Article I've written about a remodel. Part of my real estate SEO services is to write in depth about the homes being sold.

Designers turn a shed into a cozy country room.

by Scott Salwolke

What to do when you have a building on your property that is being underutilized? For one couple the solution was to transform the building completely.

“It had been a metal machine shed,” explains Jim Wiewel, President of Stately-James Homes. “The owners, however, often found themselves having social gatherings here because it was such an open space. They came up with the idea of transforming the building.

“The homeowner wanted something unique and she found the picture of the inside of an old barn or timber frame home with a large fireplace inside. And then she found a picture of a barn she liked and asked if we could make the shed look like that. “

It was up to Jeff Tegeler to come up with a design. For Tegeler there was an added incentive to this project. He has had a lifetime passion for barns and their history. He's saved two barns from being destroyed and is currently restoring a barn that dates back to 1850. Not only did this provide him with a wealth of ideas, he had access to many antiques that would be incorporated into the design.

“I did the design this past November and they began working on it almost at the same time,” Tegeler said.  “We did some tweaking as we went along, but the overall design didn't change that much.”

For the exterior cedar siding was used that had been treated with an oxidation solution. This gave it a properly aged look. In fact, various techniques would be used throughout the process to give the barn the look of something a century old.

Over the doorway a porch was built using a galvanized roof, like they would in the past. One can easily imagine someone tying up their horse to the railing. Up above a hay hood was installed, something most barns in Iowa used to have. The overhead door on the front was covered with a barn door to complete the look of a carriage house. And the entrance was a Dutch door, often used to keep animals out..

Unfortunately even with the alterations, the barn didn't have the desired effect. The problem was the junction boxes coming out of the corner of the house. And the homeowners still needed an outdoor storage space. Since it had been planned to have a fake outhouse outside, this was now used to cover up the utilities.

Although the exterior may hint at what you might find inside, it can't prepare you for the complete effect. It's an amazing union of the past and present. First off is a Great Room that looks like the interior of a log cabin. Any hint of the storage area is hidden behind various facades that resemble something in a barn. Even the required fire door has been hidden away behind a barn door facade.

To the left is an old style masonry fireplace has been built into the wall. A bracket has been installed in front, from which a cooking pot hangs. The mantle for the fireplace is a v notched corner log from a log cabin that dates back to the 1850's.
In the old times barns were built with the bent frames being put together first. Raised by horses the rest of the barn would be built around them. At first it was hoped an antique barn frame could be used, but this proved to be impractical. New frames were built, slightly smaller in scale, but using the same techniques as in the past.

The pine used for the bent frame was first blasted with beads to give them an older look and to reveal the wood grain. While modern building practices would allow for longer beams, this was not how it was done in the past. So a unique joinery system was used, even incorporating the fake pegs.

A plastic laminate was placed over the concrete to give the appearance of it being a wood floor. In the kitchen, however, the floor was built up one step. A yellow pine was used and then scuffed up with saw marks and a floor sander. To complete the effect, actual antique nails are visible in the floorboard.

An actual harvest table is used for the kitchen table, while another antique is the large chopping block. The refrigerator and stove are modern, but their design mimics appliances from the past. A custom built cabinet was also built using designs from the past. So too was the kitchen sink, which is meant to resemble a cast iron wall-hung sink. For lighting jar-style lights hang from the ceiling.

Over the kitchen area is a hay mow or what city folk would call a hay loft. Even here the attention to detail is amazing. The hay bales were taken from an old barn, while the chicken coop was purchased at an antique store. A couple of varmints can be seen among the hay.

Next to the kitchen, the bar area is also a mixture of the old with the new. A table that once might have been a grocery counter looked to be an ideal bar, only it was too short. It was built up and a cabinet was also added to hide away the pizza oven, refrigerator and microwave. The craftsmen who stained the bar were able to successfully match up the old with the new.

Over the liquor cabinet is a small overhang, similar to the porch outside. And the bar stools look to be made out of old wagon parts, including the wagon wheels.

Originally the wall next to the bar was to be the same as the rest of the room. But when there was rock left over from the fireplace it was used here. It gives the effect as if the home was built directly into the hill.

Even the bathroom has been turned into a conversation piece. The door is meant to resemble the door of an outhouse, even to the crescent moon. An antique cabinet was used for the sink. In the past, homeowners would have had only a bowl and a pitcher to put their water in. A vessel sink is used here to create a similar look. For the towel an antique ladder was purchased and now leans against the wall.

With two bedrooms, numerous televisions, a poker table, and such a unique setting, this is a guest house visitors are going to be reluctant to leave.