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Community and Q&A

Converting an old barn to a house

ranson | Posted in General Questions on

There are a few old gambrel barns with enormous open lofts in my region (Rochester NY area) that are beautiful structures, but are in not so great condition. Growing up in rural MN, I like these old barns. Is converting one of these barns into a house a green proposition (and a good idea?)

The basic wooden structure of the barns is probably all that can be reused. The foundations need replacement. The roofs and siding need to be completely stripped. The framing needs repair and reinforcement due to years of neglect and lack of structural standards when they were built. They’ll require significant work to air seal and insulate. And the end result will probably have a rather large exposed surface area relative to the floor space.

Other than the saved framing, it’s unclear to me that environment impact is much lower than a new build. On one hand, the likely alternative is that these structures will just rot until they fall to the ground, and a piece of local history is completely lost. And the buildings have an undeniable charm.

Any thoughts?

–John

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Replies

  1. charlie_sullivan | | #1

    Two thoughts. One is that an important question is whether the barn has lead paint on it, or on and in the ground around it. If so, cleaning that up responsibly might be the most important environmental impact you could have related to the barn.

    The other is that you can consider tearning it down but salvaging some of the wood, and re-using it in visible ways in a new structure, as well as using some of the same architectural style, in order to honor the history of it without as many constraints.

  2. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | | #2

    John,
    All of your instincts are correct. The cost to renovate a barn like the one you describe will be higher than new construction, and the thermal performance will be worse.

    Historic preservation is important, and I'm glad that some wealthy people (and some government agencies) can invest in historic preservation. I'm not convinced that this type of historic preservation is "green" -- but it's important.

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