Houzz Tour: A Multifunctional Barn for a Wisconsin Farm
The new structure includes living space for guests and owners, a canning kitchen, vehicle storage and a workshop
Work Space and Living Space
The large storage barn — 3,950 square feet — is seen at the left in this photo. To the right are the living quarters, which are 950 square feet. The bay of windows and entry to the living area add depth, break up the massing of the large building and scale down the roofline to make it more human-size and interesting. A pair of cupolas on top adds a touch of barn vernacular.
The board-and-batten siding suits the agrarian setting and period of the original farmhouse, but it’s infused with modern technology. The siding is LP SmartSide, an engineered wood that can stand up to harsh weather conditions. Its strong vertical lines make the building stand out from the other structures on the property. The roof shingles are dimensional asphalt that have the look of true wood shake shingles. The paint color is Creamy by Sherwin-Williams.
Because the building doesn’t have a basement, no gutters were needed. There’s a gravel drip line around the perimeter, and the land slopes away from the house to control runoff.
The large storage barn — 3,950 square feet — is seen at the left in this photo. To the right are the living quarters, which are 950 square feet. The bay of windows and entry to the living area add depth, break up the massing of the large building and scale down the roofline to make it more human-size and interesting. A pair of cupolas on top adds a touch of barn vernacular.
The board-and-batten siding suits the agrarian setting and period of the original farmhouse, but it’s infused with modern technology. The siding is LP SmartSide, an engineered wood that can stand up to harsh weather conditions. Its strong vertical lines make the building stand out from the other structures on the property. The roof shingles are dimensional asphalt that have the look of true wood shake shingles. The paint color is Creamy by Sherwin-Williams.
Because the building doesn’t have a basement, no gutters were needed. There’s a gravel drip line around the perimeter, and the land slopes away from the house to control runoff.
The working side of the barn is a great place to get a sense of the post-and-beam timber construction. “A timber-framed structure represents the way it would have been built back in the late 1800s,” Retzak says. He had the experts at Glenville Timberwrights engineer and complete the framing, which is composed of Douglas fir posts and beams. When Retzak helped the couple add on to their main house years ago, he used timber frame construction then as well, so this provides a connection between the two buildings.
To the left is a workshop and car lift. The building has a radiant heating system, the most efficient way to keep the space toasty during frigid Wisconsin winters. There’s also drainage in the floors so the homeowner can wash vehicles indoors.
It’s not all grease and sawdust, however. The couple recently hosted the wedding rehearsal dinner of one of their children here. “There was one table down the middle and it was gorgeous,” says Heather Scott, who completed the interior design finishes. The oversize chandelier and the large garage doors that open to the bucolic view make this a great event space. The black window trim and black on the back of the garage doors add an updated touch that contrasts with the wood.
Know Your House: Post-and-Beam Construction
To the left is a workshop and car lift. The building has a radiant heating system, the most efficient way to keep the space toasty during frigid Wisconsin winters. There’s also drainage in the floors so the homeowner can wash vehicles indoors.
It’s not all grease and sawdust, however. The couple recently hosted the wedding rehearsal dinner of one of their children here. “There was one table down the middle and it was gorgeous,” says Heather Scott, who completed the interior design finishes. The oversize chandelier and the large garage doors that open to the bucolic view make this a great event space. The black window trim and black on the back of the garage doors add an updated touch that contrasts with the wood.
Know Your House: Post-and-Beam Construction
Driveways and garage doors allow access into the barn from two sides. This is the back of the barn.
This is the front of the barn — the entry to the right is the one the couple use to enter the living quarters. The exposed timber frame construction on the entry porch provides a preview of what awaits inside.
A Blend of Styles
The interior contains a powerful combination of old and new. “He likes more rustic and she’s more transitional,” Scott says. “It’s just rustic enough and just finished enough for both of them.”
On the more rustic side of things, the floors are reclaimed pine, and their knottiness and wide plank size lend a sense of age, while a dark stain updates the look. The ceilings are also covered in dark-stained pine. “There is not a bit of drywall in the house. Everywhere you look there are multiple textures that tell a story and give the place a sense of history,” Scott says.
Here in the hallway, V-groove boards cover the walls; in the rest of the house, the walls are covered in nickel-gap boards (individual boards installed with the thickness of a nickel between them.) Sherwin-Williams paint in Creamy adds a fresh finish that provides a strong contrast to the rich, dark stain on the floors.
Some elements of the interior architecture intentionally nod to the farmhouse. For example, the transom windows over the doors to the bathroom (left) and the storage area (right) echo transoms seen in the main house.
The interior contains a powerful combination of old and new. “He likes more rustic and she’s more transitional,” Scott says. “It’s just rustic enough and just finished enough for both of them.”
On the more rustic side of things, the floors are reclaimed pine, and their knottiness and wide plank size lend a sense of age, while a dark stain updates the look. The ceilings are also covered in dark-stained pine. “There is not a bit of drywall in the house. Everywhere you look there are multiple textures that tell a story and give the place a sense of history,” Scott says.
Here in the hallway, V-groove boards cover the walls; in the rest of the house, the walls are covered in nickel-gap boards (individual boards installed with the thickness of a nickel between them.) Sherwin-Williams paint in Creamy adds a fresh finish that provides a strong contrast to the rich, dark stain on the floors.
Some elements of the interior architecture intentionally nod to the farmhouse. For example, the transom windows over the doors to the bathroom (left) and the storage area (right) echo transoms seen in the main house.
To the right is a cozy sitting alcove with wingback chairs. This area is slated for built-ins down the road, depending on how the couple’s needs change. To the left is the kitchen. The idea for adding a kitchen grew from the homeowners’ desire to have a place to can the produce from their gardens. It also helps the structure serve as a self-sufficient guesthouse — or quarters for the homeowners should they need one-floor living in the future.
Keeping It Simple
While the kitchen was designed as a place to do canning, it’s also a highly social spot. The island stands out thanks to its reclaimed-pine countertop and the prominent vintage-style pendant lights. The posts around the base cabinetry open the island up for seating, making it a natural hub. This is another element repeated from the main house.
The countertops are a mix — reclaimed pine on the island and coffee-brown sueded granite on the perimeter. “They have soapstone counters in the main house but wanted something more rustic out here,” Scott says. “The sueding makes it softer and more rustic, and there are modern black undertones in its coloring.” As for the island, the top was done by the same company that did the reclaimed-wood floors. Both came from northern Wisconsin.
The long bay of windows provides views to the main house and gardens. And the southwest-facing orientation fills the kitchen with natural light. Note how the windows extend down to meet the countertops. This makes the room feel more open and connected to the landscape.
Cabinets: Louis Anthony Custom Cabinetry
Find black farmhouse-style pendant lights
While the kitchen was designed as a place to do canning, it’s also a highly social spot. The island stands out thanks to its reclaimed-pine countertop and the prominent vintage-style pendant lights. The posts around the base cabinetry open the island up for seating, making it a natural hub. This is another element repeated from the main house.
The countertops are a mix — reclaimed pine on the island and coffee-brown sueded granite on the perimeter. “They have soapstone counters in the main house but wanted something more rustic out here,” Scott says. “The sueding makes it softer and more rustic, and there are modern black undertones in its coloring.” As for the island, the top was done by the same company that did the reclaimed-wood floors. Both came from northern Wisconsin.
The long bay of windows provides views to the main house and gardens. And the southwest-facing orientation fills the kitchen with natural light. Note how the windows extend down to meet the countertops. This makes the room feel more open and connected to the landscape.
Cabinets: Louis Anthony Custom Cabinetry
Find black farmhouse-style pendant lights
The placement of the beam provides a nice dividing line between the kitchen and the lounge. Hidden LED rope lighting highlights the ceiling’s architecture.
The indigenous fieldstone on the fireplace surround is the same stone seen on the chimney’s exterior. “You see this stone all around this area, often on the exposed foundations of old barns,” Retzak says. Fireplaces in the main farmhouse have the same stone on their surrounds.
By the way, the man cave idea survived. (And don’t worry about her; she has a little she shed on the property.) There’s a TV on the wall to the left and plenty of comfy sectional sofa space for hanging out and watching a game.
Browse leather sectional sofas
By the way, the man cave idea survived. (And don’t worry about her; she has a little she shed on the property.) There’s a TV on the wall to the left and plenty of comfy sectional sofa space for hanging out and watching a game.
Browse leather sectional sofas
Hidden Sleep Alcove
Behind the sliding barn door, double doors conceal a Murphy bed. “There’s just enough room in here for the bed and room to comfortably walk around it,” Retzak says.
“If they ever move out here, they have plans to expand this into a larger separate bedroom space by borrowing from the storage portion a bit,” Scott says.
Behind the sliding barn door, double doors conceal a Murphy bed. “There’s just enough room in here for the bed and room to comfortably walk around it,” Retzak says.
“If they ever move out here, they have plans to expand this into a larger separate bedroom space by borrowing from the storage portion a bit,” Scott says.
A More Polished Look in the Bathroom
The shower is curbless, with an opening wide enough for walkers or wheelchairs. This was part of the universal design plan.
The room has more transitional finishes compared with the rest of the structure, such as the polished nickel fixtures and the white painted vanity. The floor looks like terra cotta but is concrete tile. The wide grout lines and staggered brick layout bring just the right amount of rustic.
Takeaways
Read more about designing an outbuilding
Find a local remodeling contractor on Houzz
The shower is curbless, with an opening wide enough for walkers or wheelchairs. This was part of the universal design plan.
The room has more transitional finishes compared with the rest of the structure, such as the polished nickel fixtures and the white painted vanity. The floor looks like terra cotta but is concrete tile. The wide grout lines and staggered brick layout bring just the right amount of rustic.
Takeaways
- Find ways in an outbuilding or addition to connect the new with the old by repeating elements from the original. But also let the new have some of its own style.
- Think about scale and massing on a large building. The entry porch and kitchen bump-out in this project help break up the building and make it human-scale.
- Local materials help connect a structure to the landscape.
- A modern farmhouse look comes from a mix of new and old and rustic and finished. Here, the contrast between the stained pine and creamy walls lends antique comfort and modern freshness.
- Consider extending kitchen windows down to the countertops for a more open feel.
Read more about designing an outbuilding
Find a local remodeling contractor on Houzz
Guesthouse and Garage at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with grown children
Location: Washington County, Wisconsin
Size: Living quarters are 950 square feet (88 square meters), with a bedroom alcove and one bath. Storage and workshop area is 3,950 square feet (367 square meters).
Designers: Matt Retzak (architecture) and Heather Scott (interior design) of Bartelt the Remodeling Resource
The homeowners, who live in an 1870s farmhouse on an idyllic rural Wisconsin site with beautiful gardens, fields and woods, wanted to add an outbuilding that would contain a workshop for him and a place to store and work on a tractor, vintage trucks and a boat.
But, like many home projects, this one grew in scope. The homeowner liked the idea of a lounge where he and his friends could hang out. “Basically he really wanted a man cave,” designer Matt Retzak says. Then he decided that a kitchen for canning the bounty from his and his wife’s gardens could be a part of it. And, hey, while they were doing that, why not make it a self-sufficient guest house?
At this point, both homeowners became involved in the barn’s design, because the next idea was that the building could potentially be their own home someday. Should they ever need one-floor living, they’d be able to move out of the main house to the barn and still enjoy their property. With this in mind, Retzak used universal design principles in the living quarters, including wide hallways and no steps or curbs to hinder mobility.
The couple wanted the new structure’s architecture to complement the buildings already on the site — a 19th-century brick farmhouse, a historic barn and a detached garage — without mimicking them.
Retzak repeated elements from the main house, such as local fieldstone on the chimney, post-and-beam timber construction and the paint colors, but he also made the new building stand apart with vertically oriented board-and-batten siding and windows framed in black. “Adding the black to the windows adds a modern crispness,” he says. “Otherwise there would have been too much stained wood.” The living quarters feature a pleasing compromise between rustic and transitional.
Finally, placing the barn in the right spot was important. The team worked with the homeowners to choose somewhere far enough from the main house for the barn to stand on its own yet close enough to the house and gardens to be convenient. There were also smaller considerations, such as siting the kitchen in a spot with southwest orientation to gain lots of natural light. And circulation played a role — they planned a driveway that serves both ends of the drive-thru barn.