Barn conversions are rewarding projects that offer a lot of potential. Thanks to their high ceilings and spacious interiors, barns are ideal for conversion into liveable spaces. Barn conversions, once complete, are entirely unique and be designed to specifically meet your individual needs.
Many barns also come with stunning features you can preserve to creating a property with plenty of character and charm. But, it’s important to understand the costs involved and the options you have available to you. Here, we’ll take a look at these factors so you can be well-informed.
What Is The Average Cost Of A Barn Conversion?
On average, you can expect to pay around £275000 for a barn conversion, although some can cost as much as £400,000.
What Are My Options For My Barn Conversion?
There are many ways to customise a barn conversion to create a striking and unique property. You could opt for double height stairways or rooms, a wide open-plan space, a galleried landing, a sunroom, roof lights or skylights, or glass walls from floor to ceiling.
Which Factors Affect The Price Of My Barn Conversion?
When you’re planning a barn conversion, you’ll have to consider many different variables that will influence the final price.
These include:
- The materials you use.
- The barn’s size.
- The amount of land you’re purchasing.
- The barn’s layout.
- The walls, doors, and windows you plan to add.
- The utilities you’ll be adding.
- Your chosen finish.
- The builder and tradespeople you opt for.
- The barn’s current condition.
- Access to the property.
- Carrying out of detailed investigation works.
- Connection to sewage and water services.
- Additional costs such as underpinning, reinforcement for walls and timbers, asbestos removal, repointing, installing insulation, removing the floor structure and replacing it, dealing with mould and damp, damp-proofing and tanking, and replacing windows.
Costs Per Square Foot And Square Metre
It’s often helpful to work out how much your barn conversion will cost in terms of square feet or square metres. While this figure is influenced by the above factors, it’s a useful starting point to work from. On average, a barn conversion will cost you around £153 per square foot or £1700 per square metre.
Converting A Small Barn
One major factor when it comes to calculating how much your barn conversion will cost is its size. While tradespeople often give a single guide price, you can expect to pay less than this figure if your barn conversion is only small.
On average, a small barn conversion will cost around £175000 to complete, although it will depend on whether the barn is made of stone or steel frame. Steel frame barns make excellent liveable properties, but they make for costly projects. On average, you can expect to pay around £275000 to convert a steel framed barn into a home.
Could I Convert My Own Barn?
In most cases, carrying out your own barn conversion won’t be possible unless you have a lot of experience, knowledge and skills. It will also depend on the barn’s current condition. If your barn is in a poor condition, it will require far more work to turn it into a liveable space and this will be complex and time-consuming.
Before you decide to tackle your own barn conversion project, it’s imperative to consider several things. Firstly, you need to plan out your barn conversion exactly to optimise its layout. You should also avoid working with gas and electricity yourself. Hiring a professional is always a good idea in such cases for your own safety.
You should also bear in mind that specialist equipment and tools will be needed, and achieving a professional high-quality finish will be extremely difficult if you lack the training and experience in the field. If you fail to carry out the works to the right standard, you could damage your barn or injure yourself or your family. If the barn contains asbestos, for example, this should always be done by a professional for safety reasons. Underpinning, too, should be done professionally.
Make sure that you take the time to seek out quotes from several companies before making your final decision about which contractors to use, and check out reviews to ensure that you’re making the right choice. That way, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ve selected a trustworthy and reliable team of professionals.
Will Planning Permission Be Required For My Barn Conversion?
In most cases, there will be no need to apply for planning permission from your local authority since it is permitted to convert agricultural buildings into homes. However, if the refurbishment project is deemed to be a rebuilt, not a conversion, planning permission will be required. It’s always a good idea to carry out checks with the local authority before beginning work to make sure that you are in compliance with the regulations.
Which Building Regulations Are Applicable To A Barn Conversion?
Before you start on your conversion project, it’s important to inform the local authority about your plans and obtain a certificate that proves it is a lawful development. You’ll require help from a CCTV surveyor, structural engineer, approved inspector, architect, and party wall surveyor to remain in compliance with building codes.
Is Converting A Barn The Right Choice For Me?
If you find that converting a barn isn’t the right choice for you but you still want to improve your property, there are several other options open to you. Garage, shed, loft, or home conversions are all possibilities you may wish to consider, or you could even rebuild your barn entirely from the ground up using modern technology and techniques but retaining the authentic aesthetic.
Barn conversions are an excellent way to make the most of historic and traditional buildings, retaining the attractive heritage features while also making the most of the extra living space that they offer, but it’s important not to cut corners and to seek the right professionals to get the job done.