If you have a barn, an old outbuilding, or a dilapidated mother-in-law flat, you shouldn’t let it go to waste. A good barn or mother-in-law space could be converted into a flat for you to live in or to rent to someone else. If you convert your barn into a loft, you could expand your living space for a growing family, hire it out to tenants, or just enjoy the extra space. There are many different things that you can do with a barn; they’re typically fairly large and make great rooms but they need to be converted by professionals.

Insulating and Weatherproofing

First, professional builders in Kent will inspect the status of the building. If it’s in good shape, you can likely just convert it into a new space. If it’s in disrepair, you’ll need to have it repaired before it’s appropriate for use as a flat. If it’s in bad enough condition, it might need to be demolished and built from the ground up. The professionals will waterproof it by shoring up any gaps in the cladding or the facade; they’ll probably repair the roofing and install gutters if it doesn’t already have them. The gutters are important to keeping it from flooding and to keep the ground from eroding around it.

They’ll then insulate it to reduce your heating and cooling costs. Finally, it will need to be outfitted with utilities.

Utilities

Bringing utilities to your converted barn can mean extending your household utilities or installing entirely new systems. If you’re planning to rent the flat, you likely need all new services. If you are just adding an extension to your house, then extending your utilities is usually acceptable. This means extending your plumbing pipes, your electrical wires, and any other utilities that you use. Once that’s done, it’s time to begin setting up your new flat.