A Barn Reborn
(Page 2 of 3)
April/May 2007
By Carola Kittredge
Preserving the Barn
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The barn, which is built into the side of a hill, was left almost entirely in its original state, although some parts were reconfigured. The top floor was transformed into a large, high-ceilinged living room. Floors made of old wooden planks were sanded to remove the chemical sealers and left unfinished. Naylor converted the adjoining tack room into her bedroom, and two box stalls with their original doors still in place into bedrooms for visiting grandchildren. The remaining upper horse stalls were divided from the living space by sliding barn doors and left as a home for the chickens that provide eggs for Naylor’s family and her grandson’s egg delivery business.
Downstairs, Naylor turned the old milk room into a cozy sitting room and reconfigured two standing stalls to make the kitchen. One of two box stalls now serves as the utility room while the other has become a dining room that seats up to eight people.
Relying on the Sun
Because Naylor shared McDonough’s vision that buildings should rely on sunlight for heat and illumination, she decided to live entirely off the grid. Water for the kitchen and the bathroom is heated by solar power. Downstairs, hot water piped through tubes beneath the concrete floor provides radiant heat.
The upstairs is heated by south-facing windows during the day and a wood-burning stove at night. Even during the hot, muggy Maryland summers, the barn’s doors and windows allow excellent cross ventilation that keeps the house comfortable. For extra air circulation, there’s a ceiling fan in the great room, though it’s seldom used. The concrete floors downstairs, treated to look like stone but left unsealed, help keep the area cool.
The building runs on 24-volt direct current generated by photovoltaic panels. Because the expansive windows provide enough light to read and work by even on cloudy days, Naylor uses so little electricity that she usually has a surplus, which she stores in battery packs for nighttime use.
Living in Harmony
Conserving water was important to Naylor long before Baltimore began to suffer from one of the longest droughts in Maryland history. She has installed water-saving appliances and showerheads, and the composting toilet requires no water at all. On an average day, Naylor uses about 24 gallons of water — considerably less than the 60 to 70 gallons per capita usage estimated by the American Water Works Association. All used water is gravity fed into two stone troughs. From there it leaches slowly into the garden, and because she uses Oasis, a potassium-based laundry soap, the graywater also fertilizes the plants.
