A closer look at the American Barn
One of the most iconic looking structures around, the humble American Barn is sometimes referred to as a heritage or traditional barn. Driving past country estates, American Barns are a common sight on the Mornington Peninsula and throughout Victoria, however there is a lot more to them than meets the eye.
Typically, an American Barn has a gable roof on the central bay with symmetrical awnings, but this is by no means a hard and fast rule. Melbourne Garages have put a modern twist on many American Barns in the past through simple design tweaks, such as changing the central bay to a skillion look and the end-product has a very different feel to it as a result. The awning spans and heights can and are changed up quite often as well. This can create a skewed, custom look and in many cases, this is to fit a specific purpose or to make the best use of a difficult site. Because we can create each structure to your exact specifications from scratch, the amount of design options and different configurations are almost endless. Cladding options for American Barns can transform their look entirely as well. A steel weatherboard look is uncommon but possible, likening the structure to more of an old farmhouse than a barn. Most common to see is our K-Panel or Monoclad cladding, which presents the barn in its most traditional light. Specific barn style windows are often included as well to complete the look.
Many American Barns feature a mezzanine floor. This takes advantage of the middle section having a very accommodating height clearance whilst remaining aesthetically pleasing, something that is harder to do with a normal shed configuration. Sometimes, these mezzanine floors are simply for storage and other times they are the foundation for purpose-built rooms. Another common inclusion into an American Barn that takes advantage of the height of the central bay is a vehicle hoist. This allows the barn to double as a car workshop in disguise, with the side awnings sometimes serving a different purpose entirely. One main advantage of American Barns over a standard look shed of similar size is their often-reduced proximity to side boundaries. Because side boundary setback distances are calculated via the eve height, the stepped configuration of the awnings on an American Barn can mean that they are able to go closer to a boundary than a traditional shed, whilst still being able to fully utilise their generous height.
Should you be in the market for an American Barn or any other structure for that matter, Melbourne Garages are able to assist with everything from initial design through to permits, delivery, concrete, construction and signing off. Our “Platinum” or Registered Build package is a turnkey solution to your shed needs. We can even come to site to determine costs up front, leaving you with a total fixed price before you get the ball rolling. This is incredibly helpful in making sure that you know exactly how much you are up for at the start and ensuring communication throughout the whole process is streamlined.
