House Beautiful | Everyone said we were crazy, but now it's beautiful

Making a home in the shell of a derelict barn wasn't easy, but for this couple hard work has reaped rewards.Type of house: A converted granary barn dating back to 1810Location: Near Whitwell, Isle of WightPurchase price: £200,000Money spent: £550,000 (HB estimate)What it's worth now: £1.1 millionThe barn was barely standing before being developedNow a modern home, the 200-year-old building has retained its original characterWhile pregnant with her first child, Patrick, now three, Lindsay Mattinson and husband Guy, both 37, decided to leave London for the country. A derelict barn on the Isle of Wight seemed ideal.The couple now also have seven-month-old daughter, Rene. Lindsay tells their story.How did you find the property?We scoured the mainland but finding an affordable property was impossible. Then while on holiday on the Isle of Wight, we saw two plots for sale with permission to convert the barns into houses. We put in an offer for the barn with the best views and our offer was accepted. We lived in Guy's father's nearby holiday home during the conversion.What condition was the original barn in?The barn hadn't been used since 1992 and was exactly as it had been left the day the farm workers stopped using it, with all the farming machinery still in situ.Our barn had to be stripped back completely to the stone walls and rebuilt so it was essentially a new-build project, but with the added constraint of using what remained of the building fabric.At one stage it seemed more like a demolition than a building project, but the setting was so beautiful, and the stonework so pretty, we could see the potential hidden under all the lean-to structures and vegetation. To us it was a gem waiting to be transformed, but we knew it would be a big undertaking. When we invited friends and family over to see it, they all thought we were crazy.And yet you obviously felt confident you could take on such a major project.Yes, mainly because we're both architects - I have my own practice and Guy had recently left architecture to concentrate on his own construction company, OSDC. I designed the architecture, interiors and landscaping while Guy brought my ideas to fruition.Did you keep to the original plans?Our barn isn't listed but the adjacent one is Grade II, so ours had to conform to similar criteria. We were restricted in what we could do to the exterior, but were able to adjust what was allowed for the interior under the original consent. Although permission had been granted for a five-bed house, we felt that sacrificing one bedroom to use a second living space would work better for us and create an open-plan feel. Every time we wanted to make a change, we had to negotiate with the planners and conservation officer, but the case for improving the design was strong enough to sway their judgement.How straightforward was the project?Doing up an old building is never straightforward! It's only once you begin working that you find out how many of your ideas are feasible. Fortunately, Guy and I were always able to come up with tweaks and changes as we went along.What problems did you have to tackle?One of the first issues was bats and a barn owl, which are protected species and were hibernating in the neighbouring barn. We were careful to include crevices when restoring our stonework to maintain a habitat for the bats.Were there any surprises?Yes - when investigating the foundations, Guy discovered that most of the barn didn't have any. Underpinning meant the job over-ran by about five months and pushed up costs by about £20,000, and if Guy hadn't been carrying out the construction, it would have cost a lot more. However, it meant we could lower the floor by about 40 centimetres, which has made the rooms feel more open, lofty and spacious.How did you stretch the budget?With careful buying and a lot of imagination! For instance, in the kitchen we bought the carcasses and doors from Magnet but sourced the handles, worktops and appliances elsewhere. We clad the units in wood, turning a standard kitchen into something more bespoke.