Converting an Old Dairy

I first began writing this post in 2020. It’s taken two years for the dairy to be completed. Our first ideas were nothing like what we ended up with but all good things come to those who wait. Or so they say. So in this post, I’m going to share how we converted our dairy into a gorgeous multi-functional space for our farm business. Hopefully, this post will inspire if you have dreams to turn a shed into a room as we did.

The Cost to Turn a Shed into a Room

You’d think I’d know by now that when Gavin says, ‘it’s not going to cost much,’ it’s a given it will cost triple. In fact, it would have been cheaper to knock the dairy down and rebuild from the ground up. But where is the fun in that? The charm of the building would have been lost. If you want to turn a shed into a room, as we did with this little dairy, you have to be prepared to spend money. This was not a budget makeover. It’s a serious renovation. At least, it was for us.

Our first job after tearing the rotten front off the room was to remove all the interior and see what work was needed. The dairy did not have proper windows so we ordered custom ones to fit the window recesses. I decided to go for a casement window style that was popular in the 1920-30s. Our dairy was probably built around that time but we don’t know. After this, we had to pay for electrical, and rebuilding the brick back wall. We installed the windows and doors and created the lean-to shelter to the side of the building. That was before we even got to the interior! The total cost was around twenty thousand dollars.

Decorating the Dairy

After all that work the fun part began. We had an original idea of lining the dairy with recycled roofing iron and I AM SO GLAD WE HATED IT! The walls are now lined with traditional tongue and groove paneling. The floor is painted in a tile pattern using green and white paint. To carry on the green checked theme (and to fit our farm name) I found a cute green gingham fabric and created a sink skirt around the workbench we refashioned into a console. I also added a Huon Pine dresser I stripped and the plate rack I made to put on the wall. I think it has a real country flair about it now. What do you think?

The idea here is that guests can come in and make a cup of coffee or eat a meal by the fire. The items from the Green Gate Farm Shop will be on display for sale and when we host events we can use the room for dining, creating even small weddings!

To finish the room we brought our outdoor table down from the verandah along with chairs. I added a Japanese rice screen to the rafters to create a feature where we can hang lights or foliage. Yep. Totally spruiked that idea from a visit to Ikea in Melbourne earlier this year and created my own version. I’ve decorated it with Eucalyptus branches at the moment but I can’t wait to see how it looks threaded with twinkle lights to make an organic-looking chandelier.

I’d love to hear your comments on our dairy conversion. Would you like to come and share a meal with us here?