A BARN conversion costing £250,000 is going head-to-head with the £798m Wembley Stadium in the final of a national design award.

While award-winning Wembley architect Lord Foster could already claim to have designed some of the world’s most impressive buildings, business partners Chris Richardson, 50, and Paul Devine, 49, had no experience of property developing.

But when they decided to buy Preston Farm, in Stockton, to convert into offices for their flourishing IT business, they came up with a unique solution to restore the 17th Century Stone Barn.

And their use of steel has meant they are one of six national finalists, including Wembley, in the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) National Built in Quality Awards.

The two-storey barn conversion has been short-listed because it uses an internal lightweight steel frame structure – a technique normally used on new-build projects – to strengthen the severely bowed stone walls and support a new pan tile roof.

Of competing against Wembley, Mr Richardson said: “It is just fantastic. We are over the moon to say the least.”

The project came about after the men sold their Stockton IT business, CPA Systems.

Mr Richardson said: “We got the planning through to renovate, then our company was bought.

“We were then left with the farm, so decided we would develop the buildings.

“I did have some ideas from my early years in the building trade, but we had no intention of going into property developing.”

The idea for the steel frame came about when the two men were investigating how to support the barn roof.

Mr Devine said: “As far as we are aware, it is the first time a barn has been converted using this technique in the North, and it has attracted interest from as far afield as Cape Town, South Africa.”

WA Browns at Billingham installed the steel for the men.

The men are now full-time property developers and have formed the company Preston Farm Developments.

They are working on a bungalow conversion in Yarm and have submitted plans to Stockton Borough Council for other buildings on the farm in Preston Lane, near Eaglescliffe.

Mr Richardson added: “We love it, and to be fair, having the money from the sale of the IT business has allowed us to spend more time and do it right.”

The Stone Barn has already won the Structural Innovation category of this year’s LABC’s northern regional awards, after being nominated by Stockton Borough Council.

As well as Wembley, The Stone Barn is also competing against the MK40 Tower, in Milton Keynes, and developments in Derby, Cardiff and Chippenham.