Our Barn: A First Day Cottage

This is an example of a First Day Cottage - actually two cottages connected by a breezeway - similar to our design.The large building on the right is a good example of the building we will build using a kit purchased from First Day Cottages, in New Hampshire. There will be barn doors on the bottom end which open directly into Robert's wood studio. Our original idea for our Art Barn, was something like a barn with an apartment over top. A post and beam structure with real wood and lots of character. Our barn-house will have only about 1200 sq. ft., but ultimately, this building as living quarters is temporary. We will eventually build a larger house and then this building will become virtually all studio space, (with some living space for our older kids or guests).

We've decided to purchase a post and beam house kit from First Day Cottages. An 18 x 33' barn like building. The kit costs $30,000. When our current home sells (plus our savings), we'll have about $30,000 cash, but we'll spend part of that running utilities and water to the home site, which is a half mile from the road, and laying a foundation. So, while we work our jobs and spend the weekends clearing the land, we are saving money. We'll need to save an additional $15,000 just to buy the kit. And, of course, we'll need more money after that... for electrical, plumbing and stuff.

It's a journey. It includes sacrifice, risk and faith.

It's definitely a dream.

We will build our barn-house with our own hands. We'll have friends to help and we will contract out some of the labor, but for the most part - we're building it.

Above right are some links to blogs of families already building FD Cottages and the FDC web site. Click on the "FD Cottage - Photo Story" link to see the entire process of two people building a FD Cottage in pictures. Incredible!