Old barn ideas ……

[mountfarm]

Looking for inspiration please. We’ve an old farm building built around 100 yrs ago we don’t know what to do with. It’s 22m long by 6m wide and currently 2 storey but could be 3 storey. It’s built out of standard house brick which isn’t in great condition and we’ve roof tiles coming off regularly. We are currently using the ground floor which comprises of a site toilet, kerosene’s tank store for the main farmhouse which it’s connected to at one end. Then there’s a room used by the farm shoot and a small room rented out for storage as well as a single garage sized space. The 2nd floor isn’t used as the floor wouldn’t be safe. Sadly there’s presently no windows in this shed as we think it was an old grain store as there’s an old fan sat in the roof.
Obviously there’s holiday cottages but to be honest we aren’t keen. Offices maybe but is there a demand presently? Another farmhouse maybe but we don’t have the need presently but I’ve children coming through within the next 10 years. Flatten it and rebuild a modern more useable building which we could use for machinery storage etc?

 

[Laggard]

Could you post some photos please?

 

[theboytheboy]

Got to go for a place for kids in my opinion.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Whether you do offices or holiday let you will need to build similar spec.

I'd go with convert to live in - for kids/ granny annex etc.

If the brick is a bit crap look into externally insulating it as its better protection and timber frame inside for joists.

 

[7610 super q]

Leave it for barn owls and swallows.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Live/work combination? Easily converted into a multitude of habitable options laters. One ‘oliday let. To allow the building to wipe its own face.
Clad the outside with insulation or alternatively demolish and start again as this may well be the most cost effective solution.
Try a couple of ideas and run these by your local PD as they will have the final say anyway.
I went down the demolition route with soft furnishing sweatshop and ‘oliday with change of use at some point.
I have a warm, low cost and structurally sound building.
SS

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Leave it for barn owls and swallows.

I have a built in swift box and the swallows have their places. To tempt then I have several A-frame nest boxes and perches. Owls have a choice of boxes and there’s plenty of bats! standing in the service tunnel at dusk you can feel them as they fly past your face!
SS

 

[ollie989898]

Agree with the other comments, convert into a dwelling/duffer annex/divorce bolthole. Rent it out until kids are old enough to occupy the main house fully and consign you to the West wing.

Ground floor sounds ideal for a full size snooker or ping-pong table. Or a very smart 2-3 car garage.

Make sure you convert the loft space also into a mezzanine office.

When it is all complete please to post the photos and tag us all to alert us to the end result. Best of luck.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Taken a couple of years ago but y’all get the idea.
ss

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I would be inclined to re roof it, as losing tiles water will get in and make the decision for you, tiles off, felt/batten and back on then it's available and won't deteriorate. Too many farmers are too keen with the JCB when it comes to older buildings.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I would be inclined to re roof it, as losing tiles water will get in and make the decision for you, tiles off, felt/batten and back on then it's available and won't deteriorate. Too many farmers are too keen with the JCB when it comes to older buildings.

Insulate!
SS

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

One thing you could get caught out with is using the building for non ag use and then going for class q.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Insulate!
SS

I have put external wall insulation on the house here, only put 2" on, because of the depth of the existing soffits and gable ladders, so, to future proof the roof, make the soffits deeper to allow for a good depth of insulation (unless the brickwork is a feature, in which case in could be insulated internally when it is possibly converted). I suppose if you were re roofing you could put a warm roof on while you are at it.