Barn Skin

I have given a lot of thought to the exterior sheathing of the barn. From the beginning I have had pretty strong feelings that it should NOT be "housey", i.e. clapboards or even shakes. Since we are building a contemporary home (that also happens to have old "bones") I have felt that the barn's "skin" should be something, well, modern. One of the qualities I have always admired about contemporary architecture is the way the exterior shell of the building has been stripped of all "frills" - trim, filigree, mouldings, etc. - and is left with a simple, often smooth surface that emphasizes the geometry of the structure (think of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater or Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye).
































While searching for possible solutions to this problem, I happend to come across this remarkable barn-house in one of our books. It was built by an architectural firm called Alchemy Architects who are located in St. Paul, MN. The Spencer Barn is a new construction (meaning, it does not employ an antique frame) with an even more contemporary nature than our own, but I LOVE it.

What first attracted me to it was it's "skin" and the way it simplified the building to its basic geometry. For a while I was determined that this should be our solution. Then I did some research and saw the price-tag. The material is called Parklex. It is a resign-impregnated engineered wood panel that comes in 4' X 8' sheets like plywood. Except, unlike plywood which runs about $45 per sheet, parklex is $400. Still, it is a beautiful product that I would love to use someday. (Someday!) Instead, our architects have some up with a solution that is comparable in price (and effect?) to Parklex. It's called Medium-Density Overlay (MDO) - let's call it "poor-man's Parklex". It is also an engineered plywood panel, in this case it has a resin-treated fiber applied to both sides, it can be painted, and it is suitable for exterior uses. In fact, it's the material used to make a lot of road signs! Once applied it will create a smooth sheathing "skin" much like Parklex (I hope). Whether we paint it or stain it or leave it natural, I don't know. Just another exciting possibility on the road to move-in day!

Another elevation

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This is a view of the interior of the south-facing wall of the second floor - the living floor. (To orient yourself, click here.) This view highlights one of my favorite design elements of the house: that unbroken horizontal that originates in the kitchen with the countertop, passes unbroken into the dining area and then in the living area drops down to become the built-in bench. This horizontal theme is mirrored by the strip of windows above the countertop-bench line, and then above that by the 36' long beam (called the rafter plate - see this diagram). It will also be repeated elsewhere in the house, for example, the reclaimed barn siding (which will be used for wall surfaces in places) will be replaced horizontally as opposed to its original vertical orientation. It's subtle, but the effect will be harmonizing and unifying (we hope!)

Kitchen details

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This top image shows a floor plan of the kitchen with all the cabinets spec'ed out. We have chosen IKEA cabs for two reasons: they fit our budget and they fit our inclinations toward contemporary design. If you have been keeping up with the evolution of the plans you will see the work island that has replaced the partition wall in the earliest iteration (see this earlier post).

The second image shows an elevation of the kitchen. What I like about this view is the sense of height. There is NO ceiling on our kitchen! Just a soaring view up to the rafters - 18' up!

Sunlight through trees: our future home

On a number of occasions this summer I have driven over to the site and tried to imagine what it would be like to LIVE there. Slowly "beating the bounds" (as the Brits say) I came to appreciate the beauty of this small patch of earth that we will soon call home. There are some very tall, stately trees on the property: strong oaks, broad-shouldered maples, and numerous small trees vying for sun. The ground is covered with fallen leaves and scattered vines and underbrush. I know for a fact that there has never been a house built on these grounds: true virgin wilderness! Towards the top of the site I caught a glimpse of the view that we will one day enjoy. With a little judicious clearing this will be even more prominent, especially from the second floor.

We have been in the planning stages for so long that sometimes I just can't quite believe that we will really be building a home here. I am craving some action! It is nearing the time to put dreams and plans aside and begin the execution. There is still hope that we will be able to break ground in October - and with luck have the frame raised and closed in by the time the snow falls. Come this time next year, I hope to be enjoying that view from inside our barn home!

Restoration begins at ENER

Recently I traveled to N. Stonington, CT to Early New England Restorations, the company which built my parent's family home back in the early 80s and is restoring our home's barn frame. Up until now the frame, plank, and sheething has been packet carefully in a box trailer. For the visit last week, the the trailer had been unpacked, and the workmen had begin the process of assessing the frame by actually setting it back up, bent by bent, flat on the ground. This is what you see in the bottom two images.

When we purchased the frame, Scot Hanning made it clear that only AFTER dismantling can one tell conclusively what kind of shape a frame is in. It became clear after the ENER folks began re-assembling the frame that there would be some repairs required, as is revealed by the third image up. Here you can see the bases of one the posts...rotten after years of exposure to moisture. No problem, we're told. They will simply cut off the rot and splice on a new segment of timber of the same dimension.

The top image is cool. This shows one of the marks made by the barn's original builder used to indicate which timber connected where. Today we use computer-printed tags, applied with staples!

For now, the folks at ENER will continue the assessment and eventually come up with a list of needed repairs and adjustments. The architects are working on the final set of drawings, and we are beginning to contact prospective builders. If all goes well, we MAY actually break ground before the snow falls!

An update...

Many people are asking, "What's happening with the barn house?" So, here's the scoop:

The approved schematic plans, completed a couple of weeks ago, are in the hands of the restoration folks at Early New England Restorations. They are working with their engineer to see whether our plans are compatible with our barn frame. This is is critical step. The vision of the architects needs to match the structural realities of a nineteenth century barn frame. It could be that there will need to be some changes to the plans as a result. We are keeping our fingers crossed! Once the engineer gives the OK to the plans, the architects will then be able to proceed with drawing up actual constrution documents. Once we have these, we can begin getting bids from builders. And so the timeline continues to expand. I'd be pleased if we are able to break ground by August at this point.

A look ahead.

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Here is the architect's concept for the upper level living space of our barn house. Notice how one can see from one end of the barn to the other at this level as well as right up to the peak of the roof. (Since this drawing was made we have decided to remove the square wall separating the kitchen from the dining area so as to gain more space in the kitchen. The benefit of this is also that the view from one end to the other will be even less hindered. We are thrilled by the work done by our architects. Now if we can just pull this thing off...

Elevations

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In the process of envisioning what our barn house would look like, I knew that I didn't want to live in a barn that was nothing more than a barn - nor did I want to live in a barn that was no longer a barn, but a house whose "bones" were old (and hidden from view). I also knew that my basic design ethic was modern. The choice of architects was critical in being able to realize this fine balance between the ancient and the modern, the old and the new. These elevations demonstrate how well we did in choosing Jasonoah Design-build. A couple of design-points I really like: the vertical line of windows which "grows" out of the base of the building and "blossoms" into the dual, triangular windows at the peak of the gable end. These vertical windows will bring in light and tie together each floor. I also like the way the stairs rise along the outside of the building bringing up the visitor under the sheltering eaves of the roof and the way one can pause at the top of the stairs and take in the view before entering (the top of the stairs will be up in the trees practically).

Floor Plans

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Here is one very tangible way in which these designs have had to bow to budgetary demands: were we of less modest means we would either have bought a larger barn frame or added a number of "wings" or shed additions to give us more living space. Since we could afford neither of these options, our architects have had to be very creative with filling our extensive list of demands. We think they have done a marvelous job. Looking at the lower level floor plans one will notice that they have accommodated our desire to have a master bedroom with attached walk-thorough closet and master bath. They have also located the office space off the master suite (if you could call it that) - a feature which we rather like. The kids will share rooms, at least until such a time as this arrangement just ceases to work. Their rooms are narrow but tall - 12' for one and 16' for the other - both of which have lofts for added play space. The main living floor consists of a long living-dining-kitchen space. You will be able to see from one end of the frame to the other and right up to the rafters in this space. The loft is indicated by a dotted line. Notice how there are a few steps up to a "library" (movie theater? guest room?), then up to the kids' loft.

Sectional Views

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The perspective of each section view is indicated on the previous image of the floor plans. As you can see, our architects have developed an interior space that somewhat defies a simple box-like arrangement of rooms. What I especially like about this arrangement is that it incorporates multiple levels. Notice, for example, in section one how the level of the so-called "library" is the ceiling of the first kids' bedroom below. Then notice how the steps lead up to the loft and how the loft floor is actually the ceiling of the second bedroom below. This bedroom is a soaring 16' in height (see section two) and is the only room in the house in which you can see the original barn post in its entirety. This room may be high, but it is pretty narrow.