YORKSHIRE BARN CONVERSION
A barn conversion in the Yorkshire countryside provided Kathryn Volgin and husband Dima with the space they needed to start a family, and with plenty of rustic charm for good measure
FEATURE SARA EMSLIE
A conversation while on holiday proved to be a catalyst for change for Kathryn Volgin and husband Dima –one that would ultimately lead to the move to the house they now call home. ‘We had almost finished renovating our cottage in Derbyshire and were away on holiday, when we had aserious chat about starting a family,’ she explains. ‘It turned into me scrolling Rightmove for family homes from the sun lounger!’ AGrade II listed farmhouse caught Kathryn’s eye almost immediately. ‘We spotted the barn and as soon as Isaw the fireplace and beams Iknew it was the one for us,’ she says.
Once back on home soil, and with aviewing arranged, Kathryn’s initial feelings were soon proved right. ‘From the second we walked into the house, Iremember thinking, Wow! This is going to be our next home.’ The couple immediately placed their existing property on the market and then contacted the estate agent to put an offer in on the barn. But fate, it seemed, had already intervened. ‘To my disappointment Iwas told that the property had already sold,’ she says. ‘However, our estate agent told us not to give up and said they would do everything they could to help us get the house. I’m so glad I listened, because we actually sold our cottage super-fast and offered above the asking price to secure our dream home.’
The barn is part of several outbuildings belonging to a farmhouse, all Grade II listed, that were erected in 1161 by Cistercian monks of Kirkstead Abbey in Lincolnshire. Left to crumble, it was eventually restored from rubble in 1900 for the Earl of Effingham, and underwent further renovation in 1985 for modern living. ‘We naively didn’t think the barn needed much work, just anew kitchen, alick of paint and acouple of new carpets. Like most older properties, it isn’t until you begin to start work that you uncover the cracks,’ Kathryn muses. Abroken boiler, leaky radiators and patches of damp needed immediate attention. ‘We also removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room, to allow light to pass through the barn –it instantly meant the fireplace would be part of the kitchen. It’s now the perfect space to cook and dine, especially in the winter when the fire is lit,’ she says. More recently, they have created avaulted ceiling in the master bedroom with Velux windows that required an architect, planning permission and astructural engineer. ‘It gave us something to do during the pandemic after my husband finished work!’
