Barn Conversions

The Pros and Cons of buying a Barn Conversion....

We often get instructed to act for clients looking to acquire a Barn Conversion, but there are plenty of areas to consider before making that all important move!

Barns do wonders for the imagination. There's all that space to play with — the chance to create exactly what you want, in a rural setting, using traditional materials or opting for a radical, 21st-century contemporary make-over. And no surprise that they don't come up for grabs too often.

Normally, they are found in places where planners would not dream of granting permission for a brand new development — but their availability varies hugely around the country.

Barn conversions are like Marmite: you either love them or hate them. There is always a percentage of buyers that steer clear of them, as they’re just not their thing. This strong reaction often stems from the way people respond to the trade-off between the attractive features of living in a converted barn and its potential drawbacks compared to a conventional house. A barn’s main advantage is the sheer volume it offers. High (often vaulted) ceilings, glazed, full-height cart entrances and open-plan areas provide a great sense of space, creating contemporary interiors in a period setting.

As a result, barn conversions often appeal to a younger, more modern-thinking buyer, but key also to downsizers, as there is plenty of space for their big furniture without the burden of lots of bedrooms. That said, local authorities often impose restrictions on conversions, which result in unusual layouts or disproportionately sized living or sleeping areas.

For example, planners insist on the central bay being left full height in many period barns, which means that the first-floor bedrooms often get split into two wings, with the main bedroom at one end of the building and another at the opposite end, off a separate staircase. That’s fine for an adult couple who want an independent guest bedroom but inappropriate for a family with children.

That said, the pros and cons of living in a barn conversion are dependent to a large extent on the character of your chosen building and the quality of the conversion work. For example, many barn conversions attract buyers because they’re situated in beautiful rural locations, places where you would never achieve planning permission to build a new house these days.

Others, however, are adjacent to working farms, or are part of small outbuilding developments, meaning that privacy, space and views may be limited. Shared drives and services may also be a contentious issue. Interiors can also differ widely. Some barns, particularly those converted in the 1980s (when it was fashionable to turn your outbuildings into conventional houses, complete with dark-stained timbers), can feel cramped and oppressive, whereas more recent conversions make better use of space and light. The very best ones combine the drama and features of the original building with the practicality and comforts of a new-build. They also strike the right balance between living and sleeping space, if a barn has a series of large reception rooms, but only one bedroom, it will be harder to re-sell.

One of the biggest problems is light. Planners usually insist you use existing openings for windows, which means the use of skylights, where permitted, and porthole windows to make the most of smaller openings, which are often not at the usual viewing height, as well as 'light tubes' to bring light into rooms through the ceiling.

Older conversions can also be expensive to heat. By contrast, huge improvements in building technology have transformed the thermal efficiency of barns, potentially making them a cut above houses from the same period. The fact that barn conversions are often favoured by people interested in eco-developments means that you are very likely to find photovoltaic solar panels, underfloor heating and ground source heat pumps, providing both Eco-credentials as well as saving you some money.

It pays to research a barn conversion thoroughly before making an offer in conjunction with an experienced Chartered Surveyor, scrutinising everything from the quality of the insulation to the title deeds. Rights of way, special easements and covenants - where a neighbouring landowner may have retained right of access for farm vehicles.

Perhaps the largest caveat for buyers is the enormous financial and emotional cost of converting a barn yourself. Although ready-converted barns cost about as much (or even a little less) than a conventional house of similar size, and generally hold their value, the conversion work itself can be more expensive than building a property from scratch (especially if you have to deal with a listed building requiring the use of specific materials), and you may not recover your costs fully when you resell.

Personally, I’ve seen budgets obliterated during conversion, with the end result being far from the dream the buyer started out with! So, if you think a barn is for you, it may be best to pick one that has already been converted. Food for thought!

If you're looking for a Barn for conversation, or one that is already converted that you're looking to buy, contact me today for expert advice.

Ian Bullock Bsc(Hons) Est.Man. MRICS