An old barn proverb

There was a rural proverb that went something like this: “Build your barn, and let your barn build your home.” This was an encouragement to get your farm business in order , and let the proceeds provide the time, material, and foundation to build the rest of your life upon. It was good advice, and the principle still applies today. The practical outworking of this was that many people built their barns first, and lived in them until a “proper” home could be constructed. This often meant living in the barn until crops were planted and harvested, and timber could be bought or cut and hewn. The goal was to eventually prosper enough to get out of the barn, and into a house.

Barns as homes

Today, many people are attracted to the nostalgic, and quaint look of the barns of the past. Since so much of our farm and ranch land has become real estate, and in many cases, one of these monuments to our agrarian history still exists on the property, the trend toward getting out of the barn has reversed. It turns out that these remodeled barns often make excellent homes. Even beyond these preexisting barns, many new “barn homes” are being constructed to mimic this style.