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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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Environment for Children

Whitewashing update 2010

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

Latest Comments

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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    The four new English “eco-towns”

    Category: News February 10th, 2010 by mbc

    The building of four new towns in England (housing being one of those aspects of policy devolved to the Welsh assembly government who are probably concocting some more crazy schemes like sprinklers in residential properties instead of schemes like this) at or near Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire, St Austell in Cornwall, Rackheath in Norfolk and North West Bicester in Oxfordshire is a strange concept when you think about it. New towns have long been the butt of much humour - you only need to think of Milton Keynes and a whole plethora of jokes follow (What is the difference between a yoghurt and Milton Keynes? Yoghurt has culture. - admittedly not very good jokes)… populate them with the concerned eco-warrior types who will be attracted to these places and add a sprinkle of politics and I think we have the recipe for a whole new range of (not very good) jokes).

    Putting aside my cynicism (believe me it’s hard) these seem like worthy and worthwhile developments - so long as true eco credentials can be established and renewability and sustainability not merely paid lip service to then these new towns may well form beacons of good eco-housing practice and catalysts for change in the wider community.

    I must admit my first thought was ‘glad they’re not on my doorstep’ , but then I’ve had a bloody big gas pipeline on mine since 2007 so feel that I’ve done my bit in regard to what’s on and not on my doorstep!

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

    My Barn Conversion Is Changing... on October 30th, 2008
    We'll be making a few changes to My Barn Conversion over the coming weeks.

    category: 'News' (1)

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

    category: 'News' (1)

    MBC goes Twitter on March 30th, 2009
    Seems everyone is doing it so why not MyBarnConversion.

    category: 'News' (1)

    New bed on September 24th, 2009
    Somewhat in anticipation of being able to take up residence we've bought a great new bed for the barn.

    title (1)

    Fancy appearing on 'Build a New Life'? on August 4th, 2008
    The producers of 'Build a New Life' have asked me ever so nicely (well they said 'mybarnconversion.

    title (1)

    Posted in News | No Comments »

    Feed-in tariffs … coming soon to a roof near you!?

    Category: News February 2nd, 2010 by mbc

    The feed-in tariffs scheme certainly looks to be of great interest. For the unitiated, feed-in tariffs are the governments new scheme to encourage the takeup of renewable technologies through financial benefits. These financial benefits are two-fold, firstly in the form of savings made to on-going energy costs and secondly through a payment made through the scheme:

    Installing solar panels [2.5 kilowatt peak photovoltaic system], which cover a space of around 10ft x 10ft on an average sized roof, will cost around £12,500 but this will be paid back in 10 years because the households will be paid £900 per annum, plus making £140 savings on the yearly electricity bill.

    Telegraph article

    Given the feedback I’ve had on this site in relation to heat pumps and running costs I’m a little concerned that air source heat pumps are included in this:

    Mr Miliband also introduced a renewable heat incentive that will pay households for producing their own heat from woodchip boilers or an air source heat pump. A ground source heat pump, that costs more than £1,000 to put in, could be rewarded with £1,000 a year and lead to savings of £200 per year if used instead of oil.

    So a step in the right direction, as some financial incentive has to be good for the takeup of renewables and is well overdue - I’ve been moaning about this for sometime now.

    Given that this technology is already being sold by ex-used car salesmen who graduated from selling uPVC windows (i.e. sales over-whelmingly motivated by commission) I have concerns for the future morals of the renewables industry and will watch with interest the degree by which demand drives price rises following the introduction of the scheme.

    But putting my cynacism aside, one to watch and a step in the right direction.

    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.

    category: 'News' (1)

    MBC goes Twitter on March 30th, 2009
    Seems everyone is doing it so why not MyBarnConversion.

    category: 'News' (1)

    My Barn Conversion Is Changing... on October 30th, 2008
    We'll be making a few changes to My Barn Conversion over the coming weeks.

    category: 'News' (1)

    Forum Competition on June 22nd, 2008
    I'd love the forum to become a useful resource for asking questions and getting answers related to 'healthy house', sustainable, ecological & environmentally aware building.

    category: 'News' (1)

    100th post marks Spring on mbc on March 19th, 2008
    Well this is my 100th post on My Barn Conversion and as my solitary clump of snowdrops is flowering (probably has been for a while,...

    category: 'News' (1)

    Posted in News | No Comments »

    Self-builders need some encouragement…

    Category: News January 14th, 2010 by mbc

    I occasionally ‘page’ through the ecologist website and came this article that piqued my interest:

    We need a citizens’ housing revolution

    Whilst a little short on content the sentiment - that the development of new housing can be partially entrusted to self-builders who should be ‘helped to create vital, sustainable communities’ - is one that I totally agree with. As ever, the public sector seem to be one of the main barriers to this (at least according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) - the empowered enablers acting to disable the self-builder and retain control.

    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.

    category: 'News' (1)

    MBC goes Twitter on March 30th, 2009
    Seems everyone is doing it so why not MyBarnConversion.

    category: 'News' (1)

    My Barn Conversion Is Changing... on October 30th, 2008
    We'll be making a few changes to My Barn Conversion over the coming weeks.

    category: 'News' (1)

    Forum Competition on June 22nd, 2008
    I'd love the forum to become a useful resource for asking questions and getting answers related to 'healthy house', sustainable, ecological & environmentally aware building.

    category: 'News' (1)

    100th post marks Spring on mbc on March 19th, 2008
    Well this is my 100th post on My Barn Conversion and as my solitary clump of snowdrops is flowering (probably has been for a while,...

    category: 'News' (1)

    Posted in News | No Comments »

    Island Micro Grid

    Category: News September 11th, 2009 by mbc

    Whilst way beyond my own humble aspirations for energy self sufficiency, the fantastically named Island Micro Grid just commissioned at the Centre for Alternative Technology is an interesting development.
    I was shocked to read:
    The developed world’s centralised electricity system wastes around 65% of energy through heat loss in power stations and transmission lines, before reaching our [...]

    Posted in News | No Comments »

    Lammas ecovillage update

    Category: News September 1st, 2009 by mbc

    I wrote about the Lammas ecovillage back at the start of the year. At the time, I aired my feelings of ethical support, but real-world unease. Now things have moved on and the development has been granted planning permission not by local planners, but in an act of centralised government colonialism, by the Welsh Assembly [...]

    Posted in News | No Comments »

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