{"id":1950,"date":"2010-02-04T07:00:53","date_gmt":"2010-02-04T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postandbeamliving.com\/?p=1950"},"modified":"2014-06-15T19:49:31","modified_gmt":"2014-06-15T23:49:31","slug":"4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Essential Elements That Define “Barn-Home Style”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, I was talking to an acquaintenance about building a barn-style home and she asked, “What exactly is<\/em>\u00a0barn-style?\u00a0 Does it\u00a0mean converting a barn into a house?”<\/p>\n

This question\u00a0started me thinking about how best to describe barn-style.\u00a0 Converting an old barn into a house definitely\u00a0affords the\u00a0home a barn-style look, but you don’t need to\u00a0begin with an antique barn to build a barn home of your own.\u00a0 Some are old, some are new.\u00a0 They can be\u00a0found in\u00a0any geographical region of the US (and even in Europe).\u00a0 In size, they range from miniscule to monstrous.\u00a0 In style, they range from a\u00a0strict adherance to\u00a0historical details to irreverently ultra modern.\u00a0 So what makes a “barn style” home?<\/p>\n

After pondering my friend’s question and\u00a0flipping through\u00a0some books and photos noting common recurring elements, I’ve developed a list of\u00a04 essential structural elements\u00a0that define\u00a0the barn-home style.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0A barn-style silhouette<\/strong>.\u00a0 The\u00a0silhouette of a building\u00a0is the first\u00a0detail your mind processes when you look at a house, so a\u00a0shape\u00a0that the\u00a0brain will\u00a0instantaneously associate with\u00a0a barn will set the basis for the barn-style look.<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/a>

This contemporary home is unconventional yet unmistakably barn-style thanks to the striking silhouette of the silo structure.<\/p><\/div>\n

The frame establishes the proportions of the house.\u00a0 Most barns and barn-homes are proportioned to look tall. Most\u00a0are rectangular in shape with a pitched roof, although gambrel<\/a> roofs are also somewhat common.<\/p>\n

\"Gambrel<\/a>

This is a cute barn home that uses the gambrel frame and stone exterior to resemble an old English carriage barn.<\/p><\/div>\n

Cupolas and\/or weathervanes often adorn the roofline of a barn or barn home.\u00a0 Cupolas are often centered, as pulling them “forward” towards the front of the building evokes the silhouette of a church.\u00a0 Large barn homes often have multiple cupolas to fit the scale of the frame size.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

This home’s silhouette is clearly barn-style. Notice that the owners used multiple cupolas to fit the scale of the long frame.<\/p><\/div>\n

2.\u00a0 Post & beam\u00a0construction<\/strong>.\u00a0 It could probably go without saying that post and beam construction is an essential element of a barn-style house.\u00a0 When you walk into a barn, the first thing you notice is the heavy beam frame.<\/p>\n

Barn frames come in a variety of shapes and sizes.\u00a0 There are King Post Truss frames and gambrel frames.\u00a0 There is the\u00a0aptly “A” frame, where the roof line and the\u00a0horizontal cross tie for them shape of an A.\u00a0\u00a0More common\u00a0is the “barn” frame – where the roof line is also\u00a0shaped like\u00a0an upside down V but there is an upside down U-shaped beam structure on which the roof sits.<\/p>\n

\"Barn<\/a>

Craftsmen call this a barn with a King Post Truss Frame. I call it a barn with a frame shaped like a bunch of triangles.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Barn<\/a>

The Gambrel barn frame affords more height and headroom at the roof line.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

I eloquently describe this post and beam barn frame as the type that’s “shaped like an upside down V supported by an upside down goal post.”<\/p><\/div>\n

The heavy timber frame is often the dominant feature of a barn’s interior.\u00a0 Naturally, heavy timber frames\u00a0are therefore used\u00a0by those striving to get that barn-style look and feel on the interior of their home.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Barn windows.<\/strong>\u00a0 Barn windows are square and small – typically 2’6″ or 3′.\u00a0 They are traditionally awning-style\u00a0(meaning that they open upward), although updated casement styles (opening out from the right or left side by turning a crank) have been available for a number of years.<\/p>\n

Because of their small size, they are relatively inexpensive and thus an easy way of adding more barn-style elements to your barn home without breaking\u00a0the bank.<\/p>\n

Barn windows are popular for ground-level bedrooms or bathrooms in barn-style homes.\u00a0 They are large enough to let in light, yet\u00a0small enough to keep private rooms (like bedrooms and bathrooms) from being on full display to the outside.<\/p>\n

\"Yankee<\/a>

The first floor master bedroom and the second story bedrooms of this barn home use barn windows for privacy.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Since they are small you will also see\u00a0barn windows\u00a0used in space constrained areas like on the front face of a gable dormer.<\/p>\n

\"Gable<\/a>

This barn window is a perfect fit for the small gable dormer.<\/p><\/div>\n

4.\u00a0 A “Great Room”<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0This is different from\u00a0a “great” room (as in,\u00a0a room that’s really nice).\u00a0 A “great room” is a space that almost always has cathedral ceilings for an impressive look, whose function is to combine a living room and a family room into one central location of the house.<\/p>\n

\"Great<\/a>

The owners of this post and beam barn home look out the great room windows to a beautiful lake view.<\/p><\/div>\n

Great rooms evoke the feeling of stepping inside a barn.\u00a0 The high vaulted ceilings and wide expanses of wall-free floor space\u00a0are made possible by sturdy post and beam or timber\u00a0frame construction.\u00a0 \u00a0The great room often has a fireplace and a panel of windows soaring up the cathedral-height exterior wall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, I was talking to an acquaintenance about building a barn-style home and she asked, “What exactly is\u00a0barn-style?\u00a0 Does it\u00a0mean converting a barn into a house?” This question\u00a0started me thinking about how best to describe barn-style.\u00a0 Converting an old barn into a house definitely\u00a0affords the\u00a0home a barn-style look, but you don’t need to\u00a0begin with an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[42,967,968],"class_list":["post-1950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-barn-homes-2","tag-barn-homes","tag-post-beam-homes","tag-timber-frame","category-7","description-off"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Essential Elements That Define "Barn-Home Style"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Holly Ostrander\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Holly Ostrander\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#\/schema\/person\/ae4d3cf94774aa9fe40934842002134b\"},\"headline\":\"4 Essential Elements That Define “Barn-Home Style”\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-02-04T11:00:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-06-15T23:49:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/\"},\"wordCount\":909,\"commentCount\":11,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"barn homes\",\"Post & Beam Homes\",\"Timber Frame Homes\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Barn Homes\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/\",\"name\":\"4 Essential Elements That Define \\\"Barn-Home Style\\\"\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-02-04T11:00:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-06-15T23:49:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#\/schema\/person\/ae4d3cf94774aa9fe40934842002134b\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":241},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/\",\"name\":\"Yankee Barn Homes\",\"description\":\"Post. Beam. Dream.\u2122\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#\/schema\/person\/ae4d3cf94774aa9fe40934842002134b\",\"name\":\"Holly Ostrander\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/author\/holly\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"4 Essential Elements That Define \"Barn-Home Style\"","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Holly Ostrander","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/"},"author":{"name":"Holly Ostrander","@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#\/schema\/person\/ae4d3cf94774aa9fe40934842002134b"},"headline":"4 Essential Elements That Define “Barn-Home Style”","datePublished":"2010-02-04T11:00:53+00:00","dateModified":"2014-06-15T23:49:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/"},"wordCount":909,"commentCount":11,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg","keywords":["barn homes","Post & Beam Homes","Timber Frame Homes"],"articleSection":["Barn Homes"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/","url":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/","name":"4 Essential Elements That Define \"Barn-Home Style\"","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg","datePublished":"2010-02-04T11:00:53+00:00","dateModified":"2014-06-15T23:49:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#\/schema\/person\/ae4d3cf94774aa9fe40934842002134b"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/2010\/02\/04\/4-essential-elements-that-define-barn-home-style\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/modern-post-and-beam-barn-home.jpg","width":300,"height":241},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#website","url":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/","name":"Yankee Barn Homes","description":"Post. Beam. Dream.\u2122","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/#\/schema\/person\/ae4d3cf94774aa9fe40934842002134b","name":"Holly Ostrander","url":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/author\/holly\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genmoda.info\/ybh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}