Set within the Cumbrian landscape, Byre House transforms an existing stone barn through a modern sustainable extension. Creating a contemporary family home for a couple and their young children. The project brings together old and new through a close and collaborative process. The client, a designer, was actively involved throughout, shaping both the design approach and detailing. This project is defined by its deep collaboration.

“This building has changed our lives. It provides a sanctuary for family life, as well as a place to think and do. Guests often comment that the house feels “somehow modern but homely" - a testament to the calm, humble way MawsonKerr navigated construction complexities to deliver a highly functional, beautiful end product.”  - Clients Ben and Rosie

The original barn now forms the central living space, with a dramatic double-height volume and mezzanine that celebrate the character and proportion of the existing structure. A new timber-framed wing extends from the barn to house a study, snug, bedrooms and entry spaces. Metal cladding takes contextual inspiration from nearby agricultural buildings. Within this tightly planned addition, overlapping elements — stair, boot room and pocket door — create a compact yet generous sequence of spaces, carefully aligned on axis with the barn’s main entry.

A cantilevered roof shelters an upper terrace, opening wide views across the surrounding landscape from the snug. Nearby, a separate studio workshop provides space for working from home, maintaining the site’s original composition of clustered outbuildings.

Sustainability is embedded in the project from the outset. Beginning with the careful selection of an appropriate barn to minimise embodied carbon. Reusing an existing structure in a location with good aspect, solar gain and connectivity avoids the impacts of a greenfield build. This is supported by low-energy operation over the building’s life.

Materials were selected for their environmental performance and local resonance. Innovative diathonite cork insulated lining gives the barn a breathable, airtight finish that follows the natural undulations of its walls. Where Greencoat metal sheeting — a plant-based alternative to conventional powder-coated finishes — was fabricated in a low-energy process. Energy systems include a ground source heat pump, MVHR, and a large solar array with battery storage, significantly reducing the operational carbon.

The result is a home that combines the quiet simplicity of the original agricultural buildings with a refined, sustainable architecture — rooted in its place and made for modern family life.