How an old grain silo became one man's dream getaway in northern N.B.

The cost of a new home or cottage got you down? Maybe consider building one out of an old grain silo.

That's what one northern New Brunswick man did. And he loves it.

"This was my dream, and I went for it," said Steven Lord, whoconverted an old silo into a two-storey cottage.

It has akitchen, living room, bedroom loft and bathroom,and is fully equipped with running water and electricity.

Lord's dream started out with a desire to do something anythingwith a plot of landalong the Green River in Saint-Basile, about a 20-minute drive northeast of Edmundston.

The landhad been in Lord's family for generations, and 80 years ago, was the site of his great-grandfather's cabin.

Lord hasonly ever seen that cabinin photographs. It was torn down before he was even born,due to decay.

"But my dad used to come [there] a lot when he was younger," said Lord, adding thathis father had always planned to build another cabin in it's place, but never managed to find the time to build one.

Then the pandemic hit.

Lord said COVID-19really put things into perspective for him, and he decided to finally rebuild the family'scabin.But hewanted it to stand out.

After scouring social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration he settled on repurposingan old grain silo and turning it into anideal getaway.

One problem.

"My wife was born on a farm and for her a silo was a grain silo," said Lord. "She couldn't imagine having to stay in one or sleep in one, so she told me 'You'll never get me to sleep in a silo.'"

Challenge accepted.

How to build a cabin out of a grain silo

2 years ago

Duration 3:28

Inspired by lockdown boredom, Steven Lord turned an old grain silo into a cosy cabin in the New Brunswick woods

'A promise I had to keep'

Lord started searching the area for an abandoned silo on nearby farms. He found one 30 kilometres away in the community of Saint-Leonard.But it wasn't for sale.

He told the farmer about his plans for the abandoned structure and eventually the farmer got back to him with a proposition.

"'If you promise me you build something to live in, I'll give it to you,'" said Lord, about the farmer's one condition.

"So that's a promise I had to keep."

In the summer of 2020 Lord took thesilo apart and transported it to the exact site of his great grandfather's cabin in Saint-Basile.

He poured a 32-by-20 foot concrete slab on the footprint of the oldcabin and rebuilt his newly-acquired grain silo.

But in a world where most buildings are cubes Lord had to adapt to working insidea cylinder.

That meantwindows and doors that would normally be installed on a flat surface had to be built on a curve. And it meant custom-buildingshelves and countertops.

When you're laying in bed you can see the stars. Steven Lord

Lordalso constructeda screened-in porch leading into the silo to enjoy the outdoors bug-free.

You might wonder how warm it could be inside a galvanized steel drum in the middle of February in northern New Brunswick.

But one step insideand a blast of heathits you in the face from the combined forces of a wood stove and heat pump.

"You have to open windows and doors," said Lord. "It gets really warm."

A thermostat on the wall says it's 0 C outside and27.5 C inside.

The interior of the silo is deceptive. Portions ofgalvanized steel are exposed on the inside wall giving the illusion that the building isn't insulated.

It's almost like we're on vacation, every weekend. Steven Lord

But in fact, Lord installed 4.5 inches of urethane insulation on the walls and sixinches in the ceiling. He then covered it all up by installing the walls of a second silo inside the first one.

And the port where grain was piped in from top of the silo? That's now around skylight.

"When you're laying in bed you can see the stars," said Lord.

Asecond-hand sanctuary

Like the silo itself,most of the materials Lord used to build the interior weresecond-hand.

The iron spiral staircase leading to the loft cost justa few hundred dollars because a friend he knew had it kicking around his backyard.

The footrests on his table are made from old industrial chains, andhis kitchen lights hang on pullies that were a gift.

In total Lordestimates he spent around $60,000 converting the silo into his getaway.

Lord said he saved a lot of money on labour costs, but he's not a carpenter. He works as a reliability engineer for J.D. Irving Limited, focusing mostly on industrial maintenance.

He credits his84-year-old father for the carpentry advice, and his best friend and neighbour who works with sheet metal for much-needed help with the steel.

After two years,Lord said he finally installed the lastboard on New Year's Eve.

Now that it's finished, he says he has no desire to ever rent out his getaway it's just for himself,his family, friends, and most importantly, his wife.

"My wife now comes, even though she said she never sleep in the silo, but she's here every weekend," said Lord. "It's almost like we're on vacation, every weekend."

Lord's one final touch isa nod to the past.

A small pail of grain sits next to the doora tribute to the history of the walls that encircle him.