WHEN Guy Smith looked at the detailed drawings an architect had drawn up in order to convert the third of the derelict, crumbling barns on his parents’ farm into a dwelling, something felt wrong. So he ripped up the paper plans and chose to work from ideas in his head and heart instead.

Have grown up surrounded by these 180-year-old stone and brick-built buildings with old oak beams and rustic, agricultural features, he was determined to reflect the original function when it came to his design.

Set in an idyllic location between Leyburn and Bedale, and surrounded by open fields and woodland leading down to a babbling stream, this barn, which used to house livestock, had tremendous potential as a home for Guy, but the plans, which included corridors and walls in the middle of original archways, just didn’t work for him.

“They weren’t sympathetic to the original building, so I went back to drawing board, keeping it as it was externally and changing the internal layout,” he says. “I didn’t put anything down on paper, because I knew exactly what I wanted. I believe the building dictates to you. You have to ensure its character, otherwise you’re changing it into a simple, standard house.”

The result, complete with high beamed ceilings, arched windows and lighting created from everything from old grain scoops to milk parlour meters, retains the essence of the building’s character. “It was in a pretty bad state and structurally unsound. I had to take it down in sections and completely rebuild it, while keeping the existing beams in place,” says the 29-year-old, who did most of the work himself.

He went to great lengths to source authentic replacement materials where necessary, travelling hundreds of miles to Shropshire and Derbyshire to source original old roof slates and ridge tiles to replace the few which were missing. “You have to pay attention to this sort of detail,” he says.

But he did have a few lucky breaks. Roof slates for the living room extension came from Burrill Chapel, just six miles away, and he managed to find some bullnose curve-edged bricks to reinstate the archways which had been ‘butchered about’.

Some materials, including old pig lights, a salt-glazed sheep trough sink and original barn door runners, came from his grandparents’ farm in Ferryhill. “My grandfather used to go to agricultural sales and collected lots of bits and pieces,” he says.

Guy was inspired by TV programmes like Grand Designs and George Clarke’s Restoration Man to make use of old parts, such as turning reclaimed water pipes into handrails and taps. “I read a lot of magazines and did some internet research too. You pick up things over the years and start to look at how you can turn objects into something.”

While choosing to build a cantilevered staircase using oak railway sleepers wasn’t the easiest option, he says it was worth it in the end: “You use your imagination to think outside the box.”

The whole project took him three-and-a-half years, while at the same time working on the farm, helping to tend 400 sheep and 200 acres of arable land.

After studying building design management at Northumbria University, Guy had been employed in site management by a Northallerton construction company, but found it wasn’t what he wanted to do and returned to the farm. “From when I was young, I had always been hands-on, making new doors and windows and putting walls up, just generally messing about with the old buildings,” he explains.

He gained vital experience working alongside local builder Tony Birdsall, who was converting the first two barns at the farm after his parents erected three modern, more functional replacements elsewhere. This informal apprenticeship, helping turn the first barn into a home for his older brother Howard and the second into a holiday cottage, honed his skills. “The roof had fallen in after a fire in the first barn, so it was just four walls standing and two of those had to be pulled down. I learnt a lot, but I always had the idea of wanting to build my own home,” he says.

Roping in his best mate, a plumber, and a relative who is an electrician, he finally got started in 2013. “It was hard work,” he confesses. “There were a few times when I felt like giving up. It’s a battle, but you’ve got to get up and do it. When it’s the middle of February and you’re freezing, down a hole digging a drain, or on the roof with a long way to go, you wonder what you’re doing. It can be quite soul-destroying, and every little thing can get on top of you. Then you complete something and progress.

“Some parts were really enjoyable and the fact I’ve done the vast majority myself does fill me with pride,” he says. “I was so stubborn about not cutting corners, knowing I would benefit in the long run.”

He believes he has achieved his overall aim: “I wanted to build something that retained the barn’s unique qualities while allowing for the comfort of modern living, without breaking the bank. As a farmer’s son from Yorkshire, that comes naturally.”

Keeping the total build to within a budget of £90,000, when it would normally have cost around £150,000, was particularly satisfying: “I saved a lot by doing it myself and having mates in the trade.”

Guy, who is now working on design projects as an architectural technologist, finally moved in in October. “It was strange, like waking up in a hotel,” he says.

When people first enter, they are impresses. “They don’t expect the full height of the ceilings,” says Guy. “But what I am most proud of is the fact it still resembles a barn. You’re in no doubt what sort of building you’re in.”

l Visit The Smithy holiday cottage on the Yorkshire-cottages.info website

l Spruce Gill House farm also has a caravan site: caravanclub.co.uk