THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 14, 1995 TAG: 9510120239
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN MILES, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
Have you ever heard the shameful reprimand ``what's the matter with you, were you raised in a barn?'' Well, a couple of kids in one local family can truthfully give an affirmative answer.
About a decade ago, Thomas and Lynne Shepheard were house hunting with their two boys in Green Hill By The Bay, a private neighborhood of 28 residences off Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach.
They felt they couldn't afford the house they really wanted, so they asked the real estate agent if the neighborhood had anything else available.
Laughingly, the agent told them there was an old barn down the street. The barn sheltered horses for the previous owners of the house. Never suspecting the barn would actually sell, the agent was thrilled when the Shepheards wanted to purchase it. A fine example that one can profit from sarcasm.
People thought the only reason the barn, built in the 1700s and re-built in 1975, might sell would be the 3.5 surrounding acres. ``The barn was on the market for 3 or 4 years, and nobody wanted it,'' says Thomas.
``Cobwebs were hanging from everywhere; it was so spooky,'' says Lynne. ``But, I loved the land, she said ``and Thomas thought he could turn it into a house.''
Thomas Shepheard helps construct airports throughout the world and not only found the old barn to be intriguing, but full of very feasible construction possibilities. ``The fact that it was a big project didn't scare me at all,'' he said. He was a man with a mission and a schedule. And, he kept to his schedule, he says.
The family of four lived in the small, upstairs caretaker's quarters (which was also in the barn) with one bedroom and one bathroom for almost a year during construction, before they were able to move into a more defined house.
The caretaker's residence has been renovated a bit and is now home to Lynne's mother.
The Shepheards spared what structures they could from the original cedar barn, while making major changes. In order to transform the barn into a more functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing, house, they opened the barn doors and put in a regular house door and side glass panels inside the open space.
Spacious windows along the walls and above the door, as well as a skylight, allow sunny streams of light into what was a dark, dingy room filled with 12 horse stalls. The original ceiling once overlooked the horses; the cut outs remain from what were the hay drops.
That first room is a memorable one for all who enter through the barn doors. You feel like he has walked into a great hall. The ceiling seems to soar and footsteps echo on the concrete floor. A bungalow could fit inside that front room.
Currently, it serves as a glorious party room, often for the entire neighborhood. A band is easily accommodated along one wall, with plenty of leftover room for dancing and pool playing.
And, how many other kids can boast their parents' let them roller blade through the house? The concrete floors throughout the downstairs allow for durability, as well as easy clean up.
Green Hill By the Bay may be the only neighborhood in Virginia that is a single family condominium community. It was formed because the streets, lights, etc., did not conform with city standards.
Amenities of the neighborhood include a common beach (some of the houses back up to Broad Bay) and gazebo with a picnic area, where the residents have a yearly get-together. They're hoping to have a pier built also.
The areas are jointly owned and maintained by the neighbors, who pay dues for the condo association. They share other maintenance chores, like upkeep on the sewer system, streets and Williamsburg light fixtures. It lends to a ``campus effect,'' a close-knit feeling that the residents have, says one of the neighbors.
The barn house, with a matching barn mailbox, has about 11,500 square feet, quite a bit larger than the houseboat Thomas had previously built and occupied with his family. The large structure has a wonderful, transitional feel about it, with high ceilings, open rooms and many tall windows, positioned to take full advantage of light.
The ceiling beams for the combined kitchen/den area came out of the original barn, and are about 100 years old, says Thomas. When they moved in, tons of debris was hanging from the high ceilings, says Lynne, and the men who worked on them looked like Michelangelo, cleaning the ceiling on their backs.
``There were brambles about 20 feet high behind the barn,'' says Lynne. ``I think we removed about 20 truckloads of trash.'' Now the yard is beautifully landscaped and in terrific shape for entertaining, with an in ground pool, patio furniture, speaker system for indoor/outside music, barbecuing area, commercial cooler for drinks, and other various outdoor entertaining comforts.
It's a popular spot for neighborhood functions and children's celebrations. ``It's turned out to be a great house,'' says Thomas, we have all this space.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
VICKI CRONIS
Lynne Sheapheard and her husband Thomas traded life on a houseboat
for life in a former house barn.
An ex-barn can make a mighty fancy house. The hall is large enough
to accommodate a potted tree. Kids can Roller Blade on the floors.
by CNB