The short answer is that Barndominium homes can sure be cheaper than their vinyl sided shingle roofed rivals. They can also be more expensive. The difference is directly related to who is building it, design choices, architecture, square footage and building features. In this article, we’ll talk about a few considerations in the cost savings of a barndominium home.
First, What’s A Barndominium?
Let’s define the term “Barndominium”. This refers to the look of the home, not the method of construction. Barndominum homes, also known as Shouses, are constructed many different ways. Some are post framed and some are built on a foundation just like traditional homes.
In areas where the ground is subject to freezing, like Missouri, it’s always best to build your new home on a concrete foundation…either a short wall or basement. When building on top of a foundation, it’s more economical to frame a stud wall on top of the foundation than a post frame wall. This provides a traditionally built “stick” framed home. A metal roof, siding and other features are then constructed for the barndominium look. In the end, you have a traditional home with the same value as any other home with similar features.
#1 Way To Save Money
The number one way people save money with a barndominium is by being their own general contractor. Consider that the average turnkey subdivision Homebuilder charges 15% to 20% in addition to the cost of building a home. As an example let’s take a $250,000 home and a homebuilder fee of 18%. That’s a $45,000 Homebuilder fee paid directly to the builder as compensation for their time and effort for subcontracting, organizing and scheduling each construction trade to build your home. Some people consider this a good trade, but many others we work with see they can either save some or all of that $45,000 or put that money into their home.
Other Ways To Save Money
Another way to save money with a barndominium home is being conservative with your design choices. Simpler is cheaper. Less wall corners are cheaper. Standard openings are cheaper than arched openings. A rectangle shaped building is cheaper than a building with many angles and bump outs….and the list goes on. Many people who build Barndominiums or Shouses tend to be conservative on the outside so they can put more money into the interior features of the home.
Durabarn provides services customized for those who’d like to be there own general contractor but only want to take care of the interior finish. Durabarn can help with architectural design, construction plans, land clearing, site work, foundations, exterior building shells, roofing and more. The completed exterior building and framed interior walls are then handed over to the homeowner for interior finish.
