OT- question about Barndominiums

ksmyrl

Anyone out there built a Barndominium? Live in one? I've got 3 years till I'm an empty nester and am seriously considering a barndo. Done a ton of research on the pros and cons. Got a buddy who says he can build me one for half the cost of a "real" house even w high end finishes. Currently looking for some land. 

I want room for 2 trucks, 2 boats, and hobby room for me and one for the Mrs. Smallish living quarters...maybe 1500 sq ft finished. 

Thoughts? 

Legume

I have a couple of friends that have them. One is half closed-in, finished living space and half covered outdoor space - like a really big covered patio (no vehicle storage).  The other is huge with I think three big industrial bays with tall, drive through roll-ups and then maybe 1100 sqft finished living space. In both, once you’re inside the living space of either of them, you can’t tell you’re in a big metal shed at all.  One went with polished and stained concrete slab, I think the other might have vinyl plank.  They’re both hunting camps, so finished for easy clean up, but really nice kitchens and bathrooms.

DuckDogDr

I’m trying to talk future Ms. DuckDogDr into one.
She’s in mortgage lending and kind of on board with the idea. Her biggest hang up is going to be financing them . Her company goes off of “comparable units” and there’s not enough in our area for her company to lend to.. although we’re both in agreement probably not using her group.
But she’s worried that’s a problem across the board and not just with her company.


I love the idea of polished concrete floors for ease of cleaning but a couple of things to consider.

if grandkids are in your future that’s not a lot of cushion for falls. Same with older pets. Can be hard for them to get up and down and concrete is less forgiving than hardwood floors or carpets.

if the floor settles and cracks them those are clearly visible.

billt01

looked into doing a bardno and like @DuckDogDr stated previously..banks for what ever reason do not like to finance them under the conventional way. All the banks around my area only wanted to finance up to 40 percent..many only 20 percent. Another thing to investigate is "acoustics".  There are ways to soften the echo. We were going to stand one up and live in it while our home was being built. The current economic conditions dictated a different path. 

Attached it my buddies..he did a hell of a job on it..

TechsasJim

Several years ago my buddy was looking into building one on his property for his permanent home.    He found the same as stated above, hard to get the financing.   The other issue he ran into was that they were also difficult to insure.    This has probably been 6-7yrs ago so things may have changed but he elected to go with a traditional home then just build a big shed for his RV, etc.

alaskanassasin

I was going to mention that a conventional home might be a better investment. I am thinking about building a garage/kitchen building. So far swmbo is onboard. 

fishlessman

built some polished aluminum walls for one a few years ago, one and a half walls were just open to the outside open to a full spa like patio. wife had a full gym built in there there open to the outside and did personal weight training for big bucks. really looked nice but not too practical for new england winters......

fishlessman

my neighbor has one, first floor opens out to the lake and stores his car collection there, second opens out the back for everyday drivers, third is a kitchen and entertainment area that connects to the porch off the house. nice setup

ksmyrl

Thanks everyone. I've heard and read similar issues about financing. That is slowly changing though. A few community banks in E GA are starting to loan some for them but not the 80% norm for a traditional home. 

One idea mentioned above is a good one. Build a small, 1500 sq ft home on several acres w traditional financing. Then pay cash for the giant barndo that has everything except the living quarters. 

I'm my work I'm lucky to deal with a lot really nice wealthy folks. One owns the bank that currently holds my mortgage. I'm going to ask him their philosophy on them. I'll report back what he says. 

caliking

DuckDogDr said:

I’m trying to talk future Ms. DuckDogDr into one.
She’s in mortgage lending and kind of on board with the idea. Her biggest hang up is going to be financing them . Her company goes off of “comparable units” and there’s not enough in our area for her company to lend to.. although we’re both in agreement probably not using her group.
But she’s worried that’s a problem across the board and not just with her company.


I love the idea of polished concrete floors for ease of cleaning but a couple of things to consider.

if grandkids are in your future that’s not a lot of cushion for falls. Same with older pets. Can be hard for them to get up and down and concrete is less forgiving than hardwood floors or carpets.

if the floor settles and cracks them those are clearly visible.

Re: the grandkids, that's not a practical consideration, TBH. Pets may be different, because they will likely be in your home longer than toddler grandkids.