Old Ash Barns: Adaptive Reuse in Lincolnshire
Some projects begin with an idea, while others begin with a feeling. Old Ash Barns began with both: The sense that a forgotten farmhouse in rural Lincolnshire could become a new kind of home, self-sufficient, low-impact, and deeply connected to its landscape.
When Richard and Aidyn first approached Marta Nowicka, Founder of DOMstay, in 2021, the site was a collection of collapsing buildings, plus a 1907 Edwardian cottage and a large ash tree standing in the centre. Yet even in its state of disrepair, the place had a gracious gravity. Trees and hedges wrapped around the site, and the old brick workshop, complete with its Victorian chimney, held an agricultural charm of its own. What the clients wanted was a lifestyle shift: ample space to raise their twins, room for friends to stay, and a landscape that could sustain them. And, in true DOMstay ethos, sustainability was not an add-on. It was the brief.
The original site, with the farmhouse and outbuildings
The farmhouse's fabric and structure did not hide the signs of age very well, as it had never been properly maintained. Rusted windows, water-damaged walls, and bricks that crumbled at the touch made demolition the best option. The outbuildings, on the other hand, still had architectural merit, and so reusing the brick workshop and the old stables became the anchor of the design.
From this starting point came the idea of three interconnected volumes: a double-storey east wing for the main living spaces, a single-storey west wing as a guest house, and the old stables, refurbished and extended, as the brick “link” in the centre. The form drew from local vernacular architecture: long pitched roofs, corrugated metal cladding, and reclaimed brickwork taking centre stage and sprinkles of Scandinavian influences to add warmth and refinement. Inside, we applied a ‘Battenburg’ spatial order to create clarity between living and sleeping zones, while natural timber, neutral tones, and soft daylight carried a sense of calm throughout. Old Ash Barns was always imagined as a low-carbon home.
The project was never about imposing a new architecture on the landscape, but about allowing a contemporary home to grow from what already existed. In line with our adaptive-reuse philosophy, we prioritised salvaging materials and turning existing elements, such as the old workshop, chimneys, and stable walls, into parts of a new, sustainable ecosystem. The proposal included solar panels and heat pumps, rainwater harvesting, eco helix piling, and the capacity for vegetable gardens, composting, and edible landscaping, all features that would enrich the quality of the owners’ daily life.
Existing vs Proposed 3D view of the site
Large rural projects rely not only on design but on long-term planning, both financially and logistically, as well as emotionally. With this in mind, we proposed a three-phase build: refurbish and make good the barns and workshop first, then construct the guest wing, before completing the main house. This allowed the family to live on site while spreading the budget over several years.
In March 2022, full planning permission was granted, and we applied the project to Kevin McCloud for Grand Designs, which was instantly greenlit. Shortly after, we began filming with Channel 4, documenting the process from first sketches to early site works. The story resonated with the producers, an old farm reimagined for contemporary low-impact living, blending reuse and new build, but real life is not always as linear as a design statement.
Unfortunately, like many ambitious rural builds, the project reached a pause. Rising construction costs, market volatility, and the scale of the dream meant that the owners needed either additional capital or a new path forward. They chose the latter. The planning permission, together with the land and the design, is now being brought to market. And that’s an opportunity for someone else to pick up the vision and bring Old Ash Barns to life!
This story shows that designing a home of this scale is not a single event. It’s a sequence of decisions, negotiations, assessments, and revisions unfolding over months or even years. From extensive surveys to planning with sensitivity, from the realities of budgeting to the thinking of the circular economy, Old Ash Barns reminds us that meaningful architecture is slow. It develops in dialogue with the environment, with clients, with planners, and with the economic fluctuations.
And even then, life sometimes takes unexpected turns.
What remains today is a beautifully resolved, fully approved proposal. The hard work, the concept, planning permission, environmental strategies, and material ethos have already been done. Old Ash Barns is now waiting for its next custodian…Will it be you?
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