Recycle or Restore? Giving New Life to Old Barns

Dan and Nan Peterson of Ventura, Iowa weren’t born in barns, but they’ve been living in one for the past four years.

Dan had worked in maintenance at a residential facility for disabled adults. A move into the newly created position of contracts coordinator ended most of his maintenance duties. “I love hands-on type things, and all of a sudden I wasn't doing that kind of work."  

Dan’s yearning for “hands-on” grew during 2003 as he recovered from a surgery. After developing the idea of converting a vacant barn into a house, Dan took up a drafting pencil and turned his idea into plans. He and Nan located two barns with potential, settled on one, and identified the owners.

For a year that’s as far as things went. When Dan returned to work those plans and the names Bob and Mary Wilson languished on a clipboard. But the dream nagged at Dan until he had to do something about it. “I’ve got to get this crazy idea out of my head,” he told Nan. I’m gonna call, they’ll say no, and it will be over.”

“Dan’s” barn was built in the 1930’s by Mary Wilson’s grandfather Howard Elder. Although the farm was eventually leased to tenants, Wilson visited frequently. “As a child my dad kept a pony
and a horse out there. I wasn’t much of a rider. I stayed right on the property with a little half-grown pony.”

The house and outbuildings were in poor condition when Mary and her sister inherited the property, so the family decided to tear most of them down. “The barn was built very well,” she said. “It was so nice we thought it should be left.”

The Wilsons had no plans for the barn, so when Dan Peterson called they were willing to listen. In April of 2004, Dan and Nan became the new owners.

While the wood and brick barn was indeed well built, the task of converting it to a home was immense. The loft held over 60 years worth of chaff and loose hay, while the main floor was coated with dried manure. “My first 80 hours I hauled water from town and pressure sprayed it three times,” Dan said.

Peterson used screw jacks to straighten the sill plate and put studs in the wall every 16 inches. He tore out the original concrete floor and added expanded footings to three corners of the foundation. Posts were used to level the haymow floor.

Damaged siding was removed and a new roof added. The nails had rusted from the planks on the haymow floor, so the boards were screwed down and then covered with plywood. Old cross braces inside were removed. Interior walls support the roofline in some places, while scissor trusses were utilized in others.

Dan stayed fairly true to his original design, but with a few additions. The Petersons’ oldest son Seth helped extensively with the project. “What Dan didn’t think of Seth would think of,” Nan joked.

The barn’s ground level now features a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and large workshop area. The second floor includes the kitchen, dining area, living room and bath. On the third level are three bedrooms and another bath. “We added three dormers to the west to get the square
footage and headroom,” Dan explained.

A new garage was added extending off the northeast corner. A hip roof matches the height of the barn, making space for a basketball court and large recreation and craft rooms.

A deck made of milled utility poles overlooks the farm pond, a large wooded tract, and a restored wetland and prairie complex. “I love my deck,” Nan said.

While the family has lived in “the barn” since November 2005, work on the project is ongoing. “We thought it would be easier to get things done once we moved in, but it wasn’t,” Nan said.

Fortunately, the Peterson’s had help. In addition to Seth, their other children Alicia and Tyler put in many hours, as did Dan’s parents and siblings. Members of the Peterson’s church also assisted, particularly when a fall from the deck left Dan with a broken wrist. “People came out of the woodwork to help finish it up,” Dan said.

The Petersons say they’ve enjoyed the process. “I wanted it to be unique,” Dan said. “I love to trouble-shoot, and I love design work.”

“I think they did a lot of nice things with it,” Mary Wilson said. “We don’t have any regrets at all.”

Pieces of History
Others would prefer to see aging barns preserved for their historic and aesthetic value. Jacqueline Andre Schmeal grew up on the Iowa State University campus, where her father was Dean of Agriculture. She now resides in Houston, but still values her home state’s farming
heritage. “Some of us with Iowa roots would come back and see the barns going,” Schmeal said, “and no one was doing anything about it.”

In 1997, Schmeal helped form the Iowa Barn Foundation. The all-volunteer, nonprofit group raises money to help owners restore barns with architectural or historical significance. “The Iowa Barn Foundation is into restoring barns as closely as possible to original, if possible for agricultural purposes,” explained Schmeal, the organization’s president.

The foundation provides grants for up to half the cost of approved restoration work with a $10,000 maximum, explained Treasurer Don Geiger. To date the foundation has paid 103 grants totaling about $875,000.

“Our goal is to make Iowa a beautiful outdoor museum,” Schmeal said. “I have not had anyone regret spending the money. People have really put their hearts in their barns.

Split Decision
The Haugen family has owned their farm near Leland, Iowa for nearly a century. The original 54’x26’x27’ barn, which dated to the late 1800’s, was neither large nor tall enough for owner Peter Haugen. In 1924, using plans he found in a book, Haugen cut his barn in half down the length of the peak with a hand saw. He separated the halves using horses and poles, and then
added a center section to rejoin them.

The resulting 54’x46’x38’ structure was home to horses, milk cows and finally beef cattle until Peter’s son Truman died in 1994. The Haugens sold their cattle shortly thereafter, and the barn sat mostly unused.

Over time the building deteriorated. The north end slipped off the foundation, placing a significant bow in the wall. The entire barn shifted as a result, opening large gaps in the siding.
The roof began to leak, rotting the underlying wood.

Truman’s wife Marlys lived on the farm but knew eventually she’d move to town, making way for her son Kim and his family. She asked him if they should try to salvage the barn. “I guess I’d like
to see the barn saved,” he told her.

Kim and his wife Vineta felt the barn gave the place character and a sense of history. “In 1924 the house wasn’t the main part of the farm,” Kim said. “It was the barn.” He also felt a personal
connection to the old building. “Some of the best memories and talks Dad and I had were out in the barn working.”

The family applied for and received a $10,000 grant from the Iowa Barn Foundation. Combining those funds with their own allowed the Haugens to hire a contractor specializing in barn straightening.

The contractor reinforced the bowed wall with new lumber and steel plates. Iron rods with turnbuckles were added to straighten and support the barn. Old layers of wooden and asphalt shingles were removed, damaged wood replaced and a new roof put on.

“We insisted that the cupola be put back up,” Marlys said. “It wouldn’t have been a barn without the cupola.”

The Haugens now use the barn to raise pheasants for the game preserve industry. Restoring the building was not a matter of practicality, however. “We could have had a nice Morton
building,” Kim said.

“But it wouldn’t be the same,” added Vineta, finishing his thought. “It was the only right thing to do.”

“I’m proud of that barn,” said Marlys. “I’m proud of this house.”

The Haugens put their pride on display each year. The Iowa Barn Foundation organizes tours of the barns they’ve helped restore. The family enjoys the opportunity to share the story of their
barn, and to hear stories of barns their visitors remember. “They come from all over,” Kim said.

Build It and They Will Come
Tours notwithstanding, the Haugen barn isn’t the most famous in Leland. That honor belongs to the 1914 Ambroson barn. Although owner Jim Ambroson chose not to utilize an Iowa Barn Foundation grant, the organization played a roll in saving the structure.

Five generations of Ambrosons tended livestock in the barn. “It was a Grade A dairy,” recalled Jim. “Grandpa sold milk to local stores in 10-gallon milk containers.”

When the family quit the dairy business the barn was renovated to accommodate hogs and machinery. Both took their toll. When Jim quit farming in the mid 1990’s the barn was almost beyond hope.

“We went out there several times with intentions of burning it down, but Dad (Robert Ambroson) grew up on this farm and he couldn’t light the fire.”

In the fall of 2003 Jim took an Iowa Barn Foundation tour. “Every barn you went to you could just see the pride in it.” Viewing the restored structures motivated him to take another look at his
own barn. “The next weekend I bought a lot of jacks and chains and comealongs, straightening things that were about ready to snap, doing what I had to just to preserve the structure of it.”

The barn needed more than just straightening. The stone foundation was crumbling, many of the studs had been broken and spliced numerous times, and the roof was in poor shape.
“There were three or four places where I could stand and stick my head through the holes.”

After hiring a contractor to jack the barn up, pour a new concrete foundation and repair the roof, Jim leveled floors, replaced old wood, and rebuilt much of the interior structure using materials salvaged from other barns. “I’ve got two years of my life in there,” he said.

Like the Petersons and Haugens, Jim does not regret the effort or expense. Although the barn no longer holds hay or livestock, having a reminder of the times when it did is meaningful to the
Ambroson family. “There’s always a different memory,” Jim said.

The barn is figuring in new memories as well. The Ambrosons played host to a Christmas Eve church service for five years in a row before taking a break last year. They’ve also had a brush with celebrity.

Actor Kevin Costner is a member of the band Modern West. Fellow band member John Coinman’s wife has family ties to Leland, and Coinman wrote a song about the little town. The connection led Modern West to perform in Leland during January 2008, with the Ambroson barn serving as the primary venue.

Jim never imagined the restoration would lead to an interview on Entertainment Tonight. “I just wanted to do it,” he said. “I never intended it for church or Kevin Costner or anything. That’s
just the bonus to the whole thing.”

Don’t Try This at Home- Without a Good Plan!
Many acreages were once working farms. Barns were usually the best-built structures on the property. Large or unusually designed barns make an acreage distinctive and are often well-known landmarks for the entire neighborhood.

Unfortunately, these large structures have frequently outlived their original purposes. Many have been extensively renovated (i.e. gutted) to meet the changing needs of the farmer. Often
the buildings were replaced with modern structures, and in many cases those not torn down were poorly maintained once they were no longer needed.

Today’s acreage owner might want to repair such buildings for agricultural purposes, for storage, to house a business or even as living space. While all are possible, owners should think carefully before investing.

When Dan and Nan Peterson decided to build their barn home, they quickly discovered funding options were limited. Banks were unwilling to finance “unconventional” construction, and since
the project did not maintain the historical integrity of the original structure opportunities for grants were limited.

“Remodeling is a lot more time consuming than building new,” Dan said. “If you don’t have the manpower, it could be difficult.”

“You need lots of help, or lots of money,” Nan added.

While the Peterson’s were not wealthy, they did have other assets they could use to help finance the project. Both Dan and his son Seth had significant construction knowledge and experience. Best of all, the Peterson’s had many relatives and friends who were willing to help.

Kim Haugen considered trying to straighten his barn alone. Working with the Iowa Barn Foundation allowed the Haugens to hire a contractor specializing in barn restorations. “They thought of things we never would have,” Kim said.

While most states don’t have a private organization such as the barn foundation, many states and localities have historical grant programs. State and federal tax credits are available in many cases.

While such programs can be beneficial to many owners, they aren’t right for everyone. Depending on the organization there may be restrictions on construction materials or methods,
alterations to the structure, or uses for the building after completion.

At this point Ambroson has no specific plans for his barn, but he chose to keep his options open. As the owner of a cabinetry business and with an understanding of construction techniques, he had a good idea going in what his barn would require and how much it would cost.

“I tried not to think of all the work that had to be done,” Jim said, “just a tidbit at a time until I got past the point of no return.”

Ambroson cautions that barn owners without construction knowledge, adequate funds and ample free time could easily get into a project they were unable to finish. “It takes an extraordinary amount of work to get it done.”

Any renovation should start at the bottom, move to the top, and end in the middle. “The roof and the foundation are the main things,” Jim said. He advises owners to think the project through before beginning. “Do some major planning. Talk to experts.”

For more information about the Iowa Barn Foundation, go to http://www.iowabarnfoundation.org.

Readers from other states with an interest in barn restoration might start by contacting their
state or local historical societies. Those considering a non-historical renovation should consult a contractor experienced in extensive remodeling.