Readapting an Old Farm Shed

Having had to move our warehousing 3 times in seven years, and with rising costs across the board crippling small independent business’s – we were acutely aware, to secure our long term future we had to find a better solution and so, we couldn’t believe our luck when we stumbled across this place  back in late 2023.  

Conveniently located just outside Kilcullen, Co Kildare with easy access from both the M7 & M9, and just a 30 minute drive from the M50/Red Cow we are thrilled to now be able take private viewings by appointment. Our Harolds Cross Showroom remains open as normal.  

Over the course of the next newsletters, social posts etc we will bring you up to date on the works we have done, what we are working on now, and what we hope to do in the future. 

We didn't document this project ongoing as were simply too busy just doing it! Only now are we beginning to catch our breadth

To be honest, we really didn't think we had a chance, but somehow with the help of the Croi Coiltte Grant for Vacant homes, and a lot of hard work & challenging days, we have managed to make it this far! 

Though we fully project managed & did huge amount of work ourselves, this is not a ''self-build'' project - Don't really believe in the term. It is only made possible with the fantastic team of tradesmen & crafts makers who we have had the pleasure to have worked with. 

We will also outline the choice of materials employed during restoration that respect the fabric of these wonderful vernacular farmhouse buildings & the wonderful suppliers who educated us on how best to apply. 

As mentioned, one of the main factors in embarking on this project was warehousing for our furniture. Previously we were constantly having to go between showroom &  warehousing which was costing a lot of time & mileage.

As we had 2 employees at the time it was just about manageable but given that its just myself & Laury at present, we had to find a better solution.   Now we have it in our doorstep.  

A few pics of The Original Haybarn & CowShed as it stood

The Sheds as they stood, though in great nick, were not suitable for our own storage needs.

The round top high hay barn was favoured by farmers for 2 reasons - enhanced hay drying with no condensation, and exemption from taxes on buildings with round top roofs!

Throughout this project one of the things that has become very evident is the quality of materials used - even with this relatively modern barn, (dating from the late 1970's) , the galvanized sheeting used was of a far superior quality than what might be used today.

Yet, for current regulations we required certified insulated paneling for fire safety standards (& Insurance!) 

An estimate cost of even just taking this barn down was in the 7-8k price range - which, when you considered the man days required coupled with heavy duty machinery like cherry pickers, was not unreasonable (these days!) . But again, we had a real stroke of luck when a neighboring farmer made us an offer for the sheeting paneling which included taking the barn down. 

As the materials were in such good nick, we were keeping all the Steel Trusses & framework , roof perlings etc so that we could reuse ourselves as we redeveloped the warehouse. 

To ensure stable long term storage of our solid wood furniture pieces, maintaining an ambient temperature is crucial to prevent wood swelling and maintain good storage conditions. 

We looked at a number of insulated paneling solutions - but as far as we could find the only one that was fully fire certified for insurance purposes was Kingspan Gladstone Insulated Paneling. 

This photo shows after we have taken out the mid trusses & roof perlings that connected high hay barn (on the right) with cow shed (left)

And we were able to reuse them extending out on the other side of building - essentially flipping the structure but allowing us to follow the same gradient as the existing cowshed structure.  

Given the South South East orientation, coupled with a low degree pitch, there is massive potential for Solar Electric generation. We are currently scoping out a number of options with various Solar suppliers & will keep you folks updated as to the costs, benefits & practical installation tips  that we encounter. 

Though not quiet yet to our Showroom standard, we are now happy to invite you to view pieces at our new warehouse in Kilcullen, Co Kildare. You can contact us directly at 086 776 3315 to arrange a viewing appointment Tuesday to Sunday included. 

In our next posts we'll be showing you around some of the beautiful farm buildings we have plans for.