Amazing 150-Year-Old Barn Gets Converted into a Cozy Small House

This 150-year-old barn was set to be demolished after years of lying vacant and unused. It was saved in the nick of time by it’s latest owners, who had it dismantled, and rebuilt 800-meters from its original site location.

For the reconstruction of the barn, the owners contacted architecture firm, Madritsch + Pfurtscheller. Together they collaborated on how to transform the barn into a comfortable small home.

The project has been titled House Moser, after the clients, Tina Maikl and Rene Moser. The dwelling itself amounts to 1,152-square-feet (107-square-meters) and is located among the scenic valleys of Neustift im Stubaital in Austria.

The new layout was “woven” into the existing structure, so as to maintain the barn’s history and character. The exterior has been left largely unchanged, spar for the addition of some glazing toward the top of one gable end, and the introduction of skylights.

Unlike the outside, the interior has undergone substantial modification in order to make it fit for habitation. The interior has had to slot into and around the existing structure of the barn.

The ground floor is largely taken up by a kitchen and dining room, with a block staircase separating the two. There’s also a mechanical room (for the boiler etc.), a bathroom, and a large enclosed terrace to west.

The upper level contains two rooms and a gallery. Three beds are housed in the two bedrooms. From the architects: “House Moser is continuation of and with traditions, a step forward and back at the same time that creates a link between past and future. The building is small and energy-efficient. In short: Providing meaning for many!”

For more small houses check out Back Country House, an idyllic getaway set among the forests of New Zealand. Or, Dark Horse, a contemporary home set in the midst of a traditional estate in Australia. See all small houses.

Photos © Wolfgang Retter