HOMEOWNERS NEWSLETTER

The Gathering House

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Welcome to The Gathering House created by Yankee Barn Homes in partnership with Home magazine. We extend you a gracious invitation to visit us at this new Show Home in Grantham, New Hampshire.

"So why not start with someone who knows barns and that someone is Yankee Barn Homes. They know barns," said Gale Steves, Editor-in-Chief of Home magazine, who considered building a Yankee Barn for her family many years ago.

"Yankee Barn asked me to work with them to reinvent the barn, to create a home for the 90s to reflect the way people live today using the Yankee Barn designs as a starting point," said Gale.

"It was time to build a new model home, and we were looking for a partner who could move us forward in our design process; keep the tried and true, yet evolve our classic designs to create a home that reflects today's lifestyles, "said Rob Knight, President of Yankee Barn Homes. "We were fortunate to work with Gale. She knew Yankee Barn and understood the barn feel and charm."

"I played the role of the homeowner. I would work with Yankee Barn, consult with them, make changes, discuss problems, and make compromises," said Gale who developed the concept of The Gathering House.

For a new look in the Great Room and to accentuate the barn feel, Gale designed a stacked window wall based on traditional barn transoms, instead of Yankee Barn's hallmark roundtop window.

"We wanted the house to feel like a home not just a showcase. So we created a family for the home - empty nesters who wanted a pre-retirement vacation home for the gathering of three generations of their family and friends."

"As we worked, we would talk about the family and their needs. Each space had its own purpose or multi-purpose as the case might be," said Gale.

Recognizing that homes continue to shrink in square footage, Gale demanded more of the space in the home. She, like many Yankee Barn homeowners, wanted the whole house to be livable with a combination of open gathering spaces and quiet retreats. She wanted to create spaces that are used all the time by the family, not just used for special occasions.

"There was persuasion on both sides. Yankee Barn had a budget, but I pushed my new ideas. We made compromises along the way, but the house was not compromised," said Gale.

While Gale brought new ideas and cutting edge products, interior designer Charles Riley who grew up in New Hampshire brought the home to life with crafts by local artisans represented by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.

"The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen were instrumental in making the house come alive. We achieved a lived in look to the house," said Gale.

"With the help of Gale and Charles, working together with our designers, we created a Yankee Barn that will inspire future homeowners to create their own, " said Tony Hanslin, Chief Executive Officer of Yankee Barn Homes.

The Great Room with its soaring cathedral ceiling, wall of windows, and majestic fireplace provides the perfect backdrop for friends and family. For entertaining large groups, the Great Room connects to a greenhouse through French doors and to the dining room behind a two-sided fireplace and chimney. The kitchen is the center of activity connected to both the Great Room and the dining room and designed to include the cook in the gathering.

For family or quiet time, a soundproofed media room, private computer room/office, balcony, third floor loft, and children’s play area/bunkroom meet the needs of a busy extended family. Guests feel right at home in the two upstairs bedrooms with separate bathrooms, while the heads of the household can retreat to the master bedroom suite located in its own wing.

This is truly a Show Home that didn’t forget the family.

What do you get when you take a tried-and-true Yankee Barn design, unleash a design team, and sprinkle in innovative ideas?

A Show Home that didn’t forget its roots as a barn.

This home is every bit a Yankee Barn—distinctive antique post and beam frame, spectacular window wall, cathedral ceiling, large open living space and intimate lofts —with a 1990s attitude.

The kitchen is designed to be the hub of the house, the place where everyone gathers. The greenhouse serves as both a casual dining area off the kitchen and an extension of the Great Room when entertaining large groups.

"We started with the layout of the existing model which everyone liked, then incorporated feedback from the way our homeowners have been living in their homes," said Russ Prudhomme, Vice President of Operations at Yankee Barn Homes, who had the position of lead designer on this project. "This was certainly an interesting project. Usually there is only one or two homeowners to work with. Here, there was Gale Steves, as well as everyone at Yankee Barn Homes acting like the homeowner, all with good, but different, ideas.

We would take the ideas, bounce them around, and decide which ones to take and run with, while trying to satisfy everyone."

"We took the flexible spaces created by a post and beam frame and translated them into a home design for the way people live today, " said Gale Steves. "We then challenged Yankee Barn Homes to modify elements of their former barn design, for example the signature window and placement of the staircase, the moldings and trim, the color of the house (see Designer Notes, to create a model home for the turn of the century. I am very pleased with it. This is a flexible way to build a house."

Yankee Barn Homes opened their Show Home door to the public through benefit tours for the American Cancer Society. Donations for the tours raised over $2, 000 to help the American Cancer Society bring information and assistance into more New Hampshire homes. In addition to 415 people who toured the home, 165 people attended an opening night reception.

Benefit tours raised over $2, 000 and introduced 580 people to the American Cancer Society.

"This was the perfect marriage between corporate and charitable organizations working together. Everyone benefited, " said Bruce Parsons, President, Kearsarge-Lake Sunapee Unit of American Cancer Society. "People who attended the benefit saw Yankee Barn Homes. People who knew Yankee Barn Homes learned about the American Cancer Society. The benefits went well beyond financial. We raised consciousness about cancer with many people over the two-week period."

During the benefit tours, another local non-profit organization benefited—League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. The crafts selected by interior designer Charles Riley for display in the Yankee Barn Show Home increased awareness of the nearby League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Annual Fair. The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s goal is to support fine craftsmanship through craft education and to provide support and assistance to the independent craftsperson.

Rob Knight and Tony Hanslin from Yankee Barn Homes accept a plaque from Bruce Parsons and Nancy Peck from American Cancer Society.

For information or directions to league shops, call 603-224-3375. For information about American Cancer Society, call 800-640-7101.

While some Yankee Barn home-owners use the model home as a starting point to custom design their own Yankee Barn, others begin with another homeowner’s layout. Then, moving from room to room, the floor plan is modified to meet individual needs. When the design team began work on the new model, they looked first to the existing model, then to the many outstanding variations home-owners have created over the years. Here’s some of what’s new in the new model:

Windows: To accentuate the "barn" exterior, small, square windows were used along the north side and a stacked window wall graces the Great Room gable to the south maximizing solar gain. To add useable space in the Great Room, glass doors to the out-side were eliminated. Traffic is routed through French doors to the green-house then out onto the patio.

Staircase: To improve the traffic pattern through the house, the stair-case was moved away from the chimney and located along the side of the house off the dining room.

Fireplace: The centerpiece in the home is the stone fireplace, now open to both the Great Room and the dining room. The chimney mass is stepped to reduce its mass and to help open up the living space.

Materials and Finishes: A new interior finish was used for the cathedral ceiling. The white painted Southern Yellow pine boards have no knots and give a more formal look. Also, a warm color pallet and fine finish details soften the "ruggedness" of the barn look while keeping the relaxed, informal feel.

For information on any of these design elements, contact the Yankee Barn office at 1-800-258-9786.

Photographs: Jeff McNamara, Suki Coughlin, Stylist: Paula McFarland
©2005 Yankee Barn Homes, Tony Hanslin, Chairman and CEO