Living Barns: How to Find and Restore a Barn of Your Own (Schiffer Books)

Across America old barns of all kinds are being imaginatively converted into new spaces in which to live and work. They offer luxuries otherwise scarce at any price today - lofty spaces, sound and intricate construction, and dramatic sunlight and shadow. With over 500 photographs, Lving Barns shows how to get started in reusing these buildings of our past for homes or commercial buildings. This book is an inspiring guide for adaptive restoration, including a survey of the types of barns found across the United States and advice for salvaging barn timber and moving structures. A stunning selection of residential and commercial projects -barns transformed into homes, studios, offices, churches, community centers, theaters, art centers, motor lodges, and the like, are shown. The barns featured range from those almost completely recycled by homeowners, to more ambitious renovations by architects. By preserving barns - whether by reusing original wooden pegs or by recalling the architectural forms in contemporary design - Living Barns shows how we can reclaim a part of our country's heritage and, at the same time, share and honor the spirit that led our ancestors to build with care and pride these unique and splendid structures. Originally published in the 1970s, this classic book has been updated with color photographs, sure to be treasured by architects and preservationists for generations to come.