Interested in Barndominiums?
Barndominiums are often metal building homes, also known as Shop Homes or SHomes
We provide barndominium and barn house floor plans and are here to help you understand the building types and the building process, including tips for the slab, barn, shop, and living quarters. This site will help you decide whether to pay a company for the entire build, hire your own General Contractor, or build the barndominium yourself.
Barndominiums are constructed in several different ways, including:
- Post Frame Shell Construction
- Pole Barn Shell Construction (photos of steel example below)
- Traditional Stick-Built Shell Construction
- Industrial Building Shell Construction
Post-frame barndominiums have a shell that often utilizes square posts or three-ply 2×6 lumber for the columns, which frame the walls and support the roof trusses. The Pros for post-frame barndominiums include the ease of working with the wood shells. Most tradespeople are experienced with working with wood. The interior side of the exterior walls may utilize some of the existing shell rather than framing another wood 2×4 wall to attach the sheet rock and run electrical and plumbing. The downside to Post-Frame Barndominum construction is the number of posts and the distance between them. Often, these posts are spaced 9 to 12 feet apart, which limits the placement of exterior doors and windows.
Pole Barn Barndominiums have shells made from round posts or round steel. The wood version has the same pros and cons as Post Frame construction. The steel shell pole barns have the drawback of a steel structure, which often requires additional 2×4 framing for the exterior walls for the sheet rock, electrical, and plumbing. We have pictures of a steel pole barn barndominium below.
Traditional Stick-Built Barndominiums offer the most flexibility in placing exterior doors and windows, as there are no posts to interfere with the placement. Another advantage of a conventional build is that, all across the country, general contractors and trades are familiar with the construction method. Another advantage in areas where barndominium and shop homes are not typical is the ability to easily obtain bank approval for a loan and approval when building in a city or location with restrictions. Differences between custom homes and a barndominium include metal exteriors and usually metal roofs, along with simple roof designs.
A barndominium built inside an Industrial Building has the advantage of fewer columns because they are often spaced out 20′ or 25′ feet. However, these columns are also a hindrance because they are very large and often increase in size, which creates challenges if you do not want to see them on the interior of the home.
When will Barndominiums get you more for your money?
When your home is combined with a large shop or garage, you often save money by buying a barndominium rather than a custom home. Barndominiums are custom homes.
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- Often more affordable than other custom homes.
- Energy Efficient because of the insulation in the thicker exterior walls
- Low-maintenance metal exteriors and roofs
There are numerous factors to consider and skills to acquire that do not apply to conventional home building. There are also many options to consider before beginning. (You might want a hookup for that future RV you will park in your shop)
Barndominiums can be as custom as any custom home, but you get more for your dollar, and can have a much faster construction time. How long does it take to build a barndominium? We know builders who can complete the project in six months, so consider checking with your local builder and speaking with their previous customers.
The construction time for a barndominium is often quicker when building inside a building. This is because the building structure can be completed in weeks, providing a dry-in space for the framers and other trades to do the build-out of your living area.
The barndominium building process consists of these major areas:
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- Site Prep
- Utilities
- Roads
- Dirt work
- Slab (Concrete Foundation)
- Building construction
- Living Area build out
- Site Prep
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Options to consider when designing your barndominium
You will want to plan ahead and include plumbing in the shop area before pouring the slab, such as for an RV hook-up, in case you decide to purchase a future motorhome. How about a 50-amp electrical plug for a welder? Your climate will determine where you place your water tank and how deep your water lines need to be. Where will you want to have sunlight in the morning and evenings? Do you want certain views from the living room or your master bedroom?
The following photos are of a Steel Pole Barn built Barndominium built near Rosenberg Texas.
Barndominium Home with Hardy Siding
You can have almost any kind of siding on your barndominium. Choices include Metal, Brick, Rock, and hardy siding. Many people are choosing barndominiums due to their low-maintenance exteriors. This barndo is more of a Shop House with PBR metal sheets covering 100% of three walls and a small portion of the wall pictured above. Hardy siding was used on this side, which, unlike the others, used 2×6 lumber for the wall framing in between the steel poles. Most contractors are more familiar with framing, including walls, doors, and windows, in wooden structures.
The photo above shows the 2×4-framed wall on the ground, which will be placed on the side of the porch and includes an entry door to the barndo.
The framing for a barndominium is quicker because it only requires walls and ceilings, eliminating the need for a roof. Some metal building companies can have your metal shell erected in one to two weeks, at which point you will have a dry location to frame and finish the interior. Differences include mating the walls to the metal purlins and poles for exterior walls.
Barndominium Orientation for view and solar gain
Will you orient your building to catch the winter sun and minimize exposure to the summer sun as much as possible? How about laying it out for the views of your property, and maybe to avoid the view of what the neighbors may do in the future.
If your Barndominium includes a shop or garage area, you can store your building materials inside to keep them dry and clean.
Metal sided Barndominium is ready for the roof sheets
Your metal building construction time should quickly provide you with a dry area for framers (this removes weather delays).
Barndomium with Metal Dividing Wall between shop and living area
Most barndominiums include an attached shop area. (Will you want a separating wall to isolate the two areas? There are several reasons you would want a separating wall. Safety of you and your family. Any garage attached to a home is required to be fire-rated according to the code for homes. A shop may also pose a greater fire risk, such as a garage, which stores cars and other flammable materials, including gasoline and diesel.
Barndominium Porch Slab Lowered and wrapped
When pouring the slab, many things must be considered, including tin ledges, lower areas for non-living space, and any future water or plumbing you might want for the motor home or future shop bathroom. This corner is for a porch, and it will be lower than the rest of the slab to keep rain from seeping into the barndominium.
Barndominium Engineered Concrete Slab
Many people ask about the cost and the design of the slab. The slab design is based on the metal building (think footing for the columns) and the soil.
It is best to have an engineered slab for your barndominium based on a soil sample test. Letting the slab company know if you plan to have heavy machinery or lifts on site can help them pour a slab that will meet your needs.
Pole Barn Barndominium Welded metal pipes
This barndominium features a weld-together steel pole barn for the metal building exterior structure. Weld-together buildings provide a lot of flexibility for bay sizing (for door and window placement) and thinner exterior walls in many cases.
Barndominium Trusses Steel Metal
The continuous roof truss is going up. Continuous roof buildings may not be available in your area, but if they are, you should consider them because they eliminate peaks, which can leak.
Barndominium with Lean To Roof Extension
This barndominium features a lean-to on the right side, housing the living area, and a shop area in the barn section to the left. When considering the cost of your building, a lean-to often provides more covered area for less than the price per square foot for the main building. You can use this lean-to as a living space, a shop space, or an outdoor covered space, such as a porch or parking space.
Texas Barndominium with 10 foot ceilings