Beyond the Barn Doors

Within the newly restored walls of a 100-year-old barn in Culpeper lies the 

culmination of one man�s dream.

 by Laura Emery, Field Editor

Everyone thought W.  Junior Baker, 55, was crazy. His friends and family didn�t think it could be done. �The guys at work thought I�d lost it,� Baker recalls with a laugh.

Even the helpful people at the county zoning office thought the concept a little odd. After all, it isn�t every day that someone wants to turn a 100-year-old barn into a 3,200-square-foot modern home.

Undaunted, Baker was determined to make his 25-year-old dream come true. �As long as they would give me permission to do it, I was going to follow through with it,� he says.

And follow through with it, he did. Baker may not have been born in a barn, as the expression goes � but he�s living in one now.   

Today, his barn-turned-beautiful-abode has attracted many a curious passerby from nearby Route 29 in Culpeper. �People drive by and think it�s a barn, and then they get to lookin� a little closer and realize it�s a three-story house now. It makes people curious,� he says. �Some of the older folks remember cows being led in and out of the barn when they were much younger. When they don�t see any cows or hay in sight, they�re confused.�

Baker�s fascination with barns began as a young child. He grew up in nearby Rappahannock on a farm in a family with nine boys and two girls. Baker has always been fascinated with barns � and with history. Over the years, he has seen many old barns disappear from the landscape. This has made a lasting impression on Baker. 

�What will new generations have to remember if we keep taking down old barns and buildings?� he asks. Baker has always been interested in historical preservation. He is a longtime maintenance worker at the Museum of Culpeper History and has helped restore several historic residences in downtown Culpeper.

�As a child, every time I saw an old barn or building get torn down, I knew its history was being destroyed with it. So, I wanted to help preserve history and get a unique house out of it at the same time,� he says.

�Unique� is the perfect word to describe his new home, because there�s more to this barn than meets the eye. He purchased the building five years ago after using it as a storage facility for his handyman business. From the outside view, the barn is quaint and attractive. Its classic barn-red boards contrast brightly against freshly painted white window trim, the picture complete against the vibrant green backdrop of a well-manicured four acres of lawn. It�s a rustic dwelling that blends into the landscape, and at a quick glance looks like an unusually well-kept barn.

The majority of the barn�s exterior boards are original to the 100-year-old structure. The barn�s boards have housed decades of history, shielding farm animals and equipment essential to many a farmer�s mainstay from harsh weather conditions.

But beyond the barn doors lies a home like few others. Inside, a 20-foot soaring ceiling rises above the main floor as daylight floods in through the home�s French doors and ample windows, and illuminates the beautiful knotty-pine floors and walls and the home�s focal point, a large stone fireplace. The d�cor is modern-meets-rustic-country. Antique milk cans, barrels, and kettles share the same corner of the house as contemporary furniture and sleek d�cor lines. A contemporary spiral staircase winds down from the upper floor, where Baker built a loft bedroom and a bathroom containing a bathtub surrounded by stone. French doors on the first floor lead out to a raised deck and beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains .

In the kitchen, smooth granite countertops are home to stainless-steel accessories � and a bright-red porcelain miniature-barn cookie jar brings back the rustic ambiance. �I know people probably expected me to put in antique-looking kitchen appliances, but I have always wanted stainless-steel appliances. I didn�t do what everyone else thought I should do; I made the decisions on my own,� he says. �Visitors seem to think I did a good job with the d�cor, so I�m quite proud of that.�

While experienced contractors handled the plumbing work, heating-system installation, stone-fireplace construction, and the electrical work inside the barn, most everything else was done by Baker. He estimates he hammered about 20,000 nails in the slanted walls. �I gutted the barn first, knocking out the doors and getting rid of all the dirt and hay. It was in pretty bad condition.� Then, he says, came all the necessary paperwork with the county zoning office.

The county office sent Baker to a local architectural firm, Design Options. �The architect asked me where my plans were. I told him that there weren�t any plans, it was all up here,� says Baker, pointing to his head with a smile. �When I told him what I wanted, he said, �You�ve got to be kidding me,� and I said �No, this is what I have always wanted to do,� � Baker explains. The architect listened to Baker�s descriptions of his conceptual three-story barn house, and then drew up the plans accordingly. �He had to put my dream onto paper and it wasn�t an easy job.�

No School � Just Skill

With no formal training as a general contractor, Baker built his home with acquired knowledge and skills he�s picked up over the years. A devoted VDOT employee for 32 years before retiring, Baker did part-time work � a little bit of everything � on the side.

Baker revels in showing off his unique home. But it symbolizes something much more poignant than a mere house. Five years ago when he began to actively work on turning the barn into a house, Baker was down on his luck. �Without getting into details, I will say that I was going through a rough patch at that time, and it was like the bottom fell out from under me. I had to start all over again,� he says, his voice trailing off.

Board by board, Baker built up his confidence � while also building himself a new home and a new life. He devoted 14 to 18 hours a day to the project while he lived in a trailer on the property. �The good Lord was helping me and showing me the way,� he says. �And so I kept at it. I even surprised myself sometimes,� he says, with a shy chuckle. Nothing, aside from his two daughters (Wendy, 31, and Heidi, 28) and six grandchildren, makes Baker happier than his new barn home. �It was well worth the hard work. I would do it all over again if I could,� he says.

Completion of the two-and-a-half-year project was not just a physical victory for Baker; it was also a personal victory. It just goes to show you, he says, that one can rise above life�s difficulties. �It took a lot of elbow grease and a whole lot of determination,� he explains. �Not everyone saw my vision at the time, so it was hard to get people to help me out. They thought I was crazy. But, now, they�re just in awe. They can�t believe I followed through with it and turned my dream into reality.�