- Date Published:
- 23/05/2008
Looking for something with real character? Then how about buying a barn? They make fantastic conversion projects, but is it for you?
By Sara McConnell
It should be so easy. Buy up an old barn, convert it to a house and you've done your bit saving a historic building from falling to pieces, creating a wonderful original home for yourself in the process.
But, warns Adrian Parker, chairman of the Royal Town Planning Institute's countryside panel, it's usually not that simple. 'Converting a barn is a blissful dream a lot of people have but it needs a lot of thought. People pay quite a lot for large but tall spaces, which end up feeling like a fragment of a big country house.
One of your biggest hurdles will be to convince local planners that a barn conversion is a good move, says Parker. Local authorities are under pressure from central government to find new uses for old buildings to keep the rural economy healthy. But many barns are miles from shops, schools and other local amenities, which doesn't make them sustainable.
Still keen to turn that barn into the home of your dreams? Follow the tips below:
Before you buy, check the barn's planning status carefully. It may already have planning permission for change of use, in which case be prepared to pay a premium price. Authorities would rather have barns converted to another commercial use rather than to a house, because this brings more to the local economy, and if they've already been persuaded, you're being saved a lot of work.
If it hasn't got change of use permission, find a barn conversion specialist, probably an architect or builder, to draw up conversion plans and discuss them with the local planning officer. Don't buy anything unless you get a positive response, otherwise you could end up with a useless, derelict barn.
Check whether the building is listed. About 10-15 per cent of barns are individually listed. If it's listed it'll be more difficult to get permission to convert it in the first place and you'll be more restricted in what you can do to it.
Think about the practicalities. The existing building will probably have electricity but it won't have gas and probably won't have water or mains drainage. If it's miles from anywhere across fields, it'll be very expensive to get connected.
Be prepared to spend more on quality materials. Planning officers will only give permission for a barn to be made into a home if the owner plans something that retains character and is in keeping with the surroundings. Suggesting plastic windows, kitsch front doors or brash brick chimneys will get you turned away double quick.
Is the existing barn in a reasonable structural state? If it's falling down you may end up having to rebuild the whole thing, which rather destroys the point of a barn conversion.
Get detailed costings before you exchange contracts and commit yourself to buying.
Don't skimp on the cost of a decent architect or builder. There are no central lists of barn conversion specialists but a local surveyor should be able to recommend someone.
Remember that barns and other farm buildings weren't built for humans but for animals, so windows could be non-existent and doors much wider and higher than you'll need in a house. Check with your architect and builder that the existing structure will stand being knocked about to insert doors and windows where you want them. Wooden barns typical in some Home Counties can be particularly difficult to convert without unacceptably naff results.
Useful Contacts:
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
www.rics.org.uk
Royal Institute of British Architects
Excellent website with search engines which can sort member firms by specialist skills
www.architecture.com
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
www.spab.org.uk
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