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In the 19th century, a new form of turf farmhouse was introduced, on the initiative of Guðlaugur Sveinsson, Dean in Vatnsfjörður. In 1791 he published an article in the periodical Lærdómsritin on farm buildings, including drawings of three types of farmhouse. Two involved improvements to the predominant form of house, while the other was a revolutionary re-think of the farmhouse and its appearance. Guðlaugur Sveinsson's idea was to arrange three buildings in parallel, with the wall ends facing forwards, fronted with impressive wooden gables. The baðstofa was moved from the back to the front row.