Budget Breakdown: This $999K Texas Barn Is Home to a Horse Sanctuary—and the Woman Who Runs It

She and her son live in a loft upstairs from stables that accommodate a herd of six aging and disabled horses.

Budget Breakdown: This $999K Texas Barn Is Home to a Horse Sanctuary—and the Woman Who Runs It

She and her son live in a loft upstairs from stables that accommodate a herd of six aging and disabled horses.

There was a time when Kelli de la Torre had known one thing for certain: she never wanted to build her own home. Then again, Kelli hadn’t anticipated she would be running a horse sanctuary, either. But by 2024 everything had changed. Suddenly she was the newly minted owner of a near-empty 11.5-acre property in Dripping Springs, Texas, where she would soon build a barn for Haven x Campise Farms, her rescue foundation that provides end-of-life care for senior and disabled horses, and a home for her and her eight-year-old son.

They say you shouldn’t do business with a neighbor, but after Kelli fell in love with the look of a barn adjacent to her property, that’s exactly what she did. Needing a space for her six horses, Kelli called the barn’s owner and designer, Tina Ford. Ford, who’s spent years in barns all over the world alongside her daughter, a former competitive equestrian, has a portfolio with a number of custom homes and, increasingly, boutique barns.

Kelli de la Torre enlisted her neighbor, designer Tina Ford to create a 2,946-square-foot barn with an unexpected addition: an 876-square-foot loft that her family now calls home.

Kelli de la Torre, who runs a sanctuary for senior and disabled horses, enlisted her neighbor, designer Tina Ford, to create a 2,946-square-foot barn for a herd of six and a lofted living space for her and her son.

Photo by Jack Thompson

Kelli spent $73,890 on the exterior siding. Ford sourced a particularly durable Japanese cypress to complement the corrugated metal roof.

Kelli spent $73,890 on exterior siding. Ford sourced a particularly durable Japanese cypress to complement the barn’s corrugated metal roof.

Photo by Jack Thompson

Around March 2024, when the design process was still in its early conceptual stage, Kelli received the unexpected news that her son had been accepted into a nearby school for the upcoming fall semester; this turned a business-as-usual timeline into an all-hands-on-deck fire drill. "I threw all the challenges at Ford: I had a little boy starting school, a herd of blind horses, and a real specific aesthetic," recalls Kelli. Because a standalone home and a barn weren’t looking feasible to create given this time constraint, instead, Ford designed the barn to include an 876-square-foot lofted living space.

Kelli sits on the plywood staircase that connects the stables to the loft. A landing halfway up provides a floor-to-ceiling view.

Kelli sits on the plywood staircase that connects the stables to the loft. A landing halfway up provides a floor-to-ceiling view of her property.

Photo by Jack Thompson

See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: This $999K Texas Barn Is Home to a Horse Sanctuary—and the Woman Who Runs It
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