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Barn Converted into Incredible 840-Square-Foot Cabin


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See how Kevin Durkin and his team, Heritage Restorations, rebuilt and converted this old rustic barn from the 1800s and turned it into the rustic and reclaimed 840 sq. ft. cabin that it is today.

When you walk inside you’ll immediately get to enjoy the look and feel of the exposed beams, large open space, classic furnishings, and the cozy loft space upstairs. Salvaged materials used to rebuild the cabin include the classic sliding barn door, the wood roof decking, and more.

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840 Sq. Ft. Barn to Cabin Conversion by Heritage Restorations

840 Sq. Ft. Barn to Cabin Conversion by Heritage Restorations Image via HeritageBarns.com

Images © HeritageBarns.com

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Images © HeritageBarns.com

Learn more: http://www.heritagebarns.com/showcase/waterloo-vacation-barn-house

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 57 comments… add one }
  • Lynnette
    March 9, 2015, 2:25 pm

    Just lovely!

  • Terrie Williams
    March 9, 2015, 2:32 pm

    Love this place! I could live in it!

  • Holly
    March 9, 2015, 4:41 pm

    Absolutely beautiful! Very nicely done.

  • alice h
    March 9, 2015, 4:56 pm

    I can just picture huge family feasts and parties in there, complete with dancing and a bunch of little kids dashing around underfoot.

  • Bev
    March 9, 2015, 5:44 pm

    What a lovely home.

  • Cahow
    March 9, 2015, 5:46 pm

    Referring to the settings, only, there is a strong resemblance to the dairy barn and pond from my childhood. This is from their website: “Originally Built circa 1800s
    in Waterloo, NY
    Now Restored In McKinney,, TX”

    Currently, I’m too choked up over the flood of wonderful memories cycling through my mind to say much about the rehab, as I recall being my own version of Laura Ingalls in this setting. Suffice it to say: *clap-clap-clap*.

    I heartedly recommend visiting their main site as they have many other barns and out-buildings for sale with loads of information about each structure. Brilliant re-d0! <3

  • Sarah
    March 9, 2015, 6:44 pm

    Holy buckets!~ This is wonderful, so many neat ideas too like the license plates on the steps! I spy a pig with something on its back, need my glasses. WHOO WHOO. 110 stars out of 100.

    • Criss
      May 14, 2015, 2:17 pm

      they are wings 🙂

  • lesa
    March 10, 2015, 12:39 pm

    This is utterly amazing!

    • Alex
      March 10, 2015, 3:15 pm

      Thanks glad you like it too Lesa!

  • Liz
    March 10, 2015, 3:24 pm

    I don’t know if this place could be any more awesome than it already is. Man, what a joint this is!!

  • Mike
    March 10, 2015, 3:42 pm

    The only thing I see missing is a potbelly stove or fireplace. Looks great.

  • Cindy
    March 10, 2015, 3:48 pm

    I love the flying pig on the rafter!

  • Barb
    March 10, 2015, 5:45 pm

    I love the look and the setting. But my very first thought, with how high the roof is, was “how are they heating this?” It’s hard for me to imagine how it could be energy efficient.

    • sue meub
      May 14, 2016, 12:23 pm

      me too! but I think
      if you can afford this beautiful project, you can hear it any old way you want !

    • Paul
      May 16, 2016, 8:10 am

      This is in McKinney, TX – just northeast of Dallas. I don’t think they need much heating 🙂 But the A/C, on the otherhand… I bet that lone mini-split in the bedroom works pretty hard around August/September, but it does have some drop ceiling fans to help out on the first floor.

  • GABRIELE NAPIER
    March 10, 2015, 6:15 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous! I would love to live there but it would have to be in an area were the climate does not call much for heating and air conditioning.
    Doesn’t look like there is any insulation in the ceiling and the sliding barn doors are also hard to insulate. This wonderful wide open space would turn into an ice cave in winter time.

  • Jean
    March 11, 2015, 12:49 am

    Love! Makes me want to move to Texas. 🙂

    • Paul
      May 16, 2016, 8:12 am

      I just bought an 830 sqft house about 2.5 hours southwest of this one 🙂 Not tiny like I’d like, but a step in the right direction – and it will get me out of northern Illinois! Good luck on your search.

  • Elle
    March 11, 2015, 12:56 am

    Gorgeous! This is something I’ve wanted to do all my life. Beautiful longhorn cattle too.

  • Terri H
    March 11, 2015, 1:55 am

    Very cool space, but I agree with above — it would be impossible to heat or cool, and it’s an event space… No kitchen, it seems? Toilet/bath?

    Still, a beautiful entertaining space…like the stairs, the giant rolling doors, and drop fan. Great for a spring wedding or family reunion! But I’m keen on homes and living environments.

    • Patricia Schneider
      May 14, 2016, 9:22 am

      Terri, there is one picture with a wash basin in it, which I assume is the bathroom sink and mirror and the door next to it says “Outhouse” on it, so I would also assume that’s the bathroom. You are right about the kitchen, though, none in sight.

  • Marcia Belvin
    March 11, 2015, 6:17 am

    Love it. It looks huge inside.

  • Rodger
    March 11, 2015, 9:07 am

    Very interesting …very creative …thanks for sharing Alex !

  • Kay
    March 11, 2015, 12:20 pm

    This is amazing and breathtaking inside. Hard to believe that so much is put inside this house after looking at the exterior. It’s so well done and in the type of decor I simply love.

    Thanks, Alex.

  • Doris
    March 11, 2015, 9:56 pm

    Love the exterior siding and the neat sink, but how is this 840 sq. ft??? What’s the footprint? It looks much larger.

  • Sandi B
    March 12, 2015, 12:00 am

    Terrific “remake” of a barn — lots of fun things around.

  • Maureen Allen
    March 22, 2015, 5:29 pm

    I am so THERE! Actually I wish this wonderful cabin were HERE!
    Clearly restored and converted with knowledge and respect, it’s one of a kind, a dream.

  • bEV
    March 22, 2015, 10:16 pm

    I want this cabin–would love to live in it!

  • Nancy
    May 14, 2015, 11:08 am

    I love your newsletter and look forward to seeing it every morning. And, although I would never question your integrity, are you suuuure this is 800 sq ft? I don’t see any possible way these interior pictures could have come from something that size, even with pretty tricky photography.

  • Merryl
    May 14, 2015, 1:36 pm

    Agree with alice n. I can see the extended family gatherings too, every possible chance. What a fun house! I can feel the love.

  • Delta
    May 14, 2015, 3:01 pm

    I’m “stealing” this idea

  • Dominick Bundy
    May 14, 2015, 3:22 pm

    WOW! I can’t imagine what it would cost to heat that place..Way too much open wasted space, that would have to be heated . Now I can understand the phrase.Like heating a barn came from..

  • Karen R
    May 14, 2015, 6:18 pm

    My antique quilts are packing themselves up to move . . .

  • Jane
    May 14, 2015, 10:21 pm

    I never saw a kitchen! How could one live there? So many tables and yet few windows so no, I don’t think I could live there but I wish them the best.

  • Jeremy
    May 14, 2016, 11:45 am

    Could have been unreal with the right finishing. Maybe they just tossed those couches in there for the first photo op and will replace them later.

  • Gigi
    May 14, 2016, 10:18 pm

    My first years on this earth were spent on my grandparents’ farm. The huge red barn had dairy cattle to the left, two huge areas for hay storage, and Angus steers on the right. I remember lying back in the hay and watching birds dart in and around the rafters. The darkness of early winter days provided peeks at a navy sky with twinkling stars. And then there was the sweet, clean scent of hay. When I look at this barn restoration, I am a little girl again!
    Kudos to the restorers!

  • carla
    May 21, 2016, 9:36 am

    May not be tiny but you can see the potential for reclamation. Tiny houses are as much about maximizing individuality and reclamation as anything else.

    Love the license plates on the stairs. Also the sliding barn door in the ad. 🙂

  • Marsha Cowan
    October 24, 2017, 4:21 pm

    This is so pretty and cozy and homey, even though it’s a big space. Love the arrangements of living, eating, lounging, and kitchen areas. The loft is amazing, and I like the beautiful table and lamp. Its nice to have a lovely spot away from the crowd to read or get some laptop work done. The bathroom is adorable. It’s just all so beautiful!

  • Arlene
    October 25, 2017, 3:33 pm

    My husband’s in trouble…..We have a barn built in 1850 just sitting …doing NOTHING….Hmmmmmm

    • Alex
      October 26, 2017, 11:19 am

      LOL!

  • Donna Stevens
    November 30, 2017, 4:56 pm

    It’s beautiful but all I can think of is ‘I have to heat or air condition that!;

  • Michael
    January 13, 2018, 11:41 am

    It looks great in the few shots where the huge wide angle lense was not used. To me, the artificial distortion of that lense just distracts from the presentation.

  • Vickie Toombs
    June 3, 2018, 12:15 pm

    Love it! I could or would LOVE to live in something like that! Gave me some ideas of what I can be looking for in the future.

  • January 28, 2019, 9:20 pm

    If there are sips (structural insulated panels) on the roof it is probably very easy to heat and cool.

  • Alan Bart Cameron MD
    September 17, 2019, 10:45 pm

    certainly sips are an option, but with all the windows up high you should be able to let the heat out in the summer, and close in winter. You also open the bottom of the windows to let in the cool air in summer. I was born in a house built in 1820 with 12-13 foot ceilings and very tall windows… in southern Indiana- you close the drapes in mid day, open at night, and it was always quite comfortable. – winters do require a bit of heat. geothermal would work well. My cottage in Scotland uses geothermal from the hilan loch outside the door for both heat and cooling. put a bit of solar power in as well.

    I really love the post and beam effect! You can always wear sweaters in the winter, and down blankets as well. It is a certain charm… lovely.
    abc

  • Vickie L Echerd
    March 25, 2020, 7:34 pm

    Alex,
    Can you tell me why the hover over picture to be able to pin it has been removed??

    • Natalie C. McKee
      March 26, 2020, 2:03 pm

      Hi Vickie — we’re having some trouble with Pinterest right now and are working on getting it sorted out asap.

    • Alex
      March 28, 2020, 8:24 am

      Hi Vickie, someone at Pinterest has decided to block this website! 🙁

      We are currently disputing it to try to regain access to it so we can all start pin again. Thanks for asking and for your patience.

  • MIKE
    March 25, 2020, 7:58 pm

    What are the building dimensions? It looks larger than 840 sq. ft.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      March 26, 2020, 2:03 pm

      Hmm I’m not sure! It didn’t mention.

  • Donna Rae
    March 26, 2020, 12:43 pm

    I absolutely love the building and, wow, that ceiling! Looks more like a restaurant than a home, though, with all of those tables and chairs. Had to look several times but there only seems to be an old refrigerator in an area that is definitely lacking in other kitchen requirements. Many mentioned that it looked like a great place for family gatherings so maybe that is its purpose, not a residence. We all know what we would add or change to suit our own purposes and for me, a kitchen is a must, even if it is only meant as a gathering place…who wants to haul food from the main house, right? It is a fun post, for sure.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      March 26, 2020, 2:02 pm

      I, too, would love a full kitchen for sure!

  • Sally
    May 17, 2020, 2:57 pm

    Stunning ! .. how could You not be happy coming home to this !

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 18, 2020, 1:59 pm

      I agree!

  • Sue Spence
    May 19, 2020, 5:33 am

    love this but wheres the kitchen

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 19, 2020, 1:36 pm

      I saw a fridge — I think because it’s a vacation spot it might only have a kitchenette set up.

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