Farmhouse, Oast and Granary Conversion, West Kent

“The decision to buy our property was rash at best. The prospect of this classic Georgian farmhouse becoming our home, with its array of charming outbuildings, a wild garden and swathes of daffodils all bathed in the spring sunshine, melted our resolve to avoid a project.

“The decision to ask Vernacular Homes to take on that project, however, turned a rash decision into one of the best we have ever made. A two-year project ensued to renovate and re-model a house barely touched since the 1960s, cleverly linking it to one of the outbuildings and saving two others from near dereliction by converting them into delightful self-catering accommodation and workshops. From the initial meeting and design stage right through to completion, working with VH was a positive, surprisingly enjoyable experience – the only stress came from the relentless decision-making!

“They listened and advised, offered ideas and successfully interpreted some of our quirkier ones. Preserving the view of the farmhouse, and particularly the oast conversion, from the gateway was important for us and successfully achieved by thoughtful design. One of the stranger things we asked of them was to finish the newly insulated walls in the converted oast stowage area to resemble its original timber shed construction. They did it beautifully and appeared to relish the challenge, likewise, re-fitting an original and ridiculously lop-sided door frame against all their natural instincts.

“It goes without saying that the quality of their work from design onwards was first class but for us what made Vernacular outstanding was their care, not just for the customer, and the site but the surrounding community who were impacted by the disruption and intrusion of a building site on their doorstep.

“Our neighbours were as equally impressed by the site management and the VH team as we were. We only moved into the house towards the end of the first year but throughout, both the project and site manager kept in communication with the neighbours directly, dealing with their concerns, warning of any unavoidable inconvenience in advance and ensuring that the narrow no-through road remained as accessible and mud-free as possible.

“Similarly, they took very particular care to protect a special area of the garden during the most destructive phase of the works, making their job significantly more awkward.

“Our concerns were always met with courtesy and positivity, and queries were always dealt with quickly. Their willingness to advise and be a resource for information still continues, something we every much appreciate – thank you VH.”