These Old Grain Silos Were Converted into A Unique Farmhouse

(TMU) – After 30 years, John and Judi Stuart decided to put the fast pace and bright lights of Las Vegas behind them. Searching for a change in pace, they bought 82 acres of farmland in Yamhill County, Willamette Valley, Oregon. Complete with a ranch house and three storage silos, the Stuarts had several ideas of what to do with the charming property and finally settled on one idea, turning Abbey Road Farm into a bed and breakfast – and that’s exactly what they did.

Instead of starting from scratch, they used what was already on the farm, in this case it was three grain silos, and transformed them into several guest bedrooms and an event center, with amazing results!

John spent his childhood in the countryside of England and other parts of Europe, and life was simple. When the couple visited Oregon, John realized that was where he wanted to live for the rest of his life.

Abbey Road Farm felt right to the Stuarts, as if it was waiting for them, and they sealed the deal on the property in March 2003. That was the easy part, the next step was to get the business licenses and necessary permits in place.

The farm already had viable land for crops, and had two acres of orchids and Queen-Ann cherries and there was already a charming ranch house, with three round grain-storage silos behind the house.

First, they started renovating and overhauling the ranch house, now, it’s part of the Bed & Breakfast and doubles as an events center, with the renovation of the silos next.

Turns out Yamhill County, where they live, did not allow silo conversions into living spaces, but John was not about to give up on their plan and worked tirelessly with the planning committee to seeking solutions on what was possible to do, which ultimately led to him securing approval for the silo conversions.

Although the silos kept their outer metallic covering, the interiors are furnished with a modern Victorian style and offer every modern convenience a traditional B&B has. The central silo has a living room downstairs and a guest room upstairs while the two outer silos each have a guest bedroom on each floor.

The outer space of the ranch house and the lower floor has been converted into a luxurious events center, with more guest rooms added upstairs, and finally, the water treatment building was converted to a shed for their farmyard materials and equipment.

The Abbey Road Farm bed and breakfast immediately became a landmark in Yamhill County and opened tourism opportunities in the community. Guest typically spend a week or more at the B&B enjoying the fresh air, long walks, beautiful views and the Oregon wines.

The Stuarts has also cultivated fescue grass seed on 60 acres of the farmland. Willamette Valley is globally popular for the production of grass seed and they also produce their own goat milk, cheese and other products from a small herd of goats on the farm.

Good news: The Abbey Road Farm tasting room was opened on the 15th of May under strict COVID-19 protocols. Please click the link to check dates, times and current regulations before visiting!