Little Barn is a C16th Century barn set in the grounds of an existing house – ‘Deer Leap House’ in Little Gaddesden. It is located in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is set in the curtilage of a Listed Barn and within a Conservation Area. 

Previously a barn operating as part of the Ashridge Estate and then later as a lawn mower sales office, the existing barn was clad in a ‘modern’ corrugated metal which was not inkeeping within its sensitive context. The existing oak timber structure was retained, cleaned and treated before being clad with a waterproof, insulated ‘skin’  to conserve and protect it for its next iteration of life. The metal cladding was replaced with a dark-stained weatherboarding and glazed panels, ensuring that the beautiful timber structure was protected yet exposed and visible from the garden beyond. The converted barn is now used as a guest annex. 

Foul and surface water drainage was upgraded to exceed current building regulations and a new staircase was installed to replace the dangerous existing one. The barn was designed to ensure that it was safe in terms of escape in event of fire and level access to the main open plan area is possible to assist people with mobility issues. The barn features an ASHP, a unvented cylinder and efficient underfloor heating throughout. A keen eye was kept on cost at all time with frequent meetings between client and contractor throughout the build to ensure the house was being completed to budget.