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Turning historical character into modern living

Written by Cassidy Perkin


Agricultural buildings hold an important place in the history of the UK and hold a special place in my heart. Being able to protect, and future-proof these buildings is something that that I am passionate about. An incredible example of this can be found in a barn beautifully converted in Chagford. This barn shows modern, contemporary renovations and updates while still skilfully incorporating the historical features that give the barn character and historical qualities. I love how a balance and blend of modern living and functionality can be achieved be breathing new life into older barns that no longer have an agricultural use.

The barn is constructed of a gorgeous pale stone used locally on many other properties, and this stonework has been retained and restored as a clear attractive design feature, with exposure inside, and outside the building. This natural stone finish paired with the natural slate roofing pays homage to the heritage of the previously agricultural barn. Mixed sympathetically into the roofing are conservation rooflights that allow natural light into the first floor with modern fittings that still consider the setting and relationship with the local history. I love how the existing fabric of the barn is used as a strong feature rather than a constraint. These features combined set the barn as a harmonious aspect of the surrounding landscape and local area.

There are many reasons why people choose to convert barns and this project demonstrates many of these reasons through its location, character, attractive open plan living, and sustainability through avoiding making a completely new home. Seen in the below pictures, historical features can be skilfully weaved into the fabric of the building the conversion can become and provide eye-catching design features that leave clues into the buildings past, while clearly showing its future as a stylish family home.

If you own an agricultural building that you want to convert, the Class Q legislation may enable this without needing full planning permission. However, it is important to note that there are a few requirements that your build must meet. Nevertheless, as proven by this beautiful home, a barn conversion will allow you to create a space that is unique to your surroundings. For more information on Class Q legislation or enquiries about a barn conversion, feel free to email us at studio@livingspacearchitects.com.

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Riverside Revival: A Family Dream Comes True in Starcross

Nestled along the picturesque banks of the River Exe lies Exeleigh Lodge, a hidden gem waiting to be rediscovered. What was once a charming but tired bungalow is about to undergo a remarkable transformation into a contemporary riverside haven for a young family. Join us on this captivating journey as we unveil the story behind this exciting first floor extension project that promises to breathe new life into Starcross.

Discovering Potential

Exeleigh Lodge captured the hearts of our clients with its idyllic location and breathtaking river views. Situated on the tranquil south coast of Devon, this sprawling property boasts a canopied garden and easy access to Exeter and the Torbay area. Despite its enchanting surroundings, the lodge required some TLC to fulfil its potential as a modern family home.

A Collaborative Vision

Enter Living Space Architects, entrusted with the task of retaining the lodge’s character while infusing it with contemporary flair. From the outset, collaboration was key as our clients shared their vision through Pinterest boards, paving the way for a truly bespoke design journey. Led by Ellen, our PassivHaus Designer and architect, and Kirsty, our conservation accredited architect, our team embarked on a creative exploration to marry tradition with innovation.

Navigating Challenges

The journey wasn’t without its hurdles, with the lodge’s proximity to listed building presenting a unique set of challenges. However, with expert guidance from a planning consultant, and input from ecologists and arboricultural surveyors, along with enthusiastic input from our clients, our proposals struck the perfect balance between preservation and progress.

Designing for Tomorrow

The culmination of our efforts is a sleek, pitched roof extension that seamlessly integrates with the existing structure. Featuring a spacious family room with panoramic estuary views, a cosy wood-burning stove, and eco-conscious elements such as solar shading, a PV array, and triple glazing, the design reflects our clients’ commitment to sustainability and comfort.

A Triumph in Planning

With bated breath, we awaited the outcome of our planning submission. To our delight, approval came swiftly and seamlessly. Thanks to our collaborative approach and meticulous attention to detail, Exeleigh Lodge’s transformation received the green light, paving the way for a bright future by the river.

Looking Ahead

As we eagerly prepare for the next chapter, our focus turns to bringing the design to life. Technical drawings are underway, signalling the start of construction this summer. Keep an eye out for our signboard as you wander along the riverside, and join us in celebrating the rebirth of Exeleigh Lodge – a testament to the power of vision, collaboration, and the unwavering dedication to creating home that capture the imagination and inspire generations to come.

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Designing your Dream Home: A Guide to Bespoke New Homes

Designing your dream home is an exciting journey, and bespoke architecture allows you to create a home that reflects your vision and lifestyle. Let’s delve into the process and explore the unique aspects of creating custom-designed homes in the South West of England.

1. The Bespoke Approach

Bespoke architecture is all about tailoring every detail to your own preferences. Here’s how it works:

  • Personalisation: Unlike cookie-cutter designs, bespoke homes are personalised. You have the freedom to choose layouts, materials, and finishes that match your taste and style.
  • Collaboration: By working closely with an architect you will have much more success in bringing your vision to life. An architect will listen to your needs, aspirations, and lifestyle requirements and help you work through the different stages of the process.
  • Unique Features: Bespoke homes often feature one-of-a-kind elements—whether it’s a stunning atrium, a hidden reading corner, or a custom-built kitchen island.

2. The South West : A Perfect Canvas

The southwest offers a picturesque backdrop for creating your dream home. Here are some key reasons why people love building here:

  • Stunning Landscapes: From rolling hills to rugged coastlines, the south west boasts diverse landscapes. Imagine waking up to panoramic views of the countryside or the sea.
  • Historic Towns and Villages: Places like Tavistock, Totnes and Chagford are steeped in history. Their charming architecture blends seamlessly with modern designs.
  • Coastal Living: Coastal towns like Salcombe, Dartmouth, and Topsham are popular for their relaxed lifestyle, fresh sea air, and proximity to beautiful beaches.
  • Rural Retreats: Escape to the tranquility of the countryside in areas like Devon and Somerset. Here, you can create a retreat surrounded by nature.

Remember, your dream home is an expression of your lifestyle, values, and aspirations. Whether it’s by the sea, nestled in the countryside, or in a historic town, the South-west offers endless possibilities for bespoke living. Happy designing! 🏡✨

For more information, visit Living Space Architects.

3. Living Space Architects: Crafting Your Vision

Photograph of part of a new house designed by Living Space Architects in Devon

When it comes to bespoke new homes, Living Space Architects in Exeter, Devon1 are experts. Their RIBA-chartered team specialises in sustainable, high-quality designs. Whether you’re renovating an existing property or starting from scratch, they’ll guide you through the process.

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New Build Interview – Exeter Living

Building your own new build home?

We asked Stuart Bayley for his top tips…

What ‘homework’ should a person have already done before they approach an architecture firm like yours?

It is helpful to have created a scrapbook or Pinterest board of houses and projects that you like – including their materials.

What is a really important thing to think about before proceeding?

Consider the orientation of the house to the sunshine and views – ideally, combine the two together so the house can open up to the landscape whilst still benefitting from an ideal solar orientation for natural/passive design.

What are the main pitfalls? 
Rising material prices and construction costs are increasing the contingency that builders are having to apply to their tender / fixed prices – making the overall projects more expensive.


When it comes to design how much do you do and how much does the customer do? How does that relationship work?  
We like to create a few alternative layouts at an early stage for our clients which can then lead to a strong element of client-guided development and working together in developing a suitable design. Many of our clients are families and couples – rather than developers – so they engage us to help them create their unique dream house.


Any new trends we should be paying attention to? 
the increasing need to incorporate renewable technologies to heat our houses in the future and the need to create our own PV for electrical supply – often in conjunction with a large storage battery for the home.


Is there an increased demand at the moment for new builds/ extensions? How has Covid affected your company? 
land with planning permission and that is suitable for new houses in short supply – so consider barn conversions or replacement dwellings as a fall-back position for a new contemporary home.

The brief was to create an eco-friendly family home. The client’s vision was rather unusual though they wanted an upsidedown house. Stuart Bayley, co-director at living space architects, tells us how they did it…

As anyone who loves their property programs will know connecting with nature is currently a big thing for those designing and producing a new home, especially in these parts. few pull off the development which immerses itself so unequivocally in the surrounding landscape as this family home though.

Located in Dunsford, just outside of Exeter nestled into lush greenness the smooth curved roof is the first thing you notice it sets the tone for the property and conveys that this is a place of calm; a gentle space where there is something of a free flow between the inside and outside.

“The roof was originally concived to replicate the form of local dutch barns which sit around the lower edges of Dartmoor,” says Stuart Bayley, co-director at Living Space Architects, the local architecture firm who designed the house.”

“Our client is a big surfer and loved the idea of a natural wave form

The green roof sits on a highly insulated roof with a rubber membrane waterproof finish so the green roof is a significant visual improvement. The natural environment benefit for birds and insects form a green roof is significant and enjoyable.”

The house split level is a quirky design; all the bedrooms are on the ground floor, the living spaces on the first floor (hence being called an ‘upside-down’ house); and amazingly, all rooms in this property have access to the outside garden.

“As you enter the house, the light and staircase draw you up to the first floor living accommodation.” adds, Stuart.

“The open plan first floor configuration creates the sense of open space with no internal walls to disrupt the light across the space from all four sides of the building.”

Stuart tells us that his favorite space are the windows of the ground floor bedrooms as these are designed to avoid any potential overlooking off the neighboring land and house.

“They create a unique character to both the inside of the rooms as they draw your eye to a different view, whilst the north-facing elevation glazing is reduced to keep down the heat loss and an intriguing rear elevation is created.”

What are the other eco-friendly credentials of the property?

“The house is a timber framed, highly insulated and air-tight building which helps to reduce the overall heating requirements. the heating its self is provided by the air-sorce heat-pump which is an increasingly popular method of heating our homes.”

Read the full latest edition of Exeter living here.

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Our Latest Eco-Homes

Planning Win: New House In Exminster

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We have received planning permission for this exciting new house design just outside Exeter.  A replacement dwelling, the home will be constructed using ICF insulated blocks to a high level of insulation and airtightness.  
The heating will be supplied via an air-source heat pump and use mechanical ventilation and heat recovery meaning it will reach near Passive energy standards.  The broken form was designed to respond to views, light, and the prevailing winds, with large overhands offering shade and reducing glare. 

On-Site: Modern English Farmhouse, 

This is a contemporary single-storey new house with local stone and timber external details. The house has a low profile and will sit comfortably within the site and agricultural surroundings. 

On-Site: New Family Farm House, Dunkeswell

The design of the proposed dwelling is a two-storey farmhouse with local flint stone details and a timber oak frame kitchen and sunroom. 

Planning Win: Listed House Extension in Exeter

We have received planning permission for a replacement extension to a Grade II listed detached townhouse, situated on a private road in St Leonards. The replacement extension features crittal doors and a section of glass flooring to allow natural lighting into the basement.

Our RIBA Work Stage Videos

We are in the process of creating videos to explain our Architectural Design stages from start to finish. Here are the first two:

Stage 1 – we complete a measured survey of the project and or site. The laser scanner produces a 360º image and laser scan data for each room, we then align the scans from each room with the last. When we are back in the office we use the point cloud data to draw a 3D model in Revit bim software, based on the existing plans elevation and site.

Stage 2 we illustrate the basic concept of the designs. We do this by creating a series of sketch designs or design options for you, looking at how to make the most of your site, existing building, or interior. This stage is essential to help you make the most of your brief and budget. In the second half of stage 2, we draw up the sketch designs in Revit and provide 3D views to our clients. 

This phase also includes developing the designs based on client feedback.

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Dartmoor Planning Advice

Going to visit a new project on Dartmoor is one of our favourite parts of our job.  No matter what time of year, Dartmoor always has a new colour to reveal, new light over the moorland or mossy corner down a lane.  Dartmoor is full of contrasts and those of you who have chosen it as your home know only too well; a special kind of magic.

Living Space Architects Project: Forestry Houses, Dartmoor, UK Joakim Borén Photography 2008

Planning advice

Designing architecture in Dartmoor national park requires a particular sensitivity to these special things; the changing light, materials and existing farm buildings that nestle into the landscape.  It isn’t the place for high-end architectural acrobatics, however, it is for the creation of quiet, beautiful spaces.  When we start a project we begin by considering what makes the place special?  What is the particular microclimate of the site? And of course what will work with the particular landscape and site features?

If you are creating an extension or altering an existing home on Dartmoor, it is important to consider the design guidance available on the local authority website.  This includes a wealth of information about what you need to consider in relation to their planning policy. 

You may think the guidance would steer you towards a more traditional approach, but appropriate contemporary architecture still has its place and there are some really good examples of how modern design approaches can sit really well within the National Park.  You can access the design guide here.

Of course if you are thinking of carrying out a project on Dartmoor we would be delighted to come and talk to you or have a remote chat on Zoom or Skype.

Living Space has a wealth of experience working within Dartmoor National Park and carry out planning applications and appeals for clients across the south-west.  If you have a particular question or would like someone to get in touch fill out our enquiry form here:

Get In Touch
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Class Q Barn Conversions

Class Q legislation provides a means of increasing the value of agricultural buildings through transforming them into new accommodation. We have worked on many of these projects, taking unused barns and converting them into spacious new homes or ancillary living quarters. Gaining consent for the works requires careful consideration in order to justify the barn’s eligibility for Class Q conversion.

Crucially important to the success of these works is the collaborative effort involved. Both Alister King-Smith of Stags planning services as well as Robert Thomson of Simon Bastone Associates have been involved on a range of our projects, providing the necessary specialisation to make our designs fly.

At the moment, we are working on a number of different schemes and below we highlight a few case studies of recently-approved Class Q applications that we have been involved in:

Conversion of Two Barns – Cullompton

Our clients in Cullompton came to us with the exciting brief of converting two barns on the same plot – one steel-framed and fully clad, the other mainly block.

Our designs for the barns transformed the larger, steel-framed structure into a three-bedroom dwelling and the finalised designs can be seen below:

Dutch Barn – Bickington, Newton Abbot

This Class Q conversion project has created a two-storey dwelling within a barn situated in the garden of a farmhouse. The steel structural frame and curved roof, archetypal features of Dutch barns, will be retained whilst some of the cladding is removed in order to allow for the insertion of windows and doors.

This plan details a cross-section view of the proposals, displaying the new first floor and changes to the exterior structure of the barn in order to allow access and bring light in.
At ground floor level, open-plan areas are overlooked by a mezzanine floor.

Piggery – Stoke Climsand, Cornwall

This project concerned the change of use of an old piggery into a residential property. The building lies on farmland and we have worked in collaboration with both Stags planning as well as Simon Bastone Associates’ structural engineering services in order to gain permission for its development.

The building has always been in agricultural use and will retain its current external materials whilst having windows, doors and services installed in order to enable it to become a three-bedroom residential dwelling.

The Original Timber Framed Barn
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The greenest building is the one that already exists

As a practice we specialise in the adaption and re-use of existing and historic buildings, to help make them as sustainable as possible. Our two directors are passionate about sustainability and the historic built environment. With Stuart having expertise in all things eco-tech and Kirsty a qualified Conservation Architect, they make a great combination.

We were heartened by the campaign launched recently by the Architects Journal encouraging the Re-use of existing buildings. RetrofitFirst asks architects to sign up to putting the re-use of buildings first and to work , where possible, with what is already in our built world. The quote above is from last week’s magazine cover and we thought it perfectly encapsulated our own beliefs about working with existing buildings in the south west.

Staddons Cottage was insulated at ceiling level using sheep’s wool between the joists and lime plaster on a new lath structure.

The demolition of existing structures to enable the building of new ones is clearly not a sustainable approach – even if the new building uses less energy. The best approach is to help make our existing building stock more sustainable by reducing unnecessary air leakage, improving insulation in an appropriate manner and making sure they are well looked after by carefully repairing and renewing them.

Old buildings are incredibly adaptable – not something that can always be said of our new building stock, which is often difficult to adapt to new uses. Careful extensions and alterations to older buildings can help to breathe new life into a project, without detrimentally impacting on their historic significance.

Many of our projects use natural, breathable insulation to help reduce heat loss. The use of natural fibre insulation is growing rapidly at the moment, with natural and sustainable options on the market such as sheep wool, find out more here. This is particularly successful when converting loft spaces or barns. Solid walls however don’t always need an additional layer of insulation, with thick stone and cob walls working as excellent heat stores. The image below shows the addition of external wood fibre insulation to a 1970’s extension. This approach works well with existing cavity walls, although insulating internally is often a better approach for listed buildings.

The image above shows wood fibre insulation being added to an existing 1970’s extension, which was rendered with breathable lime. This was part of an overall refurbishment project and included replacing windows and doors to create a a much more airtight construction, Heating was replaced with a wood pellet boiler utilising the RHI.

Historic England encourage owners to look to the past for solutions to problems of heat loss and draughts. Historically home owners would have hung tapestries and had thick curtains or shutters to help keep them warm. A similar approach today and help keep your Listed property warm without unnecessary intervention. See their advice on their website here.

Repairing old windows is also a much more sustainable approach than replacing them with UPVC. Many windows are able to be adapted with the insertion of slim double glazing units with systems like Pilkington Spacia providing a high quality option. Secondary glazing is not always the most practical solution, but can works well and companies like Mitchell & Dickinson in North Devon offer a service to repair and renovate timber windows alongside installing very low impact secondary glazing.

Using recycled materials is an approach we would like to take more often. Rotor, a Brussels-based design practice are creating a website that will help architects and building owners source recycled materials for their build. The UK version of the site can be accessed Here We are pleased to see Exeter’s Toby’s Reclamation Yard on the list, and hopefully more locations in the south west will be added. Rotor have an arm of their business that salvages materials from demolition sites and sorts them for re-use. Hopefully this idea will be will be taken on in the UK and it will become easier to source recycled materials for new build and refurbishment projects.

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Finished and flourishing: our barn conversion in Chagford

We are thrilled with the bright, characterful and attractive home that has been created through our conversion of a barn in the historic market town of Chagford.

The converted barn, situated close-by to the Grade I listed St Michael’s Church, Chagford

The brief

Our clients came to us seeking architects who would bring a contemporary approach and modern style in the barn’s internal refurbishment. Whilst they already had existing planning permission for conversion, our clients wanted to review the design and make a number of changes to it in order to improve the main space as an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area.

Open plan living area combining both historic and contemporary finishes

Why a barn conversion?

Barn conversions can provide a unique means of creating a stunning residence in a location that is otherwise impenetrable in terms of development. Obtaining permission for the erection of an entirely new dwelling can encounter obstacles, but barn conversions allow historic structures to be maintained and transformed into homes with character, often in sought-after locations. In this case, the barn and adjoining yard are situated in close proximity to St Michael’s Church, some of which dates from as early as the 13th century.

Unique views of the historic Chagford market town

Clean, contemporary finishes are complemented by wood and stone elements throughout the barn.

At first floor level, the converted barn has three bedrooms and a suspended walkway that connects the rooms and leads to the staircase.

Historic trusses were retained and included in the double height barn
The traditional stone walls give little away about their updated interiors

This conversion has provided a space in which the barn’s historic agricultural use has been worked with in order to create a modern living area that benefits from its special location and rustic stone finish.

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