Thinking about the Future
The Cochranes built the barn literally on a compass; the front doors are exactly due east, and the back of the barn is due west. Because there weren’t any trees impeding the west-facing roof section, the Pooles specified solar panels, which encompass about 20 percent of the barn’s roof. The pair installed metal roofing on the barn because it was the original roof when the barn was built; however, they found the existing roof was in great condition so they were able to maintain the existing roof under the solar panels.
“The barn facing due west, a tax credit and being able to use the existing roof under the panels economically put us pretty far ahead with the solar, so it’s been a really good decision,” Nea notes. “Our energy bills are running about what they did or less than the 4,000-square-foot suburban house we had prior to moving to the barn.”
Mineral-wool insulation was specified throughout the barn, not only for its thermal properties but also because it offers good acoustical performance per Nea. The Pooles’ children’s rooms are on the second floor of the barn, above the master. Because the Pooles love to entertain, they wanted to ensure their children wouldn’t be awakened by any revelry. The Pooles specified the mineral wool in all four walls and the ceiling of the master under the kids’ floors.
“We also put the mineral wool in their hallway walls for that sound barrier and it works better than I expected,” Nea says. “In fact, I was in the bedroom the other day and I thought Mike was somewhere else in the house. I walked out and he was on the other side of the bedroom wall in the living room watching TV and I hadn’t even heard the TV.”
Home Sweet Home
The Pooles bought the barn in October 2014 and moved in during June and July of 2018. “The biggest delay was at the beginning,” Nea says. “That was finding a bank that could get its head around the financing of a barn. Even the bank we do all of our business banking with and have a great relationship with, as soon as their underwriter was looking at it, he was just like,‘Come back when it’s a house and we’ll give you a great loan, but we don’t understand this’.”
Despite the challenges, Nea says it was extremely gratifying to be the sole decision-maker on this project and have others recognize the barn with local and national awards. “This was our vision,” she says. “We thought we had done a really good job, and the positive feedback has been great. It makes me smile every time I walk in. We went on a trip once and came back and walked in our home and were like, ‘ah, now this is special’.”
Treasured Sketch
Louise and J. Harwood Cochrane built the Barn at Walnut Hill in 1977. Louise was an artist and actually drew the barn she wanted built. “She drew it as a Dutch gambrel because she felt like that was quintessential Americana,” explains Nea Poole, AIA, NCARB, principal of Midlothian, Va.-based Poole & Poole Architecture. Poole and her architect husband, Mike, transformed the barn into their dream home.
When Louise was 99 years old, she learned the Pooles bought the barn and she visited the site before work began. “She brought the original picture that the barn had been built from,” Nea recalls. “It was a little framed hand sketch. She was really lovely and just a very nice woman.”
After Louise passed away, about two years later, Louise’s daughter reached out to the Pooles and said she found the framed sketch in her basement. Nea was interested in a copy but Louise’s daughter gave her the original sketch. Today, Louise Cochrane’s sketch hangs proudly within the Pooles’ home as a reminder of the barn’s legacy.
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT // Poole & Poole Architecture, Midlothian, Va.
BUILDER // Portico Classic Homes, Richmond, Va.
INTERIOR DESIGN // Poole & Poole Architecture and Focus Design Interiors, Atlanta
CUSTOM CABINETRY // Kitchen Design Inc., Newport News, Va., (757) 873-8887
Materials
SIDING // LP SmartSide from LP Building Products
FLOOR FRAMING // Resolute I-joists from LP Building Products
SOLAR PANELS // Sigora Solar
CUSTOM CONCRETE SINK // Creating Concrete
ALL OTHER SINKS, TOILETS AND TUBS // Kohler
FAUCETS, SHOWERHEADS, TUB FILLERS // Delta and Brizo
KITCHEN APPLIANCES // Thermador
WINDOWS AND DOORS (Except Custom Front Door) // Jeld-Wen
AUTOMATED BLINDS // Bali
FANS // Big Ass Fans
MAJORITY OF LIGHT FIXTURES // Hubbardton Forge and Big Ass Fans
RUGS // Chandra
GRANITE/QUARTZITE COUNTERTOPS // BBG, (804) 282-4707
TILE // Daltile
PAINT // Sherwin-Williams