Barn conversions: this award winning Yorkshire home is lesson in how succeed

The stars aligned for this project thanks to the builders, Mark Stothard and Lee Vincent from Vincent and Partners architects, which also project managed, and open minded clients Nick and Lyn Simpson who treated the professionals with the respect they deserved and who were happy to take on board suggestions, while adding their own ideas.

The reward for this great collaboration was a prestigious York Design Award and the judges concluded: “The project combines old and new work and the forms and details of inherited buildings were revealed in the process of conversion. New elements clearly contrast with old, at the same time respecting their scale and character.

“It resulted in an efficient, comfortable home with a delightful assembly of spaces and sequence of views.”

In short, Oak Farm Barn is a remarkable, beautiful and sustainable energy efficient property and the idea for it came after Nick announced that he would love to buy the barns and adjacent land if they ever came up for sale.

They did and destiny played its part as he and Lyn swapped their family size home in Dunnington for a two-bedroom cottage they owned close to the former farmstead. It was a squash for them and their children but it was well worthwhile

“It helped living so near because we got to know the tradesmen and we were on hand to answer any questions and suggest ideas,” says Lyn, who recommends making snap decisions rather than overthinking because “you can think too much”.

Vincent and Partners helped them gain planning consent to extend, renovate and convert the farm buildings and the mission says architect Mark Stothard was to retain and repair as much of the original structures and character as possible.

The three existing barns formed a U section that was infilled with a new extension that created a quadrangle with an open courtyard in the centre. A new black timber clad bedroom wing was added to the side of one of the barns.

A visit from Yorkshire Architectural Trust, revealed that the oldest barn had features dating from the 1700s , including beams from historic ships. It also identified tadpole shaped charring marks on the timber trusses, thought to offer protection against lightning and fire.

“Retaining them was a no brainer,” says Lyn, though it represented a challenge for York Builder.

“We really wanted to preserve the amazing original character and those beams and trusses so we talked to engineers and timber restoration experts and we managed to keep them by putting a new roof structure around the old one to keep it rigid. The beams are stunning and to think that the roofs on new-build homes probably won’t last 50 years never mind hundreds,” says Rob Peacock.

This barn is the main living area leading to a dining area and nothing can compete with the roof structure as the main feature.

Another barn holds the large living kitchen with cabinetry from Goole based Omega. This leads onto another section of the quadrangle where there is a utility, office, bootroom and playroom.

A two story barn features a games room on the ground floor and two bedrooms on the first floor and the bedroom wing has three bedrooms and includes air conditioning, which is testament to the high levels of insulation.

Outside, good use was made of the land with a ground source heating system and an array of 18 solar panels installed by Green Building Renewables.

It was a large outlay but being largely energy self-sufficient should see that paid back.

The interiors are beautiful and are enhanced by Clive Scotter’s insistence that there should be windows overlooking the courtyard from all sides.

Lyn had plenty of ideas for the decor but also hired interior designer Diane Deighton. They mixed top end items such as sofas that will stand the test of time, with a few bargain buys including a shelving unit from Dunelm.

The main living space is painted in Little Greene’s Twilight, a deep green/blue, and in Masquerade, a salmon pink, which works wonderfully in zoning the area.m“Diane helped me push the boundaries,” says Lyn, who decorated the kitchen around a blue sofa she had bought previously.

Daryn Forster of Nature’s Tailor created eco-friendly and wildlife friendly gardens and grounds, including an orchard, along with a more formal garden in the courtyard where the most striking addition is a 300 year old Olive tree from Italy that had to be craned in. The Simpsons named it Clive after the builder.

The whole project took 12 months and the result is a wonderful, energy efficient family home that looks set to keep on giving. It also stands as a lesson in how to succeed when building and renovating: invest in the best, listen to the professionals and treat them with respect and you won’t go far wrong and if you do, solutions will be found.

Contacts: Vincent + Partners, www.vincentandpartners.com, York Builder,www.yorkbuilder.com, Nature’s Tailor, www.naturestailor.com