Beautiful, Strong, & Versatile
A Geobarn is an endlessly versatile building system derived from the heritage of Vermont barn-building. The most obvious innovation is our signature diagonal framing, which makes our modified post-and-beam structural shell incredibly strong. Our hand-built truss assemblies span wide interior spaces and support heavy loads, which eliminates the need for internal supports or load bearing walls. A Geobarn permits an endless variety of architectural styles, from rustic to modern designs.
The end result is a Geobarn that is open and filled with light. Our open interiors enable Geobarn owners to create open floor plans and connected living spaces, which makes a Geobarn endlessly versatile. A Geobarn is durable and strong, and a proven survivor of storm and seismic events. And every Geobarn is highly energy efficient and built to minimize carbon footprint. While modern construction techniques are more energy efficient than ever, Geobarns takes energy performance to the next level, making truly passive energy efficiency possible.
But most of all, a Geobarn is designed and built for you. No two Geobarns are alike, just as no two people are alike. A Geobarn is more than a custom home or business venue. Every Geobarn is conceived, designed, and finished through close teamwork between you and our team. A Geobarn is unique work of careful design and artful construction to be a foundation for a lifetime of joyful living.
Diagonal Framing
Diagonal Framing is stronger than stick built and far more efficient. By framing our post bays diagonally, shear loads are transferred to the foundation, thereby increasing the strength of the post-and-beam shell. Sure, Diagonal Framing requires a higher degree of carpentry skill, but the resulting strength and efficiency is worth it.
Why We Build with Diagonal FramingModified Post & Beam
Derived from traditional timber framing, our modified Post-and-Beam shell is engineered to carry heavier loads without the internal supports required by stick built or timber frame. Eliminating mandatory internal supports means a Geobarns floorplan is endlessly customizable, from homes to commercial venues to art studios and workshops.
Proprietary Truss Assemblies
With our massively strong structural shell, a Geobarn can support minimalist trusses of far greater load capacity than stick built structures. Our modified Post-and-Beam system, combined with our signature Diagonal Framing work together to safely transfer loads to the foundation.
Every Geobarns truss is hand-built for the job, and they evoke the beauty of traditional exposed timber framing. Geobarns has built flooring systems capable of carrying loads up to 272,000 pounds and spanning interiors up to 36 feet wide, without internal supports – perfect for workshops and artisan commercial venues.
Open Interiors
We believe natural light is good for the soul. Since a Geobarn has little need for internal supports or load bearing walls, your Geobarn can be designed with soaring, open interiors that become cathedrals of light. Interior rooms can be laid out any way you wish. Daring features, such as floating lofts or floors of clear Lexan are easily incorporated in a Geobarn. Geobarn homes are dramatic and inviting, and Geobarn commercial venues become stages for intimate client experiences.
Versatile Design
Home, workshop, art studio, wedding barn… a Geobarn can be nearly anything you wish. Unlike building kits or plan packages, a Geobarn is easily adapted to a variety of purposes. We’ve built everything from apartment/garages to wineries from Maine to California. A Geobarn has the flexibility of a one-of-a-kind structure combined with the efficiencies of Vermont barns. Every Geobarn we build is precisely tailored to the building site and the needs of our clients.
Agrarian Heritage
Geobarns began by building strong, versatile barn and utility buildings in New England. The exposed timber posts and beams, rolling barn doors, and hardy joinery of our agrarian heritage can be found in every Geobarn we build today. From rooftop cupola to finishes and fixtures, a Geobarn looks and feels like a historic home or business venue, but it has all the technology and engineering of a modern structure. We love it when people look at a Geobarn and tell us “it looks like it has always been there.”
Thermal Efficiency
The key to high thermal efficiency is ensuring your Geobarn is weather-tight. Your Geobarn structural shell is engineered and built to mitigate heat transfer and manage moisture flows with air sealants and barrier membranes. Optional foundation and exterior insulation can reduce heat loss to near zero.
Our advanced interior HVAC and air exchange systems ensure the internal climate of your Geobarn is comfortable regardless of the weather outside. This translates to lower energy costs, of course, as well as protecting your Geobarn – and its contents – for decades of structural service life.
Healthy Building
A healthy building maintains an internal environment free of noxious chemicals and intrusive organisms. We are careful to select building materials that minimize or eliminate VOCs and other compounds that would accumulate inside a highly efficient structure. Our HVAC and air exchange systems maintain a comfortable temperature and humidity, provide a regular flow of fresh air, minimize opportunities for micro-organisms to take root, and can be centrally controlled with ‘smart home’ technology.
Low Carbon Footprint
We have a deep love for untouched forests and pristine landscapes, and we’re very concerned with the impact of human activity on our planet. While we’re a small building company, that love and concern guides us in every detail of designing and building a Geobarn.
Our proprietary building system is incredibly efficient, with framing waste coefficients as low as 0.05%. We select lumber sourced from sustainable forestry practices. We minimize building materials which require destruction of wildlife habitats to extract, such as cementitious and mineral products. We design our buildings to be frugal with energy requirements to reduce carbon footprint as low as possible. We believe it is our duty to be good stewards of our planet’s resources in everything we do.
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