Stunning Barn Conversion

We couldn’t find a house we liked, so we went mad and bought the old barn across the way instead,” laughs Roy Naismith. “It was a derelict 16th century oak framed building and our aim was to put a contemporary family home inside the gnarled timbers and ‘olde world’ thatch of the outer shell, rather than creating a faux farmhouse or pretend barnyard!”

Roy and his wife, Janine, are both originally from Glasgow, but moved to Hampshire due to work commitments. Keen to find a home of character, they purchased a barn conversion off plan from a developer before it had been completed, and lived in this former corn store for a number of years.

Part of a collection of traditional farm buildings, the Naismiths’ home overlooked a derelict L-shaped threshing barn with double-height openings and exposed oak trusses. Constructed on a brick and flint plinth and clad extensively with horizontal timber weatherboarding, the building had originally been thatched using water reed, but the roof had been stripped and covered as it deteriorated and became sodden — cutting a sad figure among its refurbished and converted neighbours.

“Eventually part of the building actually collapsed, and because it’s Grade II listed the farmer was obliged to repair the damage,” Janine explains. “He then decided to apply for planning permission on it with a view to selling it off.” During this time the Naismiths and their sons, Scott and George, were gradually outgrowing their home, and had begun hunting for a larger property in the area without success. When the old barn eventually came onto the market they took the decision to buy it — successfully submitting a sealed bid of £250,000.

“We’re both accountants, with no previous building experience whatsoever,” says Roy, “and this was certainly not the easiest project we could have chosen for a firsttime build. In fact, professional developers had rejected the barn, realising just how difficult it would prove to convert. In some ways our lack of knowledge was probably a real help, because we had absolutely no idea what we were letting ourselves in for!”

The existing plans for the conversion were uninspiring, but the Naismiths contacted numerous architects — ultimately selecting Haddow Partnership to devise a more exciting scheme which would still meet the requirements of the local conservation officer.

The main part of the barn was to remain as unchanged as possible, to enable the oak frame to stay intact and fully visible, and this dictated an open plan layout containing the kitchen/dining and sitting areas, whilst bedrooms are located to the other end of the building in what was formerly an old tractor shed.

“The boys have their rooms downstairs and share a bathroom, and there’s another en suite bedroom for guests, but there was just enough height for our own bedroom, dressing room and en suite to be positioned upstairs,” says Roy.

“The authorities were more relaxed about this part of the barn because it was the section which needed to be completely rebuilt. We were even allowed to introduce a couple of new windows, as well as glazing the existing cart door openings, which brings a great deal of light into the house.”

So began the careful and laborious process of restoring and selectively underpinning the barn, using green oak where the original timbers of the frame could not be saved. Every truss and purlin was individually assessed by a structural engineer before work began, and the roof was later re-thatched with water reed in the traditional manner, with insulation laid over the rafters so that the structure of the oak frame could still be exposed internally.

The transformation from a dark, derelict farm building with earth floors to a bright, state-of-the-art home is incredible, and the Naismiths were able to observe every stage of the project from their vantage point next door.

Certain elements of the conservation process did prove somewhat farcical, however. The roof has been faithfully replicated from the previous design, including a lower section of reclaimed clay pantiles — which were assumed to be an 18th century method of preventing cattle from chewing the edges of the eaves. It later transpired that – according to the previous owner of the barn – this quirky design feature had only been introduced as a farmer’s bodge when it was last thatched in the 1970s!

Concrete and earth floors were replaced with stone and oak laid over underfloor heating, and all windows and doors have been constructed in oak, with dark grey anodised aluminium chosen for frames in the four double-height cart door openings to reduce the impact of these new expanses of glazing.

A full-height glazed screen with folding glass doors has also been erected in the family room/winter lounge to provide a degree of soundproofing, and internally the crisp contemporary detailing contrasts beautifully with the original elements, whilst shadow gaps highlight where new and old directly meet.

“Our architect and builder were really fantastic, and we all collaborated on the project,” says Janine. “We also had a wonderful contemporary kitchen designer, who came up with a unique idea for this part of the house, based around a circular hub. Roy does most of the cooking, and when we entertain he can stand in the kitchen surrounded by glass, granite and stainless steel, and chat to people while he cooks.”

Curves played a major role when it came to designing the interiors throughout the house, with the media room encircled by a mushroom-coloured rendered brick wall, which serves to support the cantilevered oak treads of a staircase leading up to the soundproofed roof. This ‘balcony’ above the cylindrical room forms an elevated stage-cum-playroom where George enjoys playing his drum kit at full volume. A second balcony outside the first floor master bedroom is used as a study.

“One of my favourite parts of the house is the ground floor corridor, which drops down four steps from the family room,” says Roy. “You swing round from a very open plan, glazed space into a contained passageway leading to the bedrooms, where even the guest room door has been curved to continue the line.

“It’s the quirky features which we love about the barn, but everything we’ve added has been designed to impact as little as possible on the oak structure. After all, it’s the frame which is the real star of the show."

Further reading:

• A Guide to Converting Barns
• An Eco Barn Conversion
• A Listed Barn Conversion