Everyone has an idea of what a barn house looks like, and most people tend to think it’s somewhere where you keep horses. But that isn’t the case. A barn is a bit different from the barn house – people live here. When you come across one, you feel comfortable, and the simplicity throws you off. It also brings a more laid-back traditional look – your ancestors labored hard and used to live in them. So, what’s the history of these houses, and what do you need to know?
Interior Customization
The first thing you may think to yourself when you think of a barn house, is can it fit the modern-day trends? From the outside, not as much, but the inside can be customized to fit the modern-day trends. Yes, they can, as you can fit in ceilings and be as creative as you wish. The good thing is that with the high ceilings, you can get those beautiful chandeliers you can’t have with modern houses. You can start from scratch if you’re looking to convert a barns NZ into a home. When adding rooms, you need to be a bit creative as the high roof can lead to wasted material. You can opt to have a higher level on top and only have one full room upwards.
History
Barn houses have been famous for a very long time. They just grew out of fashion after prehistoric times. Previously, they were used by those who wanted to live in close quarters with their animals. Around medieval times, this is when the barn became more about storage than living quarters. That’s why when you see a barn, you’d first assume it’s used for storage or rare animals. But a lot has changed since then. When barns were all about storage and for horse keeping, they were pretty simple structures. More or less as much as the outside of most barns even today. Most of the barns you’ll see take up the Low German House Style – simple and effective. In the 20th Century is when people again considered and started converting the barns to houses again. And this has brought about barn houses with different styles and themes.
Exterior
The exterior of barn houses is pretty much the same idea still as the old barn ideas in the past. As long as the outside is carefully built and sturdy, you have a workaround idea. It can still take up the farmhouse look and be classic. What you need to do when converting a barn is to ensure you waterproof the outside of the barn. You can also insulate it to give it a modern-day touch. The next thing you need to figure out is the windows. Barns don’t have a style to support windows, and you have to come up with ideas of where to place them.
Converting Your Barn
Barns have come a long way from what they were previously used for. Though people used to live in them before, they are more common as storage spaces. Here’s a brief history of barn houses and what you can do to convert a barn to a place.
