up,” Pete had managed to persuade Joy that “the logical thing to do” was to borrow enough money to buy nine acres of agricultural land at the foot of the Cleveland Hills. He recalls that this was a massive undertaking at the time, especially as the children were young, and there were lots of demands on time. Nevertheless, here Pete and his family built a 16 x 9 metre portal frame barn –the frame being recycled from a previous agricultural building –added an outdoor stage, a wood- fired hot-tub and a secret log cabin. “For many years we used the barn as an opportunity for our children to engage in forest school type activities, hold mini rock festivals, and carry out various teenage nefarious exploits about which I know nothing!,” he laughs. The barn was the venue for 10 wedding parties for family and friends, including Tom and Emily’s own nuptials. And surrounded by nature with a two-acre wood planted by Pete and Joy, it was also home to a vegetable growing scheme for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities, which Pete ran for several years following his retirement.
Then, five years ago, thanks to the change in Class Q planning law, which allows certain
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buildings with an agricultural purpose to be converted into dwellings, Pete gained permitted development rights to turn the barn into a home. The Yorkshire planning consultancy Rural Solutions handled the prior notification to Hambleton District Council, and their architect did a day’s work on the necessary sketches. The curtilage of the build was restricted to about 400 m2
, which allowed for subsequent
development of a double garage and carport, fire escape, terrace and loggia. “It took five years to –nearly –finish the conversion to a very comfortable house,” he says. While he supervised the build, Joy “kept the home fires burning,” and looked after the family and their aged parents. “We moved in just over two years ago, and I still have plenty of little things to finish off, including the second fix on two bathrooms,” continues Pete. “I did most of the work but had invaluable help from Meheri, an Eritrean refugee who I trained up as the air tightness champion.” Pete met Meheri though Joy, a retired sixth
form English teacher who volunteers with the Methodist Asylum Project (MAP) in Middlesbrough. “He turned out to be quite
april/may 2020
LOW POINT
“Generally feeling overwhelmed with too many competing pressures from a variety of sources at the same time. (I found that this can be overcome by concentrating on one specific area of work at a time and making lists – and even lists of lists!” – Pete Smith
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