Monday, September 5, 2011

Born-Again Barn



“If a farmer fills his barn with grain, he gets mice. If he leaves it empty, he gets actors.” Sir Walter Scott



Mention that you have an old barn on your property and immediately the listener's eyes light up. There's just something about barns -- especially old barns -- that appeal to most people. Interest really ramps up when you add that you're turning your barn into an artist's studio. 

When we left our downtown Estes Park apartment to move into a renovated 624 sf cabin, we also left behind Dennis' art studio in The Courtyard Shops. Our plan was to convert the 150 year-old log barn on our property to a studio, after we completed the cabin remodel. Now that the cabin is finished, the born-again barn project has begun. 

Last week the contractor removed the double barn doors and replaced them with a triple window. Dennis has salvaged the boards on the doors to use for siding over the Tyvek.


A beautiful view of Mt Olympus can be seen from inside the studio, through the new window. 



Wishing to retain as much of the barn's rustic character, as possible, the existing back door becomes the studio entrance.  



The exterior door (right rear in the photo) opens to a small foyer. Framing of a new wall, part of the storage room, is seen on the left. 



The storage room is ready for drywall.





Dennis will have a nice area to work in, once the storage room is finished and his art supplies are stowed away. 

The studio will be featured in the 5th Annual Estes Park Art Studio Tour on September 24, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m..  A self guided tour of Estes Valley artist studios, the free event is coordinated by the Cultural Arts Center, 453 W. Elkhorn Ave., Estes Park. For more information, call 970-586-9203. Email info@estesarts.com. Website: www.estesarts.com. 

Nancy


6 comments:

  1. That is so cool, Nancy. It's so fun to see the progress of Dennis's hard work. I'll look forward to showing up on the 24th!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dena, you will be our special guest.

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh, that's awesome! I love watching the work in progress! Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's my pleasure, Linda. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful!!! I love old barns! It is so much fun to watch the progress. I can almost smell that mountain air! Love to both of you. You two give me smiles. Renee

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you, Renee. We are very blessed to have friends like you!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment.