How derelict cow shed became ultimate contemporary home
WHEN a homeowner is thinking about an ideal home for retirement, maybe a bungalow by the sea or a no-maintenance apartment in a converted historic building might be top of the list.
But what about a former derelict farm building that needed a huge amount of work?
Julian and Jenny Sanders, originally from Bristol, wanted to find a property close to their jobs but that could also be their forever home once they retired.
And a total wreck of a former cow shed near Bridgend called out to them – and they answered it.
Julian says: “At the time we were looking to relocate from our base just outside of Newport. With one of us working in Cardiff and the other in Swansea, the area around Bridgend enabled us to split the commute.
“With easy access to the motorway and the semi rural/village location, this was the perfect position.”
At the time it took great vision to see what the cow shed could become, and not everyone involved was feeling comfortable about the huge renovation project about to commence.
Julian says: “All I can say is that one of us was inspired and excited with the potential, whilst the other was filled with fear and trepidation at what appeared to be little more than a pile of stones and half a dozen rotten roof trusses!
“We had been looking for a property with a particular allocation of space.
“We’ve always done a lot of entertaining, so consequently we wanted a property with large living and kitchen space, but not needing a huge number of bedrooms.
Julian says: “Most houses seem to have a predetermined bedroom to living space ratio, which didn’t suit us.
“With this building, it was something of a blank canvas, so we were able to carve up the space to better suit our requirements.
“Being all on one level, (no stairs to contend with) makes it ideal when the time comes for us to take delivery of our zimmer frames!”
And so began the incredible transformation of a stone building that was once a home for cows into the couple’s incredible home.
One of the first quick decisions was to give the property a new name, rather than referring to their new home as a cow shed.
Julian says: “Firstly, to be completely accurate, it’s not actually a barn, but a cow shed where about 40 cows used to live. Somehow ‘barn’ seems to have a better ring to it, so we took a little artistic licence and called it The Longbarn. The long element is accurate, however.”
The couple had never taken on a renovation project of this magnitude before – the barn literally had no roof and was in a derelict state.
They were filled with a mixture of emotions, including feeling daunted, excited and worried.
Jenny says: “But more than anything, excited at the possibilities of this blank canvas. Having never attempted a project of this type we went through a pretty steep learning curve though.”
When it came to the final push of transforming their total wreck of a property into a totally gorgeous home in which to enjoy their retirement, Julian and Jenny were very clear on what they wanted from their ultimate new living space.
Jenny says: “We wanted to create a minimal, contemporary internal space within the very traditional 18th century farm building exterior – the drama created by juxtaposing the two aesthetics.”
The look, feel and atmosphere of the final transformation of the living space of Longbarn was crucial to the project’s success.
Enter architect Glen Thomas.
Ask Glen what has been done at Longbarn and it might take a while, even a summarised version of the ‘to do’ list takes time, from the roof to the floor, electricity to the plumbing before the interiors could be installed.
Glen says: “This was a radical barn conversion that saw all of the internal walls stripped away.
“We opened up the entire gable end of the barn with a steel frame and installed glass folding doors to the patio.
“Every aspect and detail of the design were considered, down to the minimal, dark kitchen, to the concrete fireplace with its chunky reclaimed oak hearth, re-used oak flooring, black Crittallstyle doors and rusted metal pocket screens.”
Glen and his team are very clear on their design philosophy, to wherever possible conserve and celebrate the history of a building, so on this project the beams were renovated, stained and left exposed.
Glen says: “The original stonework was cleaned and rejointed with lime mortar and the wooden floorboards were sanded and treated.
“Every ‘new’ element was implemented in a considered manner, with careful attention to a minimal, natural colour palette.”
The kitchen at one end of the space was an imperative space to get right, not just for functionality and the heart of the entertaining space, but with the visual design too.
The couple were clear on what they wanted, aided by many hours of pottering about on Pinterest.
The final conclusion was a stealth-like kitchen that would not dominate the space but rather quietly command attention.
The project to create this incredible living space took 12 months to complete.
Glen says: “We were ensuring every tradesperson working on the project paid extra-special attention to detail. For contemporary to work alongside historic, you need to think carefully about every floor and wall junction, every handle, every tap. The completed scheme has to work as a whole.”