Historic Farmhouse Remodel in Freedom, NH

We kicked off the project by removing the den that linked the 200-year-old home and barn. Our team carefully salvaged the den’s original posts, boards, and beams for use in the updated design.

The barn itself needed significant attention; it was leaning about 15 inches to the right and sat on a cobbled granite foundation. We lifted and stabilized the structure, replaced the old foundation with insulated concrete forms. We reimagined the lower level to include an office, workshop, storage space, and areas for coffee roasting, games, and workouts.

After resetting the barn on its new foundation, we gradually corrected the lean and thoughtfully rebuilt the main level. The former woodworking shop has become a serene, sun-lit primary bedroom with sweeping views of the nearby fields, hills, and brook.

The rest of the barn was reinvented as a new entryway and mudroom that seamlessly connects to the house at the same level. Previously, the transitions from the barn to the den—and into the kitchen—involved awkward step-ups.

We retained the original barn boards as the mudroom floor and reconstructed the den using its saved posts and beams for door frames and other architectural touches. The home’s large back deck, which we had carefully removed by crane at the start of the project, was successfully reattached.

Custom built-ins and storage pieces crafted by The WoodWorks, Cormack’s woodworking division, add both charm and practicality to the finished space. These elements are especially meaningful to the homeowner because they incorporate cherry wood saved from her father’s days as a master carpenter.