Founder: George Abetti
Established: Originally founded as a part-time venture by George Abetti in 1991, Geobarns became a full-time, custom design-build firm in 2003.
Purpose: Geobarns specializes in building artistic, modified post-and-beam structures with diagonal framing to achieve a combination of strength, versatility, and beauty at reasonable prices.
Location: White River Junction, Vermont
Geobarns Built: 350+
Average Number of Projects in a Year: 20 or more
Geobarns Build Locations : 20 states; all over New England and the Mid-Atlantic, Pennsylvania, Ohio, as well as Texas and California. Available nationwide and in Canada.
Mission: To design and build solid, durable, efficient structures that are unique creations of the collaboration between client and builder and that enhance the client’s quality of life. We uphold the classical design-build tradition: A partnership between builder and client from initial ideas to finished structure in a design and construction process that is enjoyable and rewarding.
Core Values:
- Collaboration: Our work is entirely collaborative, from the first client meeting to post-occupancy follow-up. We often say that, in building a Geobarn, “One plus one equals three.” meaning that the client and the design-builders working together will inevitably find more complete, satisfying and economical solutions than we would working alone. Geobarns will never hesitate to give you our best advice, but our buildings are better each year because of things we learn from our clients.
- Design & Development: Geobarns offers clients our expertise and lessons-learned from hundreds of projects. Whether the challenge is site development, capital budgeting decisions, infrastructure coordination, or buildings for complex event or hospitality programs, we bring the experiences of our partners, and also of our capable and successful clients.
- Sustainability: Geobarns has always been oriented toward sustainability and health. Our building system is designed around finding the maximum potential of an ancient, versatile sustainable material (wood), and our management team brings long experience in sustainable land development and management practices. Sustainability is not one strategy: it’s a way of evaluating the many choices and preferences our clients bring against the capacity and characteristics of the site, the region and the ecosystem.
Distinctive Results:
Geobarns’ modified post-and-beam buildings are characterized by unique elements such as free-span girder trusses, versatile open floor plans, diagonal framing, vaulted ceilings, and cupolas that fill interior spaces with natural light. Every Geobarn is designed for high thermal efficiency and high comfort. We carefully select materials that are sustainable, and we minimize VOCs and other unhealthy building products. Our innovative building approach meets or exceeds modern building standards.
Design-Build Approach:
Our founder, George Abetti, works directly with clients to develop a passionately shared vision that defines the project. The vision is brought to life by Geobarns’ well-trained design team and construction crews, as well as a wide network of tradespeople, subcontractors, and artists with whom Geobarns has well-established relationships. We work in a transparent and collaborative building process in which our clients are deeply involved with every phase of design and construction.
Geobarns Industry and Residential Applications:
- Agritourism Facilities: Equestrian Centers, Farm-to-Table Kitchens, Community Garden Centers, Wineries (see Geobarns Commercial Venues)
- Art and Artisan Studios (see Building a Studio Workshop with Geobarns)
- Carriage Homes and Carriage House Additions (see Geobarns Additions)
- Custom homes (see Geobarns Homes)
- Dream Garages and Collector Galleries
- Garage / Apartment Stand-alone Buildings and Additions
- Modern Farmhouses
- Rustic Farm Homes
- Off-Grid Homes and Vacation Homes
- Outbuildings: Equipment Barns, Livestock Barns, & Storage Facilities (see Geobarns Hybrid Outbuildings).
- Wedding Barns and Event Barns (see Building a Wedding Barn… in Vermont)
- Workshops, Crafting Studios, and Artisan Goods Production Facilities
Geobarns Custom Design-Build Products & Services
- Collaborative vision: We believe design and construction can only be accomplished in close partnership with our clients, from first sketch to final nail
- Design: Our design capabilities encompass everything from simple storage barns to community planning
- Project Management: We manage everything we build, with frequent progress meetings with our clients, to ensure that projects stay on track
- Finishes Consultation: Our designers help with selection of finishes and fixtures – down to door latches and paint colors – to deliver a harmonious design
Benefits of Geobarns Unique Architectural Engineering Style:
- More efficient than standard framing. Our farming waste coefficient is typically 0.05%, which is staggeringly low
- Immensely strong. Geobarns meets California’s strict Seismic Building Codes with only slight modifications
- Architecturally beautiful spaces that celebrate the carpenter’s art
- Our versatile system is easily adapted to a wide variety of uses and applications
Design-Build Projects Category Breakdown:
- One third Commercial Venues
- One third Residential
- One third Hybrid Outbuildings/Workshops/Studios/Horse Barns
