Barn Conversions Escape to the Country

Welcome to a very special edition of Escape To The Country.

Today we're looking at how some of the humblest of buildings, once designed for cattle and livestock,

are now being turned into the most desirable of country residences.

Of course we're talking barn conversions and what it takes to get one.

In today's show, we take a look back

at a selection of our favourite barn conversions from previous shows.

Where a stone and steel creation in Northampton provides a stairway to heaven.

Oh, my goodness.

-Come in.

-Well, this is different.

A Buckinghamshire barn brings out some star quality.

Jess Conrad becomes James Bond.

My name's Conrad - Jess Conrad.

And I discover what it takes to get from this to this.

Yes, today we're opening the doors on the ubiquitous barn conversion,

arguably one of the most popular kinds of property we have on Escape To The Country.

But don't be fooled. This kind of thing takes an awful lot of time

-and an awful lot of money, doesn't it, Paul?

-Yes, it does.

Now, tell us, what kind of building are we in? How old is it?

It's a 400-year-old barn and it was originally a cattle shed.

What kind of challenges have you met?

Lots of challenges. Lots of different challenges. From underpinning the whole complete barn,

to restructuring the timberwork. New oak, green oak to replace the old stuff that was rotten.

Lots of people would say, "Why bother? Why not just knock it down and start again?"

Uh, well, I'd have to agree with some people, but the character involved

is so lovely you've got to restore these back to their former glory.

Any top tips for anybody thinking of taking on a project like this one?

Have lots of money. THEY CHUCKLE

Well, there you are, you heard it here first. Lots of money, lots of patience and lots of dedication

but is it worth it? Yes, I think we all agree, it probably is.

The thing I love about this sort of conversion is the opportunity to breathe new life into old structures

and, as you'd expect, they're often packed with wonderful, original features

such as old stone or brick walls and, indeed, lots of timber.

This old oak will be recycled into this current conversion. I think that's why they work so well.

It's that heady mixture of old and new.

And, of course, the other great thing about barn conversions is space.

If open-plan living is your thing, then a barn could well be for you.

But now it's time to turn back the clock as we get the chance to revisit some of our favourites.

Now, as you might expect with so many wonderful conversions to choose from, picking the best of the best

has been something of a challenge but we're going to kick off with a story set down in Kent.

Dr Rosh and his wife Nicola had £750,000 to spend but here was the catch -

Nicola, having grown up in the country, was looking for something a bit more cosy and fairly rustic

whereas Rosh, a city guy, was looking for something contemporary and fairly slick.

So where better to start than in a building that would combine, I hoped,

the best of both - a barn.

And the property in question was in the village of Kemsing

in Kent - a 25 minute drive from Tonbridge.

Kemsing is beautifully set at the foot of the North Downs.

The village has lots of historical features,

including a well dedicated to St Edith, the daughter of King Edgar who was born in Kemsing in 961 AD.

It also has a Saxon church and plenty of pubs,

and, in much the same way,

this period barn conversion provides a merry mix between traditional and contemporary.

We're in rural Kent, but we are within a village.

I know there is a bit of a debate between you two

as to whether you want to be totally rural

or have a bit of village life on your doorstep. So, we've got village life on your doorstep, Rosh.

-This looks good.

-That's what I wanted you to look at.

-Oh, wow!

-That's lovely!

-That is very, very nice.

This development around us has been built around this old 17th century barn.

-So the street's named after it? Old Barn Close?

-Yes. This is at the hub of it.

-You don't get the whole thing.

-OK.

-It is, technically, semi-detached.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Not that you'd know,

-but you get the bulk of it.

-OK.

-OK.

-What do you think of it?

-Nice.

-Initial impression is it looks really good, actually.

-Yeah?

-Definitely.

-Good. Let's go inside

and see what you think.

Now, Nicola, Rosh, as entrances go...

-not bad.

-No. I really love the beams.

-Yeah?

I'm delighted to hear that, because one thing this place has in abundance are beams -

many of them probably old ships' timbers,

because we're not far from Chatham, and when these houses were built

that was your recycling, so, you know, there's a lot of history

in the structure of this, not just the fact it's an old barn.

-Very promising.

-Very promising.

-Absolutely.

-Good.

Let's go through here and see if you like the main living area. Now, then...

-Wow!

-Oh, wow! That's really nice.

-Yeah?

-Very nice and airy space.

-Very nice.

-You've got the beams going on.

-You've obviously got some sort of split-level thing going on here.

-Yeah, well, come through.

'The landing boasts a pine balustrade and handrail overlooking the entrance hall,

'which makes this area light and spacious.'

-So this is your kind of thing?

-Very much so. Very much so.

It's really open, a lot of light, you've got all the beams. I love the sort of split-level

aspect to it as well. You can look out onto the garden from there, so I think it's really good.

-Next stop, kitchen.

-Lead on.

-Come on, then.

-Now, come in here.

-Wow!

-Wow, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Wow again, yeah.

-Very nice.

-Is that a good wow?

-Oh, definitely.

-Because you've got a great kitchen.

-It's got all these beams, plus you've got another dining area here.

-That's really great.

You might not need a separate dining room.

You could do it all here, which would make that a huge living room.

It's very flexible accommodation. It's looking good.

'Well, if it's homey they're after, just wait till they see what's upstairs.'

-Let's start in there. Nicola, have a look.

-Again, loads of beams, lots of character.

-Nice room.

-And the windows are nice as well.

-Great view onto the garden. Is this the smallest of the bedrooms?

-This is probably the middle one.

-Right.

-You've basically got three in this part of the house.

-OK.

-And there is one downstairs.

-OK.

-Will it work for your eldest?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Definitely.

-For Raymond?

-I think so. No, definitely.

-Plenty of space.

-Yeah, cool, so you could lock him away up here, he could play with all his toys. Yeah?

Brilliant. Let's have a look at some of the others.

There are four bedrooms in total, and the master bedroom comes complete with its own little quirks.

This is the master suite, if you like, and I guess,

following on from that kind of split level theme in the living room, this is also on two levels, strangely.

What you've got is this area which is currently a bit of a study

but could be dressing room, could be a little lounge area on its own.

I think it's a great area. I'd use this as a breathing area or study.

-It's great to have it near the bedroom as well.

-Yeah, I think so.

Let's have a look up here and see if we can find you a bit more room.

What do you think of that?

-This is great! It's really cosy and light.

-That's very nice.

-It's very cosy, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I really like the little window, the little skylight within the roof.

But shoe space, how about this?

-Oh, wow!

-It's just enough!

-Just enough?

-Yeah, I think so!

I don't know where your stuff is going to go, mate!

'So, lots of encouraging thoughts inside the house,

'but now for the enclosed garden and its centrepiece - the raised pond...'

-In terms of size of garden, manageable?

-Perfect.

-Definitely.

-We haven't time to looking after a huge garden, so this'd be perfect.

-Yeah.

It isn't just this bit, there's another sweet area through here.

'..which is ideal if they're in the mood for entertaining.

'This patio to the side of the house is a perfect spot.'

-I think this is really sweet.

-That's very nice.

-That's nice.

You could use it as a sort of barbecue area, sort of patio area.

-It is slightly overlooked by...

-That would be the only concern.

You could put up trees here to sort of enclose it in here and then leave this bit open I think.

OK. So we've seen it inside, we've seen it outside.

How much is it worth?

-It's tricky.

-That's the question! I'm going to go around 675.

-675?

-Yep.

I would say about 705.

705?

OK.

-Here's the bad news.

-Oh, dear!

It is 705, but not in that order.

-It's £750,000.

-Wow! OK.

-Top dollar.

-Absolutely!

But...a good one to start with because I think it gives you

-a sense of what you're up against in terms of the market.

-Sure.

-Sure.

-And if you want to go for this level of property where it is - it's all about location here.

-Yeah.

But it's a lovely property. There's an awful lot to take in.

Now you know how much it's worth, have a look around on your own,

-and I'll catch up with you later and see what you think.

-OK.

-Go on, then. Off you go. Enjoy yourselves.

I'm pleasantly surprised. I think it's a great start.

It ticks a lot of boxes. It's certainly got all the character we wanted.

I think it's a really great property.

The outside looks really impressive, the garden's really nice.

You could probably get away with the living area here,

plus you've enough room for a separate dining table over there,

you have sort of TV over here, all your sofas and everything.

-You could put some wooden floors down.

-It'd look great.

-That would be really good.

SHEEP BLEAT

This is a brace. Dozens of these are used in every single timber-framed structure you can think of,

but the question is, how do you get from tree to log, to architectural component in the 21st century?

Well, I've come down to a sawmill to find out.

And Ternex Sawmill, here in Hertfordshire, has been using

English and European hardwoods, and principally oak, for construction,

restoration and joinery for over 40 years.

Manager Guy Dawson has promised to show me the ropes.

-Guy.

-Hello, Jules.

-Nice to see you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-I love all this industry

-and I love the smell of all this wood.

-I knew you'd like it.

-Well, come on, show me round. I can't wait to see it.

-Follow me.

Getting the best from your wood when building a barn conversion,

of course starts with the tree.

Fresh-sawn timber is brought to the sawmill direct from UK forests

and Europe where the forests are properly managed and felling is controlled

to ensure sustainability.

This is some wood store, Guy.

A lot bigger than I've got at home, that's for sure.

Well, it's a wonderful, wonderful setting. I mean, where do we start

-with a log like that?

-With a log like this? This is our next job, Jules.

To saw this up?

The log is carefully positioned on the machines

to get the best cut possible, to maximise the use of the timber.

OK, this is a first cut, Jules. This is going to remove the first slice

from the log, which is mostly bark.

-Oh, right.

-Broken up and used for chipboard.

-I was wondering why chipboard wasn't very good.

You'll be able to see on this, Jules, it's mostly sap.

I mean, I suppose that one of the key parts of this business is having manageable forests so that

-your supply is well maintained.

-We have to be sure that we're growing

-more than we're cutting.

-And is that the case at the moment?

-It is.

-So we've got no shortage of oak?

There's no shortage of oak but the cost of oak has gone up considerably

-in the last couple of years.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Mind you, what hasn't?

-But more people want oak.

Yeah. Well, it's a wonderful material and when you see how long it lasts for,

-in many of these barn conversions - 400-500-600 years.

-Absolutely. You can see.

-It's common.

-Yes.

-It's better than the concrete we're throwing up these days.

-It's the most environmentally friendly product you can have.

-Yeah.

OK.

-This is going to be a big oak beam now, Jules.

-Lovely. Look at that.

-That's a little bit of sap, bark.

-That's the oak.

-Right. Let's follow it off.

'Now we have our fresh-sawn oak, it's off to the joinery workshop to see how

'it's turned into the familiar features we see in a barn conversion.'

Well, for a very traditional material,

you've got some very hi-tech equipment. What are we looking at here?

It's a combination of traditional and modern.

-And here we have a CNC machine.

-And what does it do?

-This machine

is computer controlled, fully automated.

We load the timber onto it and it will cut the shape that's been programmed into it.

Let's press the button and see it go.

-MACHINE POWERS UP

-Wow!

-Look at that! It's like a robot, isn't it?

-It is a robot.

And hidden within this machine is a whole chest of high-spec tools

which it automatically selects for each job.

Look at that. It really is taking shape beautifully there, isn't it?

And five to ten minutes later,

it's all done.

Here we are, Jules, one brace.

I can see that, um, the future of timber-frame building is safe in your hands, Guy.

-I hope so.

-Brilliant. Thanks very much for giving us a window on your world.

-It's been a pleasure.

-Absolutely fascinating.

-Cheers. Thank you.

Well, one brace down but, sadly, plenty more needed if I'm to build my very own timber-frame barn,

but one we did find that was handsomely complete

was down on the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire borders.

Melissa Porter had the undoubted joy of showing pop legend Jess Conrad and his wife Renee around.

A star back in the '60s, he was now heavily involved in panto

and, armed with a budget of £750,000, he wanted a dressing room and space for all of his costumes.

And thanks to Melissa, that's exactly what he got.

The barn conversion Melissa took them to see was in Longwick,

about eight miles south of Aylsbury.

This was sure to be something of a surprise as, apart from the unexpected snow overnight,

Jess and Renee hadn't previously considered a barn conversion.

I have taken on board that you need high ceilings, new bathrooms and a view.

This place has all of that.

100 years old, converted in 2002.

How would you like to live in a barn?

-We have seen everything else, let's try a barn.

-That's fantastic.

Shall we go and look inside?

This barn was converted for residential use five years ago,

and whereas the other three houses have all involved a degree of compromise,

this one offers full-height ceilings, a fantastic garden

with swimming pool, and a luxurious boutique hotel-style master bedroom.

I can tell this place is going to have everything.

So, the oak flooring runs through the dining room

and into...

Perfect, perfect, perfect!

That is what I was hoping to hear.

Huge fireplace. Look at that!

That is a wood-burning stove, but what a statement piece in here.

-Fantastic.

-And all these beams...

-Love beams.

-..that add character.

You can stand up straight.

-That's a nice change.

-You wouldn't have to decorate it.

It's a neutral palette.

-I'm getting a different feel from you two.

-This is exciting.

Oh, yes, Jess Conrad could live in a house like this.

-Study.

-Lovely, right size.

-Perfect.

-Mm-hm.

-Oh!

-Look at that cooker!

The range. Belfast sink.

-Space for the large American fridge freezer.

-I don't believe all this.

It is fairly land.

-Why?

-Everything is so beautifully laid out.

The dining room, into the lounge, into my study.

Even if you were dying, you could crawl to these places, they are so near to one another.

I've not seen upstairs, but I'll buy it having just seen downstairs.

It might just be an idea to have a look upstairs anyway.

They'll not be disappointed.

On the top of the landing,

-single bedroom.

-Single bedroom.

Perfect for my grandson.

And family bathroom.

Look at that. Wow!

-Wow!

-What a showerhead.

Towards this end of the barn, we have three double bedrooms.

Right, up you go.

Going up to the loft is a bit posh with this red...

Oh, my goodness!

This I don't believe.

-You said you wanted your own dressing room.

-Look at the bath!

And your own en suite bathroom.

Jess Conrad becomes James Bond!

-This is perfect.

-Goodness!

Look at that showerhead.

I can't believe this.

Freestanding shower and bath.

It's a large bath. My goodness me.

Bedroom and dressing room, all in one. It's wonderful.

Absolutely perfect.

OK, so the grand finale is looking good.

So, outside we have a decked area - under this slush -

and a swimming pool.

Can't think about swimming this time of year, but it's lovely.

-A nice shape.

-There's something else in this property that you want.

Round the corner.

Look at that! That's good for weather like this.

Already there.

-That's exactly what you wanted.

-Yes, it sure is.

Jump straight in it now.

OK, what value do you put on this house?

Gotta be seven-and-a-half, I guess.

OK, 750,000 from Jess. And you?

I think it's more than that. 785?

£775,000, this property is on the market for.

£775,000 for my dream house.

Why don't you both go back inside, have a look round in private, and join me later.

-OK.

-Let's go start thinking.

I could certainly see myself living in this house

with my lovely wife, Renee.

Well, Melissa has surely pulled out all the stops, ticked all the boxes.

Everything is superb.

I'm going to pamper myself for the rest of my life,

laying here in this James Bond bath.

Now for my favourite and final barn conversion.

We're heading to Northamptonshire, in the company of Ian and Sarah.

They were looking for a nice light and airy four bedroom property

with a nice big kitchen, a big garden for their dogs, and lovely countryside views.

Up to this point they hadn't considered

the idea of a barn conversion,

but any misconceptions they may have had

soon disappeared when presented with a truly spectacular property.

To make the best use of their budget of £500,000,

I took them to the village of Old, seven miles west of Kettering.

A small and compact village, Sarah and Ian will have to hop on their bikes

to get to the nearest shop, but the local pub

was only a short stroll away.

With impressive electric front gates that hide a building

that was in the running for an architectural award,

I was confident this place would wow Sarah and Ian.

-How about this?

-That's fantastic.

-I like that.

-It just gets better and better.

Good. Brilliant. Now, have a look at that.

We're liking.

I'm pretty sure you won't have seen anything quite like this.

-I'm looking forward to seeing inside.

-Intriguing me now.

-Come in.

-Oh, my goodness!

-Come in.

-This is different.

It's finished to a fantastically high standard throughout, as you can see.

-It's bizarre.

-I can't get over it.

-But really good.

-It just sort of seems to fit, somehow.

I mean, it's dominated by that, of course, which is the old cart door.

What they've done, rather cleverly, is put this opaque glass in,

-so you get the light, but you're not overlooked.

-You get the privacy.

And of course, all this structural steel everywhere, which I just think is fantastic.

-It's really got a wow factor, hasn't it?

-It has. Yeah.

This is very much the heart of it, the hallway.

Everything radiates off it.

-Let's start with the kitchen.

-OK.

-Come on.

-Go in there.

-I don't like it(!)

-You love it. Look. Look at that.

-You've done well.

-All these units came from an old shop.

-Oh, how beautiful.

-We've often talked about having something like that.

-It's like an old hardware store.

Cooking-wise, Ian, you've got a double gas range.

I noticed that, and I think I could cope with that.

I mean, it's got a really good feeling about it.

-It's spectacular.

-I really like it.

-It's very, very, very us, and very me.

I just love big kitchens. Yes. It's going to cost us a lot of money.

No! Don't do this!

Well, it looks like I've hit the jackpot here.

The kitchen also has a walk-in larder and a utility area.

'And additionally, on the ground floor, are two bedrooms.'

Have a look in there. In you go.

-That's lovely.

-I like that.

It's got lovely shutters, and look at the depth of those walls.

-So thick.

-Thick walls, but there's so much light coming in, as well.

Such a solid, solid home.

Well, it sounds like I don't need to show them any more of this house.

'The second bedroom is the same size as the first and across the hall is the family bathroom.'

Oh, I like it.

-It's functional.

-No window.

No window, but maybe you wouldn't want one down on the ground floor.

-We can live with that.

-It's got a bath, important, and a shower.

And it's for your guests. And it's not the only one.

Because up those fantastic stairs is the rest of this property.

Go on, lead us out.

The unique glass and steel staircase leads onto a suspended walkway,

bridging the master bedroom and the living room.

I can live up here.

I mean, you would, really. This is clearly the principal living area in this property.

It's got views out over the farmland, over your garden.

It is awesome.

It really is. It's fantastic.

It's just mind-blowing. I love the wooden floor in here. This floor's beautiful.

Is that a wood burner in the corner?

You've got a wood burner over there.

Again, uber-modern, as you'd expect to find in this kind of...

-I don't know, what can we call it?

-It's very, very special.

-Very special.

-I'm getting increasingly worried, Jules.

You haven't asked us the price yet!

Don't you worry, just be excited.

-OK. Yeah.

-We'll try.

We have seen pretty much all of it, with one notable exception, and that is a bedroom for you guys,

which as you might expect, is all right, really.

Come through here.

And this is for you guys...

I'm thinking.

I think you're right. I really like this room.

-I'm thinking we could manage in here, somehow.

-Be all right?

Even though this is not a huge room, you have the feeling of space because of the height.

You've got these built-in wardrobes.

-You'd get a lot of stuff in here, a lot of shoes, probably.

-All Ian's clothes.

-Well, what about this? In here, you've got an en suite bathroom, as well.

-OK.

Come in. Open the door behind you.

-Perfect.

-Yeah. It works really well.

Got a bath, which is obviously important for me.

And a shower, cos I prefer a shower. Haven't seen one thing that I don't like.

You haven't seen one thing that you don't like?

-Come on, find something.

-But there is a question I have for you.

-Go on, then.

-Is there another bedroom?

-No.

That's the mystery.

The mystery is there isn't one, but there are options, which we'll discuss, not in here,

but outside, because there's a bit more to it out there than meets the eye.

-Yeah? Go on, then. Lead on.

-OK.

'After all that excitement, Sarah seems disappointed about being

'a bedroom down, but I do believe she'll be won over with my solution.'

First, we'll have a look at the garden.

Is that enough for the dogs?

That's great for the dogs. I think what we can do is give them a little area at the end that could be theirs.

It's a great size garden and nice views as well.

I love the lovely old original brick wall along there. That's so rustic.

There is planning permission

to convert the carport into a studio.

Come over here and have a look.

So if you could imagine...

-could be a guestroom on its own, guestroom en suite, could be anything you like.

-Teenage suite.

Teenage suite and of course, you've got some of the roof space up there.

Getting planning permission with anything that's listed

is really difficult and the fact this comes with it is not to be sniffed at, really.

I think it's over our budget.

OK. How much over? You've got half a million.

I think it's 10% over. 550.

550. Sarah?

I think 535.

535. You've going to love this, mate.

You are so going to love this.

I'm really excited.

Don't do this!

It's on the market for £485,000.

-No way!

-Yeah.

-Don't do it!

-Don't do it!

-I think we might consider making a sensible offer.

I'm glad you like it. Go back through that door. Have a good look around.

Explore the grounds, too, at your leisure, and I'll catch up with you a little bit later.

-OK. Let's go and have a look over the fence.

-Off you go.

-It's just a super barbecue area. Sun going down...

-Yeah.

Fantastic dog walk straight from the garden. It's a deal.

I've decided.

It's just my dream home.

I'm very, very excited about it.

We'd have to do an incredible de-clutter, where we live now,

but I think I can manage that, just to be living somewhere like this.

I have to confess, that was probably

one of my most favourite house tours of all time.

Just as I hoped it would be.

It was a wonderful property and Ian and Sarah loved it.

That's because it had that winning combination of contemporary style,

all that glass and steel, yet set within a beautiful and characterful building.

Sadly though, that brings us to the end of our review of barn conversions.

I do hope you've enjoyed our trip down memory lane.

Who knows? Maybe one or two of them might have inspired you

to make your own escape to the country. I'll see you next time.

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