Barns have been converted into different uses since the beginning of time. One Season cattle or stock may have been ‘wintered’ in it, the next it’s full of grain and hay. Barns offer protection from the elements in a very functional way, if ‘form follows function’; barns are the embodiment of that edict. When converting a barn think function! This idea of purity or directness is the essence of a good conversion.
What have you got?
A survey is essential, a condition survey and a topographical survey, this gives you the facts in terms of condition and size. Can you fit into it?
Condition is important, in Devon cob is now understood far more widely than it was ten or twenty years ago, the ‘heritage industry’ has saved many cob buildings simply by raising the awareness about this simple cheap, recycle-able, green material. A good structural engineer can offer appropriate solutions to repair these buildings (not concrete ring beams- as was the fashion twenty years ago!).
Cob fails in specific areas, often at corners, as the material has little tensile strength or as a result of the thatch being removed and heavier roof loads being applied, like that of cheap concrete tiles or having the eaves ‘copped’ back like a brick built house.
What to do with it?
Barns often look huge but when you start to mark out the spaces they shrink quiet quickly. barns are vernacular buildings, and as such we have an intrinsic understanding of the size of them, modules of 5-6 metres across to 17-20metes long under a pitched roof, this is the archetypal barn.
Large doors and few windows, stone or cob walls. We know what a barn looks like, but do we know what to do with it?
What’s it made of?
Cob, stone, brick, block and render, slate or thatch, even corrugated tin, (the saviour of many a vernacular building), also the choice of fancy car dealerships as a roof and waling material in Australia they consider it a vernacular material!
When you start to study your barn you’ll notice there aren’t too many windows on the north side, you’ll notice you can drive into the middle of it or right through it, you’ll notice the roof is a long way from the floor and there’s no first floor, you’ll notice it’s quite dark!
History
Knowing it’s previous use or function may lead you in a certain direction. A threshing porch, (the semi-hexagonal or octagonal) extension here the oxon or horses would provide the ‘horsepower’ (cattle-power’ doesn’t sound right!) to drive the thresher, this a favourite vernacular form to convert to a living room or kitchen, these were often simple framed structures and thus lend themselves to the insertion of glazing to creates a fully glazed space.
Understanding the vernacular, is a key to unlocking the possibilities.
I favour the insertion of a room or building within the barn form, I think many of the ‘usual’ solutions lead to a domestication of the country side, we need to respect these simple, noble structures. Planners have reacted against the ‘housing estate’ approach to barn conversions and are less likely to support this sort of approach that makes a barn look like a house. It takes a leap of faith to create a good barn conversion, too many barns are simply ruined by conversion, get some design help you only et one chance.
Barns are traditionally dark! This is for various reasons, but you want light, you’ve got lots of space! The roof often holds the answer, light from above! This respects the wall architecture and doesn’t have to alter the form of the building. Roof lights can have an industrial feel, and a barn is a kind of industrial building. Large areas of glass can be let into the roof this way.
A room within room is a good solution, the scramble to grab the whole floor area is a bit obvious and dull, it offers little interest in the use of space. Windows set back with deep porches and bridges linking across the cross passage can make for a very exciting space, and this sort of ‘move’ celebrates the large volume that is a barn. Barns are often in two halves or thirds and thinking in terms of specific functions for each sector can work well.
A non-sentimental design approach.
Horse brasses and black beams are very a odd choice, this sort of pastiche is not to be encouraged. Instead think about the strong muscular building you have and how you can ‘intervene’ with a soft touch and create spaces which respect the original fabric of the barn with out destroying it, I don’t mean leaving patches of cob exposed, I mean a comprehensive re-evaluating of the principle of ‘barn conversion’, you’ll have to do this if want planning consent! Design time and an understanding what has gone before will help you unlock the future potential.
