We turned old abandoned grain silos into a £4.25m four-bed home – the inside hides an incredible bonus feature
A DAD and daughter duo have transformed a crumbling cluster of grain silos into one of the country’s most jaw-dropping homes – now on the market for a staggering £4.25 million.
Richard Dales, 58, and his daughter Olivia Ward, 30, took on the mammoth two-year project on their family’s land near Malton, North Yorkshire.
What used to be eight cold, aluminium grain silos from a former Edwardian model farm is now a slick, modern four-bedroom masterpiece with glass walkways, curved interiors and a few magical surprises inside.
“This was never going to be an ordinary build,” said Olivia, who runs ODD Design, her own interior and exterior design firm.
“We wanted it to be a proper home – not just some statement.”
The property, known as The Silos, sits on Swinton Grange Estate, once owned by the famous Rothschild family.
The land has a rich history. In the early 1900s, it was developed into a cutting-edge farm, and during WWII, it played a key role in food production with help from the Women’s Land Army.
Richard originally planned to knock the silos down after building eight red-brick homes next door, but after a walk around the site with a local heritage officer, he changed his mind.
“I sat there in a deckchair thinking, ‘What if we actually made this into a house?’” he said.
But getting the green light wasn’t easy.
Their first planning application in 2021 was rejected, with councillors fearing the unique design might attract “commuting city dwellers.”
They appealed and won in 2022.
Not only did they get permission, but a restriction saying only locals could live there was dropped too.
That allowed them to dream bigger, doubling the size from a modest two-bed to a bold four-bedroom home with over 4,600 square feet of space.
The transformation is staggering. Each silo was dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt, with much of the original aluminium re-used.
Inside, a steel frame and thick insulation keep the temperature at a steady 21°C year-round.
A ground-source heat pump and rooftop solar panels power the underfloor heating and even feed excess energy back into the National Grid.
In the centre of the home is a soaring glass hallway filled with light and a 10-foot olive tree, thriving beneath a skylight.
The open-plan kitchen is fully curved, custom-made by local craftsmen.
There’s a dramatic sweeping staircase, suspended fireplace, and full-height circular glass doors that open onto the countryside.
Those doors alone cost a six-figure sum and even got smashed during delivery, causing a two-month delay.
But despite the headaches, both say it was worth it.
“I’ve been building homes for over 30 years,” said Richard.
“But I’ve never done anything like this – and I probably never will again.”
The Silos is now being sold by Savills, and they believe it’s truly one of a kind.
“This home can’t be repeated,” said Olivia.
“You might see silos converted in America, but not like this. This is warm, modern and completely unique.”