Dave Engle is well acquainted with the old granary on his property.

As a boy growing up on the family’s historic farm in Coupeville, he remembers helping his grandfather unload sacks of wheat, barley and oats and storing them inside the structure. It’s the same routine he would do with his father.

“There are a lot of memories,” he said.

Now 77, Engle is getting re-acquainted with the century-old granary.

Only this time, he and his wife Dolores are moving in.

The Engles have been seeking a way to live back on their property since a fire forced them out of their historic home eight years ago.

With their land located in the heart of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve on a rare 19th century farm cluster, the notion of gaining the necessary approval to build a new home in such a historic setting seemed improbable, costly and in the end, inefficient.

So the Engles entertained a new idea, which was a brainstorm of a family friend, Jon Roberts.

Why not remodel the old granary?

Roberts, owner of Coupeville-based Cascade Custom Homes & Design, figured an extensive remodel — as well as building on a new addition — could be the answer the Engles were seeking.

He had the knowledge and experience of adding on to historic residences to pursue the plan.

But a granary?

Even Engle never could have imagined it.

“That’s hilarious, isn’t it?” he said with a laugh.

Roberts knew the landscape for building in Island County, particularly in how it pertained to historic structures.

“With any project in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, you have to go through the Historic Preservation Commission,” Roberts said. “Because this is the last intact farm cluster in the reserve, they’re really super sensitive as to what we can and can’t do.”

The Engles nodded their approval and Roberts worked closely with the commission to make the plan a reality.

Roberts is turning what was once a 548-square foot “raw shell” into an 830-square-foot, two bedroom, energy-efficient home with a view of the prairie.

“I’m hoping they are going to have an electric bill that’s less than 30 dollars a month,” Roberts said.

When completed, which is expected to be early next year, the house will be a blend of old and new in such a way that complies with historic standards.

The house will still appear as a century-old granary from public view while the addition will look more modern and be more hidden, tucked away behind three old pear trees.

“The new building will have similar-looking siding, but we are not matching or replicating,” Roberts said. “You can’t do that.”

The new addition also had to be subordinate to the old structure, he said. The new building isn’t as tall.

Roberts explored the option of fixing the fire-damaged family home, but estimates proved to be too costly.

Knowing that a second dwelling unit would be allowed on the property as long as it was less than 1,000 square feet and wasn’t designated the primary residence, Roberts then looked at the building the Engles used to store grain.

“We are repurposing an existing structure so that we’re saving it from neglect,” said Roberts, adding that the granary was built in 1907. “We’re not just Band-Aiding it. We’re essentially using today’s building science and heating and cooling and insulation and air sealing to create something just like I built it brand new.”

The Engles wanted to re-use as much existing material as possible and when practical.

Roberts said he was able to save the existing hardwood floors and use original siding his workers took off on one side to weave in and replace the damaged siding on the other.

“Needless to say, we’re excited,” said Dave Engle, associate pastor at Living Hope Foursquare Church. “Anytime you can take a building and give it a use and save it from being demolished by time, it’s very positive.”

Married for 55 years, the Engles have lived nearby with their daughter and son-in-law in a second-story apartment since the fire. Getting up in years, they’re looking forward to returning to mainfloor living on land they know intimately.

“It’s really exciting,” Dolores Engle said. “I hope to enjoy it for years and years before the Lord calls me home.”

Dave Engle was born in Coupeville and grew up on Ebey’s Prairie until he left Whidbey Island at the age of 22.

He and his wife came back to the island in 1992 when they moved into the main house where five generations of Engles have lived, dating back to the 1870s.

The fire changed things. Still, they figure the old granary will do just fine.

“We started calling it the little house on the prairie,” Dave Engle said. “It’s just the right size for us.”