Building A Dream

Sue and David Mansfield downsized to their outbuilding – an old barn they’ve converted and extended to suit their retirement lifestyle

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Once their children left home, Sue and David Mansfield decided to downsize, planning to build a purpose-built property in a field they owned next to the house. At a home improvement exhibition, they met architect Mark Percival of Architecture:M and he designed a sustainable building, complete with a green roof, but the local planners decided it wasn’t innovative enough. ‘One of them suggested we convert a redundant barn on the site instead,’ says Sue. ‘Mark came up with a plan to extend the barn, which was used for storage, to create an eco-friendly house.’

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