“It’s all farms around our property, and most of the barns have been torn down. I didn’t want to do that.”Christian Élie, resident For three years after buying and renovating a farmhouse for their family in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, Christian Élie and Marie Guilmette watched as a hulking, dilapidated cow barn on the property slowly sank into the earth and reached the verge of collapse. Deciding he couldn’t let it go, Christian called a company that specializes in moving and restoring buildings. “Saving it was a completely emotional decision,” he says.
The contractors lifted the barn and built a new foundation. Then, the rescued structure sat empty for five more years. Finally, in 2016, the couple decided to transform it into a living space for their children,…
