Clare Nash Architecture Ltd

How long does a barn conversion take? I'm often asked this, so I've attached a handy timescale chart below. Essentially if you want to be building in 2026, you need to start now. I know this seems like a long time (and it is) but there's a lot that goes into designing a barn and turning it into a beautiful home. Not least one that you will enjoy for many, many years to come. Planning takes a minimum of 8 weeks to gain approval (this is usually longer due to budget constraints on planning teams). Plus there's a lot of thinking time! There are a lot of decisions to make on planning your dream home. That being said, it is a very rewarding journey.

How to choose a specialism for an architecture practice? People often ask me this. I talk about the benefits of niching quite a bit. And they wonder, how could it apply to them? These are the questions I asked myself to help me with choosing. It comes from the Japanese Ikigai which translates to 'reason for being'. What is the type of work I most enjoy? What are people happy to pay me for? What am I good at? What does the world need? Supplementary questions to prompt that thinking could be: When do I feel most in flow? What work comes easily to me? Which three clients were my favourites from the past year, what do they have in common? How would I like to spend the majority of my day? Where would that be? With whom would that be? What is currently working that I could build on? How can I future proof my work? What are the trends for my industry? What is not working that should be delegated or avoided?

How the Office Meeting (instead of an office) was born… For me this was a very logical solution to a problem. I was a sole trader and suddenly needed staff to help me with my workload. I already knew I liked working from home, but could see this wasn’t practical with managing future employees. Not least I live in a small village with no bus connections. Secondly I did not want a commute. That was part of the enjoyment of working for myself. Instead of a commute I could water my plants, go for a run or do some yoga. Now it’s often the school run. I was teaching at Oxford Brookes University at the time so could easily access student help. I could also tag on a meeting with them after my teaching days. I didn’t expect a student to travel out to me or to have a car. So that was Office Meeting Version 1. Just a meeting tagged onto the end of a teaching day. I didn’t know what it might turn into. I just tested that idea to see if it worked. It did. So it became a thing. It didn’t need to be a perfect idea the first time around, it just needed to be an idea to test and alter if needed. I still enjoy travelling to Oxford one day a week for our office meeting 10 years later. The location has changed, sometimes it’s a room, sometimes it’s a cafe. In lockdown it was online and then in our gardens. Sometimes it’s a co-working space. It doesn’t really matter as long as everyone can get there. It can evolve with us. This model isn’t for everyone (not least extroverts!). But it suits us. Pic of a cafe meeting in 2016.

Are trickle vents effective? I remember reading somewhere, something I think by Elrond Burrell about how trickle vents only work when the 'pressure' (or something with a more technical term) was correct, which wasn't that often in the UK and also depended on orientation? Sorry I am not a detail person, I remember over-alls, not details! Could anyone help me to find a better explanation to show a client? A google search just leads me to mumsnet which isn't known for its technical expertise 🤣 I'm trying to explain why MVHR would be a good idea here, as opposed to relying on trickle vents and opening the door for the dog regularly. It's a barn conversion (of course).

I've been thinking a lot recently about AI and what that means for homes of the future. On the one hand, as a junior architect, I remember thinking ' a robot could do this better than me' regarding door schedules which were really just about data entry and checking. And ta-da! A few years later the software can do it for you (albeit still with minimal set up and some checks). So I was right, a computer can do it better than me and it's waaaaay more fun for me to do be doing something other than door schedules. On the other hand - what about the human touch to design? What about the craftsmanship that real hands create? So far, AI can't do this. The human hand is incredibly complex. But I guess at some point we could teach it empathy? I've long been against the identikit housing you see on the edge of every town, it's so dull. It's an oversized cottage, still with small windows. It's built poorly and has gaps in insulation. This is far from the best of British design, the thing we're famed for, excel at in other industries. But we've had to just roll over and accept poorly designed housing. We've lost the regional variation so apparent in our accents. That used to be a beautiful feature of housing design across the country. Now swallowed up and surrounded by this alien. And yet humans made both the beautiful and the ugly. So back to AI - the pre-fab world is a fantastic way of making new homes super efficient. I can see AI bringing big breakthroughs here. Pre-fab homes can also be beautiful with a bit of design thought. In fact they most often are because this is a method favoured by self-builders. How we used to build and why vernacular buildings are so beautiful. But we don't all have the time or money for that now. So this is the best of both surely? Computers and humans working together maximising both of their strengths? pic of a barn re-build project with flint and hand-made brick arches. Together with modern, industrial, super efficient windows. Pre-fab super insulated roof (not visible) - best of both? Granted this level of craftsmanship is not viable on a massive scale.

Can I convert any barn into a dwelling? ..... and more questions answered by me in this blog: "do barn conversions need planning permission?" Retaining the character of a barn is the main reason people opt for a barn conversion - that and their often stunning countryside locations. Fortunately the planners agree on this!

The power of restorative gardening... Having spent most of the previous two months lumbered either with flu or ‘the coughy thing’ I was grateful to have the garden to think about and to potter about in. Even just a tiny bit of time outside sowing seeds or weeding was incredibly restorative. Unlike other forms of exercise (which I also love btw), you’re not committed to any particular distance or time. If I needed a sit down after 10 minutes weeding, I could do that. When I was too ill to go outside, I could lie in bed dreaming of plans for the garden, which was more fun than daytime tv. I have to say it's an excellent business tool as well - I'm longing to set up my own creative retreat where we can weed and chew through business ideas. It's on my vision board! Pic of me on a healthy day :-)

How to insulate a barn conversion? I could talk all day about insulation, but I'll keep this mercifully short... The answer is.. it depends on the type of barn. If it's stone or brick, it would need to be internal breathable insulation such as Diathonite (an insulating and breathable plaster made of cork and lime). If it's a timber clad barn (like our scheme in Suffolk above), you could get away with externally insulating because once it's covered up again with timber cladding, the outside appearance would still be the same, albeit a bit wider. The correct proportions should remain because you'd be cloaking the roof in a warm blanket as well. There's a wide range of insulation types available. Environmentally it's far better to use renewable insulations such as hemp, cork, wood fibre or recycled jute. Cellulose (made of recycled newspaper) is another good option. In all cases, careful consideration for thermal bridging will be required. The pictured scheme is a hybrid of three options for each separate barn - external insulation to the main barn, internal insulation to the Snug. The Cart House will be re-built and insulated within a conventional cavity wall. All options were considered with appearance, historical significance and practical buildability all weighed up and balanced. Being an architect is a lot like algebra, shifting things to each side of the equation until....ta da!

Looking forward to this tomorrow! #oxlepWIB

What if my barn is listed? Listed barn conversions make beautiful and characterful homes. But just like with other listed building types, there will be more restrictions than usual on what you are allowed to do. Barns are only listed if they represent an important part of history and/or are a particularly special example. The downside is the extra costs involved. The upside is that no-one else will have one quite the same and you’ll be protecting history for future generations. #listedbarn #historicbarn #heritagebarns #barnconversions #barnsarebeautiful #planningpermission #conservation