LOVE this barn & the STONE HOUSE it shares land with… rustic with an urban twist. Well done.

 ** Click HERE for more BARNS we Love!! **

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As most of you know I live {and run the Cactus Creek STORE} in a beautiful little river town just outside of Kansas City, Missouri, called Weston MO.  We’ve lived here for almost 9 years now and I can’t imagine living any other place on earth.  During the week it’s like Mayberry… everyone knows everyone, the charming old buildings and sidewalks hold a wealth of history, and the surrounding hills and peaceful countryside lures Sunday drivers and motorcyclists all year long.  

On the weekends Weston is teeming with people from the city, other states and nations…. I’ve met people from all over the world, from every social class, and have heard some amazing stories, all just sitting on my perch in the store.  In addition to a Main Street full of mom & pop shops, each one different and unique, we also have talented chefs, award winning wineries, charming B&Bs, and a pub unlike any other in the world {five stories underground in a cave!!}.

So I’ve gone on and on about the merits of the little town of Weston MO, but they extend outside our city limits which is really what this post is all about.  In the green hills of Weston we have several operating farms that draw travelers from near and far.  One of these great places is Green Dirt Farm.  In addition to raising sheep, they also make their own award winning cheeses, and offer monthly dinners with guest chefs from around the Midwest.  These dinners are often sold out a year in advance and for good reason.  Diners drive through the countryside, over a bridge, and down a winding gravel road to end up at the exquisite barn {above}.  As they sit at the barnwood tables, dripping with candle light and fine china, the setting sun shoots light through the salvaged stain glass window.  They dine on fresh cheeses, choice wines, and meals planned specifically for these nights.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Green Dirt Farm for the first time and I was overwhelmed with the peaceful beauty, jetted with urban details like the owner’s home {above}, and the sophisticated events that are quickly making Green Dirt Farm a much-desired-place to be.

{All images via Home in the Northland via Brad Austin}

** Click HERE for more BARNS we LOVE!! **

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We had the greatest treasure roll into the Cactus Creek Store this week ~ Barn vents from an 1800′s barn with original star architectural detailing.  They are in superior condition and truly a piece of American history. 

With the life of the American farmer changing in so many ways… the rising of more efficient metal barns, the affects of technology, and also many people leaving their lives on the land and moving inward, there acres of barns stocked full of “JUNK”. 

Of course it’s not really junk, not a bit of it.  Almost every piece of an old barn can be reclaimed and incorporated into our twenty-first century homes.  From tractor seats to well-worn timbers, the trend of moving relics from BARNS to the BURBS is all about embracing our American history and breathing new life into something no longer used…

Recycle * Repurpose * RE~LOVE

This idea will be featured this morning on the Junk in my Trunk Radio Show {JIMT} which airs every Monday, Thursday & Saturday from 10am till 11am on Kansas City’s 1140am KCXL & 1160am KCTO. You can also LISTEN LIVE on the Internet… visit JunkMafia.com and click on the Little Red Radio.

** Click HERE for more JIMT ideas!! **

INSPIRATION Pics & LINKS to just a few of the hundreds of online sources for barn~inspired decor…

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** More images of INTERIOR Sliding BARN DOORS Here **

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** Click HERE for BARN HOUSES we LOVE!! **

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I found this Modern Barn House in an old idea folder today ~ it’s a tear out from a June 2007  House & Garden Magazine.  I love collecting images of Barn Houses, and this minimalist take on a Tobacco Barn is the perfect combination of rustic and clean.

Poplar siding slats were spaced an inch apart to mimic the look of the old tobacco barns.  We have a lot of Tobacco Barns here in Weston MO and this house is a lovely homage to those historical structures.

There are so many things about this space that I love, from the concrete floors to the barnwood walls.  The pops of color keep it from getting heavy, and the industrial lights keep the space from getting too serious. {I’m not sure where these lights came from but our friends at Barn Light Electric Company could certainly fill the need for these in any home or business.} 

 The architect, Garrett Finney, also kept things light by painting a white band around the living room using metallic paint.  Magnetic letters attach to the white band and allow the home owners to keep things personalized and appropriate for the season, mood or house guests.

Simple * Clean * Rustic * Vibrant
The perfect approach to a Modern Barn House.

{Images from House & Garden Magazine, Photographer Jason Schmidt}

** Click HERE for more Barn Houses we Love **

** Click HERE for a Modern Lodge Dining Room **

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“Close that door… Do you think you live in a BARN??”
I know it’s cliche but it’s very true, I would love to be able to say that we do, indeed, live in a barn.  Y’all have heard this from me before so to prevent being ‘all talk and no action’ it’s time to start doing some real research on BUILDING a BARN HOUSE.  The co-owner of Sand Creek Post & Beam, Jule Goeller, was generous enough to chat with me a couple of weeks ago and give me some insight on how to get started on this journey…

Let’s start by learning more about Sand Creek Post & Beam.  Located in offices in Wayne, Nebraska, Sand Creek is a small company that is really just getting started, but they’ve come a looong way in a short time, a testament to the style, concept and quality of their barns… 

Faced with an opportunity to move back to Jule’s family’s farmstead in 2004, Jule and her husband Len Dickinson saw a brilliant opportunity to not only re-furbish and move into her great grandparents home; it was also an opportunity to find a new venture and life’s passion.  The idea for building barns was borne from driving through the countryside and noticing that professional farmers were no longer using the original barns with aged wood and rusty tin roofs.  And when building new barns farmers are using the practical metal structures that are becoming so prevalent out in the country, thus giving the rolling hills of the midwest all of the charm of an industrial park.

After realizing that they were not the only ones charmed by early Americana barns and their wormy histories, Jule and Len began to research how they could resurrect new barns with all of the character of days gone by.  After researching the history of barns, and also what people were looking for now, the idea began to form to build barns for hobby farmers and horse owners that were inspired by barns from the good old days.  By April of 2005 they had found experts in the field, posted their first ad, and set upon creating a new company wherein they would create lasting legacies on family farms and ranches through traditional styled post & timber barns. 

Uses for Sand Creek barns are varied… from hobby farmers who are using the barns for their goats or miniature cattle, to people using them for a store front, and of course turning them into all types of living quarters {from minimal hunting lodges to homes used for full time living}.

The two biggest trends they’ve noticed is the increase in the number of people using the barns for living quarters, also that the size of barns people are ordering seems to be getting bigger.  In fact the average sale has probably doubled in price, while prices have not gone up.  These trends both seem to be in sharp contrast to the current state of our economy and the changes everyone seems to be making to their lifestyles…. or maybe it’s not a contrast at all.  From 9-11 when we all began to focus more on the family, until now in the midst of an economic downturn, we are all embracing the concept of “getting back to our roots”, for many that means moving out of the big city and saying goodbye to the complexities of suburban culture. 

Let’s get to the nitty gritty and the reason we are here today… how do we get started in the process of building and moving into a barn house??

1.  Gather Information.  Order catalogs from dealers, there are several companies that can build custom barns that can be used for living.  The catalog from Sand Creek Post & Beam offers beautiful pictures of all your options, an explanation about the process of ordering a barn, plus a price list for getting started.  Jule encourages potential customers to learn all they can about the company, ask lots of questions, and know all of your options.

2. Place your Order.  Once you have chosen the style and size of barn that you want to use as a starting point you place your order with Sand Creek by giving them a down payment {20%}.

3. The First Draft.  A customer will usually see the first draft of their barn on paper within two weeks of placing their order.

4. Options.  It is typical to NOT decide all of the details right up front.  Clients immediately begin working with the design team on options like dormers, lean-to’s, roof pitch; plus options that will convert the barn into a home ~ insulation, residential doors and windows.  The client is able to see the plans in 3-D and make changes as they work with the designers. 

5. From the paper to the plant.  Once the client is 100% satisfied with the drawing of their barn they pay a progress payment {50% of final cost} and the design goes to the plant where Sand Creek’s builders begin to work on gathering the components that will take the barn from a quiet dream to a family’s barn.  In fact the client can even travel to Nebraska and watch their barn being laid out on the plant floor,  or watch their cupola being built.  Each component is put together, numbered, then taken apart and shipped as a kit with instructions for the builder on how to put it back together.

6. The kit arrives.  If you work with Sand Creek then you can expect your barn kit to arrive to your property 60 to 90 days from final approval.  No barns are kept in stock, each one is custom made for the client.  Once the kit arrives then it is turned over to the client and the raising of the barn commences, usually under the supervision of an experienced builder.

7. I don’t wanna build it.  No problem for Sand Creek customers.  Some clients are looking for a turn key barn in which case Sand Creek acts as the general contractor and uses a builder from their network of craftsmen to put the kit together for the client. 

** Please keep in mind that ordering the barn is a small part of building a homestead, there is land to buy, permits to gain, electricity to run, a foundation to pour, and plumbing to install.  And that’s just the beginning…

** To learn more about Sand Creek visit their website HERE, or you may request a Catalog HERE.

 One of the things that Sand Creek prides itself on is that they are very green builders and they use no chemicals to treat their wood.  Even sweeter??  Sand Creek donates 10 trees through the Arbor Day Foundation on behalf of each of their customers.  Their goal is to give the customers what they want while being kind to the earth.

BTW… For those of you who live in Kansas City, Sand Creek is building the new barn at Deanna Rose Farm.  It’s going to be something very special… check out the construction BELOW…

 ** Click HERE for more Barn Houses we LOVE **

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The hubby and I have fantasies of eventually building a home out in the country… {don’t we all??}.  We share land with my out~laws
{100 acres of rolling hills & untouchable beauty},
it’s just a matter of figuring out how to get out of our house in town, and out to the farm…  In the meantime we do quite a bit of dreaming about what we will build when the time comes.

We have often considered building our dream home within the frame of a barn…  Here are some of the photos and websites that I have been collecting ~ I plan to update this post whenever I find a new source of inspiration so if you are interested then bookmark it now. 
Also, please share any sources you have as well!! 
{We’ll take any help we can get}

{I found this source on a blog that I stumbled across today called Barnhouse Modern.  I can tell already that it will be a great source of inspiration…  Love it!!}

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Every June Architectural Digest publishes an issue dedicated to the romantic and rugged aesthetic that has come to be known as American Country Houses.  The photography is breathtaking and the designs inspirational.  I highly recommend that you run out immediately and purchase this issue – until then here is a sneak peek… Enjoy!!

{ABOVE - Architectural Digest Cover, June 2008 – Photograph by Richard Mandelkorn} 

This dining room took my breath away – the classic design with colors that blend masterly with the accompanied view of raw desert land is perfection… 

{ABOVE - Architectural Digest , June 2008 – Ted Turner’s Armendaris Ranch – Photographs by Robert Reck}

{ABOVE - Architectural Digest , June 2008 – Deer Cabin Reverie – Photograph by David O. Marlow}

{ABOVE - Architectural Digest , June 2008 – Farmhouse Abstraction – Photographs by Scott Frances}

So this is it, the home/barn that I’ve imagined for the past 12 years… someday something similiar {probably not this grand, but ever bit this AWESOME} will sit on the hill that my hubby & I have picked out.  Until then I will look at this picture and know what I am working for.

{ABOVE - Architectural Digest , June 2008 – Conneticut Barn – Photographs by Scott Frances}

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