Year: 2010

Most conversion projects involve the division of large functional spaces in smaller, habitable spaces. But keep the space & enjoy it … allow for a full height atrium, keep large open plan living spaces, divide spaces with furnishings, temporary dividers or screens rather than solid, immoveable walls. Avoid the desire for that extra bedroom or…

Whilst I have no immediate plans (or money) to install any electricity generation technology at the barn, I like to keep an eye on future opportunities and thought a review of Feed-in Tariffs may be in order. The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme has been available through electricity suppliers since April the 1st 2010. The aim of…

‘If only all the new houses in our villages were being built of timber and cob…’

… Rooms – what, where and why? I think in the UK we take a strange approach to consideration of houses, judging a potential home, first and foremost by reference to its number of bedrooms. Forget the rest of the space and all the other essential functions of a home, just think bedrooms… Early on…

Way back at the end of 2007 I selected a number design patterns from Christopher Alexander’s excellent ‘A Pattern Language – Towns Buildings Construction’ to guide the design of the conversion of the barn. With progress having been made I thought a review was in order. The original list of chosen patterns and my original descriptive…

The opportunities for truly engaging with and implementing Passive Solar Design may be minimal on a conversion project – the orientation of the building is set and there may be limited opportunities for large glazed openings that can provide optimal solar gain. But do what you can to maximise (openings) and manage (through materials, colours,…

It’s pretty nice out there when the sun goes down… From bochgoch From bochgoch From bochgoch I’ll look at these in the middle of winter and hopefully feel some warmth.

We’ve been away to Brittany for a week so I’ve gone back to my old late ways this month… Before my holiday, I spent every weekend and then three days of the week before going away occupied with repointing the external walls. The trouble with working with lime for a few days without a break…

‘… Bowsaws have the supreme advantage of being quiet and allowing you to work at your own human pace. …’

Whatever the original structure, a conversion means major building work. Take the opportunity to build in major renewable technologies – PV, solar hot water, rain-water harvesting head my list. Invest now for sustainability and low bills. Snippets on MBC Rather than my usual wordy ramblings I thought I’d challenge myself to come up with some…

I found this lurking inside an old off cut of wood… From bochgoch Pretty hey?!

Once painting (windows frames) and pointing (repointing the stonework) are completed, I’m hoping that the good temperatures and most importantly dry weather of late summer-autumn will extend long enough to allow for some further work outside the barn. We intend to dig out much of the the bank that currently dominates what will be the…