Barn, Revisited
“It’s funny, there’s this whole green revolution. I didn’t mean to get on this recent green building bandwagon,” said Sean Tracy of Bucks County Timbercraft. “But we’re recycling these beautiful hand-hewn skeletons. Old barn floors become cabinets, walls, doors, trim, staircases, furniture…there’s not a whole lot of stuff that doesn’t get reused.”
Tracy began restoring barns 20 years ago through the encouragement of a family friend. In the late 90s he started to do barn-to-home conversions. The disappearance of old barns in the area was an inspiration to him. “What do we call it…progress, I guess,” he pondered. “The developers started dropping these farms like nobody’s business.
He loves working with old wood from the barns people built 200 years ago. After a few conversions he started doing architectural design himself, since he understood what needed to be done and how to make each structure work as a house. Repurposing the old combines respect for the past with judicious use of technological advances. Bucks County Timbercraft uses green technologies because they are suited to the design: radiant and geothermal heat as well as solar power work hand-in-hand with these historic structures.
Taking a client’s dream to completion appealed to Tracy, and he continued focusing on conversions. After September 11 the idea took off. Tracy looks back at that time and considers, “Everyone wanted out of the city, it seemed as though people were starting to see the world was getting busier, crazier, faster. They wanted to be reminded of simpler things and times. What better way to do that than living in an old barn?”
One of Timbercraft’s clients has been enjoying their conversion for a few years now. Their historic home dates from the early 1700s; rumors abound that George Washington used the house during his Revolutionary campaign. The ruins of the original barn were in a flood plain, so they fashioned that area into a patio, but still wanted to come up with a pool house that would harmonize with the property and existing structures. “We toyed with ideas. Given the property and history it made sense to use an existing barn,” said the owner.
They visited the barn at its Lehigh Valley location. After breaking ground for a foundation in Washington Crossing in January, Bucks County Timbercraft labeled all components before disassembly, then cleaned, disinfected and dried each piece.
The barn arrived on-site via an 18-wheel flatbed, and the barn raising took about a day. The finishing details continued until September. After nine months, the barn was rebirthed into 2000-square-feet of pool changing area and utility space, with an open floor plan accommodating a kitchen, dining area, living room, and bedroom. “We intentionally showed roof lines and beams. You can see that the beams were hand hewn by the tool marks. This had to remain visible,” he said.
Other details remain true to the barn’s 1850s roots. The ladders to the hayloft have become sculptural statements of origin. The doors are all recycled barn board and the owners found authentic hardware and nails to maintain consistency. It was never intended as a full time residence, but they find themselves enjoying the coziness of the main house during the winter and gravitating to the openness of the barn during the summer.
“Sean has a passion to keep barns alive. Now it will be here for another 100 years,” he said.
The most frequent question Tracy answers is how the cost of a barn conversion compares to traditional building. Whether it’s moved to a site or Timbercraft converts an existing structure, he says the cost is in line with custom home prices.
The resulting character is priceless.
Perhaps even more valuable in the long run are barns that remain true to their original purpose. “If people call and say they want to sell their barn I’m hesitant to do it. I’m all about letting barns stay barns,” said Tracy. “I have an 1840’s barn that’s a barn. It’s a meditation space where I can just go and recalibrate.”
To see additional photos of barn conversion and learn more about barn conversions, visit www.buckscountytimbercraft.com.
Story by Catia Whitmore
