Yankee Barn Homes pioneers panelized construction for sustainable custom homes
For over 50 years, Yankee Barn Homes (Yankee Barn) has been designing and building custom post and beam homes using the finest materials to ensure durability, weather resistance, and energy efficiency. The company’s trademarked True Wall and True Roof™ panels are manufactured in its New Hampshire factory. These products provide seamless design and integration of the home’s shell with the floor plan and post-and-beam frame. Thanks to its innovative panelized construction, Yankee Barn can easily access remote locations and ship virtually anywhere in the world. As such, the company has delivered homes coast to coast as well as overseas. Kerri Post, Chief Operating Officer, introduces us to the business.
“Yankee Barn was founded in 1969 in New Seabury, Massachusetts, by a man named Emil Hanslin. Inspired by a vision to develop barn-style homes, Emil and his wife pioneered a unique post and beam half-lap joinery system, which was modeled after traditional barns but adapted as a panelized home construction method. From there, the business grew so much that Emil relocated the company to New Hampshire in 1973 to accommodate increasing demand. Initially, the homes followed a more rigid, standardized design with fixed sizes and widths. But since then, we have evolved into a completely custom home builder with no limitations; we can basically do anything. Today, we are well-known for our highly energy-efficient, panelized custom homes, and we offer post-and-beam construction options if desired,” she opens.
Elaborating on Yankee Barn’s home building style, Kerri explains how it has empowered the company to stand out from the crowd. “At present, we build a wide range of homes, from small and simple barns to large, complicated modern designs, and everything in between. While we are different from other builders for several reasons, the most significant is our panelized system. We manufacture panelized walls in our shop, pre-installing all the windows, insulation, and exterior sheathing, so much of the work is completed before the panels even arrive on site. We apply the same process to the roof panels, and to my knowledge, we are the only company that offers panelized roofs where the inside is finished, either with drywall or wood, and the exterior is ready for roofing installation. Additionally, we pre-cut and pre-stain all timbers if there are any, which is quite unique in our region.
“Quality control is another key differentiator: everything is carefully overseen in our factory, and we use only the finest materials. For insulation, we use polyisocyanurate made from recycled materials. It has no off-gassing and offers the highest R-value per inch of any insulation on the market. This allows us to achieve excellent thermal performance without adding excessive thickness. When it comes to timbers, we exclusively use kiln dried Douglas fir structural select, which enables us to create long, strong spans when needed,” she informs.
Through its panelized approach, Yankee Barn delivers exceptional energy efficiency for its clients all while contributing significant environmental benefits. “As I
mentioned earlier, we start with insulation that has the highest R-value per inch available, which ensures that our walls and roofs exceed all local energy requirements. From there, we offer additional options to further increase R-values in both walls and roofs. We can also add an exterior layer called Zip R-Sheathing, which provides extra thermal protection by preventing heat loss through the studs. In addition, we supply and pre-install all the windows, and offer a variety of energy upgrades. We have also worked with many clients who aimed to achieve net-zero energy homes that are fully sustainable. When we complete those projects, the homes are so airtight that they surpass all blower door test requirements. Our standard offering is a fully insulated home, with upgrade options available down the line to help customers achieve a net-zero energy home,” Kerri describes.
Passionate about home design, Kerri has played a key role in creating Yankee Barn’s stunning homes, though a few projects stand out as her personal favorites. “I started my career as a designer a long time ago and have personally designed some of the homes featured on our website. This makes it hard to pick a favorite, but a couple do really stand out. Personally, I enjoy modern home design, and two of my favorites are the Mad River Modern and the Hill House. What made these projects special was not just the designs themselves, but also the clients. They were open-minded, engaged in the design process, and simply great people, with beautiful sites in Vermont. More than anything, I loved the design process. The Mad River Modern was especially significant because it marked our transition into modern home design. Up until then, most of our work had been traditional homes, which is what people typically came to us for. Indeed, the Mad River Modern was the first time a client approached us to ask whether we were able build them a modern home with lots of glass throughout. I told them we absolutely could. Part of why this project was so important and my personal favorite is because it helped establish our reputation for being able to build anything our clients want. In addition, the design process was fun, innovative, and beautiful, resulting in an overall great experience that marked an important moment in our company’s history,” she expresses.
Priding itself on its versatility, Yankee Barn sets a new standard for sustainable custom home building by merging tradition and innovation.