The Long Barn, Cragg Vale
Not all of Calderdale’s rich architectural heritage is held in grand, old stone buildings. The Long Barn is a conversion of an agricultural building, re-imagined, redesigned and rebuilt as a modern family home, perfectly in-tune with its surroundings and the history of its location.
With the invaluable assistance of our Planning Consultant, we were able to work with the council to overcome all their objections and satisfy their concerns. The challenge was that the building should remain intact during the course of its conversion. This was made possible by our innovation and careful attention to detail. Furthermore, as per the requirements of the planning approval, the contractor did a skillful job of keeping the existing structure intact during the course of the works. What can be seen in the ‘before’ photographs is all retained and hidden in the finished house.
This house uses very little energy for heating and hot water - employing a Ground Source Heat Pump in combination with south-facing windows and passive solar heat gains, natural/seasonal shading from the deciduous trees to the south, very high levels of insulation and triple-glazed windows, stringent air-tightness in combination with a Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery unit and low energy (‘intelligent’) lighting and appliances. Wherever practically possible the specified materials have a low environmental impact throughout their life-cycle.
The existing building had to dictate the form of the house but the interior spaces are modelled and planned to create interest and variety, optimising views of the beautiful surroundings and sunlight through the course of the day.
Hawdon Russell successfully guided us through the whole planning, design and build process to deliver a fantastic sustainable home from an uninspiring agricultural shed. Their collaborative approach produced designs which met all our needs and Hawdon Russell ensured that, where needed, additional professionals were involved to get the project through the planning process and successfully built. Their supportive way of working made the whole project easier for us the clients.- Nick & Jacky
