When Deborah Charnes sought a simpler lifestyle that blended her yoga practice with her eco-conscious business plan, the Texas-based entrepreneur went all country — she converted her workspace shed into a barndominium.
Banish thoughts of drafty barns and haylofts from your mind. Barndominums can be luxe, like the one Charnes uses for her retreat center that features reclaimed wood, a 10-foot butcher block island in the kitchen nook and strong Wi-Fi for when Charnes wants to take a Zoom call or shoot a Facebook Live from the space she calls her BarnOm.
“It’s a great way to disconnect from city and work life,” Charnes says of the 720-square-foot space that includes a loft sleeping area, a brand-new bathroom and top-of-the-line mechanicals like air conditioning to beat the Texas heat.
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What is a Barndominum?
Barndominiums as a housing style have been recognized since 1989 when real estate developer Karl Nilsen coined the term for a horse barn that became converted into part of a larger home. Now, people nationwide are building freestanding barn-shaped structures as homes or converting existing structures into these cozy, farm-chic residences.
The term itself comes from a combination of barn and condominium, and these easy-to-build structures have grown in popularity among homeowners because they’re attractive and relatively low cost compared to a traditional stick-built home, says Kerry Sherin, a consumer advocate at Ownerly, a home-valuation company.
“Barndominiums combine both rural and modern features, which can result in truly stunning and unique living areas,” Sherin says. “Typically, wood is more popular in the Midwestern parts of the country, while steel is more popular in the South and Southeast. Barndos have a lofted open space that can have many design and function possibilities. Even during construction, it is possible to move walls to change the layout and room sizes.”
Barndos range in size, but the average tends to be around 2,200 square feet, Sherin says. Its standout feature is the ceiling height, which is typically around 14 feet compared with a traditional home’s 8 or 9 feet. Another key distinction is the materials — a standard home is wood, brick or a combination of the two. A barndo is mostly made of steel.
As this style gains popularity due in part to home-decorating celebrities such as Chip and Joanna Gaines, homeowners also are looking at barndominums to build a stylish yet practical space at a good cost that also has resale value. So, if you want a modern-farmhouse vibe with a low-maintenance lifestyle, a barndominium may be a smart choice, real estate and construction experts say.
“There are so many interior elevation options nowadays that the traditional ‘box barn’ style of design is long gone and we are seeing very creative options come to the market that can appeal to a wide range of buyers,” says Eddie Martini, the strategic real estate investment advisor at HouseCashin, a company connecting sellers with investors, in Sacramento, California. “The large, open great room concept combined with vaulted ceilings makes for a grand living experience and provides a great place to entertain guests.”
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How Much Do Barndominiums Cost?
On average, a 2,400-square-foot barndominium costs about $120,000 to $500,000 or more to construct with a builder, according to HomeAdvisor. Barndominium kits from companies like Worldwide Steel Buildings start around $10 a square foot and can go up to about $30 a square foot. In some cases, kits may require the homeowner to put in some sweat equity to finish off these sizable builds.
“When looking to purchase, buyers are attracted to the amount of space offered by the footprint of the building,” says Barry Cooper, a broker and owner of RE/MAX Country Lakes in Monticello, Kentucky.
“If those same buyers were to purchase a traditional property with a 2,400 square foot garage and a 2,000 square foot living area, the price would be around 3.5x more than the barndominium style,” Cooper wrote in an email.
On the practical side, barndominums also can include a home office, workshop, horse stalls or anything else a homeowner can dream up, builders say. The structures tend to offer greater flexibility in the layout because of the single roof as well as the durability of materials used.
“Another reason for the increase in popularity is they can be quicker to build than a traditional home. They’re more cost-efficient and usually very energy efficient,” says Amy Moss-Johnson, a loan officer at Rural 1st in Springfield, Tennessee. “They’re built out of metal and steel, so barndominums can last up to 100 years. There’s also less maintenance to keep up with and fewer repairs compared to if it was built with wood like a traditional home.”
Moss-Johnson says she has been doing loans on barndominium projects for nearly 20 years, but the latest spike in popularity started about five years ago. Real estate experts such as Armstead Jones, a strategic real estate advisor at Real Estate Bees in Baltimore, say the coronavirus pandemic also boosted the barndominum’s appeal because they give people the room to live, work and entertain under one roof.
“A barndominium-style space can offer the flexibility to adapt to different needs over time. For example, you might use one area for a home office now, but later convert it into a guest room or workshop,” Jones says.
Plus, Jones says, barndos offer a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly lifestyle some homeowners prefer.
“Many people today are looking for ways to simplify their lives and reduce their environmental impact. A barndominium-style space can offer a more sustainable and low-maintenance lifestyle with less space to clean and maintain,” Jones says. “A barndominium-style space can be an efficient use of space, allowing for multiple functions in a single area. This can be particularly appealing for those who live in areas with limited space or expensive real estate.”
Pros and Cons of Barndominiums
Are you wondering whether a barndominium, either a new build or a repurposed old barn, is right for you? Here are some things to consider as you weigh your decision.
Pros
— Flexible layout.
— Lower costs.
— Quick builds.
Cons
— Hard to find barns to convert.
— Can have limited storage.
— Potentially limited buyer pool for resale.
[READ: The Guide to Mansions.]
Barndos in Real Life
Shawna and Scott Blackmon live with their two kids in a barndominium in Douglass, Texas. Rising lumber costs pushed them to consider a barndo, Scott says. The couple sketched their dream barndominium to make it look like a barn on the outside but a traditional home on the inside.
The biggest cost was labor as well as getting utilities to their site. But the result was exactly what they wanted, especially because of its “wow” factor with 24-foot ceilings in the main living space, Shawna says.
“It’s all hand welded and made of individual red iron pieces, which is a little bit of a bigger undertaking,” Shawna says. “But based on the overall structural integrity of the building, we’ve basically built a commercial building for our home.”
Real estate gurus like Martini say there are lots of ways to use the space if you build a barndominium for investment purposes as well.
“Barndominiums make the most sense for investors who want to create a unique experience for the potential home buyer, or if they are building and holding as a rental it provides a great opportunity to create a unique experience as an Airbnb/Vrbo that bring top dollar returns compared to traditional construction short term rentals,” Martini says.
Another bonus is the way Charnes’ barndominium takes advantage of the views on her 2 acres in Texas Hill County, surrounded by cedar and oak trees. Guests who stay with her for yoga retreats have made the space a haven for getting away from the bigger nearby cities of Austin, Houston and Dallas.
“Since I live in a ‘dark nights community,’ my guests often enjoy stargazing with the enormous front door open,” Charnes says. “I even had a young man propose to his girlfriend as they were enjoying the cool evening breeze from my BarnOm.”
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Barndominiums: What They Are and How Much They Cost originally appeared on usnews.com
