A barn with family at its heart

Because first impressions count

As you turn into the driveway of Bruce’s 100-acre farm in the Northern Rivers of NSW, a stunning cedar barn is the first thing you see.

That first impression is why Bruce initially chose a Cedarspan when he added a machinery shed and workshop to his property more than a decade ago. Rather than an ordinary metal shed, he wanted something that would be more fitting for the rural setting, while still standing out for all the right reasons.

“We always liked the idea of building a barn style building on our property,” he tells us. “We did a bit of research, and we found the Cedarspan buildings. The size and style we chose not only fitted well on to the area we chose on our farm but also looked great as we would drive into our farm on a daily basis.”

Visitors notice it, too.

“Everyone comments on it when they get here,” Bruce says. “The barn fits in so well with the farm lifestyle.”

Choosing Greenspan was about more than the building itself, though. Supporting Australian businesses was important to Bruce, and his research led him to a company whose values aligned with his own.

“We chose Greenspan because we always support and rely on local businesses,” he explains. “Our research into Greenspan provided us with an opportunity to support an Australian company with Australian values similar to ours.”

A hands-on father and son

But there was a third appeal, too – the chance to get stuck into the build himself.

“The prefabricated modular building also sounded like a ‘fun’ project,” Bruce recalls.

Like anyone used to life on the land, Bruce had hands-on skills that he loved putting to use, and relished any opportunity to get stuck into a big project. And while the idea of a building he could install himself was part of the initial draw, it was a chance for something less practical, and more meaningful.

Quality time with his son.

“The kit provided me with the opportunity to construct it with my son who needed a bit of help at the time and gave me some father son time,” he says. “It was a fun exercise for both of us. It was good working with him.”

As an electrician, his son brought valuable expertise of his own to the project. And as a country tradie, he’d learned to turn his hand to most things along the way.

“He picked up a lot of building and plumbing experience while he was an electrician,” Bruce tells us.

This meant that even after years of working the land, Bruce found himself picking up a new skill or two of his own – not that he’d admit that to his son!

“I was learning from him, but I didn’t want to tell him that!” he jokes.

King of his domain

For the next few years, the Cedarspan lived life as the machinery shed and workshop that Bruce had intended from the start.

Until then, valuable farm equipment had been stored under tarps in the carport next to the main house. Now it was safe and secure within the barn, and everything had a home. A second verandah was added to expand the space, and Bruce even installed internet and moved his office in. This confined farm work to one place, freeing up space around the property, and keeping family life completely separate.

“This enabled me to use the Cedarspan for my daily work activities on the farm,” he confirms.

It was his working world, and he can still picture every corner of it.

“This was my shed with all the machinery in it for the farm,” he recalls. “I used to have a ute parked there. And I had my mower parked here. And the barn doors here, which looked spectacular.”

With easy access in and out, plenty of storage and both office and practical workspace, it was unmistakably Bruce’s domain – a place for not only all of his essential farm machinery and equipment but also his surfboards and other ‘boys toys’. And for a while, he was determined that this was how it would stay.

“We made sure we told the children that the barn is not a place to put all their junk.”

His own corner of a busy working farm. A retreat with his own rules. Or, as Bruce describes, “My little play area.”

But best laid plans…

However, his wife and kids began to see other possibilities for the space.

“The family started to put the pressure on,” Bruce jokes.

What started as a casual remark about what a great little cottage the barn would make inevitably became a more solid plan. And before Bruce knew it, he’d added another shed further out on the farm, moved his gear into it, and his son was back working alongside him on the barn once again.

Firstly, they set about enclosing the verandah that Bruce had previously added to extend the already generous internal footprint further. But there was one stipulation.

“My wife said there’s no way you’re doing an extension unless it matches perfectly,” Bruce laughs.

That meant the exterior walls of the enclosed verandah needed to be the same cedar weatherboards as the existing structure. However, as Bruce recalls, this was during COVID and at a time when materials and trades were scarce.

“It took us ages to source that,” he says.

It was worth the effort and patience though, with the right type of cladding eventually being found an hour or so away, and the verandah transformed into a seamless extension of the barn’s façade.

And with the footprint sorted, it was on to the inside, and the most enjoyable part of it all.

“This was the fun part, putting all this together.”

Farm barn turned family cottage

We can see why, because the transformation was total.

What was an open expanse of concrete floor, exposed timber framing and unlined walls and ceilings has made way for a beautifully finished, bright, welcoming cottage.

At its centre is a light-filled, L-shaped open-plan living area. The lounge sits partly under the loft before extending out under the high cathedral ceiling, with the kitchen and its dining island forming the other side of the space.

Two large sets of sliding doors now stand where the original handcrafted timber barn doors once hung, and lead out onto an expansive verandah beyond. The addition of internal walls creates a bedroom under the other half of the loft.

The enclosed verandah extension houses a laundry/mud room and bathroom at one end. At the other is a sunny overflow living space with a sofa bed that’s perfect for reading, relaxing, or converting for an overnight guest.

Where the building’s framing once stood raw and exposed, the walls and ceilings are now lined throughout and painted a fresh, bright white. Light timber tones bring warmth, and occasional black accents give it a modern farmhouse feel.

Further character comes from the building’s own history, with some of the original exterior barn doors now rehung inside, and the beams under the loft kept exposed but painted. Classic balustrading encloses the mezzanine loft that is now reached by a timber loft ladder.

For family from the start

“Our daughter’s in here now. She’s saving for a house,” says Bruce.

It’s a place of her own, with privacy and independence, while she works towards buying her first home.

And Bruce hopes to share the cottage wider, too.

“We will continue to use it to assist family in establishing themselves in these difficult ‘housing crisis’ times,” Bruce tells us.

That is assuming they stay.

With 100 acres, retirement on the horizon, and a mostly empty nest, Bruce and his wife have longer-term plans to downsize to smaller acreage in the area. And if they do, this barn conversion has given them ideas for what could come next. Now they’re considering a pavilion-style home, formed by two or more Cedarspans connected by joining modules, to create separate wings for multi-generational living.

In other words, another project with family at its heart.

That was this barn’s secret all along. Because Bruce may have built it as his domain, but family was part of its story from the beginning.

All measurements are approximate.