Case history: The barn

We began working on the barn in Horningsea in 2006 when it was a derelict, disused farm building. The first stage of the project was to carry out a full and accurate survey to record the condition of the building and determine which materials could be preserved, which parts repaired, and what would need to be replaced.

Work on the ground began with clearing the building of debris and shoring it up to support the structure.

The next stage was to strip the existing building back to its framework, removing the roof and all rotten timbers, but keeping all material to be re-used or repaired. At this stage, it looks more like a demolition project than a building project.

With the ground cleared, work could begin. Services, repairs to the brickwork and laying a new floor were the first stages.

Work on the fabric of the building, replacing windows, dividing the interior space, plastering and wiring took several months.

One of the finishing touches was to fit out the nesting boxes for owls in the eaves. These are accessible indoors by ladder for cleaning and from the outside by owls. Spying on the owls by CCTV began as soon as they moved in.

Where is it?