Striking barn conversion and extension in North Yorkshire
This Grade II listed barn in North Yorkshire has undergone an incredible transformation using Schüco aluminium systems to extend and modernise the property while paying homage to its agricultural heritage.
Products: Schüco ASS 50 sliding door, Schüco ADS 70.HI front door, Schüco AWS 70.HI windows
Architect: Bramhall Blenkharn Leonard
Specialist contractor: Gresson
Photo credits: Jim Varney
Along with converting the existing red brick barn, the homeowners wanted to substantially increase the footprint of the property, flood their future home with natural light and make the most of the stunning views out over the North Yorkshire Dales.
Taking inspiration from agricultural architecture, architects Bramhall Blenkharn Leonard designed the extension to give the impression of small buildings and sheds often found dotted around farmland. The design incorporated large areas of aluminium-framed glazing throughout the home, with Schüco doors and windows chosen to deliver the architect’s vision.
A major challenge of this conversion and extension was constructing a very large sliding door system that was designed to slide open through a structural opening in the kitchen-diner area. The mammoth system combined two Schüco sliding doors to achieve an overall size of 9.5m x 2.7m.
Successfully creating this feature required the innovative use of Schüco systems. This led to the architect bringing on experienced Schüco fabricator Gresson to manufacture and install the door. Director of Bramhall Blenkharn Leonard, Mark Bramhall, commented on why they’re often keen to use Schüco products, explaining that Schüco offers “what we find to be the best engineered solutions on the market and its systems can handle big panels, like the ones needed for this project”.
Gresson Director, James Johnson, added: “Designing the bespoke sliding door was the biggest challenge of this project, but we were confident the Schüco ASS 50 door system could handle it. Schüco systems enable us as fabricators to achieve really large doors that it would be difficult to realize with other system suppliers.
James Johnson, Director at Gresson
“We use Schüco because of the quality of their products. Not only is the client getting a good outcome, but it means we don’t have any problems down the line.”
One of the homeowners is a keen triathlete and had an elongated training pool installed at the back of the home. The feature sliding door also has a flush threshold to create a seamless connection to the garden, incorporating the pool into an indoor-outdoor space when there is good weather.
A top priority for the homeowners was building a bright, light-filled home. Not only was this achieved in the kitchen-diner, but also in the added leisure area where three sets of Schüco ADS 70.HI side hung doors look out over the pool and fill the space with natural light.
Schüco aluminium windows feature throughout the home offering views of the picturesque countryside surroundings. Doors and windows from the Schüco HI range were used in the property. HI stands for ‘highly insulated’ and using these Schüco products ensures homes are warm, comfortable and energy efficient, something that is particularly ideal for a North Yorkshire home.
Having so much glazing throughout the property modernised the barn, filling the existing building with light. It also gave the extension a lightweight appearance, ensuring it was a contemporary but respectful addition to the listed property. And it is all tied together by the large sliding doors providing a tasteful transition between the old and new.
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