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Barn conversions

Turn disused, agricultural out buildings into lavish home set in the country side

Barn conversions are an amazing way to maximise space and property use in any home, and when looking at barn conversions in Lincolnshire in particular with areas such as Lincoln, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Boston and Grantham, they’re becoming more popular than ever. With planning laws becoming more relaxed on barn conversions as the years go by, now is a better time than ever to work with us at CK Architectural and get your professional, personalised barn conversion designs and bring yours to life.

Whether you’re converting your barn for extra space to utilise at home, as a property value maximiser, or even as a potential revenue stream, we’re able to cater to your exact project requirements and create the most effective design possible.

Contact us today to speak with a member of the CK team and get free personalised quotes and advice on your barn conversion and see how we can work with you.

We provide comprehensive advice before any commitment

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Designing a barn conversion

The first step of the barn conversion process after a survey and speaking with you is with the designing of your new project. Design options are all about the internal layout and keeping any external alterations in character of the building and surroundings. Barn conversions will generally need to be within the long and narrow structural shell, so we need to be clever as to how to get light in and views out.

If you cannot form a first floor via mezzanine, then bedrooms need to be accessed from hallways or straight off other habitable rooms, and that can open other design decisions too. The roof must be vaulted, and where possible, traditional material finishes such as wood trusses should be exposed. When designing, arrange the spaces around the area and then make any opening work both inside and out.

As with all designs for new builds, you need utilities, access, services, and to adhere to all the building regulations as you would a new build. Insulation will typically be formed within the fabric of the building, leaving the existing structure as a material finish. All additional openings, windows and roof light should really be in line with the rest of the exterior as to avoid any poor looking aesthetics.

By utilising all of these design options, your barn conversion has huge potential.

From basic design to full project management, you can tailor your service to you

Planning permission guide

Gaining planning permission

It can be difficult to convert a barn through the traditional planning approaches, as creating home in the open countryside, on agricultural land and protected farm buildings raises a lot of red flags. A big help to this however is the Barn Conversion Clause, tying it with permitted development providing certain criteria are met. That’s great news for most people looking to convert.

The Barn conversion clause comes about as part of a new Class – MB – into Part 3 of the Second Schedule of the General Permitted Development Order. This new class authorises change of use of a building and any land within its curtilage from use as an agricultural building to a use falling within Class C3 – dwellings. It also authorises building operations ‘reasonably’ necessary to convert the building to residential use.

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Key factors

  • The site must have been used solely for agricultural use.
  • The barn must have existed on by 20th March 2013 (no building new barns!). New barns can be built and converted into homes but must exist as solely agricultural buildings for at least 10 years.
  • The total floor space of your barn to be converted must be no more than 450m² – if the barn is bigger, you’ll only be able to convert to a maximum of 450m².
  • The 450m² can be divided into three separate dwellings.
  • If the site is subject to an agricultural tenancy, landowners must have the express consent of their tenants

We have a fully trained team on hand to help however necessary

Building regulations guide

Planning to building regulations

Once permission is in place, it is then time to produce buildings regulation and construction drawings.

Often barns are poorly built and adding more weight may be difficult, but using the existing external walls and finish will probably form part of the planning condition.

We can design for water proofing and insulation so that the desired outcome isn’t affected.

Service and drainage are also a challenge. Where this is unavailable, we will advise on all the options open to you.

In actual fact if you do choose to carry out a barn conversion, you will actually need to adhere to the same rules as most new build properties, in which:

SAP calculations, this will design the energy efficiency of the home, and give requirements for insulation and heating performance.

The building will need to be assessed for structural stability.

Sound testing will be required on completion, but all construction elements affecting sound, need to be detailed and built in accordance with approved plans.

All other documents of the building regulations will need to be checked via full plans approval prior to commencing.

Part B – Fire Safety

Part C – Site preparation and resistance to contaminates and moisture

Part D – Toxic Substances

Part E – Resistance to the passage of sound

Part F – Ventilation

Part G – Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency

Part H – Drainage and Waste Disposal

Part J – Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems

Part K – Protection from falling, collision and impact

Part L – Conservation of fuel and power

Part M – Access to and use of buildings

Part N – Glazing Safety (Withdrawn)

Part P – Electrical Safety

Part Q – Security

After addressing all of this carefully, we will provide you with a detailed set of building regulation drawings that will allow you to tender if you wish and give you a guide for the build.

From that point, you can move forward with your barn conversion project to choose a builder to carry out the work as you see fit, or alternatively, carry out a project management service like ours where we’ll do this for you and manage the whole thing.

Building & Project Management

The final part of your barn conversion is actually converting the loft using the new designs and documentation you have acquired with CK. That means selecting a build your feel confident to work with, budgeting, and generally managing your build however you can, unless you choose to continue working with CK Architectural and utilising the project management service we provide to ensure the easiest and most effective build.

That includes:

  •          Helping with builder selection
  •          Managing contracts
  •          Regular site inspections
  •          Acting as the mediator between client and builder
  •          Creating a snagging plan
  •          And much more

Some useful things to consider with your build come from areas like choosing your builders to ensure the quotation matches the approved plans and specifications. If you are going for high-end grand design finishes, make sure they have the right knowledge and experience. Make sure you have a clearly set out agreement of what is expected down to every detail possible in order to make sure you’re getting everything you need from them without any nasty surprises or increases prices.

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