Barn Raising on White Oak Shade

There was a good old fashion barn raising on White Oak Shade Road Wednesday, but nothing — and everything — was old fashioned about the project.

 A team of workers from Maine Post & Beam out of Freeport, ME, were on site to erect a 750 square foot post and beam structure for FSA Construction Services of Wilton, CT.

Project manager John Ulicki said the building will replace an old barn that was destroyed in the March 2010 storm.

“They’re very thoughtful people,” he said of the owners, who did not want to be identified. “They wanted to save the old barn, but it was too far gone.”

Ulicki said at 40’ by 60’, the old barn was substantially larger than the one framed Wednesday, which is a little smaller than a three car garage. The building, which will be a guest cottage, will contain living and dining space, a kitchen, a bath and a loft.

In a sort of outside-in construction, a “skin” will be put over the Western vertical grain fir frame, so the beams will be visible from inside, Ulicki said. The building will be pegged, “the old fashioned way,” he said. There wasn’t a nail hammered all morning.

Ulicki said the construction will cost about 15 to 20 percent more than traditional building style, but he said clients see value in using recycled and sustainable materials, as well as energy saving features incorporated into the building.

The scale of the building is also following a new trend, Ulicki said.

“We’re seeing a shift in building and the way things are built,” he said. “It’s a smaller scale. It’s more about quality than quantity. We’re seeing a trend. People are thinking about a less is more approach.”