The new must-haves in any home

Owners are transforming overlooked spaces from strictly functional places to fun spots for entertaining or displaying their high-end outdoor gear.

‘Toy barns,’ ‘barndominiums’ and ‘toy garages’ in real estate circles and by the amenity-obsessed set, these functional spaces are being repurposed into gleaming showrooms filled with pricey outdoor gear.

Luxury homes with decked-out family rooms, kitchens, primary bedrooms and bathrooms are standard today and practically a given. The latest mania, however, has owners glamming up their often overlooked garages and barns.

Called “toy barns,” “barndominiums” and “toy garages” in real estate circles and by the amenity-obsessed set, these functional spaces are being repurposed into gleaming showrooms filled with pricey outdoor gear – think ATV (all terrain vehicles), snowmobiles, electric bikes, boats and more.

Sitting areas, bars and diversions such as pool tables also figure and turn barns and garages into entertainment venues that become a hub for owners to socialise with family and friends.

Take Jeff Collins, founder of Glennwood Custom Builders in Charlevoix, Michigan, for example. His lakefront home features a 230 sqm barn with a lounging space, sleds, dirt bikes, a card table and a basketball hoop. The back doors open into a yard with a shooting range. “My friends come over a lot, and we hang the whole time in the barn,” Collins said. “We drink beers, play around with the equipment and shoot hoops. I can’t remember the last time we actually went into the house.”

Barndominiums like his are the craze in his town, says Collins.

“They’re what everyone wants,” he said.

“I’m building two for homes in my neighbourhood and have inquiries for more.”

A toy barn in the still-in-construction Legacy Ranch in McCall, Idaho. Picture: Whitetail Club

Real estate agents and brokers who focus on upscale homes also report an increasing interest in toy barns and say that a property that offers one can attract more buyers than a listing with typical amenities such as swimming pools and wine cellars.

Timothy Di Prizito, the CEO of The Di Prizito Group & DPG Estates at Christie’s International Real Estate/AKG in Los Angeles, for instance, said that showpiece barns and garages are becoming a more popular feature in luxury homes, particularly in new construction properties.

“Wealthy owners are investing in turning their homes into resorts. It started with building commercial-sized gyms and onsite spa facilities,” he said. “Today, it’s all about having onsite entertainment annexes and auto galleries. They give a property a distinct edge.”

Di Prizito is currently selling a property called Bella Vista in Montecito for $US70m that features an estimated 32-car collection garage. Originally designed as a helicopter hangar, the space has vaulted ceilings, epoxy flooring and a second level with two studio apartments.

Patrick Nesbitt, the CEO and chairman of the real estate development company Windsor Capital Group, owns the estate with his wife, Ursula, and said his family regularly uses the space. “We’ll have friends over for dinner there and loan it to charities to host events. We even had my son’s wedding party in the garage and transformed it into a beautiful reception ballroom,” he said.

Nesbitt is selling Bella Vista, he said, because his children have moved out, and he wanted to downsize.

Another home with a toy space is for sale in Honokaa, Hawaii, asking $US7.4m.

Its 305 sqm freestanding barn is solar-powered and is where owners Matthew and Susan Russell display their stash of luxury gear such as life-size model aeroplanes, ATVs and motorcycles.

More developments are highlighting their toy storage areas as an amenity for all residents to enjoy, in the same vein as a fitness centre or club – house. Picture: Whitetail Club

“We had many happy memories in the barn spending time with our grandchildren and friends,” Matthew said. The couple is selling the hometo settle in Sedona.

Eye-candy barns and garages are also becoming more common in upscale residential developments.

Martis Camp, set on 2,77 acres in Truckee, California, in North Lake Tahoe, has several homes with what Brian Hull, president and broker at Martis Camp Realty, refers to as “activity garages.” They typically house snowmobiles, ATVs, motorcycles, boats and ski equipment.

“Our community has access to a 26-mile trail network through national forest land and the mountains, so owners amass a lot of gear,” Hull said.

More developments are highlighting their toy storage areas as an amenity for all residents to enjoy, in the same vein as a fitness centre or club – house.

The equipment in the buildings also change seasonally. During warmer months, that means top-of-the-line dirt bikes, four-wheelers and a fleet of regular and e-mountain bikes. Come winter, the barn is stocked with six snowmobiles, four-wheelers with tracks to navigate through snow, snowshoes and sleds.

The Wall Street Journal