How we connected a barn-style kit home to an existing house

A classic home with room to grow

This property sits northwest of the Shoalhaven River in the Southern Highlands of NSW – a region that has become increasingly popular with couples and families looking to settle on larger lifestyle blocks.

But, larger blocks don’t always mean larger houses and very often rural homeowners need innovative ways to extend their living space.

Take this property, for example. A classic three-bedroom country home on a generous half-acre block. Plenty of room for expansion, and plenty of need to.

Its new owner had a clear vision: to modernise and extend the existing building by adding an adjoining barn-style kit home, joining the two with a connecting atrium.

No demolition. And no significant structural alterations to what was already there. Just a gentle addition and thoughtful enhancement that would bring the two buildings together as though they had always belonged that way.

The barn-style kit home

The design chosen for this project was a Cedarspan 3060. Measuring 5.6m x 10.8m, it offered a substantial extension to the existing property by providing an additional 60m2 of flexible living space.

For this homeowner, for whom ease and minimal impact were priorities, the beauty was not just in the building itself. It was in the fact that it was a prefabricated barn-style kit building, PreCrafted off-site and delivered in modular panels to be installed efficiently on site in less than a couple of weeks.

The elevated timber floor system was another drawcard, allowing the piers and concrete pads to be calibrated precisely to match the floor level of the existing house. With a gently sloping block, this eliminated the need for extensive groundworks and a concrete slab, and allowed for the all-important seamless flow between buildings as if they were one.

The connecting atrium

Connecting a new building to an existing one is rarely straightforward – and rarely looks seamless. The risk is always the same when you have two structures of different eras, with different characters and different materials, directly meeting.

It was no different for this property. One a classic brick-built country cottage. The other a traditional board and batten-clad timber barn.

Here, the solution was a 1.9m x 5.6m joining module, creating an atrium that connects the two structures.

Purpose-built to bridge the original house and the new barn-style kit home, it acts as a visual transition between the two buildings – the shift between the different materials and character of each made subtle and considered.

And of course, in doing so, it creates a seamless physical link between the two buildings, smoothly creating one complete home from two separate structures. And with all three elements – the original home’s brick, the barn’s board and batten cladding, and that of the atrium – painted to match the barn’s “Woodland Grey” Colorbond® roof, the connection through difference appears intentional.

The exterior: contemporary and cohesive

From the outside, the three structures read as one confident, contemporary form.

The barn and atrium’s timeless board and batten cladding is painted to match the brick of their counterpart – and each building’s dark grey roofing – creating a contemporary all-charcoal exterior. Just like the original building, the barn and atrium both feature doors and windows in “White” to add crisp accents that pop against the grey. It’s a palette that sits comfortably in the Southern Highlands landscape – and one that successfully connects three very different structures into a single, coherent whole.

The approach to the atrium – which serves as both the entrance to the barn and a connecting hallway between the two buildings – is naturally framed by the exterior walls of each structure. Dark painted brick on one side, dark board and batten on the other. Above, the sky soars, while underfoot, irregular sandstone pavers add texture and earthiness to their all-charcoal surroundings. It’s intentional, architectural and sleek.

Meanwhile, 1.9m x 10.8m elevated decking wraps around the barn to extend its relationship with the garden while also levelling the two buildings to create visual cohesion. And as with all Cedarspans, it’s the signature cathedral roof that gives the barn its unmistakable rural character… and inside, its generous ceiling height.

The interior: classic country with a modern edge

On entering the barn, this clearspan cathedral ceiling announces itself immediately. An extension of the white painted walls, it soars upwards and unobstructed, giving height, light and air to the space. A large gable window to one end fills the ceiling space with natural light to enhance its bright, open nature.

The floor plan flows openly from living to dining to kitchen under the one roofline to create a seamless open-plan room, while still successfully maintaining defined areas.

To one end is the lounge, carpeted and centred around a freestanding wood-burning stove – an essential for Southern Highlands winters. Two sets of double glass doors – one to the side and one on the gable end – open onto the L-shaped deck beyond.

At the other end is the fully fitted kitchen – contemporary matte black cabinetry is softened by timber flooring and benchtop, and an island bench centres the space.

Bridging the two ends is the dining area, which features its own set of double doors leading out onto the deck.

And adjacent is the light-filled atrium hallway, which effortlessly links the barn to the rest of the home as though they were always one.

Support at every step

Naturally, this project required development consent – and navigating that process can feel daunting. But after 50 years in the business, we’ve walked this path many times before.

From providing the site plans, floor plans, elevation plans and drawings required as part of the development application, to connecting the client with specialist professionals where needed – Greenspan was there to support this homeowner through every step of the process.

Plans were modified as consent conditions required. Questions were answered. Nothing was left for the client to figure out alone.

That level of support isn’t an add-on – it’s built into everything we do.

The possibilities of connection

In this project, original met new, and two buildings became one. And while the Cedarspan is the star of this show, it’s the joining module that made it all possible.

Prefabricated components in their own right, our versatile joining modules open up a world of possibilities, extending the reach of our PreCrafted system beyond single buildings.

Two Cedarspan barns connected to create the pavilion-style layout that continues to grow in popularity. A barn linked to an existing dwelling, as demonstrated here. Multiple buildings brought together to create a sprawling home or perhaps a business complex.

And just like a Cedarspan, they come in a variety of sizes and personalisation is possible. With a joining module, what might otherwise require custom construction on site becomes a considered, PreCrafted solution – designed and manufactured with the same care and precision as the buildings it connects… and just as easy.

All measurements are approximate.