Why cost matters from the start
How much does a UK barn conversion cost in 2026?
We have all seen costs rise in the last few years and construction is no exception. The biggest rise was caused by the COVID lockdowns which saw delays in construction materials arriving, coupled with an increase in demand as homeowners spent their savings on home renovation rather than holidays. This increased already rising costs due to Brexit (adding to material import costs) and the Ukraine war increasing oil prices.
Renewable insulations and building materials compared very favourably (and still do) to oil intensive products such as foam insulations (also a concern post Grenfell). We’ve always promoted renewable materials for various reasons not only the environment (see also our other blogs on this subject) but also fire resistance (and what is produced when it burns) and breathability. I’ve always thought that oil based products are falsely cheap and this has turned out to be the case.
2025 has seen costs stabilise somewhat, but unfortunately not a return to pre-Covid prices.
In general a barn conversion in 2026 will cost around £2,500- £3,000/m2. This includes everything except for VAT (more on that below), kitchen and bathroom fittings and groundworks.
More on how this is calculated in our free guide here.
Factors that affect cost
There’s potential to reduce costs by doing some work yourself and getting some bargains. Clearly there’s also potential to increase this with higher spec windows and doors, high spec finishes and so on.
The larger the barn, the bigger the cost. But there are some economies of scale. You will pay more per m2 for a small barn than a big one.
Location is a factor, the closer to London, the higher the cost.
You may pay more for a remote site due to privacy and views, but you’ll likely end up paying more for service connections, so worth looking into this
The barn’s condition – if serious structural work is required (eg to pin together leaning or cracking walls and/or significant underpinning due to proximity of trees) then this will increase the cost.
Tempting as it is to rebuild, this will put you into the ‘new-build in open countryside’ category planning policy and you will lose your planning permission.
Listed barns tend to cost more, because more features need to be preserved and restored.
Hidden/less-obvious costs
If your barn needs planning permission, you will need to pay for:
- surveys, planning,
- access improvements,
- ecological mitigation (such as biodiversity net gain).
- You will need a structural report to prove to the planners that the barn is capable of conversion without significant re-build (see above on planning policy).
And last but not least! – You will need an architect to maximise the value, especially one that is experienced on barn conversions, as they will undoubtedly save you money in the long run!
If you’d like to talk about with your barn conversion with our expert team we’d love to hear from you! Barns are our favourite kind of project. They make such beautiful homes and we’ve been privileged to work on lots of them all over the country.
Read our free guide: How to Avoid Seven Costly Mistakes When Planning a Barn Conversion Project in 2025