FAQ

A Metal Building, Single Family Residence – At Our Barndominium Life, LLC and the Barndominium Company – we define a Barndominium as a “custom designed, steel-framed, single-family residence with metal roof and siding.”  It is the ultimate metal building for a great home. We intentionally design metal building Barndominiums as high quality residences.  That is why banks are willing to lend to qualified borrowers using our designs.  The residential Barndominium product we design has value, retains value, and appreciates in value.

Steel construction is a proven commercial application, and we have adapted this reliable process for residential use.  Many of our Barndominium designs include a workshop or garage – normally detached.  We also often design Barndominium compounds with multiple metal buildings.  In the southern and western parts of the United States, Barndominiums are normally steel frame structures.  In other parts of the country – the east and midwest – pole barn (or engineered wood frame) structures may also be designed as residences and referred to as Barndominiums.   

The term Barndominium is a combination of two words  – Barn and Condominium.  The concept has existed in rural America for decades.  The term – Barndominium – was actually made popular in a 1989 New York Times article when it was used by the developer of an equestrian community in Connecticut.  The short name for Barndominium is Barndo!

We do have one saying in our company that is important.  If you work with us – “You’ll Never Look At A Metal Building the Same Way Again!”

We offer the following services:

1. Barndominium Design – Stock & Custom Plans 
2. Lender, material supplier, & builder referrals
3. Construction Tips, Advice, & Consulting, and 
4. Finish Out Selection Services & Interior Decorating Consulting

Our team is inspired by the opportunities Barndominiums present for comfortable, open, real life living, and we have hands on experience in the areas mentioned above.

No. We do not build.  We plan to add regional  construction operations late in 2021.

A set of custom plans averages 45-60 days from start to finish.  While in some cases, plans may be completed sooner, this is a good planning window to ensure your plans are drafted, reviewed, revised, and include everything you want.

Yes.  Due overwhelming call volume – we now charge for phone consultations. 

Effective May 3, 2021 – All initial consultations booked after this date will pay a $150 consultation fee for a 50 minute phone call.  The fee will be due at the time your call is scheduled and may be paid by credit card.  

• The call fee is not refundable.  If for some reason you miss your first scheduled call, we will attempt to reschedule you for another call time.
• If you decide after your call that you will be working with us for your design plans – the $150 fee for your call will be credited toward the cost of your custom or stock plans.
• If you decide after your call to go in another direction for your Barndo dream – you will have spent $150 for good information that will help you get to where you would like to be in your Barndominium experience.

We think this is the fairest way to be respectful of your time and needs and our time and needs.

Our Barndominium Life, LLC and The Barndominium Company are located about an hour north of downtown Houston in the Cleveland, Texas area.  

Our mailing address is:

The Barndominium Company

PO Box 640

Cleveland, TX 77328

We do offer tours of the Creek House and construction projects under the following conditions:  

1. Our clients may arrange a tour of the Creek House, by appointment, to gain a full understanding of the various options Barndominiums have to offer.  If you are not a client, Creek House tours are not available.
2. Our material supply, construction/build, and design partners may arrange a tour of the Creek House, by appointment, discuss strategy, opportunity, and process for Barndominium design, supply, build, and décor options.
3. Our clients may arrange a tour of our design projects that are under construction – if the home owner provides permission for such a tour.  We are always pleased to show off work we are doing for homeowners across the country as long as we and our invited guests are respectful of the homeowner client’s privacy.

Barndominium Construction Costs Discussion

Note:  Cost always have to be adjusted for location.  Our current market is in flux, so costs are going to vary.  The explanation below may not apply to your location on every point – but several items will apply to you.

Reality Check – First and foremost – anyone saying you can build a nice residential Barndominium for $35 or $40 a square foot is pulling your leg.  That is wishful thinking – not today’s market and cost reality.  In the current market, it is virtually impossible for any true, normal residential Barndo build to be that low in cost.  A Barndominium is still a custom build or at least, if done correctly, a nice residential build.  You cannot put a nice steel or wood build in place for that suggested or implied low cost.  In this market, $100 square foot is at or near the floor for cost to build unless you are getting favors from every vendor you work with on your project.  Most people don’t have that option.

A Texas Base Line – Using Texas as a starting point – we suggest you use $150 per square foot, the national average as a base construction cost.  Then you adjust this start point based on elements you incorporate.  (Note – This is for the Barndo only – it does not include land cost, clearing, dirt work (site, pad, & driveway), septic installation, water well drilling, etc. which vary by client).  For example, septic installation cost can vary from $5,000 – $8,000 in some areas of Texas (soft soil) on up to $25,000 or more in other areas (rocky locations).  

Also, for clarity, certain areas of Texas can be high cost.  As of the revision of this post on May 1, 2021 – constructions cost in the Texas Hill country can easily be $250 per square foot or higher.  It is an area in high demand.

See example below.

Basic Average Cost       $100 ———   $125   ——–   $150   ———   $175 ——-    $200

Slide left for a lower cost item.  Slide right for a higher cost item.

• If you are building in a lower cost state – TX, LA, MS, AL, NC, ID, AR, OK, etc.  – hold the rate or slide left (lower adjusted cost) up to 5-10%.
• If you are building in a higher cost state – CA, NY, WA, PA, MI, WI, MA, CT, OR – slide right (raise adjusted cost) 15-40%.
• If you hire a GC – use the adjusted rate you determined from above.
• If you self GC, reduce the adjusted rate 10%-15% for the project (you builder had at least this additional cost for insurance, profit, etc.).  But remember, you have now assumed all additional risk for construction that your GC would normally assume.  All errors and omissions are on you. You have limited fallback options for construction errors.
• If you are building in a small town – slide left (lower) 5% for this fact (unless subcontractors are impossible to find – if so, then slide right 10-20%)
• If you are building near a metro area or a very popular area (Texas Hill Country) – slide right (higher) 15% – 40% for this fact.

The following items are really line-item adjustments within a project once you have started.

• If you want polished concrete floors (which cost less than wood floors) – slide left 5-10% for this line item.
• Wood/Tile/Carpeted floors cost more – slide right 10-20% for this line item compared to polished concrete floors.
• Dry wall costs less than wood – slide left 10% for this line item.
• Wood walls (shiplap for example) cost more – slide right – 30-50% for this line item compared to dry wall.
• Mid-range appliances – may be within your stated square footage price.
• High end appliances – shift right anywhere from 75%-200% on this line item
• You get the idea… That is the concept.  As you determine your own line items and what you want in your Barndo, your costs and options will become apparent.

Using this approach – you can determine where to save and where to splurge.  You will incorporate the line items that meet your needs and budget.  You will make many decisions like this during your build.

Materials – Recognize that one year makes a huge difference in material costs.  Like it or not, COVID has affected costs!

• All building materials have increased.  We believe…
  • In part due to COVID related high demand for materials for home remodeling and
  • In part due the closure or reduced work at some manufacturers leaving less material available due to COVID.
  • The Result – Material supply is down.  Material demand is up.  Therefore, costs are currently higher.
  • A recent news report stated that wood has increased 320% since January 2020.  That is more than four times the cost, and wood is expected to continue to increase until at least the third quarter of 2021, if not further.  
  • Steel was stable most of 2020 but began to rise late in the year.  Steel was up 30% thru February 2021.  There was an increase of about 20% in April.  Expect more increases between now and October of 2021.
  • Bottom line – Expect steel and wood to continue to rise through September/October of 2021.  They may or may not begin to fall after that.
• In relation to materials:
  • In 2019 and even early 2020 – an estimate for building supplies might be good for as long as four to six months.
  • Today, prices are fluctuating so much due to uncertainty in the supply chain that it may be tough – right now – to get a supplier to give you anything beyond a 15-day price guarantee on your materials estimate.