April 28, 2026 / By rachel
As part of our 40 projects for 40 years series, this is a project that began with a phone call from 3,500 miles away and a simple question: should I buy it?
Working as a residential architect in Hereford, it’s not every day we’re asked to assess and buy a derelict building on a client’s behalf, especially one they haven’t even seen.
This is Week 8 of our 40 projects celebrating 40 years of RRA Architects.
The call came from a client based in Abu Dhabi. She had spotted a small, dilapidated outbuilding going up for auction in Hereford and wanted to know one simple thing… was it worth pursuing?
The brief was as much about lifestyle as it was about architecture. Originally from Birmingham, with her husband from Cardiff, they were looking for a small bolthole in the UK, somewhere roughly halfway between the two, where they could stay when visiting family. At the same time, they wanted the property to work hard for them, generating income as an Airbnb when they were abroad.
There was just one small detail. They hadn’t seen the property.
At a time before Zoom calls and virtual tours were the norm, we visited the site on their behalf and recorded a detailed video, capturing everything from the approach and surrounding streets to access, overlooking and the wider context. It was a simple idea, but at the time, quite an unusual way of working.
Based on that, the client made a decision. But the story didn’t stop there.
The auction itself was held in Hereford, long before online bidding existed. The client asked our Managing Director, Mark Powles, to attend in person, stay on the phone throughout and bid on her behalf.
No pressure.
It’s not every day you’re asked to view, assess and then purchase a property for a client who hasn’t even set foot in it. But that’s exactly what happened.
The result was a successful bid and the start of a project that would transform what the client later described as a derelict ‘shed’ into something entirely different.
Working with a Residential Architect in Hereford on a Remote Project
Over the next two years, the building was taken from a structure with no services and a sizeable hole in the roof to a carefully considered, contemporary one-bedroom home in the centre of Hereford.
The design focused on creating a compact, efficient living space that could comfortably serve two purposes. A welcoming, well-designed home for the clients when they returned to the UK, and an attractive, commercially viable Airbnb for guests the rest of the time.
Working as a residential architect in Hereford, the challenge was to make the most of a very small footprint without compromising on quality or experience. The solution combined a sensitive approach to the original structure with a modern extension that expands the living space while clearly expressing the difference between old and new.
According to our client, they “rescued The Coach House at auction in October 2013 and then spent the next 24 months taking it from a derelict ‘shed’, as we affectionately call it, with no services whatsoever and a large hole in the roof to a fantastic detached one-bedroom home in the centre of Hereford. With award-winning local architects on board who were committed to our vision, we have been sympathetic to the original structure whilst adding a very modern extension to expand the living space.”
Projects like this are a reminder that architecture doesn’t always begin with drawings. Sometimes it starts with trust, a phone call and a leap of faith.
As our 40 projects for 40 years series continues, we will be sharing more projects that reflect the people and stories behind the work.
👉 To see more images and project details of this coach house conversion in Hereford, visit the full project page or even book an Airbnb stay!