A devastating fire in 2016 was the catalyst for this farming family to create an authentic, two-storey dairy shed, complete with custom silos, for their children to live and play in.
“It was very emotional when the old family dairy shed burnt, but to see it actually built again and finished is fantastic — and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next 50 or 100 years,” says homeowner Allister.
Featuring a main shed with a kitchen, living area, laundry, bathroom and underground bunker; an adjoining “machinery” shed with two bedrooms and ensuites; and two towering, custom-made grain silos with a bedroom and ensuite each, this four-pavilion farmhouse is perfect for entertaining. However, homeowner Belinda didn’t want it to look like a modern take on the old dairy shed. Her brief for builder Steve Duffey from Rosedale Constructions was to create something that looked like it had been on the Scott family farm for four generations.
“We wanted to pay homage to the generational history of farming in the family,” says Belinda. “We wanted to build a home that looked like a dairy shed that had been there for 100 years and was equally very liveable and homely.” To create this homage to generations past, the pair utilised repurposed raw materials such as steel, old concrete bricks, concrete and aged timber to reflect both the agricultural and industrial building methods of farm sheds. By keeping these materials as they were — rustic and weathered — Belinda hoped to create a home that exudes intrigue, stories and history. “The use of recycled materials through the entire project allowed for a sustainable home with character and equally a home that is well insulated and remains warm and cool as required throughout the year,” she says.
Sourcing these recycled farm materials didn’t come without its challenges. With the original brief stating repurposed old silos would be used for the two adjoining bedroom/ensuites, Steve and Belinda found, when researching and measuring, that existing silos wouldn’t quite work for their intended use in the new home. This meant they needed to completely rethink the home’s design, creating new silos from scratch that mirrored the look and feel of the existing, aged ones.
“The sourcing of old materials required us to be bowerbirds, searching through other people’s junk to find the treasures we needed to make our home come alive,” recalls Belinda. “Utilising the skills of the builder, designers and tradesmen such as Les Guilfoyle, blacksmith at The Flying Anvil, made the build look authentic and aged.”
Another challenge was the constant heavy rain during the winter months, with the main shed’s basement completely filling up with water numerous times. This caused delays to the build and required several days to empty. “The paddocks were saturated and they were forecasting another 15mm to 20mm every day for the next three days,” says builder Steve. “The basement was full to the brim with water from the floor to the ceiling. It was probably around 75-80,000 litres of water.”
Even with the lengthy building delays and sourcing difficulties, Belinda and Allister, along with builder Steve, created a glamorous reimagining of the old, rough-and-ready dairy shed — a lovely nod to the family’s farming history. It also shows how the use of recycled materials can create a modern and homely space with character.
The aesthetically imperfect, agricultural showpiece not only fools passers-by, it also blends beautifully into the eclectic nature of the family’s expansive dairy farm. “We are rapt that people driving past think it is a genuine old farm shed and yet when they stay, they explore the history and feel the homeliness of all areas and the way they connect to the land and farm,” says Belinda. “There’s something special about the bunker, walkway and silos.”
