Services
Barns and outbuildings
A barn was built to hold hay and carts, not to be lived in. Keeping it standing, and sometimes making it useful again, are two different jobs.
We start with the frame: sills, posts, braces and the foundation under them. Once it's sound, the barn can stay a barn or become a workshop, a studio or a guest room. We tell you what each costs before you decide.
What's included
Frame stabilised: sills, posts, braces and bents
Floors and framing strengthened for new use
Foundation and drainage corrected
Doors, windows and siding repaired
Conversion to a workshop, studio or guest space, with permits
Cost
What changes the cost
No figure here, because the building sets it. These are the things that move it.
What the barn is for
A barn that stays a barn needs the frame; one that becomes living space needs insulation, services and an egress plan.
The frame
Timber frames vary from sound to sagging. The survey sorts them.
Permits and zoning
Converting a barn to living space changes how the town sees it.
Services
Power, water and heat to a building that has none are often the largest single piece.
How it goes
The work, in order
- 01
Step 1: Survey the frame
We measure, probe and photograph every post and sill.
- 02
Step 2: Stabilise
Shoring, sill repair and foundation work come first.
- 03
Step 3: Decide the use
With the frame sound, you decide what the barn is for.
- 04
Step 4: Finish
Floors, openings and services follow, in the order that the building needs.
Questions about this work
Can any barn be turned into a place to live?
Not always. Zoning, access and the frame decide it. The survey says what's possible and what the town is likely to ask.
Do you build new barns?
No. We restore and convert the ones that exist.
Start with the survey
Tell us about the building and we'll write back about a date.