was a kid, and bought it impulsively on eBay for £700 after a few drinks one night,” explains Conrad). The other feature is the curvaceous pale-green ‘pod’, which contains a cloakroom/WC area and acts as an unusual room divider between the entrance area and family room.

“Storage was always an issue, and at first our architect suggested that the pod could be mounted on wheels and used as a movable storeroom,” says Fiona, who works as a recruitment consultant. “We were lacking a well-placed downstairs cloakroom, though, and decided that this could be housed inside a fixed pod, which our builders made up by bending layers of plywood around a timber frame and finishing it with coats of plaster.”

To the other end of the family room, two brick archways – originally a doorway and window within the barn – open into the kitchen/dining room, beyond which an area of white vertical plasterboard ‘pillars’ creates an unusual effect.

The solid oak kitchen was made by the couple’s builders, fitted with black granite end panels and matching worktops, and travertine flooring has been laid over underfloor heating, which extends through the house on both floors. A solid oak staircase, built around a steel frame with clear glass balustrades, was also custom-made to the Whelans’ design and is illuminated with floor-level lighting.

“Converting the barn and moving here really was the best thing we could have done,” says Conrad. “The pace of life in the country is much more relaxed, and we’ve made friends in the area and always have a houseful of visitors to stay. In fact, it’s been ages since either of us bothered going back to London at all — we feel far more at home where we are.”

Further reading:

• An Eco Barn Conversion
• How to spot the best conversion opportunities
• Planning approval for conversions