Modern Barn Conversion Norfolk 

Ten years after we completed the renovation and the interiors of their main home in Notting Hill, our clients came to see us again.

The brief was to restore and modernise an old barn they bought as their weekend house.

The traditional stone building sits on the North Norfolk path, with sweeping views of the salt marshes and the creek, in the most beautiful part of North Norfolk, just minutes from the pretty village of Burnham Market and Brancaster and Hunstanton golf course.

The previous barn renovation was converted during the seventies, on a budget, with little attention to the historic character of the building and with an outdated, expensive, and soon-to-be-banned oil central heating system.

The key challenge was to make the running of a big house, used mainly at weekends, environmentally and economically sustainable. We needed to introduce a sustainable design strategy.

We also wanted to preserve the rich architectural character of the brick and flint building and subtly nod to the mercantile past of the area.

A ground source heat pump and two wood-burning fireplaces provide now hot water and heating.

The new system is ecological and flexible, as the heat pump and the fireplaces can be used in conjunction or separately, to suit the outside temperature and the number of occupants of the house.

Roofs, walls, and floors have been insulated and anti-flood measures installed on the ground floor.

The clients did not want to lose the twin conservatories and the glazed gabled opening above the entrance, which were part of the seventies’ design.

We replaced the single glazing with double-glazed units of thermal-coated glass and modern steel frames to minimise thermal loss.

Wherever feasible, we re-used stone and bricks from the existing building.

We also sourced reclaimed floor bricks and roof pan tiles from Norfolk Antique and Reclamation Yard.  New materials have been selected for their low embodied carbon - such as the clay bricks used for the new partition walls, which have high longevity and are low-maintenance, and the steel powder-coated window frames and charred timber cladding.

Once the renovation of the stone building was completed, we furnished the barn with an eclectic mix of the clients’ family heirlooms, artisanal and modern classic pieces, to accompany the client’s textile art, inspired by the colours and textures of the North Norfolk Coast.