Rather than the picturesque backdrop for a stunning rural Chester County farmhouse, Reid Rowlands’ Landenberg barn is itself the masterpiece of the 4.9-acre estate, transformed 15 years ago into a future-friendly living space steeped in the rich history of the past.

“I wanted to preserve this in the sense that, because it has been here for 200 years and will be here for another 200 years, the work shouldn’t be done haphazardly, but correctly,” Rowland said of his project in a Landenberg Today feature by Richard L. Gaw. “You don’t come to Landenberg without an appreciation of history.”

And you’re not likely to come to this House of the Week without a sense of awe.

The fully restored barn encompasses 11,000 square feet on land that lies at the edge of the White Clay Creek Preserve in the small rural community southeast of West Grove near the Delaware border.

And every square inch of the house was born of a labor of love. In general, it features ultra high energy efficiency with a 5-kilowatt solar array and radiant floor heat. In particular, it boasts reclaimed wood floors, century-old interior doors, an impressive stone living room fireplace and a beautiful kitchen with a granite countertop and cherry cabinets.

“My favorite quote is, ‘To be in business, you have to be eternally optimistic and self-delusional,'” the Newark developer for World Class Supply said in the article. “I kept thinking, ‘I can do this. No problem.’ When I’d come across a problem, we just figured it out and did it.”

Outside the house, there’s an extensive back deck, a hot tub and pool with pool house, and plenty of space in the five-car garage.

Now on the market, the Rowlands’ barn is listed with the Brandywine Fine Properties office of Sotheby’s International Realty. Call 302-654-6500 for more information.

Read more about the Rowlands’ transformed barn on Landenberg Today here, and check out previous VISTA Today House of the Week profiles here.