Converting a barn into a home what the permit actually allows

A barn is a generous volume, an impressive roof structure and walls with a history. It is also a planning application that can quickly become complicated if the project starts on the wrong footing. At STARC, we regularly see owners who have already dreamed up their plan before knowing what the plot actually allows.

Highly sought-after heritage but tightly regulated

The demand is very real. According to Espace-vie, the Maison de l'urbanisme for Walloon Brabant, traditional square-courtyard farmhouses and other smallholdings combining a house with an adjoining barn are particularly sought after in Walloon Brabant. The same source points out that many projects overlook the fact that the agricultural zone is protected and its use tightly restricted.

So the first question is not where to put the kitchen. It is simpler than that: in which zone of the local development plan does the barn lie?

• In rural residential zones (zone d'habitat à caractère rural), the situation is more favourable. According to Espace-vie, this zone is developable and intended equally for housing and for farming operations.
• In agricultural zones, the logic changes. Article D.II.36 of the Walloon Spatial Development Code (CoDT) provides that this zone may only contain constructions and installations essential to farming and housing for farmers whose profession is agriculture.

Many farms straddle two zones: the main dwelling in a residential zone, the barn in an agricultural zone. We systematically check this on the local development plan, plot by plot, before any sketch is drawn.

In agricultural zones a derogation is possible but it has to be earned

The Walloon Government clarified this in a reply to the Walloon Parliament: owners of a house, building or plot of land in an agricultural zone who have no connection with farming cannot develop housing or tourist accommodation in that zone. It adds, however, that it is possible to seek a derogation from the local development plan.

This derogation has a precise framework. It will only be granted if the conditions set by the CoDT are met (see in particular articles D.IV.6 and D.IV.13, or articles D.IV.9 and D.IV.13) and if the planning circumstances, in other words the proper arrangement of the site (bon aménagement des lieux), allow it.

In a column published by La Libre, lawyer Caroline Delforge explains that this route is conceivable when it comes to enlarging, converting or creating a dwelling within an existing, authorised construction. It can be used to convert a barn in an agricultural zone into housing intended for people other than the farmer. However, it does not appear to allow a new construction to be built for the housing of people other than farmers.

In practice, you convert what already exists. Demolishing to rebuild larger, or adding a new independent volume, is an entirely different matter.

What the architect checks at the preliminary design stage

Article D.IV.13 of the CoDT requires that the derogation be justified by the project itself. According to a presentation by the Union des Villes et Communes de Wallonie, it must in particular be justified in light of the project's specific features in relation to the precise location envisaged, must not compromise the coherent implementation of the local development plan, and must contribute to the quality of the landscape. Our job is to document all of this before the application is filed:

• The legal situation. Was the barn built lawfully, before the local development plan existed or under a permit? Has it undergone any unauthorised alterations?
• The number of dwellings. For SPW Territoire, a new dwelling is created when a new unit is formed comprising one or more rooms, meeting at least the basic functions of housing, namely a kitchen, a bathroom or shower room, a toilet and a bedroom. One dwelling or two is not the same application.
• The agricultural surroundings. Access for farm vehicles, still-active farms and possible nuisances all factor into the assessment of the proper arrangement of the site.
• The heritage status. A property listed in the inventory or located within a protected perimeter involves additional constraints, which need to be checked with the Agence wallonne du Patrimoine.
• The actual condition of the building. Masonry saturated with damp or a damaged roof structure can change the budget, and sometimes the project itself.

Roof structure light and openings the real trade-offs

Once the framework is set, the architectural work can begin. And that is where the barn becomes genuinely interesting.

• Light. A barn has few windows, and that is precisely what gives it character. Punching openings everywhere turns it into an ordinary house and often weakens the application. We work first with the large cart doors, the existing ventilation slits and a few well-placed roof windows.
• Volume. Keeping part of the space double height under the roof structure is often what gives the place its value. Adding floors everywhere is costly and kills the sense of space.
• The roof structure. Should it be left exposed, insulated from the outside or from the inside? Each option affects the roofing, the verges and the external appearance. The stability survey is carried out early on, with our partner engineering firm Optibim.
• Materials. Brick, blue stone and old tiles or slates can often be salvaged. Reusing them also helps to argue the case for the project's integration into the landscape.

EPB performance also depends on your layout choices

It is often overlooked: energy performance depends on how the barn is connected to the house. An EPB (PEB) document from the municipality of Grez-Doiceau gives these examples. Converting a barn adjoining the house into a room of the house counts as an extension, whereas converting that same barn into a full new dwelling counts as a change of use.

The procedures and requirements are not the same. In cases of change of use, a simplified EPB (PEB) declaration must be attached to the planning application. The requirements change regularly, so we check them with SPW Énergie when designing the building envelope.

Our approach at STARC

For a barn, we follow a step-by-step approach. This allows you to stop or redirect the project before investing too much:

• A precise survey. BimBot's 3D scanners produce an accurate model of the walls, floor levels and roof structure, even when nothing is square.
• A feasibility note. The zone on the local development plan, the legal situation, heritage constraints, possible routes for derogation and initial budget estimates.
• A reasoned sketch. This shows how the project respects the building and the landscape, which is used directly to support the case for derogation.
• Early dialogue with the authorities. The CoDT created the 'project meeting' (réunion de projet). Depending on the case, a planning certificate no. 2 (certificat d'urbanisme n° 2) can also help secure the main options before full studies are undertaken.
• The planning permit, then execution. The application is coherent, with no surprises on stability or on EPB.

If you are considering buying a farmhouse, carry out this analysis before signing the preliminary sale agreement. That is often when it is most useful.

Let us talk about your barn

Do you own a barn or a smallholding, or are you hesitating over a purchase in the province of Namur, in Walloon Brabant or elsewhere in Wallonia? Send us the location and a few photos. We will tell you honestly what seems realistic, and which steps to take to turn it into a home.

Frédéric Odent, director at STARC