We knew when we were first married that, although our professions would keep us in the city, a home in the country was our "dream." I grew up on a farm in south central Nebraska and truly value that way of living. My husband grew up in Omaha but loves to hunt and enjoys the outdoors. For years we drove around in the country on Sunday afternoons looking for an old farm place with a cute little farmhouse and an old gambrel-roofed barn. We looked at many homes but didn't find anything that didn't need a new roof, new windows, a new foundation, a new well, etc. We finally decided that, although we love the charm of an old house, if we were going to start living our "dream," we were going to have to build a new home in the country. We love our new home, which we designed with and old farmhouse in mind, but the place was definitely missing something. The addition of an old chicken house from my parents' farm helped, but what we really needed was a barn...an old gambrel-roofed barn! I talk to several people who had moved old barns and spoke to a couple of companies who moved buildings. It was feasible if the building was not too big, in good condition and within about a ten-mile radius of our home. That was it; I was going to find an old barn to move! After years of driving around in the country, I knew about every barn around. I started calling, asking neighbors, watching auctions...I even ran an ad in a local newspaper, but the only response I got was from someone else interested in finding an old barn to move! It was frustrating; I had my heart set on having an old barn. When my last hope, an old area barn that needed a lot of work to be moved, blew down in a spring storm; we started looking at other options. We looked at the metal buildings that are so popular, but they just lacked the character that I longed for. One day, I saw the advertisement in a magazine for Sand Creek Post & Beam. I wrote to request a catalog. The buildings were beautiful, but there was only one option for the gambrel style that I love. I wanted something a little different, and I was not familiar with the post and beam style. I put the catalog aside, but I couldn't throw it out. One day Jule called. She explained that they would work with us to design something more in line with what I had envisioned. When I mentioned this to our neighbor who is a retired contractor, he got busy. Before we knew it, lumber was delivered and a barn started taking shape. It was so exciting to see the massive bents go up! We really like the post and beam construction. The exposed wood beams are as beautiful as they are functional, and they give the building a timeless quality. We painted our barn red like the barn on my parents' farm. Although I didn't inherit my barn from a previous generation, I know that it will be enjoyed and admired by generations to come! Thanks, Sand Creek Post & Beam, for our new, old barn!
~ Amy Campagna, Nebraska