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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThese six barns show how restoration can lead to very different outcomes: an event venue, an exhibit space, a home, horse stalls, or continued farm use. The projects range from substantial structural work to an interior conversion, and one barn was still being repaired when photographed. They are individual examples, not cost or timeline estimates for another property.
Lisa Foust Prater’s 2015 photo feature documents six restoration projects across the United States. Its captions offer glimpses of what changed and how each barn was reused, but do not provide construction specifications, code information, or detailed budgets.
Six barns, six different outcomes
| Barn | Work described | Use or status |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio, built in 1895 | Eight-year restoration using period tools and early American construction techniques | Parties and events |
| Maryland Bean Tobacco Barn | Structural damage repaired, new roof installed, red paint applied | Student exhibits and events |
| Iowa, built in 1917 | Straightened; foundation and haymow floor replaced; two lean-tos added | Restored rather than demolished and replaced |
| Virginia cattle shed | Main supporting posts and rafter beams retained; dirt floor leveled; stalls, hayloft extension, and covered overhang added | Four horse stalls |
| 1800s dairy barn | Interior renovation; further construction details not stated in the 2015 article | Home |
| Farm barn for show animals and horses | Cleanup, painting, roof replacement, door and haymow-floor repairs; replacing tie stalls with wooden box stalls was planned | Work underway; pictured after the first coat of paint |
What changed in each restoration
Ohio: an 1895 barn brought back for events
Barb and Jim Rohl began restoring a Pennsylvania-style barn that was barely standing. The eight-year project used period tools and early American construction techniques, according to the feature. The restored building now hosts parties and events. The account does not identify the contractor or specify which structural components were replaced.
Maryland: a tobacco barn repaired for exhibits
The Maryland Bean Tobacco Barn received repairs to structural damage, a new roof, and red paint. Students now use it for exhibits and events. The caption does not give more detail about the damage, materials, or repair methods.
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Iowa: structural work on a 1917 barn
Betsy and Bob Freese reported that restoring their 1917 barn would cost about the same as demolishing it and building a replacement. The article provides no dollar amount or cost breakdown. Its account says the basic work took three months and included straightening the barn, replacing the foundation and haymow floor, and adding two lean-tos. That is one project’s reported experience, not a general cost or schedule benchmark.
Virginia: cattle shed converted for horses
At Susan St. Amand’s home, the former cattle shed was renovated while its main supporting posts and rafter beams were retained. The work included leveling the dirt floor, adding gravel and rubber mats for four stalls, extending the hayloft, and building a covered overhang.
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A dairy barn turned into a home
Lyn Johnson converted an old dairy barn, built in the 1800s, into a home. The feature describes an interior renovation but does not explain the construction, systems, or structural changes involved.
A farm barn still being improved
Taliah Danzinger and her family cleaned up around their barn, started painting, replaced the roof, and repaired doors and haymow floors. They planned to replace tie stalls with wooden box stalls. The image showed the barn after its first coat of paint, so this was work in progress rather than a completed restoration.
What these before-and-after examples can—and cannot—tell you
The range of projects illustrates that a barn’s new use may shape the work: event and exhibit spaces, a home, horse stalls, and farm use all appear in these accounts. The descriptions mention structural repairs, roofing, foundations, floors, paint, and interior changes, but do not establish which approach is right for a different building.
- They are not a cost guide. Only the Iowa account compares restoration with demolition and replacement, and it reports no price or breakdown.
- The timelines are project-specific. The Ohio restoration took eight years; the Iowa barn’s basic work took three months. The feature does not establish typical durations.
- The captions are not technical plans. They do not provide engineering assessments, permits, code requirements, material specifications, or enough information to judge suitability for another property.
- One “after” is incomplete. The Danzinger family’s barn was still being worked on in the pictured state.
For the original photographs and captions, see Lisa Foust Prater’s “Before and After: 6 Restored Barns”, published by Successful Farming’s Living the Country Life on August 10, 2015.
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