Finding the balance between your ideal rural barndominium life and the pursuit of the American dream doesn’t always have a straightforward path; Rarely is this actually the case. The American dream has evolved over time. Life Liberty and the pursuit of happiness are core to what America represents to the world abroad. Over time the pursuit of happiness has families on the move in full pursuit of a slower-paced lifestyle than that of the big industrialized cities and endless miles of factories that they know so well. These families have the money and motivation but know little about rural living, rural society, and generally how to survive and become more self-reliant. The rural lifestyle can take some adjusting, especially if you’re coming directly from a densely populated city into sparsely populated woodlands. My first tip would be to join a community group of some kind to get involved in community projects, this helps you integrate into the community more easily and this also allows you to use relationships that are made through community groups that can directly benefit your barndominium build, many of the individuals who are involved in community groups are also the same individuals who are running the local government offices the same ones who approve or deny building projects. Generally speaking, it’s much easier to get projects approved in rural areas. Small local rural building departments tend to have less stringent code requirements, giving you more freedom to build what you like and, maybe even more importantly, where you want to build it. 

Mingling with locals in a rural setting might seem like a difficult task, especially as an outsider; here’s a tip I’ve picked up over the years that has helped me make friends with some very influential individuals in the community, the first thing you want to do is wake up early before the sunrise; I’ve noticed a trend that isn’t confined to my area of the southeast united states, however. it’s very predominant here all over the south, especially,  old men love to sit and drink coffee and talk to each other. Keep in mind most of these men are lifelong friends and probably work alongside each other in some capacity. Find the local watering hole; this could be a gas station in town. Dairy queens are hugely popular with the early morning loitering elderly man; maybe it’s the free coffee refills or the open dining area that keep them coming back for more every morning. Getting to know these guys can help in more ways than you can think of; they are your neighbors and between all of them, they have a few thousand years of experience and wisdom, so a pretty solid group of chaps to get to know.

Utilities in rural America can be a bit different than what some are used to. I recommend building your home with a good quality Generac or similar backup generator system. This will keep you covered in the off chance that your electricity is knocked out due to storms, snow, lightning, etc. These stand-alone backup generators will kick on immediately in the instance of an electrical disruption. In rural areas, the electric company may have their hands full. It could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days for the repairmen to fix the issues. Anyone without a backup generator has to sit in the darkness, without any heat or any way to cook. Many rural homes were built with wood stoves installed. I’ve written a sister article on The ideal modern homestead that gives a bit more clarity on what a modern homestead looks like in 2022. Back to the stove, which isn’t a bad idea even with today’s barndominium homes. Wood stoves are great; they provide a form of very efficient heat and a form of cooktop as well. Many rural areas don’t provide water or sewage so you will more than likely need a septic tank installed for your sewage and you will be solely responsible for the maintenance, which includes having a company come out occasionally to empty the contents of the tank. This is an added expense on your part. Finding a source of water for your Barndominium is also your responsibility in many rural areas, maybe that looks like a well, or digging a ditch to the closest county road to pipe in water from a county source. Maybe your property has its very own source of spring water you can readily tap into, which is very common in rural settings, especially in the east, where the temperature stays low.  These are all options to consider and your location will determine much of this. 

Safety and preparedness are something else I like to put into practice. keep in mind local police, fire, and rescue, and ambulance services will take longer to arrive to country locations that are off the beaten path, things are less likely to happen with a smaller population but it still happens. Normal security features like alarms for your front door and windows are common, as well as deadbolt locking mechanisms. You have to buy some extra time for the emergency services to arrive so think about time-saving measures you can take at your property in the case of a burglary, home invasion, serious injury, etc. Living so far away from a hospital can be a scary prospect. Having a stocked first aid kit is very important on a farm or even for a standard rural residential home. accidents can happen anywhere, especially in places such as farms, shops, mini-farms, homesteads, and places where moving equipment and heavy tools are directly involved. Cameras are another security feature that can do wonders to deter thieves in a rural area, if someone knows they are being watched, they are much less likely to commit a crime. This can give you a clear view of anyone visiting your property while you are away. Having video evidence gives you leverage to provide to local authorities who will more than likely know the perpetrator anyways due to the small close-knit communities found in rural areas. 

With over 60 million of our current residents living outside the borders of major cities and located in rural locations, having less crowded and congested traffic, close-knit community life, friendly neighbors, and breathtaking landscapes. With beauty also comes some adjustments and preparations but as long as you’re aware of what you’re getting into and have a solid plan on how you want to move forward, country barndominium life can be the pursuit of happiness that you’ve been searching for, Buildmax can help put you on a path to the Ideal rural barndominium with a house plan from Buildmax.com today!

The Internet can be an intimidating place to search for home building advice, house plans, or even financing options for purchasing a potential barndominium. This can especially be the case for individuals who don’t use computers on a daily basis. We tend to forget or overlook the fact that not everyone grew up on computers. Some older individuals, may have never used a computer at all. This is actually a very small portion of the overall population at only about 16% of Americans today being computer literate. Compared to an international average of 23%. However, attempting to navigate through treacherous minefields of half-truths and biased articles that are only intended to generate profits. As a new computer user, this can be confusing and it makes it even easier to simply get lost online looking at outdated websites and ultimately not really ever running across any content that is particularly valuable to your build. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have a better idea of where to look online for some inspiration for your barndominium build. Whether you’re in the market for some modern barndominium house plans, or you’re simply trying to get some ideas and haven’t taken any serious steps in regards to building. either way, the internet has absolutely no shortage of inspiration. Everyone wants to show off their build, most people are very proud of the barndominium that they created, especially if they had a hand in the design process from the beginning. This gives you more of an appreciation for everything that goes into building your own home. Most people on the street have no idea what it takes to build a barndominium from the ground up or where to even start with the process. I’m about to clue you in on where I start when it comes to my builds. 

Instagram, Pinterest, & FB Groups are my top three social media resources that I like to steer my friends, customers, and even my family towards. I like how these platforms allow for powerful browsing of any topic you can imagine in terms of designing a barndominium and then options you to interact with real people ( in most cases) on their projects, designs, decor, instructions, schematics, valuable advice, as well as product reviews short and long term product reviews. This will save you money and time. You can find tips and tricks, and Life hacks for building your own barndominium. The main reason that I steer people towards these platforms is simple; you can draw and gather a tremendous amount of inspiration from any one of these platforms. If you are not 100% sure what you want to build as your forever barndominium, drawing inspiration from the success of others all across the united states and beyond can have a very positive impact and can light a fire inside you igniting a passion to build something that you will live with and love for years to come something that you can share with the people in your life that mean the most.

Finding and taking advantage of services online will open up the whole world as a marketplace for you. No longer are you limited to your local area’s resources. you can purchase goods and services online from anywhere in the world. Shipping costs are a factor and I always check shipping costs before buying anything online. Many times the shipping is calculated separately and added to a total within your online shopping cart. Services like house plan companies, general contractors in your area, foundation specialists, banking, and finance options, the resources are right at your fingertips. It just takes a little looking. Buildmax is a company that can take a set of existing barndominium floor plans of which they have plenty to choose from and modify them to meet your specific needs.

Buildmax can help you get a quote for the steel framing package and maybe even point you in the direction of someone to erect the framing to get your house underway as quickly as possible. It’s amazing what you can get done online these days. You can literally design your own barndominium floor plans or use stock Buildmax plans and order a strong rigid cold-formed steel barndominium kit tailor made for your family. Delivered in around about 6-8 weeks from order give or take, but nothing like the 6-12 months for a red iron steel frame to be manufactured and delivered. Red iron steel is much, much, much heavier, bulkier, uses more metal, and it takes much more equipment and manpower to erect. Where cold-formed steel could be erected by a few guys with hand tools if need be. Cold-formed steel takes significantly less time to manufacture, transport, and erect. With the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia forcing fuel prices up, this will ultimately have an effect on steel prices across the board.  Russia is also a leading producer of aluminum which is used in the manufacturing of the specific alloy that is used in the cold form steel components, further affecting the cost of business. Compared to Lumber, you’re still getting a bargain. Steel will outlast wood in every category. However, any of the Buildmax house plans can be built with either traditional wood or cold form steel, whichever you decide.There are plenty of sources of inspiration online to be found if you carefully look in the right corners of the web and use care not to get sucked down any far-flung rabbit holes or get misdirected by incorrect information. Generally speaking, people want to help others with accurate and correct information. I’ll be building a tiny home in the next year, so I’m in the process right now of gathering ideas and saving pictures to my computer of decor and designs that I may want to use in the future. I still haven’t decided on an interior layout, so I have a lot of inspiration yet to find. If you find yourself in a similar place, I wish you luck and patience. It’s not always easy designing your own barndominium or doing much of the work yourself, once it’s all built and you have turned an idea into a real home. You are now able to live in the benefits of your hard work and your detailed online research and inspiration to determine exactly what you wanted your forever barndominium to be. 

Homesteading has become a popular alternative lifestyle all across the united states, as families began to migrate out of the larger cities and spread out into rural America, many of those families coming from the inner city wanted a healthier environment to raise a family in, as well as to be more self-sufficient and rely on governments and outside the industry as little as possible. Groups of families have homesteaded this fertile land for centuries and every generation has groups passing on that torch. Homesteading is much more than having a few chickens and a garden, however, you have to start somewhere so don’t be embarrassed if that’s all you are starting with. Every successful homestead is built with necessity and ease of use in mind. The goal is to grow your own food use sustainable energy to whatever extent you feel necessary, most homesteaders have some type of animals, cows, chickens, goats, alpaca, pigs, you name it and you are likely to run across it on a homestead, not to mention the native wildlife that can be a resource as well as native plants, homesteaders typically immerse themselves in the local ecology to develop ways to be more self-sustainable, less reliant on 3rd parties and learn how to better adapt to the environment.

Buildmax has a couple of plans that could be turned into the ultimate homestead. The plan that pops into my head first is the BM5550 because of how much space the barndominium provides. When homesteading you can never have too much storage space. The BM5550 will allow you to plan for the future in ways other barndominiums just fall short, you can use the rooms for anything you like, with the kind of space a Barndominium like the BM5550 has you could have an amazing state of the art indoor hydroponic garden and have vegetables available to you as a resource year-round. Having room to store your equipment is important not only from an organizational perspective but also for the longevity of the tools and equipment, things last longer when they are properly stored; this also gives you the luxury of always knowing where that tool is and not having to dig through a pile of tools and extension cords only to find the drill bit you’re looking for is missing out of the box. Everyone has experienced this at some point in their adult life.

 Every homestead is going to be different depending on the extent of modifications needed to get your plans to the point where they reflect the vision that you have for your homestead barndominium. Most modern homesteads take full advantage of solar energy; solar panels can be adapted to any barndominium, no matter the size or modifications required to the house plans. Solar panels are typically mounted up high to get the most use out of the sunlight. This is why it’s popular to mount solar panels on the roof of your home, as long as your roof pitch will allow for access in such a way that general maintenance can be undertaken. The roof is ideal for mounting solar panels. Solar panels can also be mounted on the ground if you don’t like them mounted on your home, usually placed on a small rise or hillside, and can easily be manipulated & manually adjusted to capture as much daytime sunlight as possible. Having an area to store batteries is another factor when considering solar as an energy source. The batteries can take up some space and be pretty heavy. Generac Powercell and Tesla Powerwall have developed solutions that mount on the side of your wall and store energy in batteries pods within the mounted unit and are becoming increasingly popular for modern homesteading applications.

Animals are a large part of many modern homesteads, chickens are by far the most popular, almost every homestead will have a chicken coop, this can add to the overall theme as well as provide you with eggs putting you that much closer to being completely self-sufficient. A chicken coop can be a fantastic weekend D.I.Y project our personal chicken coop took a couple of days to erect and another to finish, but it has proven to be the single most reliable supplier of food to our kitchen once the chickens started laying. We honestly had to start giving away our eggs because we had so many, which is a great problem to have. Sheep and goats can be nice. I’ve never personally had any goats, but I do have plenty of friends who raise goats and they are pretty adorable but can be somewhat temperamental at times and they can eat ALOT! Another animal I’ve noticed popping up on homesteads across the country is Alpaca. I know they use alpaca fur for many clothing applications, so there may be a financial benefit to owning an alpaca aside from the aesthetic benefits of having a handful of extremely cute furry animals roaming your homestead.

A homestead can be many different things depending on your needs, the size of your family you are hoping to support with your homestead, and cost as in what is your budget to get your homestead underway. With budgets tight and prices in the stores at an all-time high, it’s easy to understand why a new family would choose to move out of the city and build their dream homestead barndominium in a more rural setting. Odds are, the school system will be more hands-on and student-focused than many of the inner-city school systems tend to be. Not all, there are some exceptions. Job opportunities are more scarce in rural communities, but with a larger portion of the population working remotely anymore, many families can work from home and tend to their ever-growing homestead. The maintenance on a homestead is a full-time job in itself. The general upkeep and feeding of the animals are enough to keep a person busy most days, not to count those unexpected fixes and projects that pop up on a weekly basis that also eat up your time. Running a barndominium homestead takes dedication and a passion for self-reliance if you have what it takes to build and operate a homestead and that’s the direction you and your family are headed. I urge you to take a minute to explore the barndominium house plans Buildmax offers for your homestead application; you may see something you can’t live without.

When it comes to sketching, some people are just more artistically skilled and it comes naturally to them, like riding a bicycle. I wasn’t gifted with much artistic abilities as a child, and honestly, not much has changed in my adult life as far as my abilities go. I never acquired the skill of drawing in all my years of college courses. although I very much appreciate the skills others have honed and developed into grand artistic abilities. I use the amazing artistic pieces others have done as my own motivation to sketch the best that I possibly can.

I’ve seen sketches of house plans on cocktail napkins, loose-leaf paper, college rule, you name it, and I’ve probably seen a rough house plan drawn on it. By far the most popular way to create house plans in today’s technological wonderland is with some form of a C.A.D (computer-aided drafting) program. This is software that allows you to easily draw straight lines and add doors and windows etc. This has become a popular tool with the average joe, as well as pretty much every architect and designer out there. Don’t take this CAD software too lighty, Most if not all of these CAD drafting programs are designed with the architect in mind, so they can get fairly expensive, not to mention the most popular CAD programs being used today are so “tool rich” and extensive that you first need training in order to fully understand the features and functionality of the tools before you can actually dive in and start designing. Everyone nowadays will end up using these computer programs to finalize their floor plans, even if they start out the process with a drawing on a cocktail napkin.  When I talk about coming up with rough sketches,  I’m mainly talking about sketching out home decor ideas, room layouts, floor plan designs, as well as elevations if your skilled enough for that. I like to tell people to sketch the small details that you want to incorporate into your barndominium so you can look back later when making decor decisions.  Another is a Pinterest account, which is the first thing I always recommend getting just for the sheer amount of inspiration you can gain from exploring the custom designs of others. Forums are a great source of inspiration if you need some motivation websites and apps like Reddit and Facebook groups are unparalleled resources for custom barndominium inspiration and ideas.

Putting what’s in your mind down on a sheet of paper is a difficult and sometimes frustrating task but Buildmax is a company that can work with you and enhance your sketches and develop them into tangible usable custom barndominium floor plans made from your own sketch. No matter if you have tremendous artistic skills or not, mapping out a floor plan is easy enough, a child could probably manage it. You’re basically just drawing straight lines. A ruler is a nice tool to keep your lines straight, but you’re just sketching out a rough design right now and it’s not necessary, but it can help. Study the floor plans you’ve found online and learn the position of doors and windows and other essential features you would like included like a loft, fireplace, porches, storage space, bathroom setup start slowly designing your 1st draft house plans. Once you are satisfied with your sketches of the floor plan, you can move forward and do rough sketches of the front and rear elevations. These can be adapted from other plans and tweaked to meet your specific taste or family needs.

After you have your sketches finished, you are ready to submit them to a designer at Buildmax for a standard review and refinement process. The designer will take your sketches during a brief phone conversation where you can better describe what kind of barndominium project you have in mind, this is the perfect opportunity to convey any special custom details and information on your project in order to prevent many back and forth corrections and modifications when the designer has enough information on your project to begin designing your floor plans he will begin because the designers are working on multiple projects at once this may take some time as the skills involved are not easily learned and it also takes a certain type of person to accurately draft floor plans a person with extreme patience & determination, these traits are becoming increasingly more difficult to find in workers leaving architects and drafters in very high demand and with an endless number of projects to work on. 

Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to share your sketches with others. I can assure you that your rough sketches are no worse than anything that any other normal person with average art skills could create. In 2017 54% of Americans participated in some sort of artistic performance, art project, or local cultural event, so the desire and passion to create art is obviously alive and well all across our great nation. Simply by sharing your sketches on forums and social media you could be unknowingly saving yourself a ton of time later on in the process. Let me explain,  If you share your sketches on social media, maybe a Facebook group or a popular discussion group aimed towards barndominium designs. People generally want to help, and if you make the move to share your ideas, people can be very helpful and will give you some solid pointers and direction in regards to your floor plans. The idea is to sharpen your sketches before you submit them to Buildmax, by taking the extra time on your rough draft and really diving into the details you are providing the designer with a much richer rough draft and much more valuable information to build a set of dream plans from, many of the best ideas and rich designs that you develop early on in this rough draft stage will be evident as you complete your plans and start to see the barndominium take shape. 

I hope this article will encourage you to sketch out some ideas of your own and continue to be proactive in your rough draft sketches. I also hope you will find value in bravely sharing your rough draft drawings online & gaining insight and knowledge from others who have built or designed barndominiums before. Being different than everyone else and adding a little touch of your own personality and spice to your project not only sets you apart, at the core, expression is what creating art is all about. By using the design elements of your barndominium and the recommendations and tips you pick up along the way, you could honestly view your barndominium as one big art piece. At the end of the day art aside, building a truly balanced and  unique barndominium that reflects who you are and at the very same time is conducive and functional for everyday life for you and your family. This is the ultimate goal and it is entirely achievable with a little determination; Passion, and some help from your friends at Buildmax.com  

I’ve noticed lately that most of the people that I speak with who have been dreaming and planning to build their own barndominium generally have unrealistic expectations when it comes to purchasing a kit barndominium. I’m mainly speaking of the everyday American who has a minimal construction background but dreams of building their own barndominium.  Somewhere along the line people are misunderstanding the process, or exactly what it is they are buying. In this article, I hope to go over what to realistically expect when buying a barndominium kit; what that process looks like, a realistic time frame, and realistically what to expect regarding barndominium kit pricing. What price is a good price?  In the hypersonic internet age that we now live in people expect to be able to log onto their computer, and buy a barndominium kit online that will come in the mail in 10 business days. While this isn’t exactly the case, it’s honestly not far off from the truth, well… for the most part. Granted you may find some companies out there who sell their specific kit and nothing else. If you want exactly what their kit offers without changing a thing, and you love it just the way it is on paper,  that may be the route for you. It will most certainly be the cheapest option by a long shot. 

Generally speaking, the process takes a little more attention to detail and planning, especially if you want an actual barndominium kit based on real home plans. The industry has had to adapt how it sells kit homes to an online market in recent years. Buildmax has taken its awesome barndominium plans & designs and adapted them for cold-formed steel barndominium kits. What this means for you is that you can choose the barndominium plan of your dreams on Buildmax’s website and work with their designers to modify that plan for your family’s specific needs. Then, when the modifications are complete, the kit is ready to be manufactured and shipped. It’s as simple as that. This process doesn’t happen overnight like some customers would like; knowing what to expect in regards to a timeline and the manufacturing of the cold-formed steel kits will save you from wondering what is going on with your kit. I like to also remember and recognize that there are a lot of technical skills involved in drafting plans and even more technical skills involved in manufacturing the metal framing for your kit. These are not at all processes you want to rush. It’s extremely important that the workers take their time doing their specific job as well as inspecting each piece for imperfections as it’s coming out of these monstrous metal clamshell-like presses that form the steel into shape. Even at this rate, cold form steel manufacturing is still much faster than alternatives like red iron steel building kits, which take much more time to produce and will use much more metal in the manufacturing process just due to the size and thickness of red iron steel in general. As far as time frames are concerned, everything obviously depends on many factors but in general terms, Buildmax can have one of their barndominium house plans, modified or stock and have those house plans manufactured into a steel barndominium kit, inspected, wrapped, loaded, and ready for delivery in 6 weeks or less, which is pretty mind-boggling even in the world of construction where processes tend to move fairly quickly completing one task and moving on to the next in order to complete a job.

Pricing out a steel barndominium kit can be very complicated, lucky for everyone Buildmax has developed a process that makes getting an accurate quote priced out based on current market prices. Buildmax will use your house plans to calculate and determine what metal framing components are needed down to every nut and bolt. Once Buildmax runs these calculations through our cold-formed steel software, the computer will generate a very accurate quote based on the specific house plans,  price of steel, and many other factors. Without the software doing the calculations, it would take much longer to accurately price out a kit like this. which I believe is why it’s so difficult for kit homes to be priced accurately and sold online. Cold-formed steel kits are a great value to the customer in more ways than just a reasonable price the amount of structural integrity that comes along with it is worth the extra money over traditional framing options. With the current steel prices being comparable to lumber prices, you can build a stronger sturdier home that will last much longer, cold-formed steel will never Rot, burn, or be eaten by bugs & critters all for just a little bit more than it would cost to build your dream home with some boring regular old dead trees. Technologically speaking, using cold-formed steel to frame your barndominium just makes more sense for the future in general, the technological advancements in metallurgy have been very substantial, creating ever stronger and lighter alloys, in turn pushing metal industries and metal frame construction methods to new heights. Everyone wants to have the latest tech and your home should be no different. You spend a large portion of your life in your home having the peace of mind alone, just knowing the strength of your home is enough for some families to go all in a steel-frame barndominium and I think you should as well. 

A steel frame barndominium even makes sense from an investment perspective between the durability and longevity of the steel frame the reasonable pricing compared to traditional framing and of course the peace of mind, even in higher risk areas like along a fault line, locations prone to high winds and rain, even in extreme blizzard conditions withstanding intense snow loads. Strength and durability play a huge factor in any customer’s mind when building a home for their family and in the end, you’re really investing in the safety and security of your family when you choose to build with cold-formed steel, and honestly, you just can’t put a price on that.   

The hottest places in the nation to build a barndominium might surprise you! You could be living in a barndominium hotspot and not even realize it. I’ve done a little market research to see where in the United States barndominiums are trending at the highest rates, and I was somewhat shocked myself. It seems like from the rough data that barndominiums are trending all over the US in high numbers but the highest are consistently seen in states such as  Wyoming, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, & New Mexico states with wide expansive geography and massive rural landscapes. The barndominium trend seems very strong in the west and the midwest going into 2022. The southern United States has also seen an incredible uptick in barndominium builds, with Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama leading the pack down south as far as houses on the ground. When choosing the right place to build it comes down to personal preference and what is best suited for your family’s needs, the barndominium itself is suited for just about any environment no matter if you decide to build with steel, wood, or insulated concrete forms as your building material, it will perform as any other house would. Some areas may require additional insulation or heated flooring options if the cold is too extreme in the winter. 

The hottest places in the United States to build a barndominium has to begin with Austin Texas. the artistic scene in Austin is booming, as it has been for the last 10 yrs. Austin Texas provides you with the support and the freedom to create something unique to you. Having an artistic kind of outlook and mindset on a build undoubtedly allows for a lifestyle that encourages the cultivation of novel ideas and that’s not only important to your build but also to your overall health and wellbeing. People often tend to build their barndominiums near a body of water. Fishing creeks are plentiful all over the state of texas and snake all across the southland. I’ve seen barndominiums built along the shores of a lake, small flowing brooks, rivers, even right on the coast with the ocean as your backyard! whatever you like, the best water is probably the most popular geographical feature people gravitate towards when building their barndominium. The sounds of the water can be ultra-relaxing and therapeutic, especially after a long day at work. Allowing yourself to unwind on your porch with the sound of water in the background is very satisfying. I can totally understand the attraction to the water.

If views are more your thing then our next trend will sweep you away, I’m talking about Mountain views, colorado has some of the best most spectacular views of the Rockies and people have been building there for centuries just for the views provided by this unique landscape. I just returned from a holiday vacation in the great smoky mountains. One thing I noticed with the recent developments in the area was obviously way more barndominiums. More than I’ve ever seen in the area before. Having mountain views can increase the resale value of your home, especially if you take the view into account from day one of the builds and build your barndominium around the environment giving you the best views you can get out of your property. We have amazing mountains in the united states from the Eastern Appalachian mountains that stretch from Georgia all the way up through Virginia and all the way into Maine. Then you have the rocky mountains out west in Colorado that stretch into Canada. The superstition mountains down in the southwest United States sit in the arid climate of Arizona, as well as plenty smaller mountain ranges up north and throughout the midwest, with a healthy amount of populated towns mixed in with rural backcountry seriously spectacular places to build barndominiums. 

Over the past few years, and especially since the pandemic has kicked in full force, there has been a major migration of families leaving major cities and looking to settle in more rural areas of the country. Space and personal freedom is becoming more and more important to young families, with more and more companies now offering work from home positions it has made it possible to leave some of these big cities in search of a simpler slower paced lifestyle by building the perfect barndominium far away from skyscrapers and constant noise.

Many people are traveling in RVs and campers with their work-at-home jobs, but eventually, those people will want to find a place to settle down and stay. Building a small economical barndominium can be a great option for work-at-home travelers who wander upon the perfect place to put down roots and start a life. There are many small beautiful tracts of land to be bought bordering many national and state forests. This will allow you to have the beauty and resources of the national forest right in your backyard. Many times Ranchers will purchase hundreds of acres around national parks for their cattle to graze throughout the year, if you get in contact with some of these owners of large swaths of farmland they will sometimes be willing to sell you a 10-acre plot to build on, you can buy certain apps for your phone like (O X hunt) and others that will allow you to see on an interactive map exactly who owns what property in a given area, allowing you to gain contact information for landowners fairly easy if you know how to go about it, this can be an invaluable tool even if your not looking at buying property, you can gain a lot of information on the area your building just by seeing who owns the property and where the property lines begin and end.

Rural developments can be tricky depending on how rural the good thing is generally speaking you will have much less restrictions and codes to watch out for during your build in rural areas, you won’t have to worry about hitting a gas line digging, in some cases you won’t need any special permits to even dig or start building. It all depends on how rural the county is and what kind of building codes they have in place this is all easy information to find at the local city hall, court house, building office, planning and zoning maybe. To what extent you will have to comply will all depend on the resources put in place by the county government of whatever area you plan on building in. My advice would be to take your time, don’t make any rash decisions and pick a place that everyone in the family loves, maybe even go as far as to rent a place to stay in the area for a few weeks to get a solid feel of the town, geography, weather, animals and anything else you may have missed on your shorter visits.  

Just about everyone I talk to wants their barndominium now, and I assume you’re probably no different than the rest of us. The sad hard truth of the matter is that about 99% of people who want to build a barndominium have no idea where to begin or the first step in building their own home, and there’s absolutely no shame in not having the knowledge. In response, a very large majority of the customers I’m working with on a daily basis have made the decision to build their barndominium as a complete steel barndominium kit and eliminate the guesswork from the equation entirely. Because Buildmax works directly with one of the fastest producing steel home kit companies in the United States we are able to quote out your entire steel package on the first phone call in many instances all we need is which house plan on our website you are wanting to construct, add any changes if there needs to be any adjustments or modifications made to the original house plan design and within a matter of minutes we can generate a list and breakdown of every nut, bolt, and beam it would take to build your dream barndominium once we have the quote for the steel package the project is essentially ready to be submitted for development. What is so great about a steel barndominium kit anyway and why wouldn’t you just frame up your house with wood as most people do?

The actual Steel Barndominium kits we provide to our customers is cold-formed steel, this method uses thinner gauge steel but is formed and crafted in such a way that it is extremely rigid and strong when connected and bolted together. The steel frames are rated up to hurricane-force winds, steel homes are super popular in areas with a high concentration of tornadoes and storms as well as all up and down the coastline from east to west you can find amazing steel framed barndominiums popping up. There seems to be a mass exodus going on with families moving out of the cities and out into the suburbs in search of a more rural and free landscape. The best part of the cold-formed steel kits is that in a pinch a few strong men can actually lift and bolt the steel pieces into place without any super-specialized skills, if you are handy and you’re used to building things or have some construction knowledge you will be blown away by how fast these buildings can go up. We like to think of the steel kits just like the old erector sets we played with as kids, they really are just about that easy. this is not to be confused with Red Iron steel which is something different than cold-formed steel, red iron is without a doubt more expensive & much heavier steel frame option it will also take months longer to produce the kit for delivery to the building site, I’ve personally seen quotes for red iron steel kits taking up to 6mo to produce and deliver. Our cold-form steel kits can be manufactured in a much quicker way allowing for some truly phenomenal turnover rates. It’s not unusual for us to see a customer buy one of our stock un-modified house plans off our website Buildmax.com  and decide they want a steel package after the quote came back either cheaper or close to the same price as lumber is,  manufactured and delivered in around 4-6 weeks flat depending on the location of the build, 4 weeks for a complete steel building package for a barndominium is unbelievable, it almost sounds too good to be true but It is true, you can have the materials to frame up your entire barndominium delivered in 4 weeks.

Something else that could potentially save you some considerable time and money on your build and Depending on what state you happen to be building your barndominium in,  Buildmax may have a crew of skilled laborers on standby in your local area that for a price will drive out to your build site and erect your steel frame. These men are experienced crews of multi-faceted craftsmen that could in a matter of a weekend possibly, erect an entire 5500 sqft barndominium frame. The erecting crews we work with are very familiar with and have tons of experience with erecting this particular brand of a cold-formed steel building as well as the building method itself, as it is a very unique product that can do some pretty amazing things for the price. As long as the designs aren’t too wild and intricate with 12 different roof lines or something crazy. These guys are honestly the best fit for the job, especially if you are interested in getting it done fast and correctly. Just something to consider and factor into your budget to see what may work for you and your steel barndominium.

Steel prices right now are almost in line with the price of lumber It’s a really good time to buy steel before the prices start to increase but as of today steel prices are still a tad bit higher than lumber, With the price of steel tied directly to the stock market don’t be surprised to see it fluctuate in some pretty dramatic ways depending on whats going on in the world politically, socially, religiously even. Many builders will do some serious market research to evaluate the possibility of getting a steel package at an amazing discount by spotting trends in the market to determine when the right time to buy is based on the current value and as soon as the stock prices dip down considerably, that will be the ideal time to buy a steel package will be. Not everyone cares about the stock market and how it can affect the prices of steel many people just want a steel package at a price they can afford and in a timely manner and they are willing and eager to pay the market value and that ok too. The main goal was that you get your steel package for a price that you’re happy with then everyone wins. 

I hope that you would consider a steel barndominium kit as a framing option for your next barndominium so that you too can experience the peace of mind in knowing you can sleep well at night knowing your house is more than structurally sound and that your home was built with the highest quality Cold-formed steel manufactured right here in the best country on earth, America! If a Steel frame barndominium seems like it’s everything you want and more give Buildmax a call today! @ 270-495-3250

Cold-formed steel and Red iron construction methods are some of my favorite ways to build a barndominium on the market today, in this article I will go over the pros and cons of each as well as some general knowledge and things to know if you’re planning a barndominium build with one of these construction methods in the near future. Steel barndominiums are a must if you live along the coast or anywhere that can see serious winds and storms throughout the year. Your home is your safe place and if you build with steel you can sleep well knowing that you have taken every step to build the most rigid robust barndominium that can withstand some crazy wind speeds. 

Red iron construction is a bit misleading with the name, Red Iron isn’t actually iron it’s steel, Red iron is in reference to the coating of red iron oxide that the steel is coated with during the manufacturing process. The red iron oxide is just liquid rust they spray onto the steel to protect it from the elements, like wind, oxygen, and acidic rainwater. Red iron is one of the most popular methods to build with, in the entire world, red iron is used on a global scale in projects that range in size from residential homes to factories, hotels, office parks, and more. Red iron uses large wide beams that have more surface area than other steel methods like CFS. You can literally tell how strong that red iron barndominium is just by looking at the framing and seeing how beefy it looks next to something more traditional like a stick-built barndominium.  The strong properties of the red iron steel combined with the iron oxide coating to protect the strength and integrity of the steel from rusting and from the elements is seriously a winning combination that will last for years even after we are gone. 

Cold-formed steel or CFS for short is a construction method that is very unique, it uses light gauge steel sheets that go through a rolling process to be formed into framing components. BuildMax Steel can take a set of house plans that you purchased from Buildmax and scan them into their proprietary software program that can determine exactly how many, and what size, steel beams, steel 2×4’s, any steel framing component the house plan requires and once the software determines the specifications the manufacturing of the pieces can begin, they will start by rolling the metal sheets into shape by forming them one by one, over time each piece will pop out until you have a complete steel package with all the pre-measured steel beams and steel support structures sitting in front of you ready to be shipped to the building site. they manufacture these steel pieces mainly by roll forming the LGS through a number of dies to get the specific shape they require. they can essentially create steel 2×4’s and other size steel beams that are connected together and used to frame your walls in the place of wood, this makes your barndominium structurally framed and rigid enough to withstand earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, you name it! 

As with any method you choose there will be disadvantages to each the key is to find what works best for you and try to choose the option with the least disadvantages right? With any steel building, insulation is the main concern, and if not addressed correctly from the onset with proper spray foam insulation the problem could become a huge disadvantage especially if you consider other framing options that can provide tons more insulative properties than steel could ever dream of having in it’s wildest tropical dream, although if you go the more traditional route you would undoubtedly be giving up the best quality of all and that’s the strength and rigidity of your barndominium year-round under even the most extreme environmental conditions. It’s no secret that steel is overly conductive and heat and cold tend to run through it quite easily. However, with proper insulation, it can realistically be on par with any stick-built house you can find on the market today. 

Comparing Cold-formed steel to something like reinforced concrete is going to be a better comparison than something traditional that has a minimal amount of wind resistance and is less structurally sound. When just taking into account the work involved there’s much less labor involved in erecting a steel building than building with concrete, steel is completely 100% recyclable unlike reinforced concrete and with cold-formed steel, you have no harmful chemicals in the manufacturing so it’s healthy for you and the environment. With less debris, tools, and machinery around the building site, it makes for a safer environment for the builders as well. The lightness of the steel helps the process move faster forward getting more done in less time and the best part is it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to erect since the hard part is already done everything has been pre-measured it’s simply a matter of connecting the pieces so you will no doubt save money on the workers as there’s way less specialized skill required in the setup, I’ve seen estimates of 40% time savings with cold-formed steel construction over reinforced concrete with no drying and curing time, no chances of cracks forming later on years down the road. 

The cost is going to be determined by a few factors, availability in your area, as well as the availability nationwide, this will absolutely play a role in the price of your steel package. The last I checked in my area, the South Eastern United States Red iron was cheaper than Cold-Formed Steel construction for the specific house plans I was using. You have to remember that cold-formed steel is being manufactured without the aid of fire or heat to make the metal more malleable and ultimately more workable, the metal is being cold rolled to form the metal into shape and this takes much more effort which ends up costing much more to manufacture but you end up with a superior product with a strength to weight ratio that is unbelievable making it ideal for holding up in extreme weather conditions and ideal for general structural integrity throughout the life of your barndominium. Cost is always a concern but at the end of the day I try to remember where that money is going, the quality and integrity of the steel are where it shines and that’s what I’m paying for. Hopefully, through this article, you can see the same value in Cold-Formed steel as well as red iron steel barndominium construction, both have so many advantages but the one thing that everyone benefits from is the peace of mind knowing your house will stand even though the wildest of storms. 

Spray foam insulation has become a premium building material in today’s barndominium and shop house arena. Not only is it more efficient in keeping the heat in your home, but it’s also much more convenient to install over that traditional itchy & messy fiberglass insulation that you have to carefully unroll and install each roll by hand trying hard not to get the fiberglass all over you, because if you do it’s an extremely unpleasant experience and unfortunately just takes time to resolve the irritation. Spray-in foam, on the other hand, doesn’t have the itchy problem of traditional insulation. Yes, it’s still a messy job but seriously worth the effort when you understand the benefits. With 2 main types of spray in foam insulation open cell foam insulation is softer, fluffier, and provides an overall lighter material whereas closed-cell foam insulation takes on a stiffer consistency as it dries making the material more compacted together making it more difficult for any air to pass through creating a vapor barrier as well. When the liquid Polyurethane base is added with foaming agents and ultimately a chemical that allows the foamed up slurry to harden and set in place for permanent insulation that oozes into and seals shut every crack and crevice providing airtight insulation and efficiency that has remained unmatched to this day. It can be a messy installation process because of the nature of the slurry, but like with any job, there will be a healthy amount of clean-up involved.

Saving money is on every aspect of your build and anywhere you are able to be super important to most people when building, everyone wants the best deal they can get. Spray-in Foam insulation won’t let you down when it comes to savings, whether you’re trying to cool your house in the summer or heat it in the winter the big difference comes down to the foam as it’s drying and creating a sea of air bubbles trapped within the foam material that blocks drafts, air or anything from escaping through the walls, it creates a seal of its own. Most houses use fiberglass insulation and it works ok but you just can’t cover every crack crevice or gap with cotton candy-textured fiberglass rolls, and it’s absolutely not going to create an airtight seal of any kind, so you can put that idea to bed early. On the topic of saving money, you can also get a tax break for using energy-efficient materials. 

If a fire breaks out in a home, it only takes 2min for the smoke and fire to become fatal, and under 5min the whole house can be engulfed in smoke and flames. Some spray foam insulation can be combustible the same way the wood is combustible; however, other companies are using fire retardant materials like Icynene® spray foam insulation. Their foam gives you better odds of escaping your home safely in the instance of a fire. The fire retardant foam provides an important barrier between you and the smoke and even protects you from the flames because of the way the foam seals each room individually, saving you the time you desperately need to think clearly and escape the home.

Because of the way the insulation keeps moisture out of the home it cuts down on potential mold growth due to the lack of moisture, this cuts way down on indoor allergens like dust and mold spores, when traditional insulation gets wet it gets soggy and has to be replaced, no matter how wet your foam insulation gets it’s never going to soak up water like traditional fiberglass insulation will and it will always retain its structure even in the worst conditions. In case you need a few more reasons, foam insulation is amazing as well as keeping you dry. warm and comfortable. It’s environmentally friendly and foam insulation will never lose its effectiveness like fiberglass can over long periods of time.

Spray foam’s rise to popularity hasn’t always been easy the formulation of chemicals used in creating the foaming agents used in the insulation was changed up early on in the use of foam insulations when it was discovered that the production of spray foam insulations caused and created complex chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) that are harmful to the environment and aren’t easily broken down in nature. Other health concerns that if the smoke was inhaled from these chemicals they could have potential carcinogenic effects, this was never definitely confirmed; however, the potential for cancer is enough to scare many people away. Don’t let that scare you, there are many products in our homes that if burned or combusted, the smoke from those chemicals could be very harmful to our health but we don’t swear off those products just because of that potential. Let’s use a little common sense here. You’re not planning on inhaling any smoke from foam insulation and it was never intended to be combusted in the first place. I wanted to bring up the controversy involved with spray foam insulation, even though I see it as trivial myself but I also understand some people may have a different view of the situation, so I felt it important to include. I would recommend spray foam insulation for any barndominium built over traditional insulation options. Steel frame barndominiums need the spray-on insulation to attach to the steel beams and really insulate like nothing else can.  

There aren’t many products you can buy for your home that will improve the overall air quality, cut down on airborne contaminants and allergens, retain heat in the winter, and help insulate the AC in the summertime. Not to mention it’s going to last upwards of 80 years, so pretty much a lifetime product. With popularity still on the rise, the cost is going to be more than traditional insulation installs, but when you take a look at what you get for the extra money, it’s a no-brainer. Use your brain and spray in some foam insulation to your barndominium build.   

With the huge rise in popularity, barndominiums are being built all across America at an unprecedented rate, especially in the last few years with more barndominiums being built last year than ever before. People are often confused by the terminology as well choosing to believe a barndominium can only be one thing, it’s not just a metal building, it’s not just a pole barn. A barndominium is a custom-built home with a barn style theme or design elements incorporated into it, it’s a common misconception that a barndominium must be made out of steel, this just isn’t the case. Many barndominiums are made traditionally with wood or a hybrid wood and steel-framed structure. How you build it and what you build it with is completely your choice. It’s still a barndominium no matter what you build it out of the styling and design elements make the structure a barndominium. Granted the strongest & most stunning barndominiums have been all-steel construction allowing for grand open floor plans that are difficult to achieve otherwise. 

The possibilities are literally endless with the potential that a custom-built barndominium provides. You essentially have full creative control over your build, you have a blank slate to build off of that you’re planning on living in for the foreseeable future so you have great incentive to over-engineer every aspect of the whole build so it will last you a lifetime. That’s a huge task to complete, not to mention the responsibility attached to a job like that. If you’re anything like me that’s an exciting concept, yes I’m sure there will be stressful times and it won’t be easy, the payoff will be hands down worth every minute of work put in.  With full creative control, you can design a home around your lifestyle. Imagine you are outdoor-oriented and you live your life in a way that enhances your passion for the outdoors, wouldn’t you design your home in a way that fits into that lifestyle. Maybe build near hiking trails, on a lake with a dock possibly. If fitness is your focus, make it a goal to design a gym somewhere within your barndominium plans. A barndominium can be a lifestyle.

A barndominium can be your studio or your office space, with so many people working from home nowadays having a home office is essential for most people. You may need a bigger office space than you need living space in your home. Maybe your barndominium is primarily your workplace and a home second there’s nothing wrong with a setup like that. What if I told you that Your barndominium can be art, think about it, it can be an expression of anything you like, you can design, build, paint and shape your home into existence. That’s a pretty cool concept for any artist, the opportunity to design and create your own custom home from scratch is an intriguing idea even for someone who isn’t artistically gifted. 

A barndominium can be a business. A headquarters, a Homebase. Sometimes it’s good to think outside the box, having a business at home can be awesome, especially if you have a designated space just for your business. I have an aunt who runs a very successful candle business out of her home with a dedicated space just for her workshop. It’s amazing the things you can do if you put your mind to it. You can use your creativeness to make a one-of-a-kind home that people will love. It’s easy to turn your barndominium building into a hobby. I’ve seen many people start out not considering they may enjoy building a home, I’ve personally seen couples continue to add on and do projects, D.I.Y landscaping, and so on, just because they love it so much.  

Your Barndominium can be an S-house (shophouse) or a Garage style barndominium with a loft complete with vehicle lifts, toolboxes, workbenches, and anything else you would need in a shop on the ground level, many people plan for extra space down the road in case they decide to buy boats, recreational vehicles, four-wheelers and of course lawn mowers and lawn equipment. I’ve seen barndominiums where the lower level is an actual functioning barn complete with a fenced-in front yard with hay bales and the whole bit. The best part about building a barndominium that you design is that It can be anything you want it to be. With the flexibility of a barndominium coupled with your creativity and the desire to build the options are endless, your barndominium has boundless potential and could accrue some serious equity in the process, the more work and time you put into making your build special and unique making sure to pay special attention to those small details because in the end that will make the difference. 

Your barndominium can be a vacation home in the mountains or on the beach that can generate another stream of income as a short term rental such as an AIRBNB property does, you still have the benefit of owning a beautiful barndominium and while your not enjoying it yourself someone else gets to enjoy the space at the same time allowing for the upkeep and maintenance to be paid for easily as well as adding extra revenue to your pocket. As you can see a barndominium doesn’t always have to cost you money it can also be a wise investment if done in the correct styling and taste for the correct area and demographic. Marketing a vacation barndominium is another article for another day but take my word that it’s a definite possibility.

Barndominiums are different things to different people. It really does simply come down to what you’re going to use the space for and how much space you require. You can turn a barndominium into just about anything with enough drive, determination, and money. What do you want out of your barndominium build? Who do you plan on sharing the space with if anyone? What’s its primary function? These questions will get you started on what your barndominium could be.