This former barn / milking shed set within an old farmstead was poorly converted into a residential dwelling in c.2001.

The existing living accommodation was sub-standard and not suitable for the applicant and their family to comfortably live in. As such, they appointed Cain Architects to extend, rationalise and remodel the existing internal spaces whilst also providing a high quality and coherent landscape solution to respond well to the adjacent rolling hills of the vale.

Planners are resistant to any development in the Green Belt and change is even more tricky when a plot is also in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. So it was a slow planning process for this project but a speedier construction thanks to unrestricted access for the builder, very few neighbours to complain about the noise (the rabbits weren’t bothered) and copious amounts of work for local carpenters.

Finished with traditional red clay tile and black timber cladding to complement both the existing and the local vernacular in this area, the vaulted-ceiling spaces in the house feature exposed structures and are designed to maximise both natural light and aspect / views out onto the large plot and vale beyond.

A range of gorgeous natural materials feature internally; timber beams and trusses are left exposed and ceilings are vaulted whilst oak doors, linings, skirting boards and window frames add warmth to the spaces. Slate and timber flooring alongside a muted colour palette ensure that all the internal spaces flow well together and connection to the external landscaped areas are maximised.