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How a Ramshackle Barn Transformed Into a Jaw-Dropping Country Cottage

When Brett Van Sickle, a retired ballet dancer, first laid eyes on this barn, there wasn’t much to see. He’d bought a beautiful stone farmhouse in Greensville, Ontario as an investment, and the barn at the back of the property was more or less an afterthought. It was used as a garage for years until a previous owner installed a cramped loft upstairs. Besides the rudimentary electrical and plumbing, the space was barely livable. But Brett had a hunch he could do something with it – maybe convert it into a rentable apartment. He’d flipped a Toronto garage into a living space, and he knew his little barn had serious potential. On a $60,000 budget, Brett tore the place apart and (with the help of YouTube videos) rebuilt it into a one-of-a-kind, Balinese-inspired countryside escape. He liked the apartment so much, he decided to move in.



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