A Fowler family creates fun time in a family-sized space.

Basketballs, weights and game tables have taken over the hayloft of one old Fowler barn. What once stored animal feed is now a giant exercise space for people.

When the sheep were sold several years ago, Doug Schafer, a construction worker, cleaned out one of the haylofts, and with help from his brother-in-law, Paul Goerge, nailed sheets of OSB (Oriented Strand Board) on the walls. Doug hung a basketball hoop, built steps to replace the ladder, made a safety rail on the loft’s edge out of former sheep gates topped with old volleyball nets, strung cords to open and close the round windows in the gable’s 36-ft high peak and installed two 400-watt metal halide lights in the rafters.

“I wanted a bright space without glare or shadows,” says Doug, a HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative member. The bulbs also put off a natural light, are energy efficient and last a long time in heavy-duty, safe fixtures.

“You can use the loft down to when the inside temperature is about 30 degrees,” says Marilyn Schafer, Doug’s wife and Paul’s sister. By opening the barn’s gable windows and big doors and adding fans, it’s comfortable enough to use on all but the hottest days, she adds. Marilyn and Doug furnished the loft with old furniture and garage sale bargains to create a rustic, 1,080-square-foot rec room, which cleans up easily with a leaf blower and mop.

Because of the stairs Doug built, it is accessible to everyone, from young nieces and nephews to Marilyn’s parents. Her father, Alvin, 84, remembers watching the barn being built 78 years ago. Now, he enjoys watching his grandchildren rollerblade across the loft’s pine floor or challenge their grandmother, Joyce, to a game of bumper pool. The space is a perfect place to use up energy at family gatherings or get a little exercise after holiday meals—temperature permitting.

It’s also a good place to set up creative circuit-training workouts: Shoot a few hoops, jump on a rebounder, jab at a boxing bag.

Periodically, Marilyn organizes “Ladies Night Out” sessions for a few friends, two sisters, and her 75-year-old mother. She concocts activities suitable for all fitness levels: A favorite is jumping on rebounders while talking and passing a basketball. She varies background music—country, Celtic, pop—and she includes lots of toys.

“Women are so busy taking care of others, that they forget how to play,” Marilyn explains. “I like to bring out the hula-hoops and jump ropes.”

For town friends, a trip to the loft is a new experience.

“They say it’s so peaceful out here,” Marilyn says. “They look up at the roof and see the intricate woodwork. They love the smell of hay.”

The Schafers have hay in the barn’s other loft for their horse. They put it up loose, with the same hayloader and slings that Marilyn’s grandfather used. Paul, who owns the barn, notes that it is important to keep the barn well-maintained, and he is pleased that it remains useful and a family gathering place.

With care, it will hopefully serve future generations for both work and play.

Dee Goerge writes from Minnesota, and grew up on the farm where the Schafers now live. She enjoys hanging out in the barn loft when she visits.