Rural retreat

Keen to find a rural bolthole for their young family, Joe and Sarah Radmore have converted a sturdy barn that Joe built some 10 years previously

- Alison Wall

HOMEOWNERS Joe and Sarah Radmore, with their children Anabel, 6, and Linton

LOCATION Devon

SIZE 36m²

BUILD ROUTE DIY

CONSTRUCTION Oak frame barn conversion

BUILD TIME 14 months (Mar 2020 - May 2021)

PLOT COST £40,000 (in 2009)

BUILD COST £90,000

VALUE £250,000

WORDS Alison Wall

PHOTOGRAPHY c/o Joe Radmore

Extreme patience has paid dividends for London-based Joe Radmore — what’s more, he’s completed his first self-build/conversion project on the slenderest of budgets.

The saga began in 2009 when Joe, then young and single, bought a three-acre site in Devon near his childhood home for just £40,000, with planning permission in place to build a barn. The previous owner had put in a notice of commencement and made a start on the groundworks. “It was a shame not to make use of that, I just wanted to get on with it,” recalls Joe.

Keen to crack on, he commissioned oak frame specialist Wedgewood Buildings to build a one-storey barn, using oak frame, blockwork and local stone. He left the construction to the experts, such as Dean the main contractor from The Wooden Workshop, but created the designs himself.