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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:

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Shortlisted For the Build It 2020 Awards

Living Space is delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Build it awards, under the category: ‘Best Architect or Designer for a Self Build Project’

*Voting closes on the 12th November 2020*

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Using Virtual Reality at Living Space

At living space architects, we offer our clients the opportunity to experience their designs.

Reference: https://www.livingspacearchitects.com/http:/www.livingspacearchitects.com/news/the-class-q-craze

Our 3D visualisation software creates a walkthrough experience, which allows the client to gain a better spacial understanding of their project long before it is built.

These 3D visualisations are created by our rendering software, Enscape, which you can try for yourself by following the link below.

https://api2.enscape3d.com/v1/view/72bf5c61-9fb8-4da0-bbaf-79e95e4c93f2

(Currently there is no support for Internet Explorer/Edge/Safari or iOS devices)

View of what the client sees when viewing their home in virtual reality

A a result of lockdown, we have not been able to have meetings in the office to show clients our designs. Instead we have been sending over web links, (like the one above) that the clients can use to explore their projects from home.

The Process:

When we visit the clients site we use 3D scanning and point cloud technology to measure the property. We can then use these measurements to create the existing structure on Enscape.

Virtual reality view of the clients home
VR view of the clients home
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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

Featured In Self Build & Design

We are pleased to have been featured in the July 2020 edition of Self Build & Design, in this article our directors where interviewed by Debbie Jeffery about Life as Architects.

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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.

Creating good design in Exeter: a collaboration

Last week our director, Kirsty Curnow-Bayley, ran an event at the RAMM in order to discuss good design in the city. Collaboration with the Exeter branch of the RIBA brought together architects, planners and members of public to engage in discussion of different aspects of the design process through participating in an interactive design charrette. 

Chief Executive and Growth Director of Exeter City Council, Karime Hassan, introduced the event and through exploring the elements that help create great cities, attendees were able to discover what architects consider during the design process for their projects.

We are enthused by the exceptionally positive feedback received and we look forward to working towards more in the future.

Crumbs Devon: House Call – Middle Aged

Our work on the 14th-century Staddons House, Dartmoor has featured in the December 2019 edition of Crumbs.

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Making historic buildings energy efficient – Heating and Insulation

Old v. New Heating Strategies

Older buildings were constructed as a cellular arrangement of rooms that would be individually heated as and when they were being used. In comparison, modern heating strategies use electronic controls to tailor the heating in the house to your exact preference. It is also important to consider the difference in building materials used in the construction of old buildings compared to the present day. These materials may not necessarily be compatible to use together, for example, the very hard material of concrete may damage the softer materials of the older building.

The older houses were built with the principles of using traditional methods of retaining heat, for example:

  • Closing heavy curtains
  • Shutting internal doors
  • Closing shutters at night
  • Utilising the thermal mass of the structure to retain heat from fires and slowly release it over a longer period of time

Nowadays houses are built with heating features such as insulation, electronic heating system and waterproof cladding.

Insulating historic buildings

The insulation of historic buildings is one of the most important aspects to consider when upgrading the infrastructure of an old building. Traditionally, older buildings have solid walls, whereas newer buildings tend to have cavity walls

A cavity wall is a wall formed of 2 separate walls (usually brick and block) with a space between them. Insulation is fitted in the space between them meaning there is one “wet” wall, on the outside of the building, and one “dry” wall on the inside of the building.

Older buildings don’t have this cavity insulation, the walls allow a degree of moisture penetration into their structure but avoid damp problems due to the breathable nature of the materials used, for example renders based on lime, earth or clay and finishes such as lime wash. These materials absorb water, but also allow for easy evaporation.

Therefore, using modern construction methods such as cement-based materials, ‘plastic’ paints and waterproof sealants will not be effective on an older building and could damage the walls of the property.

Natural insulation materials tend to be much more breathable than synthetic materials and therefore will be more effective and less damaging to use on an older building. They act as moisture buffers and tend to “breathe” with the original walls of the building. Examples of these natural materials include wood fibre, hemp, sheep’s wool, cellulose, aerogel, calcium silicate and many more.

Sheep’s wool insulation

These materials will also have excellent sustainable properties, such as:

  • Low embodied carbon
  • They improve indoor air quality
  • They are easy to recycle at the end of their life

Tips to make your building more energy efficient

When making historic buildings more energy efficient there are some simple things that you can do to begin with, that a relatively inexpensive and are less likely to cause problems with the structure of the building itself.

  • Fit draught excluders to letterboxes and outside doors

  • Invest in heavier curtains

  • Ensure that radiators aren’t blocked by furniture

  • Mend any broken windows

  • Fill in any gaps in wooden panelling

  • Get LED lights fitted

  • Clear out the gutters and the drains (these make the walls cold!)

More expensive methods that would be the next step up from this would be:

  • Installing programmable thermostats
  • Make sure all the heating and hot water pipes are well insulated
  • Wood burning stoves fuel much more efficiently than open fires and cause fewer draughts

Heritage project win following appeal: Upton Hellions, Mid Devon

Our proposals for work on a barn on the site of a Grade II* Listed Building have been granted planning permission following an appeal!

This project in Upton Hellions, Mid Devon combines a historically-significant site with a Class Q barn conversion, which has resulted in a project perfectly suited to our experienced team at Living Space, who have an 100% success rate in gaining planning permission for barn conversions.

The historical setting: Upton Hellions Barton

Hellions Barton is a Grade II* listed building which was originally a 16th-century gentleman’s home, but was converted into a farmhouse in more recent times. The barn we are transforming lies on the same land as this residence, and as such is significant due to its situation within the wider setting of the listed building. 

Our plans propose the conversion of the barn attached to Hellions Barton from agricultural to domestic use. We achieved permission for this through applying for permission as a Class Q conversion, and then submitted an appeal after our application was ruled invalid.

The barn in question

By its very nature, Class Q permitted development does not involve any alterations to the structure of the building itself, or its form – the main changes are therefore linked to the fact that the barn will now be used as a residence. While the barn is on the site of a listed building, it is only considered to be within the wider setting of it, and therefore changes to it pose a low level of impact on the character of the area.

Gaining planning permission

Class Q planning permission is a hard-won trophy, especially when a listed building is involved, and this project was no exception. Having gone to appeal after our initial planning application was declined, we were able to gain consent through demonstrating that conversion of the barn would not negatively impact on the setting of the historic building. We are delighted that our designs, which respect the site and the historic relationship between the barn and house, have proved acceptable!

Watch this space for progress on site at Upton Hellions!


Looking to gain Class Q planning permission? You can find more articles on our blog:

We would love to hear about your barn conversion project – get in touch!