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my barn conversion

Keep track of what's happening with my Progress Updates.

If you read only one book before designing your conversion or renovation, then I recommend that you make it this one. I love patterns!

Location, Location, Location! pah, that's old hat we all know that the new mantra of home-building is Insulation, Insulation, Insulation.

Read more about - Lime mortar, VAT on conversions and managing woodland for fuel.

Tiling tips - learn from my mistakes!

Around an ongoing barn conversion project, this website draws together advice, information and references to aid all would-be and current barn and non-residential building converters and renovators.

Our approach takes on board 'healthy house', sustainable, ecological & environmental concepts to as great a degree as timescales and budgets allow.

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Latest Posts

Building Progress ~ February 2010

Step 8 = roof

Step 7 = high level design

Stoneworks

Downstairs tiled floor

Coppicing ash trees

Tree Planting - Winter 2010

The four new English "eco-towns"

Building Progress ~ January 2010

Future Fuel

Latest Comments

On Travertine tiling - pictures by Downstairs tiled floor | my barn conversion on February 18th, 2010
[...] time and money in planning, sourcing and then fitting. It’s been completed for a while now (since August 2009),...

On Gas Pipeline Woes by The four new English “eco-towns” | my barn conversion on February 10th, 2010
[...] my first thought was ‘glad they’re not on my doorstep’ , but then I have a bloody big gas...

On Building Progress ~ August 2009 by Building Progress ~ January 2010 | my barn conversion on February 8th, 2010
[...] foray into the world of tiling can be quicker and more effective than the last one, the thought of...

On Insulation by Logs | my barn conversion on February 5th, 2010
[...] Location, Location! pah, that's old hat we all know that the new mantra of home-building is Insulation, Insulation, Insulation...

On Logs 2 by Future Fuel | my barn conversion on February 5th, 2010
[...] Logs 2 [...]

On The Healthy House by Green Business on February 2nd, 2010
Thank you for this checklist - I might use it in future when building a green house of my own!...

On Air Source Heat Pump by Feed-in tariffs … coming soon to a roof near you!? | my barn conversion on February 2nd, 2010
[...] On Air Source Heat Pump by Pete on January 12th, 2010I'm in a barn conversion with a GSHP supplied...

On Building Progress ~ December 2009 by Gina on January 22nd, 2010
My first visit here... great blog! I always say, if you want to be really green, don't build a new...

On Design Patterns ~ my choices by Alexanders Pattern Language | My Place Of My Own on January 21st, 2010
[...] also think I’d selected too many patterns, choosing mainly those that fit, rather than those that I really valued....

On A Pattern Language - Towns Buildings Construction by Alexanders Pattern Language | My Place Of My Own on January 21st, 2010
[...] inspiration, but this time one that I’d previously used was Alexanders Pattern Language [review on MyBarnConversion.com]. I’d applied this...


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    ElectroPollution

    Category: Healthy House May 30th, 2007 by mbc

    There is a growing body of research that suggests that exposure to electric & electromagnetic fields especially from high voltage sources may be detrimental to health.

    Electric fields are produced wherever and whenever there is a flow of voltage. This occurs through any electric cable or appliance even when it is switched off.

    Electromagnetic fields are only present where current is flowing and the appliance is switched on. It is electromagnetic field pollution (EMF’s) that is of most concern. EMF’s have been linked with many health concerns, including, immune system disorders, cancers, leukaemia, depression & allergies.

    Distance is the easiest way to avoid these fields, but where this is not possible, electrical cables can be shielded with metal trunking to prevent electric fields. Electro-magnetic fields are more difficult to combat requiring clever well design electrical wiring - radial rather than ring wiring being one potentially effective approach.

    Clever design (for example, keep electrical cables as far as possible from the sleeping, seating areas etc. ) combined with protective measures can be incorporated into a build to minimise the potential harmful effects of electromagnetic field pollution.

    If you enjoyed that post, then read these...

    Parasitic architecture on October 16th, 2008
    Whilst bringing to mind images of ticks and leeches, parasitic architecture is an umbrella term, used to refer to self-contained new buildings that are attached...

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    My tiling has soul! on June 26th, 2009
    I came across this quote from one of my favourite authors on architecture and design, Christopher Alexander, author of A Pattern Language in a book...

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Vernacular Architecture ~ Robert Venturi on January 4th, 2008
    In my haphazard stumble through the world of architects and architecture, I came across Robert Venturi.

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Organic Architecture ~ Frank Lloyd Wright on December 30th, 2007
    A Frank Lloyd Wright quotation: Organic architecture more or less means organic society.

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Le Corbusier ~ The function of a house on November 18th, 2007
    The functions of a house, setting aside all other 'romantic cobwebs' are to provide: " 1.

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Posted in Healthy House | No Comments »

    Colour

    Category: Healthy House May 30th, 2007 by mbc

    The field of psychology recognises the affect that colour has upon us, not merely as a matter of subjectively favouring certain colours, but in terms of our base characteristics & responses.

    …Dr Ashley felt that colo(u)r has a great deal to do with the well-being of the emotionally disturbed.

    Nurse Diesel, High Anxiety, Directed by Mel Brooks 1977.

    Instinctively, we are programmed to respond to colour in certain ways. Grey is associated with the descent into winter and associated hardship, green with fertility and plenty, blue with the cooling, powerful waters…

    Of course these associations are not as simple and linear as I suggest here. They are complex, multi-faceted and adjusted by personal, geographical and spiritual experience.

    Mighty forces that need to be handled carefully & with sensitivity - colour should be treated as a central design concern the building of our healthy house.

    If you enjoyed that post, then read these...

    Parasitic architecture on October 16th, 2008
    Whilst bringing to mind images of ticks and leeches, parasitic architecture is an umbrella term, used to refer to self-contained new buildings that are attached...

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    My tiling has soul! on June 26th, 2009
    I came across this quote from one of my favourite authors on architecture and design, Christopher Alexander, author of A Pattern Language in a book...

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Vernacular Architecture ~ Robert Venturi on January 4th, 2008
    In my haphazard stumble through the world of architects and architecture, I came across Robert Venturi.

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Organic Architecture ~ Frank Lloyd Wright on December 30th, 2007
    A Frank Lloyd Wright quotation: Organic architecture more or less means organic society.

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Le Corbusier ~ The function of a house on November 18th, 2007
    The functions of a house, setting aside all other 'romantic cobwebs' are to provide: " 1.

    category: 'Healthy House' (1)

    Posted in Healthy House | No Comments »

    Planning Amendments

    Category: Barn Conversion Journal May 29th, 2007 by mbc

    We bought the barn with planning permission in place. The plans were very simple and low impact. The structure of the building remained unchanged, utilising existing windows and doors, with the simple addition of some small velux windows in the roof.

    When we came to readdress the plans with our designer, the opportunity presented itself to add some windows to the currently blind south facing gable end. We submitted an amendment to the existing planning to add a central window to the first floor bedroom to provide a fire exit (happily with fine views over the hills) and two similar diametrically positioned windows on the ground floor. The additional windows would be in-keeping with the vernacular agricultural architecture, which incorporates first floor hay-loft doors and ground floor ventilation slits, which these new openings would mimic.

    Happily the amendment to the planning has been agreed and the light levels in the converted building hopefully raised.

    A case of building regulations helping us out and presenting the opportunity to make the building safer, lighter and generally more people friendly.

    If you enjoyed that post, then read these...

    Items 'ordinarily' incorporated in a building on November 11th, 2008
    Having spent much time pawing over VAT documentation in preparation for my VAT reclaim I discovered that the HM Revenue & Customs definition of items...

    category: 'Barn Conversion Journal' (1)

    The case for coal on November 6th, 2008
    Now here's a conundrum... First the facts: The barn lies just outside of the South Wales Coal Field. Our heating system will comprise of solar thermal water heating...

    category: 'Barn Conversion Journal' (1)

    VAT Reclaim - Preparation on October 31st, 2008
    I know that many UK readers of this blog are interested in Value Added Tax (VAT) in relation to conversion projects.

    category: 'Barn Conversion Journal' (1)

    Attention to detail... October 2008 update on October 21st, 2008
    You can't beat a good list - this is the current position: In Progress Flooring and tiling We've bought slate wall tiles for both bathrooms and will...

    category: 'Barn Conversion Journal' (1)

    Building Progress ~ September 2008 on October 12th, 2008
    As Autumn (and an end to lime pointing) approaches things have come on at the barn.

    category: 'Barn Conversion Journal' (1)

    Posted in Barn Conversion Journal | No Comments »

    Allergy Free

    Category: Healthy House May 28th, 2007 by mbc

    An allergy is a hypersensitivity to what are normally innocuous entities such as certain foodstuffs, cleaning products, dust, plant pollen and so on. Whilst debate over the scale, change in scale and root causes of people suffering from allergies is beyond the scope of this article, consideration of how to minimise the impact of [...]

    Posted in Healthy House | No Comments »

    Radon Report

    Category: Barn Conversion Journal May 23rd, 2007 by mbc

    Until I started researching the Healthy House concept, I’d always taken such things as the need for a radon survey with a pinch of salt; as a necessary evil, a piece of unavoidable paid-for bureaucracy.
    Now I have a slightly differing opinion after developing an appreciation of the risks that radon presents.
    So when my British Geological [...]

    Posted in Barn Conversion Journal | 1 Comment »

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