Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 25, 1990 TAG: 9003310012
SECTION: TODAY'S HOME PAGE: TH2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: David Meador
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Gone are the stalls, the dirt floor, the drafty oak board siding. Gone are her co-inhabitants - the swallows, mice, snakes and bees. Some moved on voluntarily; others awaited formal eviction from the new owners.
But still there are strong reminders of life past - the droning of the rain on the red tin roof, the thick oak posts supporting the ceiling, the inch-thick rough-sawn oak siding, the stall doors, still hanging, though in a different location.
Now, human history is replacing bovine history, but somehow the two still seem connected. You don't move into an old barn unless you like to savor the past.
For the past two years, Ron and Marty Childress have been turning an old Bedford County barn into home. "We tried to use everything from the barn," said Marty of the couple's remodeling efforts. Bright red paint freshened the roof, oak boards culled from the barn were planed for window and door casings, the stall doors are now part of the interior walls and bar.
Why the couple decided to turn the old barn into a home is unclear, even to them, said Ron. There was never really a conscious decision, he said, but the site of the barn and its charm seemed to satisfy certain yearnings.
Located on Smith Mountain Lake, the site offered space and privacy and recreation. "I enjoy being able to see the stars at night," said Marty. And they both enjoy the evening visits from the deer that stop by their apple tree and the nocturnal flights of the owls.
"As we kept dreaming, things just started falling into place," said Ron. The barn was structurally sound and was built using concrete footers that Ron estimated to be 3 feet thick. Marty noted that the siting of the barn was perfect to catch both the sunrise and sunset.
"It almost seemed that the place was meant to be a house someday," said Ron. "But it [renovating] was all an accident," insists Ron.
Ron started using the barn for storage. "To increase the storage space, I built a loft and made a few other changes," and somewhere along the way, more dramatic changes suggested themselves.
The old barn, former home to Elsie and countless unnamed furry and slimy creatures, was to become home to the Childresses.
"To begin, we had to strip the barn to the bare bones," said Marty. Then, began the eclectic process of planning, trying to incorporate the features of the barn into living space, making it practical without destroying its feel.
An upstairs was added, which rings the living area below, leaving the living area ceiling open all the way to the roof. A loft at the front of the house is connected to the master bedroom suite at the rear by an open walkway. A stained glass window is set into the outside of the bedroom wall that faces the living area.
The master bathroom has black and white checkered linoleum that simulates tile, and it has makeup and storage areas. In an interesting arrangement, it is sunken two steps below the level of the bedroom.
A deck off the bedroom provides a view of the lake and the mountains and is a good vantage point for star-gazing.
The house was built without the use of plans, but it incorporates many of the features favored by new home buyers. "Nothing in the house was straight," said Marty, so I'm not sure plans would have helped much." The designing stayed one step ahead of the construction.
The interior of the home The first floor is expansive, about 1500 square feet of wide open space, perfect for entertaining. The kitchen and bar are contiguous to the living area, separated only by a bar and kitchen island, permitting uninterrupted conversation between cook and guests.
The ceiling is vaulted following the pitch of the roof. Large windows seem to bring the outdoors in.
In contrast to the rest of the house, the kitchen is thoroughly modern-looking. It has white laminated cabinets with black-faced appliances. It has what might be called a grazing bar, a particularly appropriate term for a barn/home, which permits eating on the run.
The game area, with pool table and piano, includes many rustic design touches, such as an interior stone ledge and use of the stall doors to form the wall. The sitting area is dominated by a stone fireplace and hearth that ties in with the ledge in the game room.
Tying all the open living space together is 12 by 12-inch Mexican terra cotta tile. The variety in their texture and their earthy color make them a perfect complement to the natural materials in the rest of the house.
"Installing the tile is what really did me in. It took five of us seven full days to get it done," recalled Ron painfully. First, he and his co-workers had to pour gravel and concrete about a foot thick, then lay each tile one at a time and keep them running straight. Next the tile had to be grouted and sealed.
Recreation has not been ignored. Music fills the house from speakers placed throughout the living area, as well as on the front and back porches. There is some fine fishing at the dock down the hill.
And then there's GOLF, a passion for Ron. One suspects that the seminal thought for remodeling the house was planted when Ron learned of the new 18-hole course being developed at Stone Manor Country Club, in which the home and nine acres lot are situated.
Long before he had finished the house, Ron was busy installing a golf hole at his front door. He can tee off just a few paces from the front porch to a small green uphill from the house.
Even with all the work needed to finish the renovation, the Childresses have not ignored landscaping. A couple hundred roses line the side of the house, and spring flowers abound in the rock garden.
The remodeling itch begun by the Childresses has spread to their neighbors. Marty's brother Tom Ruble and his wife, Vickie, live in the farmhouse next door, a house once part of the original property. Since the completion of the barn, the Rubles have updated the farmhouse by adding an upstairs porch on the front and a sunroom on the back. A deck adjoins the sunroom, and the house has been clad with vinyl siding.
by CNB