An Old Bank Barn Under Undergoes a Stunning Transformation

Hours of labor, love and dedication transformed this bank barn into a dream horse barn.

When Leah Kaufman and her husband Mark moved into their horse property in 2018, the massive bank barn provided a blank canvas to house her dream barn. Located in the Pacific Northwest, this renovation was no small feat. Leah, the founder of Dapplebay, a popular equestrian apparel brand and Mark designed every inch of the barn by themselves spread over a four year timeframe.

Photography by Kayla Norene Photography

The building’s 30′ x 60′ footprint remained the same, with an addition of a 12′ shed roof off the back of the barn in the paddock area. The barn underwent major structural work. Formerly a livestock barn for sheep, goats and even chickens, the barn is now a luxury horse barn. The building was gutted with the exception of the loft floor and posts, pony wall beneath it and foundation walls. Mark did everything aside from any major structural work. He learned carpentry, roofing, cement work, masonry skills and more to complete the renovation.

Before the Renovation

Before photos provided by Leah

After the Renovation

The beautiful barn is home to Pie and Ranger, Leah’s handsome off-the-track Thoroughbreds.

The wood for the stalls is composed of 2’x6′ tongue and groove boards composed of reclaimed wood from the original floor, all painstakingly sanded, stained and hand finished with Waterlox. The stalls are 11′ x 13′ to accommodate the barn’s size.

The doors, stairs and kitchenette backsplash are custom built using reclaimed wood from the original barn. The elegant kitchenette cabinets turned out beautiful, another first time building experience taken on by Mark. The wood stain is Varathan Jacobean and the finish is Waterlox Original Satin Finish. The hardware is all from Restoration Hardware.

The stalls, dutch doors, grooming bay and sliding barn door are from Saratoga Stalls. The barn lighting was sourced from Amazon and Leah semi-customized the hanging pendant lights by painting the interior of the lights white.

Tack Storage

Leah embraced her barn’s spacious open concept and opted for custom tack storage cabinets instead of a dedicated walk in tack room. The custom sliding saddle racks pull out for easy access. There is overhead lighting in the cabinets and full length storage drawers below. The saddle pads are made by Dapplebay.

These beautiful antique horse head hooks were sourced from Etsy.

The exterior paint color is Sherwin Williams Reserved White and Tricorn Black. Fresh paint, accent lighting and new doors has done wonders to the barn’s exterior.