As a Matter of Fact I WAS Brought Up In A Barn!

By Bennett Owen

Credit: My-West.com archive

These barns are truly noble.

We come honestly by our barnyard bona fides. Our Grandpa was a rancher and gifted builder, responsible for one of the most beautiful barns in Beaverhead County. In those days hay was for horses and horseplay was for haylofts and I doubt that in his wildest dreams Grandpa could have imagined humans might someday want to inhabit his equine temple.

Credit: My-West.com archive

A few weeks ago we began mulling the idea of converting a different old barn at the X-N into a vacation getaway…seeing no reason to stall any longer we began to research only to find out that converting barns into homes has truly evolved into a (forgive me) ‘cottage’ industry. Well-established on the east coast, the trend is becoming more popular out west as well, spurred on by the idea that these structures are a kind of architectural icon.

It’s amazing how much know-how and pride went into them…and how imagination can transform them. Consider these:

Credit: Dwell Magazine

A converted barn and bunkhouse on Jackson Land and Cattle:

Credit: www.hallhall.com

By they way, this property is for sale but my computer doesn’t contain enough zeros to note the list price.  

Credit: 1Kindesign

Credit: Shelterness.com

Our needs aren’t quite so lofty as these…and still we hope that someday soon, when we tell the kids to ‘hit the hay,’ they can do so literally.

Credit: Everyculture.com