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Barn Reborn: An unused Centerville outbuilding becomes a cozy in-law apartment with a view.
Design and construction: Bridget Cahill, Seaside Construction
Text and professional photography: Roe A. Osborn
Each time Bridget Cahill visited her sister’s home near Craigville beach, she found herself wandering out to the old carriage house tucked away in the back corner of the property. As owner of the Brewster-based Seaside Design, Cahill visualized the old empty building transformed into a comfortable cottage-style space where its lucky denizens could take in spectacular sunrises over the nearby salt marsh. A short time later, when Cahill’s parents needed to downsize and were looking for just the right spot, her vision of the reborn barn became a reality.
Because of local regulations and restrictions, the footprint of the barn could not increase. And a sense of loyalty to the character of the century-old structure led to the strategy of rebuilding the barn so that from the nearby road, the structure looks as it has since the 1940s.
The barn consists of a 1-1/2-story section with a full shed dormer on each side. The first floor of that section houses a workshop that needed to remain. The single-story lean-to structure attached to the south side was beyond repair and needed to be torn down. “We salvaged the barn doors during demolition and mounted them on the new structure as part of the siding,” Cahill says. “The old doors help keep the street side of the barn looking the same.”
The more private rear elevation of the house rises unassumingly above the brush on the edge of the marsh, blending in with the peaks and gables of neighboring residences.
Cahill installed a new crawl-space foundation to support the lean-to portion of the barn. This ground-floor section is home to a modest living room, graced with a gas fireplace with stone veneer backing. Ornamental 200-year-old chestnut beams add to the rustic feel of the living room. A compact but fully accessible bathroom and a napping room round out the first floor.
Because of her dad’s deteriorating health, Cahill gave the stairway to the second floor extra width to accommodate a future stairlift chair if needed. Running the stairs to a landing maximized the space on the second floor while keeping the stairs at a more shallow pitch for easier climbing. In the original barn, the sleeping areas with the views were in the rear and the kitchen was on the street side. Cahill reversed this layout, letting the spacious open kitchen/dining area look out onto the salt marsh vistas. Wide interior French doors join the bedroom to the kitchen and let the bedroom steal glimpses of the marsh.
Space on the second floor was at a premium, and a master bathroom with a soaking tub would have taken up more than its share. To solve this problem, Cahill moved the tub to a corner of the bedroom under the dormer eaves. This strategy made good use of an area that goes begging in most designs. Space-saving built-in bureaus create a headboard for the bed.
“I’ve always loved poking around yard sales and antique shops for interesting pieces of old furniture,” says Cahill. For the kitchen cabinetry, she incorporated some of her finds to create the feeling of a cottage kitchen that has evolved over the years. A pine hutch wraps over the range, sitting on two cabinets with doors held fast with turn buttons. Perhaps the nicest piece is a glazed curio cabinet that hangs on the wall beside the farmers sink.
As on the lower level, antique chestnut beams accent the cathedral ceiling over the bedroom and kitchen spaces. Skylights flood natural light onto both levels, adding to the open, airy feel of the spaces.
In one corner of the dining area, large French doors swing out to a small, cantilevered balcony boasting views of both sunrise and sunset. On the ground floor, the lean-to part of the barn stops short of the rear of the main barn. Cahill was able to turn the remaining rectangular area into a sunny private deck, perfect for that summer afternoon cookout.
“The first year my folks lived in the barn my mom took sunrise photos from the dining room every morning,” Cahill says. The photos chronicle the progression of the seasons, as the salt marsh morphs from the browns of fall and winter into the greens of spring and summer. Maybe breathing new life into an old barn like this adds a similar spark of energy to the lucky people who live there.
Project Overview
Budget: $170,000
• Remodel a 100-year-old barn as an in-law apartment
• Maintain the structure’s original character
• Create a space for aging in place
• Take advantage of salt-marsh views
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Because of local regulations and restrictions, the footprint of the barn could not increase. And a sense of loyalty to the character of the century-old structure led to the strategy of rebuilding the barn so that from the nearby road, the structure looks as it has since the 1940s. 
Cahill installed a new crawl-space foundation to support the lean-to portion of the barn. This ground-floor section is home to a modest living room, graced with a gas fireplace with stone veneer backing. Ornamental 200-year-old chestnut beams add to the rustic feel of the living room. A compact but fully accessible bathroom and a napping room round out the first floor.
“I’ve always loved poking around yard sales and antique shops for interesting pieces of old furniture,” says Cahill. For the kitchen cabinetry, she incorporated some of her finds to create the feeling of a cottage kitchen that has evolved over the years. A pine hutch wraps over the range, sitting on two cabinets with doors held fast with turn buttons. Perhaps the nicest piece is a glazed curio cabinet that hangs on the wall beside the farmers sink.
