Amazing 150-Year-Old Barn Gets Converted into a Cozy Small House

Reviving House Moser: A Historical Transformation

Take a closer look at House Moser, Neustift in the Stubai Valley. The approximately 105-year-old, empty, and no longer used barn (the farmer wanted to demolish it) was dismantled at its original location and rebuilt on the building plot (about 2,600 feet further). The required spatial program was woven into these, whereby the existing one determined the new in its design and material language. When seen from the outside, the barn remained largely unchanged, showing its (building cultural) history again, not museumized but with new life fulfilled. So the barn design can continue to be used and protected from decay or demolition. So build as further construction and with traditional, perhaps also a back and forward alike, thus creating connections, scarce in size and resource consumption. Inside you will find plenty of rustic wooden beams that give the home a look all of its own.

Rescue and Reconstruction of a Rustic Gem

This 105-year-old barn was set to be demolished after years of lying vacant and unused. The rustic barn was saved just in time by its latest owners, who had it dismantled, and rebuilt 2,600-feet from its original site location. For the reconstruction of the barn, the owners contacted the architectural design firm, Madritsch, and Pfurtscheller. Together they collaborated on how to transform the barn into a comfortable small home. The building project has been titled House Moser, after the clients, Tina Maikl and Rene Moser. The dwelling itself amounts to 1,152-square-feet and is located among the scenic valleys of Neustift im Stubaital in Austria.

Preserving History with Modern Modifications

The new layout of the barn was woven into the existing structure, to maintain the barn's history and character. The exterior has been left largely unchanged, except for the addition of some glazing toward the top of one gable end, and the introduction of skylights. Unlike the outside, the interior of the barn has undergone substantial modification to make it fit for living. The interior has had to slot into and around the existing structure of the barn. The ground floor is largely taken up by a kitchen and dining room, with a block staircase separating the two. There's also a mechanical room (for the boiler etc.), a bathroom, and a large enclosed terrace to the west.

A Harmonious Blend of Past and Future

The upper level of the barn-style home contains two rooms and a gallery. Three beds are housed in the two bedrooms. The architects said that House Moser is a continuation of and with traditions, a step forward and back at the same time that creates a link between past and future. The building is small and energy-efficient.

The Appeal of Barn-Style Homes

These days barn style homes are becoming more and more popular and it's no wonder as there is so much character and authenticity that comes with a barn. Building a barn-style home from reclaimed wood is also a way to help preserve natural resources as it preserves natural timber resources by reducing the need for new logging. Therefore, more trees won't have to be cut to make timber giving trees more time to grow. Trees that are given more time to grow are often durable and produce quality timber.