My Barn Conversion

My Barn Conversion … musings in small-house, off-grid, architecture, design with smatterings of art, history and literature

  • Lloyd Khan, making shelter simple.

    I wanted to share an interview with Lloyd Khan that I recently found…

  • Building Progress ~ April 2012

    Update on building progress during April 2012… hello Amy!

  • In my absence…

    In my absence the quality of the advice on this site has certainly improved… 😉 johnrush a ‘Chartered Building Services Engineer’ has made a couple of interesting comments on the forum. Firstly on the heating-help-needed topic, John has written an informative piece on insulation. I particularly like his holistic ‘six-sided’ approach to insulation: Try to…

  • Not been here for some time…

    I’ve been pretty lax on this site for a few weeks now. My excuse is good as I’ve been getting to know my new daugther, Amy, born on the 14th of April. But now regretably it’s back to work and back to MyBarnConversion… As work at the barn is now nearing an end (at least…

  • Flue Guard

    As mentioned in previous progress reports, I’ve been working a fire-guard to go around the flue that runs through the second bedroom. The purpose of the guard is to stop anyone (small children) and anything (paper, clothing etc.) from accidentally coming into contact with the flue when a fire is burning and the flue is…

  • Building Progress ~ March 2012

    Update on building progress during March 2012…

  • Our engineers … our architects – Le Corbusier

    The efficient, shiny world of construction in 1923…

  • Just what is ‘sustainable development’?

    Sustainable development – with the term now enshrined in planning law, what does it mean?

  • Sir Patrick Abercrombie – “It is a matter for serious thought…”

    While reading up on the response of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) I came across this quote from Sir Patrick Abercrombie…

  • #NPPF response from the Campaign to Protect Rural England @CPRE

    Whilst the Government appears to have listened to the many concerned voices raised in response to the draft document, the continued insistence on easing planning controls to promote growth remains a troubling key theme of reform and increasingly a political plaything.

  • National Planning Policy Framework (#NPPF) published today

    The National Planning Policy Framework (#NPPF) published today – Mar 27, 2012.

  • Doors before

    My current main indoor job is painting the door frames & linings that are still in their original state – untreated timber linings and white coated MDF architraves. Here are a couple pictures of them in their ‘before’ state. I suspect there won’t be a great deal of visual difference ‘after’ as all I intend…