Houzz Tour: You’ve Never Seen a Barn Conversion Like This Before
A family of four converted an 80-year-old barn into a warm, cosy home with a one-of-a-kind exposed interior roof frame
Mitchell Parker
29 August 2019
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
As a child playing in the hayloft of his parents’ dusty 80-year-old barn in Medina, Ohio, Andrew Towne never imagined that one day he would convert the space into a stunning modern home for himself and his then school friend Crystal Madrilejos. But decades later, that’s exactly what happened.
Barn at a Glance
Who lives here? Crystal Madrilejos, vice president of creative strategy at Tenlo, a marketing agency; Andrew Towne, a stay-at-home dad and soon-to-be Montessori teacher; and their two children, Quil, 9, and Ellis, 6
Location Medina, Ohio
Size Three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms; 297 sq m
Designer-builders Tim Franklin of Franklin & Associates and project manager Chris Weitzel-Janca
Photos by Brian Corrigan Photography
Before The barn, shown here before the renovation, was built in 1937 and sits on Towne’s parents’ 50-acre property, which also includes an old farmhouse. After college, Towne and Madrilejos, who met in primary school and dated in secondary school, returned to Medina in 2008, got married and moved into the farmhouse. Two kids and nearly 10 years later, they realised their growing family had outgrown the farmhouse, and they began planning the barn conversion in 2015.
The farmhouse had been added to so much over the years, Towne says, that expanding it again would have removed any character that remained. Building new was also out of the question. Many parts of the property flood, and running new utilities would have been more than the couple could afford. Besides, converting a barn is just cooler.
The couple searched Houzz for help and found Tim Franklin, who had worked on several barn conversions over the years. “Tim’s profile on Houzz was compelling, because we knew he’d done it before,” Towne says.
Watch now See on Houzz TV how this barn conversion came together
Who lives here? Crystal Madrilejos, vice president of creative strategy at Tenlo, a marketing agency; Andrew Towne, a stay-at-home dad and soon-to-be Montessori teacher; and their two children, Quil, 9, and Ellis, 6
Location Medina, Ohio
Size Three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms; 297 sq m
Designer-builders Tim Franklin of Franklin & Associates and project manager Chris Weitzel-Janca
Photos by Brian Corrigan Photography
Before The barn, shown here before the renovation, was built in 1937 and sits on Towne’s parents’ 50-acre property, which also includes an old farmhouse. After college, Towne and Madrilejos, who met in primary school and dated in secondary school, returned to Medina in 2008, got married and moved into the farmhouse. Two kids and nearly 10 years later, they realised their growing family had outgrown the farmhouse, and they began planning the barn conversion in 2015.
The farmhouse had been added to so much over the years, Towne says, that expanding it again would have removed any character that remained. Building new was also out of the question. Many parts of the property flood, and running new utilities would have been more than the couple could afford. Besides, converting a barn is just cooler.
The couple searched Houzz for help and found Tim Franklin, who had worked on several barn conversions over the years. “Tim’s profile on Houzz was compelling, because we knew he’d done it before,” Towne says.
Watch now See on Houzz TV how this barn conversion came together
After Franklin began by assessing the structural integrity of the barn, looking for any rot or foundation problems. Once he was confident the building could be converted, he got to work on the design drawings. To help him determine what direction to go in, he had Towne and Madrilejos create Houzz ideabooks with inspiration photos for various rooms in the house. Franklin then studied these photos, looking for design trends. “Those are my cues to start floorplans and elevations,” he says.
He found the couple gravitated towards a clean, Scandinavian look with warm and rustic elements. He added several new windows to bring in plenty of light and built a new roof over the existing one to preserve the unique exposed framing that’s now the highlight of the interior.
The upper portion of the exterior is cedar lap siding in a custom stain. The lower level is concrete block, also in a custom stain.
He found the couple gravitated towards a clean, Scandinavian look with warm and rustic elements. He added several new windows to bring in plenty of light and built a new roof over the existing one to preserve the unique exposed framing that’s now the highlight of the interior.
The upper portion of the exterior is cedar lap siding in a custom stain. The lower level is concrete block, also in a custom stain.
This photo, taken from over the ledge of a lofted TV room, shows the layout of the second floor of the converted barn. The open-plan space includes a living area near the windows, a workspace in the far-right corner, a dining area and a kitchen, which sits below the loft.
The ground floor contains the bedrooms and main bathrooms.
The framing’s construction is rare, Franklin says. Most people who built barns 80 years ago wanted to get the work done cheaply and quickly to store their animals, grain and equipment. With Towne and Madrilejos’ barn, though, Franklin says someone really took time and had a deep understanding of engineering. “It’s so much more work than a standard barn,” he says. “That ceiling is gorgeous. It’s a rare and special framing.”
Towne says all he knows about the builder of the barn is that the person was a veteran who used it strictly for horses and storage. “The framing is definitely interesting,” Towne says. “We have many self-professed barn enthusiasts here, and everyone says they’ve never seen framing like this.”
To preserve the exposed framing, Franklin plasterboarded halfway up the walls to hide mechanicals and plumbing, and left the roof open. He then added insulation over the existing roof and built a new roof over that. “This is a one-of-a-kind barn home, and it will never be duplicated,” he says.
The ground floor contains the bedrooms and main bathrooms.
The framing’s construction is rare, Franklin says. Most people who built barns 80 years ago wanted to get the work done cheaply and quickly to store their animals, grain and equipment. With Towne and Madrilejos’ barn, though, Franklin says someone really took time and had a deep understanding of engineering. “It’s so much more work than a standard barn,” he says. “That ceiling is gorgeous. It’s a rare and special framing.”
Towne says all he knows about the builder of the barn is that the person was a veteran who used it strictly for horses and storage. “The framing is definitely interesting,” Towne says. “We have many self-professed barn enthusiasts here, and everyone says they’ve never seen framing like this.”
To preserve the exposed framing, Franklin plasterboarded halfway up the walls to hide mechanicals and plumbing, and left the roof open. He then added insulation over the existing roof and built a new roof over that. “This is a one-of-a-kind barn home, and it will never be duplicated,” he says.
Madrilejos and Towne, seen here with their children – Ellis, left, and Quil – chose the light fixtures, furniture and décor, and bought many items from the Houzz Shop. “In our heads, our house was white, wood, black and green, mainly through plants, but our island cabinets also are a dark green colour,” Towne says.
“We wanted the living room to be connected to the rest of the space, but still be its own area,” he says. “It’s obviously a very open concept, so that wasn’t too difficult. We also knew we wanted the couch facing the big back windows to take advantage of the view. It’s essentially a hangout, talking, reading and lounging area, as the only TV we have is up in the loft.”
The spiral staircase behind the sofa leads up to the loft.
Watch now Go inside this amazing converted barn home
“We wanted the living room to be connected to the rest of the space, but still be its own area,” he says. “It’s obviously a very open concept, so that wasn’t too difficult. We also knew we wanted the couch facing the big back windows to take advantage of the view. It’s essentially a hangout, talking, reading and lounging area, as the only TV we have is up in the loft.”
The spiral staircase behind the sofa leads up to the loft.
Watch now Go inside this amazing converted barn home
A mix of pendants and track lights illuminate the home. Franklin didn’t install the track lighting at the peak, so the homeowners could access them if needs be. All the lights are dimmable LEDs that shouldn’t need replacing anytime soon. Should a light need to be changed, a ladder and extension tool will be required.
Kabino sideboard in white, Normann Copenhagen.
Kabino sideboard in white, Normann Copenhagen.
The verdant acreage surrounding the home competes with the stunning roof framing for attention. The diagonally laid wood floors are original.
Looking for someone to help with your project? Find the expert you need in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Looking for someone to help with your project? Find the expert you need in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
This view shows how the loft helps to enclose the kitchen to bring it down to scale and to support lighting.
The kitchen cabinets are birch with a subtle matt finish. The island is also birch, painted dark green. The island worktop is wood, and the perimeter worktop and 4in splashback are soapstone.
This view from the kitchen shows the stunning interior structure, as well as the surrounding farmland.
Watch now Don’t miss this barn-conversion video on Houzz TV
Watch now Don’t miss this barn-conversion video on Houzz TV
When they were kids, Towne and his brother used to play using a basketball hoop in the original barn. As a gift, Madrilejos bought Towne a mounted hoop once the house was done, and they had it installed near the dining table. The couple and their kids use 7in foam dodgeballs that don’t bounce around as much as normal basketballs.
Towne rigged up a pulley system (not shown) that raises the dining table light out of the way of bouncing balls.
Ballgames aside, sound travels quite far around the voluminous second floor of the home. “There’s not necessarily an echo, but it’s a loud house, no doubt,” Towne says.
Ballgames aside, sound travels quite far around the voluminous second floor of the home. “There’s not necessarily an echo, but it’s a loud house, no doubt,” Towne says.
The original track that was used to bring hay bales into the barn is still attached to the roof peak. Several ceiling fans help to circulate the air.
There’s one air-conditioning unit downstairs and two upstairs. “The barn is really well insulated, so even on the hottest days it cools down quickly, and it’s very rare we have to run all three all day,” Towne says. “The way the barn was initially designed, the first level naturally stays pretty cool as is.”
There’s also radiant heating on the concrete ground level. Upstairs are radiators. “We’ve only been in here one winter, but it was great, and honestly it costs about as much as it did to heat that little farmhouse we used to live in,” Towne says.
There’s one air-conditioning unit downstairs and two upstairs. “The barn is really well insulated, so even on the hottest days it cools down quickly, and it’s very rare we have to run all three all day,” Towne says. “The way the barn was initially designed, the first level naturally stays pretty cool as is.”
There’s also radiant heating on the concrete ground level. Upstairs are radiators. “We’ve only been in here one winter, but it was great, and honestly it costs about as much as it did to heat that little farmhouse we used to live in,” Towne says.
A large floating staircase is the first thing you see when you enter the home through the ground-floor main entrance. It’s meant to encourage guests to head upstairs, where the action is. The hallways to the left and right of the stairs lead to the bedrooms and bathrooms.
“It’s pretty simple down there,” Towne says. “We knew we didn’t want big bedrooms and bathrooms. We don’t hang out in our bedrooms.”
“It’s pretty simple down there,” Towne says. “We knew we didn’t want big bedrooms and bathrooms. We don’t hang out in our bedrooms.”
A bench and coat hooks turn a corner off the entrance into a makeshift boot room.
Wooden bench, LeisureMod.
Wooden bench, LeisureMod.
Before The original barn was non-banked, meaning it didn’t have banked access to the second floor from the ground.
After Franklin built a bank into the side of the barn using limestone, dirt and grass. This gives the family direct access to the outdoors from the second floor.
The latest activity the family has been enjoying on the property is catching crawfish in the stream. “I mowed a walking path through the fields that allows us to go further when the grass gets tall and the fear of ticks looms,” Towne says. “The kids have a few decent climbing trees they frequent as well.
“It feels as if I’ve been running around in the same fields for 20-something years. After high school, I moved away, and I thought I’d stay away,” he adds. “I never thought I’d come back home and build something I knew I was going to be in forever.”
“I feel really proud of it,” Madrilejos says.
Watch now See more of this stunning barn-conversion home
Tell us…
What do you think of this barn conversion? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
“It feels as if I’ve been running around in the same fields for 20-something years. After high school, I moved away, and I thought I’d stay away,” he adds. “I never thought I’d come back home and build something I knew I was going to be in forever.”
“I feel really proud of it,” Madrilejos says.
Watch now See more of this stunning barn-conversion home
Tell us…
What do you think of this barn conversion? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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Gorgeous except I would have liked to see a more colourful or impressive kitchen
Beautiful
Unique ! 👏🏾