\n Host Kevin McCloud commended the Old Byre for its ‘gentle brutal honesty’ and ‘refusal to lie about what it ever was’.\n<\/p>\n
\n The property, on the outskirts of Cowes, cost \u00a3360,000 to convert and found itself praised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) panel.\n<\/p>\n
\n The house won the RIBA South Award 2025 and the RIBA South Small Project of the Year 2025.\n<\/p>\n
\n Property owner Joseph Kohlmaier said on the show: “I saw some photographs and I was immediately attracted, so much so that I told the kids I will be back in an hour.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I identified where the barn was, got in the car and came here.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I let myself in and stood in the courtyard and said, ‘this is where I want to live.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The house is made up of two spaces from two adjacent barns, one housing a living and dining area and the other a study and bedrooms.\n<\/p>\n
\n Joseph and architect Gianni Bosford consciously kept many of the original features of the barn, in order to show the building’s history.\n<\/p>\n
\n Joseph said to Channel 4 there are still remnants of what is likely cow poo on the wall and a swallows nests, showing the lineage from cow shed to award winning property.\n<\/p>\n