The Barn, Charlton Down

Graham & Anabel bought a 25 year old derelict steel framed barn to convert into their dream home. Although they had no previous building experience they project-managed the conversion themselves with a hands-on approach.  The conversion included removal of the old roof and walls and wrapping the whole barn in 150mm pre-insulated (Kingspan galvanised steel) panels, to provide a weatherproof and highly insulating shell. 

One aim was to repurpose all materials on site to eliminate expensive haulage.  The strict permitted development criteria dictated the shape and overall look of the barn as well as retaining the original steels.

The building is further insulated on the inside with 150mm of insulating wool and has passivhaus triple glazed windows throughout.  The building has Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) which uses the heat of any expelled air and water to preheat the fresh air coming in.  Under floor heating is from a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP), extracting heat from 3 boreholes, each 120 metres deep.

Despite its large size it makes an efficient, economic and cosy home. Anabel’s garden plan will allow a large proportion of home-grown fruit and veg and a bonsai and acer enclosure.  For those who visited 2 years ago, we’ve made great progress!