An L-shaped farmhouse is a farmhouse in which the living section and the working section (stable, barn) meet at a 90-degree angle, so that the building forms an L-shape when seen from above. The name refers to the bend in the facade: the two building parts meet at a corner rather than in a single straight line.
This type is a variant of the long-facade farmhouse, in which living and working are instead arranged one behind the other along a single straight building line. In the L-shaped farmhouse, the working section has, as it were, been “folded round”, creating a sheltered inner corner.
Application and characteristics
- Yard layout — the L-shape forms a sheltered corner that can serve as a protected yard or dung heap
- Room to grow — the perpendicular wing was often added later as the farm expanded
- Regional — the type occurs in Flanders, North Brabant and Limburg, among other regions
- Repurposing — when converted into a dwelling, the perpendicular wing offers space for, for example, a garage, utility room or office
During restoration or conversion, the transition between the two building parts (the corner construction, roof junction and valley rafter) is a point of attention: this is where two roof planes meet and where the risk of leakage is greatest.
Related terms
- Long-facade farmhouse
- Longhouse farmhouse
- Head-neck-body farmhouse
- Farmhouse
- Valley rafter
- Repurposing
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