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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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On White-washing? by Whitewashing update 2010 | my barn conversion on March 16th, 2010
[...] wall. After finding it was ‘infested’ with stalactites and stalagmites, I considered whitewashing the wall, then eventually it was...

On We have stalactites in our walls! by Whitewashing update 2010 | my barn conversion on March 16th, 2010
[...] do about the leaky, south facing gable end wall. After finding it was ‘infested’ with stalactites and stalagmites, I...

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...


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    VAT for barn convertors - Update March 2009

    Category: Essential information March 8th, 2009 by mbc

    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 in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5% to 15%.

    My own VAT reclaim will be due soon - by early Summer at the latest, so I thought I’d review the rates in-case anything had changed. I’m pleased to report (from the point of view of change being likely to cause more work and / or hassle) that the VAT reduction does not effect conversions and the 5% rate remains as it was…

    Only standard-rated sales are affected. There are no changes to sales that are zero-rated or reduced-rated for VAT. Similarly, there are no changes to the VAT exemptions.

    Read more

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

    VAT for barn convertors - Update December 2007 on December 8th, 2007
    I thought it was about time to review the VAT situation regarding the barn to ensure that my understanding is correct, so an overview of...

    title tag: 'VAT' category: 'Essential information' (6)

    VAT for barn convertors on March 16th, 2007
    There is an update to this post at.

    title category: 'Essential information' tag: 'VAT' (5)

    Building Progress ~ March 2009 on April 16th, 2009
    (Oh no I've done it again; my March progress report is late just like February's was - sorry) The two main developments this month are the...

    title (2)

    Attention to detail... May 2009 update on May 19th, 2009
    You (still) can't beat a good list (see the bottom of this post for the previous ones) - this is the current position: In Progress Flooring and...

    title (2)

    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.

    title tag: 'VAT' (2)

    Posted in Essential information | No Comments »

    Cleaning oak beams

    Category: Essential information November 29th, 2008 by mbc

    I wanted to minimise the use of steel in the building and I like the texture and appearance of untreated hard woods - that led to the importation of two eastern European oak beams for use in the barn.

    That long journey (let’s not worry about carbon footprints for now) and a few weeks sitting outside on my yard left their marks on the beams. Both were water stained and blackened and in this state were installed into the barn and the first floor was built ‘on’ them.

    Based on a combination of hind-sight and time earned experience here is the MyBarnConversion guide to cleaning oak (hardwood) beams.

    If at all possible, clean the beams with a pressure washer prior to installation, that will save a lot of effort later.

    If you’re unable to clean the beam before construction, then get out the elbow grease.

    • Wash down and scrape the beam to remove surface dirt and mold.
    • Use a steamer cleaner to open up the grain and clean into the beam, this will also have the effect of sterilising the wood. A wall paper steam remover will work fine.
    • Steam cleaning will begin to bring engrained dirt to the surface. You will find that badly stained wood will need to be scraped to remove the worst of it.
    • Using a combination of scraping and washing down (preferably with warm water and detergent) your beam will slowly become clean.
    • Rinse and repeat…
    • The wood may take some time to dry out, you’ll not be able to tell the final colour and finish until it’s dry, so don’t panic yourself into unnecessary cycles of the cleaning process.

    Sand to remove particularly deep stains, splinters and scruffs.

    [UPDATE]
    I’ve read in a couple of places that sugar soap works well. Will give it ago as I have some other beams that need cleaning.

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

    Oak Beams? ~ You must be barking! on May 14th, 2007
    When working through the detailed design for the barn we decided to use oak beams to support the first floor rather than steels.

    title (2)

    BREEAM ~ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method on May 11th, 2008
    The term BREEAM is one that I've come across in various contexts over the course of this project and thought I'd better find out what...

    category: 'Essential information' (1)

    My Favourite Things ~ 'Oak Beam' on May 26th, 2008
    So far in this series of my favourite things at the barn I've focussed on original features, this is the first of the new features...

    title (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)

    Code for Sustainable Homes on May 16th, 2008
    The Code for Sustainable Homes is an essential read for anyone considering a sustainable home building project.

    category: 'Essential information' (1)

    Posted in Essential information | 5 Comments »

    Code for Sustainable Homes

    Category: Essential information May 16th, 2008 by mbc

    The Code for Sustainable Homes is an essential read for anyone considering a sustainable home building project. In its own words:

    The Code for Sustainable Homes has been introduced to drive a step-change
    in sustainable home building practice. It is a standard for key elements of
    design and construction which affect the sustainability of a new home.

    It is under-pined by heavy-weight research having being built upon the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) EcoHomes System.

    How does the code work?

    The code seeks to achieve improvements to levels of sustainability in home building through the establishment of minimum standards for energy and water efficiency, the provision of a simple points based rating system for enumerating levels of sustainability and extending the scope of the code into areas such as composting and ‘lifetime’ issues of the home such as accessibility and adaptability.

    The rating system allows for the allocation of an overall one to six stars to communicate the sustainability level of a home. The overall score is built up from sub-scores in nine broad design categories, these are:

    • Energy/CO2
    • Water
    • Materials
    • Surface water run-off
    • Waste
    • Pollution
    • Health and well-being
    • Management
    • Ecology

    Energy/CO2 & Water have minimum levels that must be achieved at each of the six levels of the code. Materials, Surface water run-off & Waste have a minimum level that must be attained to allow entry into the code at all.

    Briefly, assessment of a number of issues defined by the code within each category allows the allocation of a number of points and from these points the overall star rating is derived. For example, in the Energy/CO2 category points are scored through taking measures such as utilising renewable or low carbon energy sources and also through the provision of bicycle storage or a home office.

    The code has high hopes for itself, aiming to provide environmental benefits with a positive impact on climate change and a reduction in the environmental impact of building. Additionally, benefit to builders by providing a flexible mark of quality and greater direction in terms of future regulations and to home-owners through lower running costs, improved comfort & satisfaction and generally more pleasant and healthier places to live.

    Why should I use them?

    Whilst providing a potential future gold standard for sustainable building (only time, implementation and experience will confirm or reject that statement), the code is useful at the design stage for both professionals and non-professionals in providing a design template and useful design patterns. The categories and issues of The Code for Sustainable Homes can be used in the same way as I’ve used design patterns , to help focus on detail and polish the overall design.

    You should also note that all new homes, except those where ‘the initial notice, full plans or Building Notice have been received by the relevant Local Authority Building Control body prior to 1st May 2008′ will have to be rated against the code.

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

    BREEAM ~ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method on May 11th, 2008
    The term BREEAM is one that I've come across in various contexts over the course of this project and thought I'd better find out what...

    category: 'Essential information' tag: 'BREEAM' (2)

    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)

    Microgeneration installations now 'permitted developments' on May 6th, 2008
    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...

    category: 'Essential information' (1)

    The Greener Homes & Buildings Show ~ Builth Wells, 8th & 9th March 2008 on March 7th, 2008
    As I write the The Greener Homes & Buildings Show 'trade and professionals day' will be in full swing at the Royal Welsh Showground in...

    title (1)

    Posted in Essential information | 2 Comments »

    BREEAM ~ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

    Category: Essential information May 11th, 2008 by mbc

    The term BREEAM is one that I’ve come across in various contexts over the course of this project and thought I’d better find out what it means…
    BREEAM is a widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. The assessments are carried out by qualified practitioners. For many types of development, assessments are a prerequisite.
    Through application of [...]

    Posted in Essential information | No Comments »

    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 [...]

    Posted in Essential information | 1 Comment »

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