Depending on the color your going with on the exterior, if you keep it red or another darker toned color, I'd go lighter almost honey on the floors; knotty pine? I have always wanted to redo a barn into a modern/rustic home!

Do you want to keep the wood floor? It is rare to see wood floors as garage floors. I've seen homes like this moved onto pour basement slabs (same concept as pile foundation...but with a basement instead of dirt. If you want to keep the wood, then there has to be a way to keep the wood off of the concrete. An 18" crawl space (dirt covered with 6mil poly sheeting or cement) is always an option. The 18" crawl space would have to be cross vented/heated properly. This is for "keeping" the wood. Flooring. I'm not sure what has to be done to remove the wood floor and have the building sit (joists and all) on concrete. Remove the joists and you have plenty of stability problems. You would need to speak with a local architect/building engineer who has some knowledge of what you are trying to do, soil conditions, etc. to get this right. In theory it can be done (we've just landed a small car on a comet...we should be able to put an old building on a cement slab)...I'm wondering about the expense to get it there (excavation + soil stabilization + concrete + piles, etc).

I was going to say. There's no way that carpet could be in here, especially when animals aren't always the best at making it to the bathroom in time. Great article!

I am renovating the kitchen/diner/lounge in my apartment. I chose engineered oak flooring, plus a thick underlay with excellent soundproofing properties. Measuring up today with the kitchen company and the flooring company, there was a hearty debate about whether to 1) lay the flooring first and kitchen cabinetry after, or 2) cabinetry installed first, and the flooring around it. I would very much appreciate any advice on this matter. Thanks in advance.