We work with our suppliers to source the best frames for New Zealand conditions, taking into account the size, design and timber species to ensure that it will meet not only aesthetic needs but also the rigorous MPI importation and Building Code requirements. Our goal is for your Antique Barn Home to last many generations in it’s rejuvenated state!
The barns we import are generally made from either North American Eastern Hemlock which ages to a warm brown patina, or from hardwoods such as Oak and Beech which are slightly lighter in colour and highlight the hand-hewn character in the beams. Our suppliers are fastidious and only work with well-preserved frames, but all antique frames need at least some expert restoration – usually on the post bottoms and upper roof members. As part of our service we design additions and modifications to the antique frames prior to restoration to ensure their suitability for the desired floor plan and also their integrity to meet NZ engineering requirements. We arrange the importation and then raise it on your site anywhere in New Zealand with suitable access.
A traditional pioneer barn with all its history, character and warmth creates a space hard to beat. The barns can be included in a modern or more traditional design. In New Zealand, most of our clients have chosen smaller barns from 100 to 180 m2 and have incorporated them as the main open plan living space with some area of mezzanine.
Heritage Timbercraft was involved in raising the first antique barns in New Zealand which featured on the first season of Grand Designs. Many of the antique barns available predate the Treaty of Waitangi and will become some of the oldest buildings in New Zealand.
Regardless of the size or style, building with one of our historic frames will give your home a story and set it apart. Many of our frames have a unique background or story, but all of them carry certain characteristics in common such as being the most valuable building on the homestead or farm when they were built. These barns were often much bigger than the family home and were usually constructed first as pioneers settled on their land.
At the time of construction in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, farming was a truly diverse agriculture and the barn was the hub around which farming life often revolved. It would house horses, cows, chickens and ducks along with much of their feed and the grain for the family’s own consumption.
Most frame designs are the English style, with larger open plan spaces than the less common Dutch style which tend to have posts in the middle of the building. Regardless of the style, we are able to modify the original frame to allow for your desired floor plan.
In some cases we can also access the barn siding, roof sarking and threshing floor boards from the original frame so that you can incorporate more of the barn’s original history into your home.
Our suppliers have barns already dismantled and in storage waiting for restoration and they also have a number of barns in inventory that are still standing.
Our team is here to help, we have been doing timber-framing using the same traditional methods for almost 20 years now and have raised barns of all styles and sizes around the country. If there’s something we don’t know then you can be sure that our North American counterparts at Heritage Restorations or Ohio Valley Barn Salvage will have the answer. Our design team is also able to develop your concept design and complete your building consent application if desired.
We have a growing cohort of builder partners around New Zealand who are passionate about these historic structures. Their experience combined with ours will help make your Antique Barn Home build a creative yet efficient process.
See some of our videos below for more information on antique barns and contact us to find out about our current available barn frames.
