Blog Posts

Behind the Scenes of Channel 4’s Grand Designs

Channel 4’s Grand Designs visits Church Hill Barn: Behind the scenes. Church Hill Barn was featured as an exemplary project in one of the…

The Sustainable Case for Converting Barns

The sustainable case for converting barns There is a need to provide housing within the countryside and a sustainable case for converting barns to…

Retrofitting a Barn Conversion

Many older barn conversions are much less thermally efficient than current regulations would allow. Most of the barn conversions in the UK were undertaken…

Grand Designs Film Church Hill Barn

“Oh my word! This immense cruciform building seems to have kept much of its real self. The timber roof is the original. The old…

Planning Restrictions on Barn Conversions Part 1

Planning restrictions on barn conversions can be stringent. This will depend, either on the historical importance of the building or the location of the…

Eco Surveys

What are eco surveys and when would you require one? It is common for planning authorities to require eco surveys as part of an…

Barn Conversions: What Factors Can Influence Cost?

Homebuilding & Renovating magazine asked me to contribute to an article about factors that influence the cost of a barn conversion. Along with everyday living expenses the…

New Class Q Rules

The revised rules on Permitted Development for barn conversions, commonly called Class Q, came into effect in May 2024 The rules for converting agricultural…