Project description

Fulfilling the meaning of “Crackerjack”, which means an exceptionally good person or thing, everything about Crackerjack Barn is exceptional. From the barn style building itself to the stunning views of the surrounding land, and incorporating Jo’s Great Grandfather’s name Jack.

Having previously lived in the Cotswolds, working long and intense hours in London for Jo and internationally for Greg, Jo and Greg came to realise it was time to move back to Jo’s Lincolnshire roots. It was time to seize the opportunity to build their dream home.

The land the house was built on once belonged to Jo’s Great Grandfather, where he lived for most of his life but sadly the house was beyond repair. Now standing proudly on the land is the home that Jo and Greg designed themselves.

By the end of 2017, plans began to form for the initial designs of the property. The couple created a list of necessities as well as a ‘wish list’ for their potential home, visiting show homes and looking up plans online for inspiration. There were many variations of design before settling for a Potton timber frame building beautifully complimented by George Barnsdale timber windows and doors.

As works began in August 2018 and with winter quickly approaching, the need to have the house watertight before the weather turned was essential. Having gained quotes from other companies, it was George Barnsdale’s UK manufacturing that was the key selling point.

‘’George Barnsdale has a good reputation of quality at a reasonable price. It was important to Greg and I to support a local company and to have the technical support, should we need it post fitting. Everyone spoke very highly of George Barnsdale and following a visit to their showroom, we were confident in the craftsmanship.’’ Jo commented.

Wanting Crackerjack Barn to maintain an authentic feel to a traditional barn, they opted for double height windows to allow as much light in as possible. With the house being south facing, the windows had reflectors added to keep rooms cooler in the summer months.

Choosing a traditional front door surrounded by large glass panelling gives a modern barn twist that floods the entrance way with natural light.  

Adding two sets of bi-fold doors to the kitchen to feel connected with the outside and allow for socialising when hosting summer BBQs. The couple took their time viewing samples and colours before deciding on dusty grey (RAL7037) for the windows and wanting a vibrant front door, they chose purple violet (RAL 4007).

‘’We knew we wanted grey for the windows. At the time, anthracite grey was very popular, but we wanted something lighter and softer. For the doors , we changed our minds on the colour scheme several times, but after seeing a sample of purple violet, we knew it would look great for Crackerjack Barn and we’re really pleased with the final results!’’ Jo said.

Deciding to add a touch of glamour, they chose a set of French doors in the main lounge, also finished in dusty grey. The special touch is an additional bi-fold door in the master bedroom giving stunning views of the summer sunsets over the farmland surrounding this beautiful barn home.

When it comes to maintenance of their George Barnsdale products it couldn’t be easier, ‘’we have a window cleaner scheduled for every 4 weeks, he cleans with only distilled water and the windows really sparkle afterwards!’’

The final touch to the windows was the double glazing with titanium warmedge spacer bars, opting for a darker spacer bar allowed for the double glazing to blend into the building. Giving a modern finishing touch was the addition of our classic collection hardware in polished chrome.

Greg project managed the house build from start to finish, and worked tirelessly for the duration.  He even spent a solid four months tiling the kitchen and bathroom himself, but it was very much worth it when Jo and Greg moved into their forever home within 11 months, in late June of 2019.