Pole Barn House

[cfpinz]

I know this isn't the right forum, but it's about the only one I keep up with these days and most of the folks here are like minded with myself.

My wife and I are considering relocating to the Kansas/Nebraska area in the next few years, and are exploring a few options. We want to be able to keep a few horses around for fun, and maybe a dozen or so cows just to keep me sane. I don't care to have a big group of cows any longer, and doubt I'll even fool with hay if I can find a reliable source.

That being said, we're entertaining the idea of buying a 20 acre or larger parcel and putting a pole barn up for starters. I'd like to finish in a portion of the pole barn (approx. 30x40 for the living quarters) for us to live in, and leave the balance open for a garage/shop/storage. Just wondering if anyone here has done this, or has any advice to offer. We're pretty open minded, and would like to keep this place as simple and maintenance free as possible.

Thank you in advance for any advice or ideas you may have to offer.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

The only advice I have is to look into building codes before you get ahead of yourself. My parents considered building one since they are becoming very popular up here and they were having a difficult time finding exactly what they wanted on the local real estate markets. Upon doing a bit of research, though, they found that if part of the building is to be inhabited, the entire building must be built to that code. In our area, that means things like rafters and studs at 2' on center...for the entire building. That gets very cost prohibitive when you are looking at a "shouse" that's 100', 150', 200' long.

 

[bird dog]

I would go with a metal building if it was me. You can make them very efficient very easy. Just frame up the living quarter inside the building just as you would if it wasn't there. Of course you wouldn't have rafters, a roof or exterior sheeting.

Your exterior walls will be 7 1/2" thick with a 4" purlin and a stud. Insulate that as needed for your area. Deck the top of living area for your HVAC, and water heater.

 

[cfpinz]

Thank you both for the responses, good points on both.

If we go down this road, I definitely want this to be over-insulated. I'm not getting any younger, and would like to keep our heating/cooling costs reasonable. It would be nice to keep the whole structure heated to around 50F during the winter, and just the living quarters around the 70F mark.

I'd like to have a storage area above the living quarters, similar to the two extra bedrooms we have now that no one uses. We saw pictures online of one that has a balcony out front that is accessed from this area, the wife and I both liked that idea - specially for a screened in porch type deal.

 

[Hardin Farms]

My wife and i recently did the same thing. Bought some property and didnt want to live in a mobile home so we build a shop and added a living quarters. We love it.

The steel building approach is superior in my opinion. The space between the purlins and the walls create a sort of a thermal barrier. Our heating and cooling is very minimal. We went this route simply because I already had intentions of building a shop so we just added another 20' on to the building and used that for living space. Our building is 16' tall so we decked our living quarter and use it for storage as well.

 

[cfpinz]

My wife and i recently did the same thing. Bought some property and didnt want to live in a mobile home so we build a shop and added a living quarters. We love it.

The steel building approach is superior in my opinion. The space between the purlins and the walls create a sort of a thermal barrier. Our heating and cooling is very minimal. We went this route simply because I already had intentions of building a shop so we just added another 20' on to the building and used that for living space. Our building is 16' tall so we decked our living quarter and use it for storage as well.

Mind if I ask where you're located?

Any pictures, ideas, etc. that you'd like to share would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lucky]

We live in a shop house also. 40x60 main shop with a 20x20 apartment attached for living area. The bedrooms are upstairs in the shop, bathroom is also in the shop but accessible through the house. With porches and all we have 4,000 sf under roof and about 800' of living area.

 

[Brute 23]

If you are considering financing it be sure you can secure a loan. Most of your larger banks that resale the mortgages wont mess with them because there is not a box for them to check on the computer program.

My parents went to a large bank that they had all their personal accounts, business accounts, etc with. They did a construction loan and when it was all done and ready to be rolled over the bank said they couldn't do the loan because of it being all metal. My dad happened to be talking to a family member who worked for Prosperity Bank and told him what was going on. He told my parents to come by the next day. A couple days later they got their mortgage. They write their own mortgages because they hold all them in house. They do not sell any off. I did myne thru them also. We have moved all our accounts over.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Farm Credit will lend on Barndominiums.

 

[sstterry]

Farm Credit will lend on Barndominiums.

Do you think we could make some money from the Millennials by starting a new Barndominium complex in the Nashville area?

 

[Texasmark]

Expect "pole" barns to sink......now how do you think I know that? Grin! You need something on a reinforced slab whereby the support members supporting your roof and holding up the walls are anchored to something solid that has some surface area to reduce the soil load to zip. Check out "Barndominiums".

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Farm Credit will lend on Barndominiums.

Do you think we could make some money from the Millennials by starting a new Barndominium complex in the Nashville area?

No but they are going bananas over "tiny houses".

 

[haase]

We have been building alot more post frame houses lately, just finished one about a month ago, will try to post some pictures, one we built last year had a full basement and we set our columns on the top of the basement walls and they built the floor deck around our columns, they are more energy efficient than conventional built homes, if I was going to build my own, I would build it poles ,meaning laminate columns on top of concrete instead of columns in the ground.

 

[sstterry]

No but they are going bananas over "tiny houses".

Wait until they gain some weight and have a couple of kids!

meaning laminate columns on top of concrete instead of columns in the ground.

How are the columns anchored to the concrete? I am just curious.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

This in one way.

 

[sstterry]

This in one way.

I am aware of those, but I have always wondered how secure they would be for a whole house.

 

[jltrent]

I think it is a good ideal on the pole barn/house as I have a pole workshop and I could about live in it like it is.

Tour of Barndominium 193. This is a 2300 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath Barndominium. As well as a 12oo sq. ft porch, 500 sq. ft. breezeway, 1000 sq. ft. shop and a large quilting room.

https://youtu.be/4Li4lsSC0uY

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

This in one way.

I am aware of those, but I have always wondered how secure they would be for a whole house.

Very secure provided the base is solid and properly affixed.

 

[Texasmark]

Farm Credit will lend on Barndominiums.

Do you think we could make some money from the Millennials by starting a new Barndominium complex in the Nashville area?

No but they are going bananas over "tiny houses".

My first question on tiny houses, where do you put all your junk and trash...you know the stuff that's part of your every day life....like do you have to go shopping every day? Do you have to store your clothes in a rental storage building? Do you have to go to the washateria every couple of days? Do you constantly have to "get out of the house" to have some breathing room?

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Do you think we could make some money from the Millennials by starting a new Barndominium complex in the Nashville area?

No but they are going bananas over "tiny houses".

My first question on tiny houses, where do you put all your junk and trash...you know the stuff that's part of your every day life....like do you have to go shopping every day? Do you have to store your clothes in a rental storage building? Do you have to go to the washateria every couple of days? Do you constantly have to "get out of the house" to have some breathing room?

Beats me brother, I couldn't live that way.