Refurbishment and Restore Issue 11 2018 | Page 33

Design: The original design entailed raising the ridge of the barn in order to maximise headroom and facilitate access from the existing property at first floor level. However, this was rejected by the planners as they felt it would have an ‘overbearing’ effect on the properties below. Consequently, the new accommodation was designed to fit within the existing envelope of the outbuilding. Construction: The existing structure was retained as far as possible. However, the roof structure was not suitable for the conversion and had to be replaced. In addition, the gable-end of the barn and existing balcony were not structurally sound, and so had to be rebuilt. A glulam ridge beam supports the new roof. The beam is supported by a structural mullion at the gable end and is left exposed to form a feature. www.refurbandrestore.co.uk - 33