Marianne Suhr: Converting a threshing barn

ABOVE: Early 18th-century Watts Barn as Heather and Graham bought it. Originally designed for threshing, the barn was extended in the 1860s and adapted in the 1890s to quarter cattle, pigs and horses.

Old buildings expert Marianne Suhr introduces us to 18th-century survivor Watts Barn, which is about to be transformed into a dream home by its new owners, planners allowing.

The project: Watts Barn, a Grade II listed, timber-framed threshing barn, which dates from the early 1700s but has some earlier parts
This month's challenge: To employ a building surveyor and set plans in motion to sensitively repair and convert Watts Barn into a four-bedroom home

Heather and Graham were living in a small modern house with their three children in a beautiful Oxfordshire village when the opportunity of a lifetime suddenly presented itself. An unconverted 18th-century timber framed barn, in a good plot of land right in the centre of the village, was up for sale.

The barn didn’t have planning permission for conversion at that stage, so Graham began to do some research by contacting a local authority planning officer and asking her questions about what might be possible. He was given the impression – though by no means a definite answer – that provided the proposal was sensitive, then planning permission and listed building consent were likely to be granted. With everything to play for, Heather and Graham decided to place an offer on the barn and the sale went through.

The timber frame interior before work started; Building surveyor Richard Cain examines the oak timbers

ABOVE (left-right): The timber frame interior before work started; Building surveyor Richard Cain examines the oak timbers, which were probably cut in the village saw-pit.

Finding the right professional
That was the easy bit. Graham then employed an architect, who in turn appointed a surveyor to carry out a detailed measured survey of the site and barn. This allowed them to obtain accurate drawings of the barn ‘as existing’ to use as a basis for the proposed drawings. As Graham and Heather got to know the surveyor, they realised that they wanted to entrust him with the whole project, as he really seemed to understand how special the building was.

Richard Cain is a building surveyor who started his career as a draughtsman, so this sort of complex drawing work is second nature to him. Think of hundreds of bits of wood, all out of plumb with wobbly edges, interconnected to each other. Then fill the space to the rafters with decades of rubbish and bits of old junk to prevent you from getting a clear view, and you can begin to imagine the challenge of measuring and plotting a detailed survey.

Despite the difficulties inherent in the task, Richard relished this part of the job and viewed it as an ideal chance to get to know the barn and understand how it all fitted together. Intimate knowledge of a structure is crucial when it comes to working out how to convert an old building into a residential space. Richard’s partner, Eunice, who stoically held the end of the tape measure during those lengthy cold winter days, may very well have a different perspective on the project!

Clearing out the barn was a major task

ABOVE: Clearing out the barn was a major task.

Seeking approval
Richard and Graham had a second meeting with the planning officer before they finalised the design. The proposed plans included a master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, three further bedrooms and a double height living space with kitchen, games room and snug. Graham was worried that the council would stipulate conditions that would make the whole project impractical, but in fact the planning officer suggested sensible changes that Richard incorporated into his design.

With the plans for conversion all drawn up, and a detailed schedule of repairs complete, it was time to submit the project for official planning permission and listed building consent. Three months later, Graham and Heather got the go-ahead. They were over the moon.

Richard's drawings for submission to the planning committee

ABOVE: Richard made ‘as existing’ drawings of the barn for the survey to show how repairs would be done and that the conversion would be sympathetic.

Marianne's checklist: Seeking out professional advice

A successful outcome is largely dependent on appointing advisors with the right expertise, so don’t rush it.

Ask your local council conservation officer or planning officer for good architects or building surveyors in the area, who specialise in old building work. Alternatively, SPAB holds names of local conservation professionals.

If you see a local conversion project that you like, don’t be afraid to knock on the door and ask who did the work.

Always speak to more than one professional, and choose someone who is on your ‘wavelength’. It is important that you get on, as you are about to embark on a stressful journey together.

Before you sign them up, ask for references from past clients. If they are good, there will be lots of people happy to recommend them. If not, be suspicious.

Get everything in writing and clarify their fee structure in advance. Find out how much they charge for travel, and ideally choose someone local as they will need to visit the site once or twice a week.

Take a reality check

First of all, can you bear the disruption and spare the time? In my experience, you can never underestimate the mess, and it takes at least an hour a day, every day, to answer builders’ questions.

Speak to a council planning officer or conservation officer before commissioning expensive plans. He or she will give you an idea of what is likely to be passed, and the limitations of a potential design. Really understand the condition of the building, and get a feel for the cost of the project: a professional advisor will often focus on the new works and alterations, but unless they have conservation experience, they can miss some of the vital and costly repairs.

Even with a detailed specification and a fixed price, I’ve never known a complex old building project come in exactly on budget, or on time, so factor in a contingency fund for any unknown items of at least 20%.