F


riends of Gareth and Rebecca Connell told them they were “crazy” to sell their comfortable, modern family home and buy a dilapidated old cow barn – complete with cow dung on the oor and pigeons in the raters  in its place.


But the enterprising couple visualised a stunning living space in this empty building; glazed walls instead of rotting barn doors, and a landscaped garden in the overgrown yard. “My parents had always done up properties, and Gareth has loads of vision,” said Rebecca. “Other people were put off buying the barn because of the enormity of the project, but we were really excited by the prospect and could see its huge potential. To us it was a big adventure.” It helped that Gareth runs a Leeds-based construction company and is familiar with ambitious residential builds – although he admits that this project was so personal that it proved more challenging than most. “It’s very different when it’s your own place,” he said. “Usually other people are making the decisions and you just follow the brief, but in this case everything was down to us. We spent a lot of late nights searching the internet knowing that if we made the wrong decision, we only had ourselves to blame – and we had to live with the results!” The 250-year-old barn in Boston Spa, North


Yorkshire, belonged to the Church and was virtually derelict when the couple bought it in 2018 for £327,000. It was Rebecca’s dad who spotted the property and suggested they take a look. “We had two young children and wanted more space,” said Rebecca. “We had sold our house but we were struggling to find anything


52 www.sbhonline.co.uk


Gareth admits that this project was so personal that it proved more challenging than most


we liked – until we saw this.” The barn came with outline planning


permission to convert it into a three bedroom house, but Gareth and Rebecca were keen to include an adjoining cow shed in the renovation to increase the overall space. They also wanted to improve the proposed design of the property, changing the layout to give it a greater ‘wow’ factor, and to suit their lifestyle.


They employed a planning consultant who advised them to get full permission on the barn first and then apply or planning permission to convert and include the cow shed as an extension. They also employed Leeds based architect Studio J to help them create an interior layout which would maximise the views and natural light from the property’s rural location. “We have worked on our business projects with Studio J and knew they would come up with ideas we would never have thought of,” said Gareth. “They came up with some great suggestions, which included moving the entrance to the side. This really opened up the space and meant we could include a


sep/oct 2022


HIGH POINT


“We were so excited to spend our first night here,” said Rebecca. “The kids love it. For them it’s been one big adventure.” – Rebecca Connell


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