Making the most of available space is an important consideration for many businesses as well as individuals. When Claire and Keith Goodwin undertook their multi-million pound property development project to provide a number of private homes, near the picturesque village of Gilmorton in Leicestershire, they also knew that the garages could be used to provide additional space for other activities.

The Goodwins had acquired an old farmhouse which they rebuilt using reclaimed materials in a luxury cottage style. They then undertook two large barn conversions on the site, providing a number of residential units in a courtyard formation.

Claire and Keith had to work closely with the planners to design a development that would be in keeping with the original buildings and the area, and the same was true for the garages they proposed to build.Rural Log Cabins was called in to design a set of eight garage spaces housed in three buildings (two 3-car garages and one 2-car garage). Working again with the planners, the garage designs produced by Rural had to be in keeping with rest of the development. They had to look like green oak timber-frame buildings to match the style of the other buildings, and they had to have a steep pitched roof, tiled accordingly.

Claire and Keith wanted the garages to provide additional space for workshops and studios so Rural designed and constructed two-storey buildings with access to the upper floor via an outside stairway. The garages make a very versatile use of space and can equally be used as workshops with offices upstairs – or for luxury stabling, with plenty of storage space above.

The Goodwins are delighted with the new garages. “We have spent a lot of time, money and effort in getting the development and the barn conversions right,” says Keith Goodwin. “Rural Log Cabins have really done us proud, with truly luxurious garages that fit in exactly with the look and feel we were trying to create. We love the outside stairs to the upper storey and the flexibility of the space.”

“This style of building is becoming increasingly popular for our commercial builds,” says Steve Missen, Managing Director of Rural Log Cabins. “Although they are used here as garages, they make excellent workshops and studios and the extra space on the first floor is ideal for offices or storage, or any other purpose you can think of.”