Award-winning Historic Home and Barn Renovation in Freedom, NH

At Cormack Construction Management, we believe that every home has a story, and as residential remodelers, we are honored to play a small part in it. Imagine the story of a 200-year-old, four-generation home! When Caroline and Gregg Marston of Freedom, New Hampshire, asked us to remodel their historic home and attached barn, we knew we would be part of something special. Her great-grandparents’ home—where Caroline and her young siblings and cousins spent many memorable summers and winter weekends—now serves as a place where she and her husband, Gregg, are making memories with their own children and grandchildren.

^{1935 Photo of the Original Home and Barn: The property’s exterior was not significantly altered during the 2024 remodel, which was very important to the Marston family.}

Honoring the Past, Building for the Future

While the home was a treasured part of Caroline’s family history, it lacked the space and functionality she and Gregg wanted for their extended family. The attached barn, which had the potential for additional living space, was leaning 15 inches to the right and showing its age. “This was a very complex project with some unique structural challenges. Our goal was to meet the Marston’s functional needs and living space requirements while preserving the home’s charm and historical character,” says Joseph DeSerrano, vice president of design and development at Cormack Construction Management. 

“One of our primary goals and requests was to save as much as we could and use these elements in the new construction and Cormack really honored that.” -Caroline Marston

The home's old connector (den) was removed, and its posts, boards, and beams were set aside for future use in the project.

Getting Started

We began the project by assessing the overall structure of the home and barn, and removing the den (originally a breezeway) that connected the two buildings. Our crew carefully set aside the den’s wood posts, boards, and beams with plans to incorporate them into the remodeled space. 

We lifted and supported the barn so our team could remove the cobbled granite foundation and replace it with insulated concrete forms.

Next, because the barn had a significant lean, we lifted it from its foundation and stabilized it, allowing us to safely replace its cobbled granite foundation with insulated concrete forms. “We removed about 200 years of built-up mud, dirt, and animal waste in the barn’s lower level to build an office, a workshop, a storage area, and space for roasting coffee, playing games, and working out,” DeSerrano points out.

The barn's lower level was converted into a highly functional, multi-purpose space.

Rebuilding the Barn’s Top Level Interior

Once we returned the barn to its new foundation, we slowly applied stress to some structural members to relieve the lean. After that, the team began to masterfully rebuild the barn’s main-level interior. What was once Caroline’s dad’s woodworking shop now serves as a beautiful primary bedroom overlooking the surrounding fields, hills, and brook. “We added numerous windows between the existing structural members, allowing light to cascade into the space,” DeSerrano notes.

The barn's old woodworking shop now serves as a sun-drenched primary bedroom overlooking the surrounding fields, hills, and brook.

“We added numerous windows between the existing structural members, allowing light to cascade into the space.” -Joseph DeSerrano

A New Mudroom, Den, and More

We transformed the remaining barn space into a new entryway and mudroom that connects to the home on the same level. The old barn-to-home connection included an awkward step up from the entryway to the den and another into the kitchen.  We left the old barn boards in place for the new mudroom’s flooring and rebuilt the den, using its original posts and beams for door frames and other details wherever possible. The home’s large back deck, which we carefully removed with a crane at the start of the project, was successfully reattached.

A portion of the barn was converted into a new entryway and mudroom that connects to the home on the same level. To preserve its rustic charm, we left the barn's old floorboards in place for the new mudroom.

Built-in Features

Custom built-ins and storage, designed and crafted by The WoodWorks, Cormack’s woodworking division, bring added functionality and charm to the home’s new den and entryway. “These pieces are really special because they were built with some of the cherry wood left over from my father’s days as a master carpenter,” Caroline points out. 

Custom-built-ins and furniture add storage and functionality to the home's new den and entryway.

Another Nod to the Past 

“In addition to incorporating some of the home’s original elements into the remodeled space, we added a few 'special touches' to commemorate the past,” DeSerrano notes. Our team salvaged a board with Caroline’s parents' carved initials from a wall in the barn and incorporated it into a wall by the mudroom entrance. We also built a small rustic box stand to display the home’s old mechanical doorbell, which Caroline and her young cousins loved playing with.

A board salvaged from the old barn with the carved initials of Caroline’s parents and the home's old mechanical doorbell were incorporated into a wall by the mudroom entrance.

“This property has been in our family for four generations. The beauty of this project is that when you drive by our house and barn, there is very little change from the outside.” -Caroline Marston

“This property has been in our family for four generations. The beauty of this project is that when you drive by our house and barn, there is very little change from the outside,” Caroline says. “I really can’t say enough about Cormack’s team. They clearly respected the beauty and history of our property and did everything needed to preserve and restore it,” Caroline’s husband, Gregg, adds.

New Hampshire Home Builders Association Award for Building Excellence

This historical home remodeling project earned Cormack Construction Management a Cornerstone Award for Building Excellence from the New Hampshire Home Builders Association (NHHBA) in 2024. 

Founded in 1972, Cormack Construction Management is an award-winning design-build firm serving New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Lakes Region, and Western Maine. For further information, visit cormackconstructionmanagement.com