Barn Plans Information

I guess I was always fascinated with barns, even as a child. As early as I can remember back in the 50's my folks would pack up the Nash Rambler and go for long drives through the country roads of Northern California and I'd sit up in the back seat and watch stuff go by. I'd always get a thrill if we drove by a ranch or farm with a barn. It seemed that there were so many of them then. Some were in good shape and still others were in various stages of collapse. Some still even had the silo standing. I'd see a really nice looking one and wonder, as a boy, why would the people want to live in that crummy little house instead of that great big beautiful barn. I guess it was the style and character of these old buildings that impressed me, even as a kid. Well, I've grown up since then. I got older and I found I still liked that sort of thing. I've been building, remodeling and restoring houses, barns and out-buildings since 1970 and it's funny, I never got tired of it. In 1972 I bought the old Commodore Potts Mansion in Vallejo, California. Potts was the last Commodore commissioned to the United States Navy and, as the story goes, was best friends with Admiral Chester Nimitz. "Chet", as he was referred to, visited the commodore often at his Vallejo home. This and many other fascinating stories about the house's history were told to me by Sarah Laughton, Potts' 91 year old grand-daughter who lived in the house from the time she was a little girl until the late 50's. Unfortunately, the old home, built in 1864, hadn't been taken care of for many years and by the time I found it, it was condemned and ready to be bulldozed. Well, it was love at first sight. The same kind of excitement I felt as a kid seeing those neat looking barns. I took it over and went to work. First we jacked-up the whole house and put a foundation under it. Then we tore out the old lead plumbing and the knob-and-tube wiring and upgraded. A cedar shake roof and a trendy period paint job and she started looking pretty good. The interior was a ...