If you have been thinking about leaving the big city and getting yourself a home out in the countryside, there is a good chance that you may have considered buying a barn conversion. They offer up some charming character that matches their beautiful surroundings but is buying a contemporary barn conversion worth it?
Well, let us take a look at some of the positives and negatives:
Positives
- Tons of Space
Barns were originally designed to afford as much open-plan space as possible. They usually had high ceilings, large doorways, and not many internal walls and rooms. Depending on the work carried out when converting the barn, a lot of these features will still probably exist. This means that you will have plenty of room to fit all of your furniture and belongings.
- Usually Beautiful Surroundings
As you might expect, barns are found out in rural areas so you will often be left with some picturesque views and settings around the conversion. Green fields, trees, and nature will be all around while in most cases, there will be no other homes nearby.
- A Charming Character
Both internally and externally, a barn conversion offers up plenty of character. They were not initially designed to be a home to people which allows them to really stand out once they have been converted.
- Normally Hold Their Value Well
In most cases, a barn conversion will hold its value well in comparison to standard homes. This is because of all of the above factors. The only time this might change is if the surrounding areas have been altered over the years such as new roads and a number of new housing developments being constructed nearby.
Negatives
- Heating Bills can be Expensive
A slight catch to having so much space is that you are going to be spending more to keep that space heated. Additionally, because of the rural location of the barn conversion, it may not even be on the mains gas network. This means that you may have to payout for different heating alternatives to be installed and maintained.
- They Were Previously Used for Animals
Barns were not originally intended as homes for people and this means fewer windows and not much insulation of note. This may have been addressed in the original conversion but if not, you may have to make some costly changes to get more light into your home and better insulation to keep the heat in.
- Getting Permission to Make Alterations can be a Hassle
Making those alterations or any others is not as simple as just calling someone in to do the work for you. You will have to get planning permission and this in itself can be a real hassle. The barn might be listed or they planning authority may demand that you only use the same materials that were used in the original construction.
Conclusion
There is definitely a few pros and cons to weigh up before you take that plunge and get yourself a barn conversion but we certainly feel that the positives outweigh the negatives. If you own a barn yourself and have little use for it, you might just want to get some Barn conversion interior design and turn it into a home.
