The old wooden horse barn on the grounds of Bastoni Vineyards in Santa Rosa, Calif., had outlived its usefulness.
“It was really cool looking, but it certainly wasn’t meeting our needs at all,” says Russ Messana, owner of the 40-acre Sonoma County vineyard. “We no longer have horses, so I was using it to store the nets for the grapevines and a log splitter. And I couldn’t use it for much of anything else.”
So Messana decided to replace the 70-year-old structure with a more functional, efficient and secure version. A custom metal building from Star Building Systems enabled him to achieve a similar barn aesthetic with the clear span and height requirement he required.
“You can do so many different things with steel buildings,” says Greg Tonks, owner of The Steel Building Guys, the Star builder that constructed the structure. “Erection is a lot more economical than with conventional buildings. The siding lasts longer, the roof lasts longer, you don’t have to paint it and the potential finishes are a lot more diverse.”
The 2,100-sf structure features a 700-sf second-level mezzanine with a plywood floor. That’s where Messana stores the nets that protect his zinfandel grapes from birds and other predators.
“I have more room in the mezzanine now than I had in the original barn,” Messana says. “I have definitely gained a lot more usable space.”
Insulated sliding barn doors on three walls and an upper sliding barn door maximize the building’s functionality, while the fully-functional louvered cupolas and weathervane atop the building add authenticity to the structure.
White roof panels are accented by white wood trim around the windows and barn doors, and a 2-inch by 12-inch accent band around the building breaks up the height of the panels.
“From a distance, it looks like an old-style barn,” Messana says. But it functions like a modern, efficient maintenance and storage facility.
The new building also serves as an ideal venue for hosting groups. Many of the winemakers that purchase grapes from Bastoni have started bringing their customers to the building for wine tasting and to meet Messana.
“A lot of people who buy wines like to know the history and story behind the wine, and to meet the winemaker,” Messana says. “That builds customer loyalty.”
The structure also serves as a meeting place for the local Model A car club and has attracted interest from other local businesses eager to get ideas for their own buildings.
“I have gotten so many positive comments on the barn, its location and view over the vineyard that we’re planning to open it up to rent for weddings, birthdays and other community events,” Messana says.
Highly flexible, the building can be adapted to accommodate a caterer, band, tables and chairs, and groups of up to 400 people.
Messana says his new building provides him with a much cleaner, safer and secure environment than the previous barn.
“The maintenance is virtually zero when compared to the old barn, which needed to be painted and exterminated regularly,” he says. “Because of the positive experience I’ve had, I’m now planning to replace another barn with a metal building.”
Owner: Russ and Martha Messana
Star builder and general contractor: The Steel Building Guys
Wall panels: PBR
Roof panels: PBR
Related Stories
| Sep 15, 2014
Perkins+Will unveils design for Ghana's largest hospital
The new hospital will be home to numerous hospital services including public health, accident and emergency, imaging, obstetrics, gynecology, dental, surgical, intensive care and administration.
| Sep 15, 2014
Gen-Y-focused multifamily development under way in L.A.
The new urban residential community at 1001 S. Olive Street will offer open floor plans consisting of 64 studios, 109 one bedroom units, and 28 two-bedroom units, ranging in size from approximately 500 sq ft to 1,100 sq ft.
| Sep 14, 2014
Ranked: Top Veterans Administration sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
CannonDesign, Clark Group, and URS top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest Veterans Administration building sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
Sponsored | | Sep 13, 2014
5 common questions leaders should never ask
Asking the right questions can help business leaders to anticipate changes, seize opportunities and move their firms in new directions. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Sep 13, 2014
Why CEOs shouldn’t be afraid to ask for outside help
An oven-overlooked factor in assessing the success of a leader, according to organizational development consultant Brook Manville, is his or her ability to go far outside the organization to get help in solving problems. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Sep 13, 2014
Right Way Plumbing finishes first at Max Planck Florida Institute
The Max Planck Florida Institute consists of a three-story, 100,000-sf scientific research facility with 30,000 feet of copper joined with Viega ProPress fittings.
| Sep 12, 2014
Total immersion: Has virtual reality's time finally come?
The emergence of low-cost VR technology means that anyone with a few hundred bucks and a decent workstation can get in the game. But, as our experts reveal, pulling off VR is not so simple.
| Sep 12, 2014
Will on-site parking remain king in the development world?
In spite of the trend away from multi-car residences, not much has changed with regard to parking spot allocations within apartment buildings and other multi-unit residential developments, writes GS&P's Doug Sharp.
| Sep 11, 2014
5 competing designs unveiled for Presidio Parklands in San Francisco
To turn the underdeveloped area by Chrissy Field into new public space, San Francisco's Presidio Trust unveiled the five designs by five teams they invited earlier this year.
| Sep 11, 2014
Cintas invites public to vote for 'America's best restroom'
For the 13th consecutive year, Cintas Corporation is back with its popular America’s Best Restroom Contest. A team of survey editors once again scanned the country for the most creative and clean public restrooms and produced a crop of nominees sure to please.
