From concept to reality
The house is a converted barn building that sits within land originally part of the couple’s former home. Loving the location, they had plenty of time to consider what they wanted to achieve with the conversion and to fund the building work with the sale of their existing property.
Planning permission relied upon the new building replicating the existing barn building as much as possible and occupying the same footprint. Within these constraints, the oak-clad, timber-frame building combines contemporary design with a light and airy living space.
“We had a good idea of how we wanted the living are to be” says Julie. “We were looking for open-plan spaces that would be filled with light and sunshine. We love entertaining too, so we wanted to be able to simply open up the whole wall and have friends milling about, going in and out of the garden.”
The solution included large sliding doors (ASS 70 AD) on both of the ground floor living rooms. These provide the flexible living and entertaining space that the couple were looking for, and also maximise the views over the surrounding farmland.
As beautiful on the outside as the view from within
“We loved the quality of the Schüco systems” says Julie, who was responsible for finding many of the products that went into the build.
We went to see them on display and talked to the local installer (Euro Aluminium) who gave us huge confidence. When you see the doors in position, and have a play around with the sliding mechanism, you immediately have confidence in the engineering. It just feels right.
The picture doors are perhaps the most eye-catching feature, but large Schüco windows (ASS 70 SC) were also used at ground and first-floor level, where the grey aluminium frames complement and contrast with the lighter silver tones of the oak panelled façades.
On working with Schüco, Gabriel Andrisan, Managing Director of Euro Aluminium Ltd commented: “As a company, we need to make sure we choose the best when it comes to quality, engineering, aesthetics and versatility. The answer for us is Schüco. They provide us with top-of-the-range systems and service, the results of which are plain to see from our reviews and projects like Hoe Barn.”
Energy efficiency was an important consideration, and architects JRR Designs always look to exceed current building regulations. With energy-efficient aluminium frames and insulating double glazing, the windows and doors made a strong contribution to the overall energy efficiency and airtightness of the building – which has an Energy Performance rating of C.
Living in a low-maintenance, energy-efficient home, Julie and Toby are very happy with the decisions they made during the design process: “We were looking for a sunny, bright home with lots of space for informal entertaining, and that’s exactly what we have.
“The extra benefits include a home that is sunny and warm throughout the year. We actually have lower energy bills than we expected and the added pleasure of our garden acting as an extension of our living space.”
Schüco aluminium window systems make a visual impact to any visitor
