Set within a courtyard of listed buildings in the Cotswolds, this former cowshed was little more than a fragile shell when Louise Harvey and her partner, Dewi Ap-Thomas, decided to take it on. They were drawn to the quiet village setting and the idea of creating a retreat from their busy lives as lawyers in Liverpool, but the project came with some daunting challenges.
The Grade II-listed barn was divided into two distinct elements – a single-storey cowshed and a two-storey former bull pen with a hayloft above. These spaces had never been internally connected and were set on different levels, making any residential barn conversion far from straightforward.
"We’d built a house before from an old stable block, so we were aware of what we were taking on and we weren’t too intimidated when we first saw the old leaning building," says Louise. Design Storey Architects, an Oxford-based practice with a strong background in heritage projects, was duly commissioned to create a modest, practical home while retaining as much of the building’s historic fabric as possible.
Project details
- Location Gloucestershire
- Project Conversion of listed farm building
- House size 100sq m
- Purchase price £110,000
- Build cost £550,000
- Value £950,000+
Clever solutions
Planning permission and listed building consent had already been secured by the previous owner, but Dewi and Louise felt that a fresh approach to the renovation was required.
"Space was so limited, and the existing plans just wouldn’t have worked," says Louise. "If we’d have gone with those plans, we would have banged our heads going upstairs, so as a result we felt we needed to go back to the planners with some clever solutions."
A detailed measured survey captured thousands of points with lasers to ensure every corner of the building was utilised, and Design Storey resubmitted plans that addressed the challenges, including structural repairs and damp issues, while tailoring the design to suit Louise and Dewi’s brief.
The double-height stone bull pen now accommodates the main bedroom on the upper floor, where an en suite is tucked under the eaves, with the shower suspended over the stairs.
The architects’ vision of inserting a carefully detailed timber pod to contain the staircase not only unites both sides of the barn, resolving changes in levels and maximising headroom, but also forms a divider between bedrooms and bathrooms.
Respecting the past
Design Storey’s approach was to repair and retain existing materials wherever feasible. Cracks in the historic stone walls were stitched together using stainless-steel helical bars, weathered timber cladding was resurrected, and existing apertures reused, while large barn door openings have been discreetly glazed to keep the agricultural character intact.
A restrained palette of materials celebrates the building’s simplicity, with timber boarding and lime plaster sitting comfortably within the stone walls, which have been repointed.
Sustainability was a core focus, and the use of materials such as lime plaster, woodwall boards and sheep’s wool insulation all helped to blend with the barn’s historic fabric.
A collaborative process
The project’s success relied on teamwork, and Design Storey worked closely with the contractor, structural engineer and a supportive conservation officer.
Each step was informed by a careful balance between building regulations, conservation principles and the practical needs of a modern home.
Environmental considerations came under the spotlight, too. "We were required to commission a detailed bat survey, which involved a specialist company camping out overnight to capture their flight paths," says Louise. "We’ve installed various bat houses around the property based on the resulting recommendations."
Interior detailing
Louise had a strong vision for the interiors and sourced items such as the sanitaryware and tiles, with the architects designing layouts for the kitchen and bathrooms, as well as bringing together the various elements of interior design.
"During my lunch breaks I put together a Pinterest board – super-plain with white walls – nothing too fussy," says Louise.
"My aim was that I didn’t want anything to detract from the fabric of the building and I even took along a piece of stone to the flooring company when choosing the tiles, to make sure everything worked together."
Financing the project also presented challenges. "Work on the barn started after the pandemic, when labour and material costs were all becoming more expensive, and at one point we had to ask family to help bridge the gap between funding stages," says Louise.
"However, the high point was being part of such a harmonious team and receiving positive reactions from people in the village, including the former owner, who still sometimes pops in for a cup of tea."
Though modest in scale, the house nevertheless feels generous thanks to its intelligent layout and carefully judged materials. "We don’t need masses of rooms, because it’s just the two of us and our little dog," says Louise. "It's the perfect place for us to relax and spend time in the country."
For Louise and Dewi, the finished result is exactly what they had hoped for – it’s a calm, practical retreat with a neutral palette and stripped-back styling that honours the building’s past while working as a comfortable dwelling.
This gorgeous property won the Best Conversion category in the Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2025, in partnership with The Times and The Sunday Times. For more inspiration, take a tour of this zero-carbon oak frame home that's built on a Devon farm.
