The Property’s Wonderful Views

Alex and Naomi Tarry have turned a near-ruined farm outbuilding into a one-bedroom holiday let that makes the most of the property’s wonderful views. Homeowners Alex and Naomi Tarry, owners of holiday letting business Best of Suffolk (bestofsuffolk.co.uk) Location Peasenhall, Suffolk Property Detached, single-storey, one-bedroom former farm outbuilding.

It was Alex’s brainwave to connect the two rectangular parts of the shed with a large curved section of glazing to create a bright and airy living room with a high ceiling. Leading o from this elegant, light- lled space are a bedroom, bathroom and the open-plan kitchen-diner, all of which are contained in the older parts of the building. ‘ e local authority has a strong conservation team,’ Alex explains, PROJECT NOTES Extending with fl oor-toceiling panes of curved glass fl oods the new open-plan space with light, connects the L-shaped older part of the building and adds a contemporary twist ‘and they are extremely supportive of the sustainable use of historic buildings. We were required to build a substantial access track to the property and we also had to apply for planning permission to convert the building from agricultural use.’

Alex took on the role of project manager with relish, hiring a team of builders and subcontractors he has known for a number of years. e main part of the building was built in nine-inch Su olk bricks and lime mortar under a pantile roof, although blockwork sections with tin roofs had been added more recently. ‘Once we’d stripped away all of the newer parts, we were left with a fragment of the former building – and the challenge was to save everything possible,’ remembers Naomi. ‘ e brick walls needed extensive repair using lime mortar,’ she adds, ‘and the entire timber roof structure was replaced, copying exactly the one that was there before.’ A local joinery firm made the bespoke timber and glass curved wall of the impressive living room extension, which has been painted blue to match other handmade windows and woodwork. Every section is angled, including the glass doors, with a bespoke oak-rimmed matwell designed in the same radius. Even the zinc guttering needed to be curved to fit by a specialist fabricator.

Internally, the extension’s steel frame has been left exposed, which lends the space its rustic-meets-industrial feel. The existing timbers and the original brick floor, treated with boiled linseed oil, are also on show in the kitchen area, and some walls have been clad in rough-sawn Douglas fir timber for an agricultural look. Doors to the bedroom and bathroom are also in the same timber, with concealed, rebated hinges allowing these to blend into the walls virtually unseen. ‘Texture is incredibly important, as the idea was to preserve an old building using traditional materials but then add some contemporary touches,’ explains hardworking Alex, who has re-established the surrounding six acres of land, planting hundreds of trees and a meadow. ‘It’s now such a wonderfully tranquil retreat,’ he beams. ‘The curved glass allows visitors to make the most of the incredible view.’

sources: GoodHomes UK, August 2018