Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society

About Our Inventory

The Barn People maintain a standing inventory of barns in many shapes and sizes. Each barn is “one of a kind,” yet all of them share the same warm, mellowed timbers bound firmly together with wooden pegs. The integrity of the precision joinery, executed by hands that took the time to do things right the first time, will be obvious. All have withstood the test of time and hard use; many of their European ancestors have stood solidly since the Middle Ages. Each barn offers pleasing proportions and design simplicity, which are easily adaptable either to contemporary or traditional interpretation. Many offer endless possibilities for different floor levels, lofts and basements and, due to the enormous adaptability of the barn frame, the possible configuration for personalized living spaces are virtually unlimited.

Our inventory is constantly changing as we buy and sell barns, however there exist some basic categories with regards to sizes. The sizes and shapes of barns vary considerably. The categories listed below also contain many odd sizes both larger or smaller with a large variety of interior beam configurations. No two are alike.

Our smaller outbuildings called granaries or corn cribs are quite suitable for studios, home “back yard” offices, home additions and outbuildings such as garden sheds. Granaries and corn cribs tend to be roughly 12 - 16 feet wide and 14 - 20 feet long. There are usually provisions for a small loft, and because they tend to be tall, they offer a ground floor plan with a nice airy feeling about them.

Wagon and carriage barns or “cart houses” range in size  from 18 - 26 feet wide and 30 - 36 feet long. These barns are usually “one and one half” stories tall and have provisions for a loft. They are ideal for garages with studios or guest rooms above, small vacation homes or ”Great Room” additions. They are also a perfect size for  fabulous country kitchens.

Many of our past projects have included the above two barn types, connected together creating a complex similar to the early New England farmstead which permitted the farmer to stay indoors during long winter months, instead of walking outdoors from barn to barn for various chores. Here again, the possible configurations are endless.

The majority of our clients prefer the three bay English Style hay or “threshing barn.” This structure lends itself very nicely to barn home conversion and is capable of multi-level living spaces. It also makes a splendid “Great Room” when building the rest of the home conventionally. These barns range in size from 24 - 36 feet wide and 24 - 50 feet long. The most often utilized size is 30 feet wide and 40 feet long. This barn is the most typical barn you’ll see dotting the Vermont landscape and was the most important barn of any farm.

The larger barns in our inventory average
30 - 40 feet wide and 50 - 100 feet long and tend to be two or three levels high. They are most often utilized for commercial developments or larger homes.

Our inventory is constantly changing and it doesn’t seem to make sense for us to post what is available with the time required to keep it timely. Therefore we ask that you contact us with your intended requirements and we’ll locate a barn that we feel will work for you. We will then keep you posted on recent acquisitions. We are continuously “barn shopping” for people with very specific requirements. We generally are able to locate a requested shape or size fairly quickly.

On a number of occasions we have also fabricated barn frame structures, utilizing antique timbers to very specific sizes and shapes to meet various clients needs. Our own “office” barn was built this way.

We have also experienced an enormous demand for the Wagon Barn Frame configuration which has become the most difficult barn to acquire. Most farms still have them and keep them in use for garages, storage and many have apartments in the lofts above. We now plan to begin fabrication production of these type barns to meet this new demand. If you contact us with your requirements, we’ll give you a quote and information on all available options as well.