219 Changewater Rd, Changewater, NJ 07831

Barns are the enduring symbols of a vibrant rural tradition, as well as the heart and soul for a new generation of imaginative country houses. Architects are rethinking these alluring structures, drafting design principles which ensure they continue to complement the natural landscape where they have sat for ages. The country equivalent to urban lofts, barns offer the opportunity for open-plan flexible living. Their open spaces and high ceilings make them ideal for those wanting to combine rural traditions and natural landscape with new architecture and unconventional layouts. Traveling west on Route 78 past Bedminster, country roads begin to unveil New Jersey’s designation as The Garden State. Long established farmhouses, with barns close by, prevail on the passing acres. There is a sense of stepping back in time. Hamlets where residents knew each other for generations. Where together they took fieldstone from the ground to build their homes and barns, and then tilled the earth to coax life-sustaining harvests. On the approach to Changewater, the Musconetcong River, flanked with woodland, rushes on the right. Anglers are seen casting their luck as they have since 1778 when Mark Thompson, a colonel in George Washington’s army, quarried the landscape for lumber and stone to build his barn. It was later sold to the Snyders, whose stewardship of the barn lasted for generations, until it was sold in 1978 and converted to a residence—Their 1700s house still stands across the street. Upon the purchase of the august stone structure in 2003 by the present owners, the barn’s transformation to a fluid multifunctional space for eating, relaxing and entertaining achieved an unqualified crescendo. Exposed stone walls, original wide-plank oak floors, barnboard siding and rough, rustic beams shape the barn’s central gathering space comprising open family and living rooms, formal and informal dining spaces. Among them, a fully interior river stone fireplace is a riveting presence. Professional appliances, well-chosen natural materials, and a radiant heat floor, distinguish the 2011-installed kitchen, while seamlessly integrating it with its historic surroundings. Unique sight lines and vaulting open spaces dazzle overhead. An oak spiral staircase winds from the main level to four bedrooms, refurbished bathrooms, a sitting area and study occupying two upper lofts. Bridges, built of antique wood, shape the passageways across the sweeping space. The view from below is to the three-story high barn ceiling supported with antique beams and trestles. Light pours from a wall of glass where the original entry once was. A sizeable foyer links the home’s historic center with a 2011 addition. At its farthest reach, the library presents a cathedral ceiling lined with barn beams, built-in oak bookcase cabinetry, a masonry fireplace and as throughout this wing, wide-plank oak floors and radiant heat. The addition also houses an office and full bath which together with the library could be considered for conversion to a master suite. Further along the hall are coat, powder and laundry rooms. A second barn built in 1953 survives. Abutting the residence, this barn’s recent improvements are a new roof, cedar siding and multiple Andersen windows. Custom made double doors allow for vehicle entrance and supplements the 2011-built three-car garage with radiant heat. Among the utilities and mechanicals for the residence are radiant and hot water baseboard heating, central and high velocity ductless cooling, 400 amp electric service with a Kohler whole-house generator, and extensive security and safety features. A hamlet of Washington Township in Warren County, Changewater is now mostly residential offering the type of village living many think is impossible to find in New Jersey. Whether the fishing is good on any given day, it is a fine place to be every day. To schedule a private preview, contact listing agent Jon Buryk at 908.443.1491.