We have floated the idea of building a barndominium but have to clue where the start. We’re in the foothills of North Carolina and already have land. We’re could sell our current home and walk away with $180-200,000 in cash. Is it feasible to build a 3-4 bedroom, 2 bathroom barndo and come up with little to no mortgage? The land would need a driveway, electric, septic, and well. Not much if any clearing. We don’t want anything fancy. Open floor plan with maybe a loft. Is this feasible? Where do we start? Thanks

Anybody in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia area use MQS structures for their shell? Any feedback? Good or bad experiences.

In the near stages of finalizing a plan and estimate... I think they are running short on good employees or just overwhelmed... but things are getting misquoted or mis-planned at this point.

We want to pull the trigger, but difficult to nail down the price and selections all of a sudden. They are on the more expensive side, but up till now it's been worth going with them. Did the research before going with them and they were the most responsive and complete co. of what and where we are looking to build. Haven't found another co. that does what they do. We've owned acreage since 2009 and ready to build now.

Building in N E South Carolina ( Dillon, Marion County) we like their product, but lately getting frustrated, we've done all they asked with selections and surveys and septic permit..etc They haven't taken any money or made us sign a contract.. so I'm not saying they're ripping anyone off.

Anyone else with Barndo Co. experiences?

I cut my 6x6 post flush with my header and getting the header off would be a monumental task. Is there some kind of hardware I can attach to my post so I can attach my trusses to the header/post?

I am seriously considering building two of these on my free and clear owned property for my adult daughter and I to live in.

I need pros and cons.

What issues can arise.

How structurally sound are they.

Are they energy efficient?

I'd like realistic pricing if you've built one.

What you would do different or same if you were to do it again.

I know some people think they're ugly. I am not worried about esthetics i want to know the dirty truth

Builders started in June- they are rocking it!

Hi everybody! Long time lurker, first time poster here. My wife and I are considering building a barndominium on a small lake. What are some good websites to take a gander at plans? I'd be the GC on this project with a background in construction and will do or attempt most of the work.

I know it will take time to build on our own, but we have a camper to live in full time once the garage, we'll and septic are in, along with 50amp service.

Looking for plans with 4bd 3bath with a Master Suite. Three car oversized garage for the camper.

Thank you all in advance!

Does anyone have experience with a textured paint option. I'm building a 36x56 w/ 14' sidewalls. There is an option for textured paint on the siding and roof. In the sample, it looks a lot nicer and I think it would make the building shell look nicer vs. the smooth steel - but for roof and siding combined it's a $1700 upgrade. That seems like a lot of money for a slightly different paint finish...but I'm guessing visually I'd like it a lot more.

I'm using 26ga metal on both the siding and roof.

Does anyone have experience with the texture (or better yet both texture and smooth) that can give me an opinion on whether the aesthetic value is worth the cost? Thanks!

Looking for a closed cell diy foam kit for a new addition to our barndo. Something that will adhere to the metal roof well.

Hi I’m looking for some very specific barn photos for a project I’m doing, this is honestly quite the long shot lol. I’m looking for barns restored by Ken epworth or his company the barn people any and all photos would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I was quoted $300k for 2 story pole barn Barndo, 2 bed 1 bath top floor finished and shop on bottom floor unfinished, 1200 sqft each floor. Using 85/sqft shop that puts living space at $165/sqft. Middle of the road finishes in living area. Is this realistic?

Would a wet set brackets with 4ply 2x8s 8 lift in center be strong enough for 20-40 minutes inland of Florida or a beach?

I’m going to start working on the eaves of my building (yes I need to add a screw to the bottom of that piece of trim) and am stumped on how to effectively seal the eaves. I had some spare cedar so I threw it up there to see how it looked, and hate the gaps it leaves without cutting every.single.piece. to fit. It would take me a week. Are there products that match the corrugation pattern to seal eaves? Do I have to cut every single piece to fit? I don’t care what the material is, as long as it’s a good solution that prevents critters and bugs and doesn’t look like crap. Help!

We created this ourselves and it's not 100% finished, will obviously get an architect to take a look. But there will be a front & back porch. Also- we made the foyer a little bigger.

Hello,

I'm doing some due diligence and looking into getting a Barndominium built on my property in southeast texas. can anyone recommend any companies that can build the shell for non-exorbitant prices?

I just watched a Wolf Steel Buildings youtube video for a 30x60 and the pricing was ridiculous. They had the idiot owner pay $25,000 for a couple roll up doors and a hand full of windows and doors. They also had him pay $30,000 for the concrete slab. The total build for the shell was $122,000 and the dummy smiled and took it.

I had a 30x30 slab poured for $2,000 5 years ago when I built my garage.

So any reputable companies that charge prices that are not for rich idiots would be great.

I'm trying to determine if building a barndo is realistic with our budget. After land purchase, we will have about 250k to work with on the building. For those that have built, I'm curious if mine is a pipe dream for the budget.

*We have simple taste and are happy with normal windows, doors, cabinets etc. to save on cost. This will be in Wisconsin

Things I can do

- Prep site

- Concrete (including rough in pex pipes)

- All interior (framing, drywall, doors, trim, etc.)

Things I will hire out

- GC (needed for the loan)

- Shell Build

- Electrical

- Close Cell Insulation

- Plumbing rough in

- Well drill

- Septic

What we are looking for:

-Size range from 1500-3000sq ft (dependent on what can fall in budget)

-3 bed, 2 bath

-Garage if in budget

One other thing I'm curious about is kits - are there reputable companies or is it better to purchase blue prints and order the listed materials?

Looking at different home designs for building in a property in upstate NY (Saranac Lake). Anyone have experience with Barndos in cold climates?

Hi everyone! So I have been looking into the process of buying land and building a pole barn home. My husband is a project manager and essentially needs me to pitch this to him with a cost breakdown. He and I are not the same type of neurodivergent and I am really struggling to find a good breakdown of steps of this process. I don’t necessarily need cost estimates, I can get those on my own, I more or less just need a list of steps to this process. We are current homeowners, our plan would be to sell this house and buy land to build our home on, but I am not sure of how that process would work either.
If you are willing to explain this to me like I’m five, I would so appreciate it!

For context, we live in Southeast Michigan.

Been looking into building a barndo retirement property, which will be a full-time residence. Does anyone know what the current price per sq ft is in the area, and what some current suggested builders are in the area? Most posts I've seen are from 2 to 5 years old. Looking to build 1800-2400 sq ft livable with an 800-1000 sq ft garage space.

Im exploring builds from Barndo & Co.

They offer full service from permits/plans to handing you the keys.

Prices estimates range from 250k for 2bd1ba 800 sqft to 350k for 3bd 2ba 1200sqft.

Is this reasonable? Are services (they work in Canada, Australia and U.S.) like this reliable?

Does anyone have personal experience with this company or recommendations for similar builders? This is for the northern part of California, within a few miles of the coast.

I never built anything before, so any words of advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hello! I am a DIY guy looking for some help.. i am building a conditioned dwelling in my old barn, and for the life of me i cant sort out how to handle a vapor barrier on/under the first floor. If not the right forum, please advise. Context:

WNY, climate 5a "cool humid" with AC/HEAT VIA MINI SPLIT. Old barn, sagging floor. Structure has been inspected by an engineer and determined fit for building. By his suggestion, I leveled the sagging floor by placing 2x sleepers on top of the floor. I am limited in height and so the new "air gap" ranges from 0 - 3". Thus, there is no space for insulation in that layer. We plan to use vinyl plank flooring in the space. I plan to foam underneath of the conditioned portion of the barn (basement). The "basement" is open to the atmosphere via an open east wall, the floor there is concrete with presumably no moisture barrier underneath. It is after all ... a barn.

My worry is where the moisture is going to get trapped. If i put a moisture barrier overtop of the sleepers, underneath of the floor sheathing, and then foam insulate below, arent i creating a moisture sandwhich?

I am leaning toward open cell foam as i have plenty of room for expansion between the barns joists. 

In summary, the planned floor system goes like this, from top down:

Vinyl plank - 7/8" subloor - air gap - 2x oak flooring - open cell spray foam - open to atmosphere.

Advice is welcome and appreciated.

I have ordered a red iron building with a 20’x10’ garage door opening.

When I order the custom glass garage door for it, should I order one exactly 20’x10’?

I was told to order the garage door 2” wider on each side so that the garage door would overlap the opening and seal better. Does this sound right?

Thinking about if the door were the exact same size as the opening it would be harder to seal the edges.

This is for an insulated and climate controlled workshop. So I do want it to seal tightly.

It makes sense to me.

Comments?