A Bedfordshire couple reached the finals of Channel 4 show Grand Designs' Home of the Year.

Their home in Maulden made it to the last three in the best barn conversion category as part of Grand Designs Live on TV last week.

Owner and designer of The Long Barn, Nic Tye, knew this was his future family home as soon as he set foot inside it four years ago.

He said: "It was the view, and cathedral-like space that took our breath away and we knew it had lots of potential."

The sleek lines, open plan kitchen, and double height living space will be familiar to anyone who has ever leafed their way through an interior design magazine.

The 39-year-old architect said: "I love the long vistas through the house as you come down the hallway.

"First you get to a simple kitchen, where you can chuck your shopping away, then a large space for your dining area which has that glamour and wow factor, and then your living areas."

But styling like this usually comes with a very high price tag. What impressed the Grand Design judges was this project's relatively small budget – £250,000.

The architect – whose offices are part of the complex – came up with some ingenious ways to keep cost down. These included designer-look home-made furniture, and an ultra-modern kitchen with is actually made from Ikea carcasses fronted with £6 stained plywood doors.

Mr Tye added: "We've actually got £9.99 builders' merchants doors which are stuck together to make a wall."

Not all these cost-saving measures were originally intended. Alison Tye, 39, explained that part way through the build the project was thrown into disarray when their contractors went bankrupt.

She said: "The saddest part was when we thought we may not be able to stay here, or able to afford it. But we'd fallen in love with the place and we really fought for it.

"You've got to put these things into perspective. You see people on property programmes talking about that type of experience as if their world's ended. But nobody has died, and it may take a lot more work, but you can get there in the end."

And so to complete the build, Nic and his neuro-scientist wife became their own labourers.

The best thing about The Long Barn, according to the couple, is that it manages to feel like a family home.

Mrs Tye explained: "It doesn't feel like a museum. We've got a six-month-old baby and his toys don't look out of place.

"Plus with the height of the living area we have space for a massive Christmas tree – which I love."

Grand Designs Live co-presenter and architect George Clarke said: "This house is stunning. From end-to-end it looks like agricultural luxury.

"It punches above its weight on cost and still comes out on top. It's a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant building – by far the best one."

The Long Barn lost out to a property in the Isle of Harris, Scotland, for the title of Best Barn Conversion by just a couple of hundred votes.
For more of Mr Tye's designs visit www.nicolastyearchitects.co.uk.