Mr Paul Rees - Barn conversion in Hertfordshire
Beautiful conversion of a 15th Century oak framed barn.
Paul Rees, a fashion photographer wanted to restore a derelict barn building that dated back to 15th Century. He turned to BuildStore to borrow the funds to do it, spending £300k on the plot and a further £310k on the build. The property is now worth around £900k. Cash flow was never a problem as BuildStore was able to provide Mr Rees with stage payments in advance…even though his budget for the building and restoration almost doubled from his original estimates!
Mr Rees was totally hands on with the build, doing all the project management and much of the work himself. The project took two years to complete and Mr Rees moved in at the beginning of the year.
Overall his experience was very positive, but frustrations included dealing with his local planning office, which he found difficult because the building was listed; and working with DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) as there were bats in the building, which are a protected species.
| Plot Cost: | £300k |
| Build Costs: | £310k |
| Length of project: | 2 Years |
| Estimated value of property? | £900k |
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Why did you decide to self build/ renovate?
So that we could design our own home -
What were the first steps you took?
Subscribed to Plotsearch -
What stage are you currently at in your project?
Complete -
How did you find your plot of land or property to renovate?
On your website -
How did you find this process?
Straight forward -
Did your plot/ original building include any interesting features?
Yes 15 centuary oak framed barn -
Who managed the build and how did that work out?
Managed it myself -
Did you do any of the work yourself?
Yes-every day -
How did you manage the ‘money’ side of things?
Mortgage in stage payments via Skipton Building Society -
Did you stick to your budget?
No we estimated £150k , spent £300k -
What were the highlights/difficulties faced?
Obtaining planning permission for extras as we went along – difficult on listed building -
What lessons did you learn, and are there any little nuggets of information that you could pass on to other self builders/renovators?
Allow 4 months in advance for DEFRA to access whether whether you have bats or any other protected species -
How would you sum up your self build/renovation experience?
Rewarding – a real achievement -
Further comments/information:
Last week our barn won a ‘Green Apple Architectural Heritage Gold Award’. This was presented by Sir David Bellamy at The Houses of Parliament.
