I have read so many articles online lately titled “What is a Barndominium” most do a fantastic job going over what a Barndominium is, unfortunately people are still confused and sometime more confused after reading a few articles that do not jive with each other. I would like to clear the air on a few things right out of the gate. First defining a Barndominium, Barndominium is a made-up term to describe a custom-built home that has styling cues taken from pole barn construction builds, or for you northerner’s post beam construction. Many people since hearing the term believe that a barndominium is a metal building that resembles a barn. This is only half true, a Barndominium can absolutely be a metal building that looks like a barn; however, it does not have to be a metal building and that is where a lot of confusion is held unfortunately. Many of our clients here at Buildmax build barndominiums out of wood the same way you would build any other home. Other clients do choose to build with metal, either a full steel building from the roof down or even a partial steel building where it’s framed with wood and wrapped in metal as the exterior siding. The point is that a barndominium can be built in many ways with many diverse types of materials it’s not a cookie cutter home it’s a custom-built home with the materials and house plan of your choosing whether it’s a stock house plan or one you designed on a cocktail napkin Buildmax will turn them into custom professionally drafted house plans for your custom barndominium.
Another misconception that I find hard to wrap my head around is that many people we speak with think that because they are building a barndominium they have Limited options when it comes to materials, builders, styling, and financing, this is not true. You are building a custom designed home so honestly your imagination can run wild when you are designing the layout, style, etc. you have much more freedom when you are in control of the design process so I cannot really understand why people believe they are limited to certain materials just because they are building a barndominium.
Banks can be a little tricky to deal with since the housing market crashed, everyone knows it’s more difficult to get a loan today than it was before the fall of 2008, Don’t be discouraged, banks are still in the business of lending out money and basically every loan officer you talk to is on your side and want you to get a loan so they can make a commission, so knowing that you can confidently provide the bank with everything that they like to see to increase your chances of walking away with the loan package of your dreams. Most banks nowadays like to see a well-planned out build with everything on paper with all your bases covered, a nice cost to build spreadsheet or breakdown, a budget that you have drafted up, it’s important to allow the bank to experience your organizational skills in your proposal or plan, good credit will obviously be a huge help to you in this situation by getting a better rate based solely on your credit score. Something else a bank will want to see is an extended period with a stable account balance no overdrafts preferably, stable savings is a big plus that sort of thing. The banks’ goal in this is only to keep their risk to a minimum by ensuring that you can pay back the loan in full or at the bare minimum you have a very stable and responsible record of accomplishment.
I have heard people say that steel Barndominiums are not very energy efficient on account of the metal not being a good insulator of heat. Metal overall is a terrible insulator of heat compared to anything really, a mud brick hut is going to keep you warmer than a cold steel box that’s only common sense, right? I will tell you what else is common sense and that is the fact that nobody builds a home today without top-quality insulation to serve as a barrier between the exterior wall and the framed-up interior walls. Without this insulation, yes! You will be sitting in a metal box, and it will not be enjoyable in the winter or the summer at that rate. However, with insulation, it just makes for an extremely comfortable and energy-efficient metal barndominium.
Some People are under the impression that living a simpler lifestyle means giving up everything that you hold dear or have grown to love. This is also false, People advocating for a more Minimalistic and energy efficient homes are just pushing for the populous to embrace renewable energy to maintain a more conservative approach to energy use and even material items, this idea has grown in the last 5-10 years and shows no signs of slowing. People are seeing value in living a simpler lifestyle opposed to a fast-paced busy lifestyle in the city, or a nice size home in the suburbs, either way you will contend with crazy electric bills, privacy issues, unnecessary maintenance fees, and many more reasons to switch your lifestyle to something a little more simplistic, quiet, reasonable, and my favorite. Customized. Living minimalist does not mean you are living like you are homeless eating beans from a can 3 days a week or that you are financially destitute. Quite the opposite, you are saving money by using renewable energy allowing you to use that $ of other things. It is simply another way to proactively help the environment by not purchasing unnecessary items. I have overheard more than one person this holiday season discussing a resolution to not use plastic bags this year. This choice is a great start to living free of clutter and doing your part for the environment and with so much waste in the world it’s going to take us all working as one to make a change.
