Day to Day In a Yankee Barn Build vs Magazine Photo Life
If you’re like many of us, you enjoy the occasional flip through a home magazine. Everything from the latest in home designs (inside and out) to the newest concepts in interior decorating are there. What’s not to love about seeing gorgeous decor and gorgeous homes in gorgeous settings? For one thing; reality. Let’s face it, most of us do not live in a house like the ones shown in magazines, or if we do, everyday life does not resemble those glossy pages. What about the parts of the home you can’t see? How good is the insulation? Does the traffic pattern work? Do the windows open and close smoothly? Are they energy efficient?
I will use myself as an example as I live in a Yankee Barn Home (carriage house) that has been featured in magazines. I sometimes look at my home’s magazine pictures and laugh because there’s no way my house looks like those gorgeous photos on a day-to-day basis. Far from it. But is is ALWAYS efficient and draft-free!
Note: As you can easily tell, none of these photos were professionally staged or taken.
Daily Life in a Yankee Barn Build
Admittedly, some people live in homes that could be photographed on a moment’s notice. I’m not one of those people and believe I’m in the majority. Most of us would need a day-long (or more) prep session before allowing a magazine to photograph.
The good news is any Yankee Barn build is suitable for both. You can live your real life, where things get messy, and still have a gorgeous home. I’ve lived in a Yankee Barn build for 15 years and believe me, the house has seen everyday life in action, including pets and nasty weather; the kind that challenges even the best systems.
Exquisite, Yet Touchable
Yankee Barn homes are built to stand up to the most destructive of forces, whether that be external elements or humans. None of us build a new home (or buy one) with the intent to destroy it. However, if I’m being truthful, it can’t be helped (unless you live in a bubble). We track dirt, break things and get fingerprints on everything. While a Yankee Barn is not going to stop the dirt or fingerprints, it does hold up extremely well to everything we and Mother Nature throw at it.
The external elements are no match for a Yankee Barn. Mine has withstood an earthquake, years of wild Nor’easters’ with winds sometimes exceeding 80 mph and several hurricanes. Even the occasional tree limb flying through the air and thwacking the house hasn’t hurt it. All systems not only remain intact, but work as efficiently as the day we moved in. I attribute this to the amazing energy efficiency every wall and roof panel a Yankee Barn build has and the system’s structural integrity. No matter the size of the home.
Life In a YBH Is Good
In conclusion, what I’d like you to know is this: living in a Yankee Barn has been (by far) the most efficient and solid home I’ve lived in since childhood. I grew up in an older New England farmhouse built in the 1840’s. That was a SOLID house, complete with lath and horsehair plaster walls and a slate roof. But I have to say, my Yankee Barn build beats that wonderful farmhouse. Particularly when it comes to lack of drafts and heating efficiency. It also has a leg up on curb appeal. You’d be hard pressed to find an unappealing Yankee Barn. In my opinion, one doesn’t exist. Even when it looks like mine does in these photos. Chaos reigns, but my house handles it with calm, comfort and stability.
