ADAPTIVE REUSE

On a property whose original house dates to 1776, the original section of this barn had been a crucial component of a working farm for two centuries. The larger, two-story section of the barn, was added in the mid-19th century and served largely for hay storage. In 1947, a concrete floor was added to the older section of the barn to modernize the milking parlor.

The current owners don’t farm the property, but they wanted to preserve the barn. Instead of housing dairy cattle, the rear section of the barn now keeps landscaping equipment out of the weather. The main floor of the old hay barn, where the bulk of HVP’s work took place, now is used for entertaining. It even includes a stage area for karaoke nights.

Restoration was an involved process. The structural engineer on the project described the barn as “being on its 9th life”. New concrete footings were poured under each structural post, numerous rotted timbers were replaced, and steel tie rods took the place of missing structural timbers removed by a farmer many years ago. All told, the walls were drawn in by 3 inches, which also took 3 inches of sag out of the roof.

HVP built a large, new entry door, and with a bit of whimsy, added an antique gothic window to the gable of the barn.