We are looking into building a relatively straightforward barndominium. We are located between Lexington and Cincinnati.  I called a few places and got pricing for wall insulated shells running in the $100/sq ft range, with estimates for buildout running around $100-$150/sq foot. Much of the info I’ve seen online suggests that most barndominiums run about $150k/sq ft complete. Are builders just throwing out crazy prices because they’re so busy or is this really a reasonable cost? In that case it seems cheaper to build a standard stick frame house.

Builders are throwing out crazy prices because materials are crazy high

$87sqft.

Crazy, I've seen whole ones for that price.

Steel prices are stupid high right now, I sell and buy steel everyday. It has done the same thing as lumber but we still havent seen it coming down.

Is this what you paid?

as much as you are willing to pay.  I saw one that I was in love with - pretty sure it topped the 1m mark.  I think it was 3 story, and probably had a wine cellar.  First floor was almost entirely parking for the car collection - not really a garage, more like a show floor.  Second floor was living, 3rd floor was lofts for sleeping.  Just guessing, but it probably had 2-3k of floor space on the first and second levels.


That said, prices were bad last year, and have only gotten worse.  I wanted to build a simple barn last year.  Dirt floor, one side open - was looking at 5k sq foot and $65k price tag.  

We are really only interested in a ~2000 sq ft 3 bd/2 ba house. Simple single story with maybe a loft as an office. Nothing crazy.

Last year we had a simple1200 sq ft uninsulated tall pole barn shop with a concrete floor and 4 roll up doors built for $40k. It’s not built “well” but I can’t see a slightly better build quality being twice the cost.

We would be fine paying $150/sq foot, but it seems most of the pricing I’ve gotten is twice that.

I understand.  I was wanting to build a 2 story (or probably more accurately, 1 1/2 story) - nothing terribly fancy.  I never settled on a plan with the builder and the prices were not looking good.  Left off on both the barn and the house with needing to clear the land for them.  I have the land for the barn about 80% cleared right now (but damaged my skid loader and have been waiting on parts for 3 months.).  Weather has been good for burning brush piles - so at least the trash from the 80% is burnt.  Hopefully I will finish my other chores in a week or so, go fishing, then get back to clearing when the new demolition door comes in.  I really don't like clearing brush with an open cab.

I will probably talk to the bank about financing the barn once that area is cleared and fenced (another fun cost).  I had the cash to build the house, but I invested in other real estate while waiting.  Now I need to wait a bit to rebuild the war chest.  My wife is not all that happy, but I wanted those other 2 real estate investments and figured if they did not come first - they would never come.  I actually priced out 2 barns - the other was much smaller and was way worse per sq ft.  I will probably end up building it myself, along with building a cabin on one of the investment properties.  Both those went on hold, as I needed a trailer to move materials and the skid loader to the work sites - and that was ordered 7 months ago and still is in limbo.  fwiw, once upon a time I did work in construction, so I feel I know enough to build - but recognize my limits and don't want to try the larger barn or house myself.  When I was in construction, my neighbor was the contractor I worked for.  He got out of the industry partially, but pretty sure I could hire him to help with some of it.  He does not build houses anymore, but still does concrete fabrication.

WTF is a barndominium?

I talked to a young couple Friday that are in the process of doing just that and they said they were quoted $135 a sq ft.

I was quoted $69k a year ago for a 60x120. That's just the cost of the steel - no windows, roll-up doors, or assembly. I asked the company to quote me last month..... that same building is now $150k. I didn't bother getting quotes for the concrete/assembly/electrical, because it would be too disheartening.

Now is not the time to build.

A Barndominum is essentially the combination of a dream shop/garage with living quarters.  They tend to use a steel barn building as the shell.

You seriously can't google?  That is sad.

Thanks!  That’s what we’ve been seeing online, which is what has thrown us off so much after getting these $250/sq ft prices. The location is similar, too.

I priced a few prior to the current insanity, it was the same or only slightly less than regular stick built.

The insulation under the concrete, and the concrete itself eat up a huge chunk of the budget. The steel was also a big cost.

Just to give you an idea, a builder I was working with was doing shell only pole barns for $100/sq ft, extra for windows and doors, per piece.

I could come in and do the concrete for $5-$6/ square foot, foam and in floor heating could easily double or triple that price.

Then a spray foam guy would come in and do walls and roof for $1/sq ft per inch thick.....massive cost to the project right there.

Then you have your plumbers and electricians, and you have to do your framing inside if you want any rooms.

I could see $200/sq ft easily, more depending on how you option it out.

I get it, but we are throwing away ~$20k/yr on rent waiting to build. I work in the lumber industry and understand how material prices have affected overall budgets but it shouldn’t double or triple the final price of the build.

Luck-eeee!

Didnt google but it's obviously a condo in a barn

I know a guy that made a pretty cool one after his kid graduated and moved out, he sold his huge house and the property and built it for him and his wife.

About 1200 sq ft of very insulated living space, then a huge shop attached (also extremely insulated, spray foam under the floor, up the walls and in the ceiling).

If it was just me and my wife, that would be ideal, with kids still in the mix, no way.

It's just a pole structure made suitable to live in.

What is a google?

Ahh, you used thought processes.  Some folks do that, others don't or can't.

It depends on construction method ones labor costs what material is used ect.

Metal or wood, ceiling height a lot of things make a big difference.  And with wood prices fluctuating so much I would blow a bid up too.


My next house will be a barndo. Go watch some of rural renovator on YouTube.

Mine will have 20 ft side walls , insulated slab, infloor radiant heating with a geothermal heat pump of some sort.  Died concrete floors, 2” closed fell spay with 4” batts behind it. R60 I’m the attic.

The options add up quick. Especially ok how you build out the inside. You’ll save money if you find a single contractor to do it

Kind of like "ask jeeves," but different.

The irony of you being from NY and asking isn’t lost on us

We are high class up here, mostly single wide trailers, like decent folk.

Right now ?  Stupidly expensive.

My wife an I were exploring options a bit just before the coof apocalypse and we put a hold on it because of the uncertainty of the economy.  Now everything is 150-200% more expensive.  Guess we should have just YOLO'ed instead of being cautious because now we are priced out and who know when/if things will calm down.

What is even sadder is that he is an 01er and there have been dozens of these topics through his time here.

This, times 10.

If you're paying somebody else to build it? You're buying a hip new fad.
So bend over and pay up.

Frankly I just want a house that didn’t come on wheels that is affordable. According to what I’ve read online, a barndominium should fit that bill.

Square foot to square foot, the cheapest way to build by far is a modular on top of a superior walls foundation (cheapest for an actual stick built or better house on a foundation, not a double or single wide)

The cost savings is pretty substantial, as well as the time required. My neighbor set his walls and house on the same day, I poured the floor the following day, and he was moving his family in less than a week later.

OP....

You need to actually talk to people, in your area, that have built similar structure in the past year.

 You need to have a plan/design, in print,  that you can submit to builders for actual cost estimates.

 You need to estimate all the associated costs...like permits,  running electrical, water, site development, etc.

Starting a thread in GD accomplishes nothing with any of this.....because your costs are going to different from state to state, and even county to county.


OR....you can pay someone to do all this for you.


So until you do any or all the above....you really won't know what anything is actually going to be.

Just like with any structure too, you could be looking at 100% difference in price just between builders.

I just poured a floor in a pole barn last week, the guy had the Amish build it. They were easily half price compared a lot of other guys (that carry insurance and have a payroll).

Came out nice, but everyone has different overhead.

A barndo isn't much different than a house when all is said and done. The outside shell is the only thing really different and the cost to finish it is pretty much the same as a house house. Everything on the inside is the same as a house

Instead of a barndo I went with a hobominium, which is basically a carport with walls. A barndo typically has a nice red iron frame but the hobominium has the much thinner carport frame. When I priced the difference in my part of Texas the barndo was twice the cost for the same square footage. Since the hobominium was rated at 150mph I went with it instead and don't regret it. A blast of closed cell foam, a loft with shower, washer and dryer and I've been GTG