Class Q Dutch Barn Conversion

Timber-clad barn conversion with a curved roof, seen from its gravel garden and deck — A Dutch barn on a 27-acre Wiltshire farm is converted into a low-carbon, single-storey home for multi-generational living.
The converted Dutch barn from the garden, under its curved timber-clad roof.
Image courtesy of Rixon Architects

A Dutch barn on a 27-acre Wiltshire farm is converted into a low-carbon, single-storey home for multi-generational living.
The converted Dutch barn from the garden, under its curved timber-clad roof.
Image courtesy of Rixon Architects

Setting: A 27-acre farm planned for multi-generational living
Planning route: Class Q conversion outside the conservation area
Structure: Retained Dutch barn shell with an internal SIPPS-panel timber frame
Energy: Air-source heat pump and underfloor heating
Programme: One-bedroom, single-storey home with kitchen, dining, sitting and cinema spaces

The story

The story behind the work.

The farm's conservation-area setting made the wider conversion brief difficult, but Rixon Architects identified that the Dutch barn sat just outside the designated area and could follow the Class Q route. The existing agricultural shell was retained so the new home preserved the barn's external character.

A SIPPS-panel timber frame was built inside the shell to improve thermal performance, airtightness and low-carbon performance. An air-source heat pump and underfloor heating support the one-bedroom home, whose generous kitchen and dining space is joined by a sitting room and cinema room for the wider family.