Barc Architects Ltd

We had a dream to build our own home in the wilds of West Cork. Caroline and her team at BARC helped to realise that dream by designing a beautiful house for us. The project was a major redevelopment of an existing industrial building sitting on the edge of the Atlantic coast. From the moment we engaged with BARC we were confident that despite the challenges of the location we were in safe hands. Caroline took time to listen and understand both our particular lifestyle needs and the aesthetic we were hoping to achieve. The talented design team were able to encapsulate what we were looking for in a modern design, while at the same time managing to be practical and conscious of the harsh environmental conditions. The vision BARC presented to us maximised all the potential of the site without having to compromise on comfort and efficiency. We benefited hugely from BARC’s experience of designing coastal properties and energy-efficient homes. From dealing with the technical aspects of the build, communicating with our builder, to calming us down when we worried, Caroline is the consummate professional. Without a doubt, we would not be in the house of our dreams if Caroline and BARC were not part of the journey.

Barc Architects conceived a building that sits proudly in its landscape, is a tribute to modernity with quirky design twists of individuality throughout. The beautiful one-of-a-kind house, now our home and sanctuary, delights us as the owners lucky enough to live in it and all who come to visit us. Architecture is the stuff of daydreams – the environment of Topsham and, in particular, the views of Bowling Green Marshes have shaped these dreams and now, the finished home and garden provides our environment and experience as occupiers. The new building and its new landscape respect the character of the place in which they are located, yet move them on. The world of the building extends beyond its physical boundaries – it has been successful because it’s anchored in relationships - building and site as well as client and architect. When we set the parameters for what we aspired to in Sanctuary House, we established four core themes: - 1.A future proof living space for the rest of our lives, 2.An exemplar of contemporary designed finished in best in class materials to the highest standards, 3.Where life is led both indoors and outdoors, taking advantage of the outstanding views, 4.And an exemplar of sustainable design The Barc team is small and occupies a Studio in a renovated 100-year-old building in central Exeter. They may be in an old building but their values and approach to their work is very 21st century. The firm quickly developed a conceptual design from the above four themes as well as leveraging an earlier highly original design that had already won Planning approval; once agreed, the new design – ambitious in a new way but less risky to develop - was used by Caroline to apply for a Variation in Design from the Planners. With this approval very quickly received, the architects then worked with us, with the nominated main contractor and others on a developed design, technical design and then construction drawings. Caroline and her colleagues Adam and Joe played a leading role in the Design Team Meetings held every month as well as participating in the monthly on site Progress Meetings. Several of the suppliers delivered customised elements of design for their products – e.g. the staircase, the kitchen, the glazing – and with each such supplier, Barc ensured that specifications were met by the supplier and that there was no misunderstanding on dimensions. Barc played a pivotal role with both the structural engineers and with the mechanical and electrical consultants in ensuring that thinking was coordinated and drawings were complementary. As clients, we enjoyed working with Caroline and her team; the small cohesive group works well as a team, led ably by Caroline herself. She is a good listener, and became a trusted adviser as we got to know her and as she got to know us better. The construction process was complex and full of risk – quality, time and cost. Caroline and her team played their role in mitigating these risks.

We were so impressed by the team at Barc Architects. They quickly understood our needs and created the perfect floor plan in the very first draft! With their exceptional attention to detail and reassuring approach, our project ran really smoothly. We would confidently recommend their professional services for a high quality result.

Emmet and the team took our ideas and created a beautiful design that met our stated needs but also delivered on ideas we hadn't considered. Emmet was very patient and extremely understanding; guided us through the process of design, selecting a builder through the tender and offering suggestions for our new home. The result is that we now have a very beautiful home that has provided us with space to be together as a family and has cleverly linked the house to the garden.

We had the best experience in working with Barc. The team were great listeners and really took the time to understand our space and what we needed as a family. The designs challenged and surprised us and the team struck a perfect blend of listening to feedback but gently guiding us where needed. They were fantastic with planning, helping us to navigate this tricky process. When approaching an architect I always felt that we must be small fry for them - a 30's single storey house extension but we soon realised that they cared deeply about what they were creating for us. We have ended up with a space beyond our dreams, that supports and enables our family life and will work for us long-term in what we see as our forever home. Each day I cannot believe that it's our house. Would work with them again in a heartbeat.

After meeting with a number of architects and considering their proposals, we decided to appoint Barc to design and project manage our new build in Exton, Devon. From the outset we were struck by their enthusiasm, knowledge and experience. Caroline took the trouble to visit our existing home over 200 miles away, to get a better understanding of how we live and what we like, so that when the first designs were produced they were a very close interpretation of our ideas, with added features and details that confirmed that we had made the right choice. The entire project took just over two years from instruction to completion and suffered the usual high's and low's, but Barc were always a calm, reassuring influence and ultimately they produced the house that we now proudly call our home. Their key attributes are attention to detail, a genuine understanding of high specification buildings and an ability to maintain control without being controlling. We enjoyed the experience of working with Caroline and all the team and we love the result. Barc is a very talented team of people who deserve their success.

Barc Architects were appointed to design our contemporary new build home in Plymouth. Caroline and Adam were a pleasure to deal with right from the start and understood our vision for the project. Many Architects can run amok with the clients money with grand plans beyond budget. However, both Caroline and Adam were extremely practical and kept our ideas in check and provided alternative solutions to ensure the build remained on budget. Unfortunately we did not have such good fortune with our builder and ultimately our 7 month schedule became 2 years! During all that time Caroline was extremely professional and pragmatic, and went out of her way to resolve contractual issues, acting as a mediator between client and builder and providing sound advice and support where needed. We now have a beautiful home that we are extremely proud of and cannot thank Adam and Caroline enough for getting us through it. Thank you both!

We received an excellent service from Caroline and her team. They suggested highly creative and practical ideas. We had seen a number of architects whose ideas were boring and flat compared to Caroline's. She treated our project very individually and really helped us.

Caroline/Adam, BARC could not have been more professional or competent in how they approached our residential extension project…. They successfully transformed our verbal muddled vision into a masterpiece! I cannot praise Caroline’s thoughtfulness and understanding of how as a family we needed the space to be designed around our current and ever changing future needs. Finally, not only are they terribly good at what they do they are also a pleasure to work with! Which in such an emotive area - is absolutely key. Although we got as far as being granted planning permission we did not get to break ground– having decided to move into to our “forever home”. We cannot wait to get them back to work with us on our new home..

Came and drew up designs for an oak framed veranda in front of my Barn. Efficient, helpful and friendly. A pleasure to work with.

BARC did an excellent job of interpreting my ideas and thoughts along with their own ideas to produce a plan incorporating the right look and amount of space for a pair of semi-detached houses despite a long struggle with the planning department and many compromises.

Full architecture design service related to extension of detached property and conversion of garage, including drawings and designs. Good consulting service and flexible drawings based on revised plans.