Barn B Loddington Lane, Linton Park Estate

“This Victorian barn was originally used for keeping the cart horses for the farm; a small area of brick work, wood above and then a tiled roof. It was unusual in that the brickwork followed the slope of the floor, and so did the roof.

“We wanted to keep the original wood as much as we could, which presented a challenge as asbestos had to be removed from the roof, allowing the frame to be retained so that the team could follow the original slope of the building. They worked with the slopes really well; the inside of the building is on different tiers which are all level, but from the outside, the sloping profile has been retained, which is an important part of the building’s history.

“The house is unusual and beautiful. There is light flooding in from both sides and it has a feature wall made of the original timbers. The whole inside is lovely and quirky, with a mixture of tiny windows and great big ones; it flows so beautifully, and they’ve kept as much original framework exposed as they could. The team is so good at preserving and enhancing what’s already there. They know how to bring something old into the modern world without spoiling its character.

“What I really liked about working with Vernacular Homes is that they really listen, without giving the impression that ‘we know better than you’. I’ve worked with other builders who nod along as you’re telling them what you’d like and then go off and do their own thing. But they were so open to everything and easy to talk to; we were so impressed with them.

“This barn, and all of the properties they worked on for us are tenanted; in fact, they flew off the market really quickly!”