2021 - Modern Barnhouse Idea House

Welcome to our latest Idea House, the Modern Barnhouse near St. Paul, Minnesota! We’re thrilled to be working with licensed contractor, activist, and television personality Amy Matthews as she embarks on building her dream home: a Scandinavian-style barnhouse on a verdant farmstead in the St. Croix River Valley. This 3,700 square-foot home will feature innovative SIP construction for a tighter envelope and speedier build; modern, minimalist aesthetic; rich, neutral palette of natural materials (cedar, cement, stone, and metal) accented with walls of glass that invite the outdoors inside; and the renovation of an outbuilding workshop that will become a training facility for women in the trades and survivors of domestic violence. Progress and expansion are underway, and you can follow the action, 24/7, below.