Robjones

Thanks for that Scott. I'll probably learn a heck of a lot reading that. You can probably smell the nievity from there. And you're right about YouTube. On the main house I've build the kitchen, completely stripped the large bathroom to the granite walls and replacing joist and lintels. Built a massive decking area, laid patio and installed a soakaway....all after studying at the YouTube college of diy education. Most of it is still standing too ?

I really need to understand multi quotes here. When I select multiple quotes I can't see them. My old brain probably. Logically it probably would make sense, but I really want to retain the sites character. With all timber frame, insulation and plaster it will still be just shy of 5 metre inside width and 16 metres long. Smallish, but perfectly formed. Well that's the plan!

Wow, there's a fair few Aberdonians on here Thanks for that. Unbiased reviews count for a lot.

Worth knowing thanks. Once the snow and bloody permafrost clears I think I'll dig down a few feet outside to get an idea.

Thanks Dave that makes sense. Tin (what's your name? ) thanks so much for the offer, that's really kind of you. I can see a shared cuppa, a chat and a couple of biscuits on the cards at the very least! We're using MAC architects from Newmachar. We met with them briefly last year and were really impressed. Unless you have any recommendations?

Just to say that I've taken your advice Nick and started my own thread in the barn conversion forum:

Thanks for the heads up regarding the walls Dave. Let's hope it's ok! My only grain of comfort from the visual aspect is that there are no signs of any cracks or movement apart from the front right which is just the mortar being washed out from the rainwater runoff from the roof not overhanging enough. But I take you're point. My main concern is that the other side sits about 2 feet deeper in the soil and there is water coming through. So drainage and some kind of foundation work will be needed there. As for the windows I was thinking of a full gable end. The existing door would be the access. But it's so up in the air until we meet the architect really. Thanks for your interest

OK, it's a bit lonely and quiet in here, but I guess this is the right place for my new project so here we go. This is right at the very start and was hoping to start this after the initial meeting with our architect. However the snow here in the North East of Scotland is REALLY bad today and the appointment has been postponed until next week. Anyway, this would be my first project of this size. I intend to get the roof and glazing professionally done, but the rest will be myself. Well, that's the plan at this early stage. I work from home on a part time basis, so I'm fortunate to have the time and be onsite. The plan is for this to be an investment. At the end the intension would be to sell both properties and move on. How realistic that is, will be up for debate and discovery! this is outline of the plan: We have a very rural three bed house here in the North East of Scotland and as is often the case here, it came with various outbuildings and a small steading which is just a Scottish term for a barn. We've done a lot of work to the house, and now it's time to carry out our long held plans to convert the steading into a small 2 bed dwelling - if possible, allowable and feasible of course. The building is of granite construction and apart from some lime pointing, the walls are solid and true. The rood will of probably have to be completely rebuilt with the intension of slate tiling, but hopefully some of the main beams can be re-used. Though of course, some are rotten. Originally, the building had an extension on the left of the main picture below which you can see the signs of mortar of - just above the tyres. We hope to restore this small extension and hope this - together with original pictures from the 60's we have - will help get this through planning. This would give us a large mezzanine type master bedroom, with a smaller one at the opposite end. We also intend to install a large window where you see the existing doors and blockwork. It is only a small barn (lets call it that from now on), but I feel it would be still a good size for open plan kitchen/diner and living space + 2 beds, bathroom and utility. The overall internal size is 5m x 16m which I believe would be small, but perfectly formed - especially if we get the small extension approved. I would welcome with open arms any comments, questions or experiences anyone has had. At this very early stage, I feel a little overwhelmed yet excited about it all. Yet I know there are going to be some painful times ahead. I will keep this thread alive and will let you know what the architect says on Monday. Hoping the snow stops by then! Cheers,

I guess I should start a project thread and I'll post up some pictures of the raw product before things get serious. But first is the feasibility meeting with the architect tomorrow. Presuming he gets out to us! Snowbeetle, you should share your experiences ... you're are a lot further along than I am ?

Thank you all for the replies, advice and friendly welcome. Much appreciated and I now feel I'm not alone! Tin Soldier, wow, what a small world. I'm about 10 miles away near Clola, Longside. So maybe we can help each other!

Hi everyone. I'm at an extremely early stage in our plans for converting our small Scottish Steading (barn), but what I do know is that it will mostly be a self build job apart from Windows and roof. The structure is sound and we have the first meeting with the architect on Wednesday (snow permitting!) I'm certainly glad I found this forum but I did notice only 1 post in the barn conversion section which surprised me. Am I in the right place, or is there a more relevant forum out there? Thanks, and I look forward to sharing my experiences along the long road ahead. And yes, perhaps asking for a little advice too ?