Although not a new method of building a home, barn conversions are becoming more and more popular these days. The problem facing most families wanting to convert a barn into a home is the lack of know how involved in it.
It's needless to say that there are many barns in various shapes and sizes all around. Many are in bad shape. Please don't make the mistake of buying one that is labeled a unique fixer upper opportunity. Don't fool yourself. If a barn has gotten into the shape where the boards are falling off the sides, unless you're buying it for parts, my suggestion is to leave it alone. By the time the boards start falling off, there's major flaws. The main trouble would probably be that the girts are rotting and the fasteners (nails) are turning loose.
When I built my home from an old centennial barn, there wasn't even a handful of books and reference websites available on the subject. And when I talked with contractors on the subject, the most common response I got was a blank stare. Fortunately I was able to talk to some barn builders that had been in the trade for decades and were willing to share ideas on how it could be done.
One of the most daunting tasks was to repair the weather damage and remove the layers of dirt that had accumulated over the years. My particular barn was used to shelter horses and a few milk cows.
There are two methods of converting a barn.
The first method is to use standard residential construction practices, essentially making the barn into a standard construction home. Nine times out of ten after this type of renovation takes place, the barn no longer looks like a barn but looks more like a stylized residence. And the cost with this method sometimes exceeds standard residential construction.
The second method and the one my wife and I chose to use, employed the same materials the barn was built with. I went to the local saw mill and bought rough sawed boards to make up the interior walls and floors. Even the doors and windows were hand built with this type of method. We just made sure the house was well insulated and all the cracks were closed. This method saved us thousands of dollars and kept the charm of the old barn intact.
Tim Davis is a veteran Architectural Designer who also teaches architecture and drafting over the internet http://houseplandrafting101.net He is currently in the process of writing an Ebook entitled "How to Turn a Barn into a Home". The info page for updates on this ebook can be found at http://draftingservice.us/barnhomes
Small Crack In Floor Slab
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