Repurposed & Reinvigorated
Through the years, B&D Builders has had the pleasure of designing and building incredible homes, barns, and equestrian estates across the country. One of our most cherished projects is much nearer to our headquarters in southeastern Pennsylvania: a magnificent barn erected in 1873 of Chester County fieldstone. On a property once owned by early 20th century Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, it was built as a traditional two-story bank barn and had initially served as a dairy barn. In later years, the top floor became a storage space for farm implements and hay, while below, horses were kept in stalls that opened onto a stone-walled courtyard. Finally, before B&D reconditioned and revived the structure, it served as storage for materials used to renovate the property’s 1700s farmhouse.
New owners purchased the property in 2007 with an eye toward transforming the barn, which had fallen into some disrepair. As part of a large extended family, the owners were thinking of how they could use the barn for holiday gatherings and events, as a refuge from the busy outside world, as well as a modernized yet rustic space for overnight guests to stay. B&D Builders was recommended to complete the renovation of the barn for its new use while preserving its historic character.
Our years of experience in renovating barns as event and party spaces guided our designs and initiative. Work began in July, and with the owners keen to have the barn ready for Christmas Eve, only five months remained to complete the task. Through careful management and planning, a schedule was made and kept. The renovation involved removing, remilling, and reinstalling the original oak floor; creating several stone and brick fireplaces, a highly customized bar, and dining areas; as well as adding windows to provide ample views of the rolling landscape surrounding the barn while also letting in generous amounts of natural light.
Come along with us as we take a virtual walk through this revitalized barn.
Stately in Stone
As you approach the barn from the drive, your eye is drawn to its incredible exterior stonework. A multitude of hues — deep and pale oranges, olive green, slate blue, bronze, khaki, and auburn — dapple the fieldstone walls, bound by the boldly white mortar holding the palette together. When the project to rejuvenate the barn began, these walls were coated in deteriorating stucco, hiding the careful craftsmanship of the stonemasons who built it generations ago. Once that stucco was chipped away, one of the challenges B&D faced was to seamlessly fix those sections in need of repair or replacement. Today, a meticulous study of the finished exterior shows no signs that these walls weren’t all built at the same time, let alone in different centuries.
Walking up a hardscape path that was once an earthen ramp for wagons to reach the second floor, we’re met with a pair of large double doors, each one beautifully crafted of 20 panes of glass. Sidelights and transoms continue the gridded glass pattern and allow for copious amounts of light to flood the interior. Custom-made by Vintage Millwork & Restoration (VMR), the doors are made of sapele mahogany, with vintage-style hardware in antique bronze. Enormous white barn doors have been slid to each side but may be easily pulled closed over the glass doors in the event of bad weather or for desired privacy.
To the left inside these magnificent doors is Eddie’s Bar, named in tribute to the owner’s late father, who was a warm and gracious host in his own right. Two high-top tables made from authentic Jack Daniel’s barrels are nearby, perfectly complemented with custom swiveling stools made of old cast-iron tractor seats. The bar is backlit to show off metal and glass shelves displaying available spirits, while vintage lamps hang from the rafters above to cast a soft glow onto the oak bar top edged in hammered metal. Even the footrail is forged hand-hammered iron. Nearby floating stairs lead the way to a sitting room above in what used to be an old hayloft.
Leather chairs arranged in the middle of the floor beneath the soaring ceiling above are ready to welcome comfortable conversations about the past, present, and future. The focal point here is the stone fireplace, added during the renovation and constructed of the same fieldstone as the walls. A salvaged beam from the barn’s original framing has been repurposed as the mantel and takes a place of pride above the brick hearth.
Overtop this scene hang three substantial VMR custom chandeliers, lighting the room with more than 150 bulbs adorning metal hoops over 5 feet in diameter. This one-of-a-kind ensemble of lighted pieces perfectly complements the room’s charm and rustic flair.
A bank of south-facing windows overlooks a long dining table that beckons guests to sit and enjoy delicious food, good company, and enchanting views of the room — and the landscape outside. The table has ample room for 14 diners and matches the bar with its oak top and hammered-metal edge. It’s the perfect setting for celebrations, holiday meals, family game nights, crafting, or relaxing with the paper and an early morning coffee.
A Lower Level to Love
Descending the stairway near the dining table, we’re led to the lower floor where horses once sheltered — now home to a pool table and cozy game room with its own fireplace. Custom features abound overhead and along the walls. Shelves, lights, inset cabinets, and an axe-hewn beam-turned-mantel give this space abundant charm. His-and-hers bathrooms are located here, too, with farmhouse-style sinks and custom lighting fixtures.
Steps away down the hall is the kitchen, the heartbeat of any party space. The floor is laid brick; custom cabinets painted in slate blue line the walls. Behind the range, limewashed stone accents the space, lending lightness to the food prep area. Whitewashed faux metal ceiling tile brings an unexpected feeling of urban chic to the room, which works perfectly with the historical motif. The island beneath is oak, with plenty of space to accommodate pots and pans.
Stepping outside and through the courtyard, we reach guest quarters befitting a bridal suite, located in their own wing. The rustic aesthetic continues here with stone walls and a timbered ceiling and floor. Sliding barn doors separate the bedroom from the living area, with a loft above illuminated by wire-caged sconces. To reach the space, a custom-built library ladder is attached to rails, ready to glide into place.
Through the romantic bedroom, the primary bath is like no other. The walk-in shower features walls of stone and tile beneath a vaulted brick ceiling. Stone shelves are built into the corner for shower necessities, and a one-piece bluestone bench fills an alcove near the glass door. Outside the shower, the white oak flooring and ceiling keep the area bright, and repurposed timber from the original barn frames the oversized mirror and a doorjamb that leads back into the bedroom.
Outside, the courtyard calls to those seeking a sun-drenched afternoon of conversation or an evening spent around the built-in firepit centered atop brick and flagstone pathways. A white trellis casts partial shade over a long outdoor table for al fresco dining and is perfectly suited to support flowering vines.
Looking out over the edge of the buttressed stone courtyard wall, the sweeping fields of the farm stretch into the distance beyond the dry-stacked fieldstone wall below. Turning around, we see a cupola perched high above us, straddling the barn like a rider atop their horse, the sun glinting off its seamed metal roof and spire. The main roof is clad in cedar shingles, wearing a weathered patina from the spring rains.
A Heritage of Craftsmanship
Preserving history and honoring the past — while also enjoying the advantages of today’s luxuries — can be difficult to pull off without an experienced team. B&D Builders takes great pride in the work we did for this barn and feel it is a testament to the abilities of our designers, engineers, and craftsmen, the visionaries who make each of our projects a functional work of art to be enjoyed by families for generations. Most of our artisans grew up on farms, around barns, or in woodshops, learning their trades from fathers, grandfathers, and friends who taught them the value of hard, honest work and delivering a finished product that their clients will treasure.
If you have an old barn on your property, it may be ready to take on a second life as an event barn or family gathering place. Talk to the experts at B&D Builders. We’ll take your project from the “What if we…” stage of aspiration to an “I’m so glad we…” completed structure your family will enjoy for years to come.