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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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Built in bed

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

Latest Comments

On Boxing Clever? by Built in bed | my barn conversion on March 12th, 2010
[...] of practicality and desire. Practical because part of the construction can be used to solve my tricky carpentry challenge...

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....


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    Microgeneration installations now ‘permitted developments’

    Category: Essential information May 6th, 2008 by mbc

    A piece of good news that is of great interest personally and I’m sure of interest to many people planning conversions and other projects, is that the installation of solar thermal & PV panels, combined-heat & power systems, biomass systems and water & ground source heat pumps will no longer require planning permission, so long as there is no negative impact on neighbours or the area. In future these developments will be included as permitted developments under the General Permitted Development Order.

    Negative impact is assessed in part by the profile of any panels installed, roof mounted panels must not extend more than 200 millimetres from the roof and ground mounted panels must not be more than four metres above ground level or more than five metres from the boundary of the property. Additionally, equipment should be sited to ‘minimise its effect on the amenity of the area’ and ‘removed as soon as reasonably practicable‘ if no longer used. (Italicised quotes are from the Statutory Instrument, see below for more details).

    Wind turbines and air source heat pumps are not included within the current legislation, but will follow.

    This came into effect from April 6th 2008.

    Good news for me as I’m currently waiting for a response from the local planners asking if I need permission for ‘in-roof’ panels. Having read through the Statutory Instrument I don’t.

    Read more >>

    Solar power homes get the go-ahead for April

    The actual legislation: Statutory Instrument

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

    MBC Photos now on Flickr on November 2nd, 2008
    With the somewhat baffling success of our YouTube videos now playing on Channel MBC.

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    mybarnconversion.com Discussion Forum now open! on June 11th, 2008
    I've long considered adding a forum to this site mainly to allow questions to be asked in a general manner rather than tied to a...

    title (1)

    Cleaning oak beams on November 29th, 2008
    I wanted to minimise the use of steel in the building and I like the texture and appearance of untreated hard woods - that led...

    category: 'Essential information' (1)

    VAT for barn convertors - Update March 2009 on March 8th, 2009
    It's been a while since a VAT update so I thought I'd review the current position, especially in view of the pre-Christmas credit-crunch fuelled reduction...

    category: 'Essential information' (1)

    Hot water system now commissioned on June 17th, 2009
    We've got the heating and hot water system up and running! It took a couple of attempts.

    title (1)

    Posted in Essential information |

    One Response

    1. Energy generation - Wind Turbines | zero carbon house Says:

      [...] many micro-generation methods are now permitted developments, planning permission is still required in the UK for wind turbines (although it is expected that [...]

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