BnB For sale on the Suffolk Coast: Five Acre Barn

Overview

Five Acre Barn is a contemporary B&B and holiday rental on the Suffolk Coast that has been consistently recommended by Condé Nast Traveller, The Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Times and the Guardian over the last nine years, as well as featured in lifestyle publications such as Elle Decoration and Country Living.

The current owners are now looking to retire and are offering the combination of a successful, turnkey business with a beautiful, design-led home.

Location

Set back a mile or so from the Suffolk coast, Five Acre Barn is located on the edge of the village of Aldringham, close to the celebrated seaside towns of Aldeburgh (2.5 miles) and Thorpeness (2 miles). The area combines beautiful beaches, charming villages, excellent restaurants and galleries, and a rich cultural and musical heritage courtesy of Benjamin Britten.

The area can be reached from London via rail (Saxmundham, about 2 hours) or road (about 2–3 hours).

Description

The property (GIA 5,100 sq. ft.) comprises a red brick nineteenth-century barn and two contemporary extensions — a zig-zag roof, cedar shingle-clad guest wing completed in 2017 (voted one of the Top 50 buildings of 2018 by RIBA) and an architect-designed owner’s accommodation completed in 2023. This is all set within five acres of gardens and woodland.

Light and airy, the double-height barn retains its rustic roots with painted brickwork and rafters, and accommodates the kitchen, a dining/breakfast area and living room.

The zig-zag extension houses five guest rooms, all leading off a central gallery lined with a double-height birch plywood wall. Rooms one to four offer accommodation on a plywood mezzanine platform accessed by a ply staircase, whereas room five is set out on a single level and is fully accessible. Each room enjoys underfloor heating, en-suite bath or shower rooms, a sitting room, and double doors leading out onto private decks.

Owner’s accommodation is a self-contained annexe split between the north end of the barn and a bright, double-height corrugated black tin extension.

Approached via a gravel driveway, there is parking for about ten cars and a tin-clad bike shed.

Gallery

Click any photo to enlarge

Business Overview

Five Acre Barn started trading in April 2017 and has continued to do so, apart from a brief hiatus during Covid. Although the business operates primarily as a bed and breakfast, it is also set up to run as a self-catering holiday rental — though this generally only accounts for about five to ten bookings a year.

Over 95% of bookings are direct, though the property is also currently marketed through Booking.com and Airbnb. Occupancy averaged 56% in 25/26 — 81% during peak months (May–September) and 38% off peak.

Five Acre Barn has been well reviewed by the main UK newspapers, as previously noted, and has also been featured in Country Living, Elle Decoration and Grand Designs. The @fiveacrebarn Instagram account currently has 12.3k followers.