The West Devon stannary town of Tavistock is the gateway to Dartmoor, and the country around it — Yelverton, Horrabridge, Mary Tavy, Princetown, Bere Alston and the Tamar Valley — is full of thick-walled granite cottages, Dartmoor longhouses and agricultural barns. Converting one of these robust stone buildings into a warm home is demanding, characterful work, and exactly what we do.
The land around Tavistock rises quickly onto the open moor, and its building stock reflects centuries of hard upland farming. Granite agricultural barns, field linhays and the famous Dartmoor longhouses — long, low buildings where the family once lived at one end and the cattle at the other — are scattered across the parishes of Mary Tavy, Horrabridge and beyond. These are some of the most rewarding conversions in the South West, but their thick granite walls, exposure and protected setting demand real skill.
Down in the Tamar Valley World Heritage mining landscape towards Bere Alston, and up on the high moor at Princetown, the challenges differ again — from steep, sheltered river slopes to some of the most exposed, weather-beaten sites in Devon. We tailor the carpentry to the building and its setting in every case.
A barn conversion lives or dies on the carpentry. We carry out the full structural and joinery package: repairing or replacing failed purlins, rafters and wall plates; introducing new floors and internal framing inside an open shell; forming roof structures that take modern insulation while keeping the original roofline; and the finishing joinery — doors, windows, staircases and flooring — that turns a shell into a home.
For new framing we work in green oak, using traditional mortice-and-tenon joints and pegs that sit comfortably alongside the original granite and surviving cruck frames. On exposed Dartmoor sites we pay particular attention to robust, well-sealed roof structures, durable timbers and generous insulation that stand up to the moor's weather.
The planning route shapes the whole project, and around Tavistock it depends crucially on which side of the boundary your barn sits. Inside Dartmoor National Park, Class Q permitted development does notapply — conversions need full planning permission from the Dartmoor National Park Authority, which applies tight controls to protect the moorland landscape. Just outside the Park, towards Tavistock town and the Tamar Valley, barns may still qualify for Class Q under West Devon Borough Council, subject to its conditions.
The many listed granite longhouses and farmsteads in the area need full planning and listed building consent in any case, with tight control over materials. We build to whatever consent has been granted and work hand-in-hand with your planning consultant and architect.
Barn conversions are major projects, and the carpentry is generally priced per square metre of floor area. The figures below are a 2026 guide for the carpentry and structural elements of a Tavistock-area conversion.
| Scope | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sound granite barn, finishing joinery led | £800 – £1,000/m² | Minimal structural repair needed |
| Moderate structural & roof work | £1,000 – £1,300/m² | New framing, partial re-roof |
| Exposed listed longhouse / oak framing | £1,300 – £1,500/m² | Cruck repair, full re-roof, exposed oak, upland detailing |
These figures cover the carpentry and structural elements only; whole-project costs including all trades, services and fit-out will be higher and are best estimated once your design and consent are settled.
Barn conversions are unforgiving — remote upland sites, unpredictable old structures, severe weather and some of the strictest planning conditions in the country, all in one project. With over 10 years and 200+ projects across Devon and Cornwall, we understand thick granite construction, the demands of building on and around Dartmoor, and the expectations of the National Park Authority. We restore original trusses, cut green-oak frames and coordinate the carpentry around the wider build programme.
You get clear, written, itemised quotes, a realistic timeline, and an honest early warning about the things old buildings like to hide.
No — Class Q permitted development does not apply within Dartmoor National Park. A barn at Princetown, Mary Tavy or anywhere inside the Park boundary needs full planning permission, determined by the Dartmoor National Park Authority, which applies tight controls to protect the moorland landscape. Barns just outside the boundary towards Tavistock and the Tamar Valley may still qualify for Class Q under West Devon Borough Council.
High-altitude Dartmoor sites face driving rain, wind and cold that lowland barns never see. On conversions around Princetown and the open moor we detail robust, well-sealed roof structures, durable and treated timbers, generous insulation and careful weathering so the finished home stays warm and dry in the harshest West Devon conditions.
Yes. The Tavistock area is home to many thick-walled granite Dartmoor longhouses, where people and livestock once shared one long building. Converting the former shippon or barn end is specialist work — these buildings are often listed, with massive granite walls and original cruck or jointed-cruck frames — and we carry out sympathetic structural carpentry that respects the original fabric.
Barn conversion carpentry around Tavistock typically runs from £800 to £1,500 per m² in 2026. A sound granite barn near Yelverton or Horrabridge needing mainly finishing joinery sits at the lower end, while an exposed listed Dartmoor longhouse requiring structural repair, new trusses and a full re-roof sits towards the upper end.
Get a free, no-obligation consultation and quote for your barn project across Tavistock, Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley.
Request a Free Quote