Structural Planning
Careful structural planning underpinned the entire Church Barn project from retained masonry through to the new frame & openings.
Knowledge Hub
South West Regional Winners & Top 5 UK Finalists – LABC Building Excellence Awards 2025
Barn Conversions
Benjamin Henry Limited was named South West Regional Winners & a Top 5 UK Finalist in the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2025 for the Church Barn project in Somerset, recognised in the category of Best Residential Conversion to a Single New Home.
We’re incredibly proud to share that Benjamin Henry Limited has been named South West Regional Winners & a Top 5 UK Finalist in the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2025 for our Church Barn project in Somerset. To be recognised by Local Authority Building Control professionals makes this especially meaningful to us, because it reflects not just the finished result, but how the building was delivered from structure & compliance through to craftsmanship & finish.
What This Recognition Reflects
Recognised. For How We Build.
Communication
Open communication with clients, consultants & the wider project team helped every challenge get resolved with clarity.
Building Control
Positive engagement with Building Control ensured technical compliance stayed integral to the build, not an afterthought.
Craftsmanship
Skilled tradespeople who take pride in their work carried the same level of care from structure & services through to the final finish.
PAS Partnership
We are also pleased to now be working with our local authority through the Partner Authority Scheme, building on relationships developed during projects such as Church Barn.
Crafted In-House
Partway through the build, our Building Control inspector approached us to ask whether we would consider being nominated for an award. He had seen the structural work, the sequencing, the detailing & the way the site was managed as the project progressed. The assessment process that followed was thorough, including technical submissions, staged construction photographs & interviews with our team, the clients & Building Control. It wasn’t about surface appearance; it was about how the building was put together, & that’s what makes this recognition so significant to us.
Designed Around You
Church Barn began life as a former agricultural building used for stabling & storage, forming part of a wider scheme of three conversions on the same site. The largest structure was carefully transformed into a modern family home, balancing performance, compliance & the retention of original character. The project involved close coordination with architects, ecologists, English Heritage, planning authorities & Somerset Building Control, alongside removal of the asbestos roof & trusses while retaining & strengthening the original walls.
As the project evolved, the brief expanded to include a kitchen & sunroom extension with a sedum living roof, large bifold doors & a double-porch extension, all requiring careful planning & coordination. Like most complex projects, it presented challenges along the way, but what matters is how those challenges are handled, with communication, collaboration & a focus on getting it right.
Internally, the completed home includes an open-plan kitchen, dining & living space, a utility, boot room, separate living room & WC, plus four double bedrooms including two ensuites. The home incorporates a ground-source heat pump with underfloor heating, solar panels with battery storage & an MVHR ventilation system. The project also benefited from our in-house electrical team, allowing lighting, power & technical installations to be coordinated alongside the wider build.
Made To Measure
A standout feature is the bespoke joinery produced in-house. Our master joiner Paul handcrafted the cabinetry & the curved oak staircase in our fully equipped joinery workshop, while the finished result is a light-filled, energy-efficient family home that blends contemporary living with agricultural heritage in a way that feels structurally sound, technically compliant & built to last generations.
The Awards Evening
After being shortlisted nationally, our Founding Director, Benjamin Cavaghan, attended the finals in London. It was an inspiring evening spent alongside others committed to raising standards across the industry, & recognition from Building Control professionals who scrutinise every stage of a project carries real weight for us.
We don’t chase awards, our focus is always on building homes properly for the people who live in them, but this acknowledgement reflects the teamwork, technical care & pride that shaped Church Barn from the earliest structural decisions through to the finished home.
