Your turn to go mad over barn conversion

You have to have plenty of imagination, dedication and probably be a little bit mad to take on the rebuilding of a derelict barn.

But that’s exactly what Craig and Kerry Grafton did when they bought The Granary at Little Smeaton near Pontefract.

It’s obvious when you meet them though that they are certainly not mad, they are an extremely nice couple who, together with their two young children Niamh, nine and George, five have made the Granary into a wonderful, warm, comfortable home.

The story begins back in 2007 when the Graftons spotted the ruined barn on the market. They’d had some experience of managing their own building projects, despite not being ‘in the trade’ and reckoned they could transform the Granary into the home they’d always wanted.

Craig said: “Once we’d won the bid it took a long time to get the plans passed. The barn is in a conservation area and is classed as a building of significant interest in the village.

“Luckily we had a wonderful architect, Ian Catherall of FJ Architects, who knew exactly what we wanted to achieve and guided us through the whole process.”

When the go-ahead was given the family moved into a caravan in the yard and lived there for seven months until the two-bedroom annexe was completed. They stayed there for 18 months until the Granary was finished and they could finally move in.

Kerry said: “We wanted to create an open living space with lots of light and a double-height hallway but we didn’t want to compromise on bedroom space.”

A massive sun room at the end of the property is the showpiece of the Granary, it gets the afternoon sun and is the perfect place to relax. Four sets of French doors lead out into the garden to create an outdoor living area.

Having the right builder is key to the success of such a massive project and the Graftons were lucky in their choice.

Craig said: “Our builder Keith Rotherforth of Brotherton had some fantastic ideas about how best to reuse the materials that were already on site. The floor of the barn was covered in old bricks and they were used on the window headers and all the beams were reclaimed and either left in-situ or moved to other rooms.”

A structural survey found early on that the walls would not be strong enough to support the new roof so a completely new shell was built inside the existing walls to take the weight. The result is the walls are extremely thick and they are heavily insulated.

This together with the other energy saving measures incorporated into the project have resulted in an excellent energy rating and low fuel bills.

But the Graftons have now decided to sell the Granary and move on to their next project and their home is on the market for £795,000.

Anyone buying it can be assured that everything has been completed to the highest of standards and that the best materials have been used throughout.

It offers spacious and well-planned accommodation which includes an impressive dining hall with open gallery, superb lounge with inglenook fireplace and an open plan sun room.

There is an additional sitting room, an extensively fitted modern breakfast kitchen with appliances, large master bedroom, four additional double bedrooms two with en-suite facilities and the third with provision for an en-suite and a house bathroom/shower room.

The separate two-bedroom detached annex has an open-plan living kitchen, downstairs cloakroom, two bedrooms and bathroom.

It stands in well-maintained grounds with lawned areas and an enclosed gravelled forecourt providing ample off-road parking.

The Granary is on the market with Fine & Country Manning Stainton, 12 Wood Street, Wakefield, 01924 234881