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Building A Barndominium – Creating A Unique Home In A Classic Barn Style

Without really ever intending to do so, I think we are somehow smack in the middle of building our very first barndominium ever. And it’s safe to say, we couldn’t be more excited!

***(Be sure to check out our free pdf download link of the plan near the end of the article. The plan includes the layout, measurements and elevation drawings all to scale!)

When we first purchased the land for our new farm a year ago, we began to think long and hard about what type of dwelling we wanted to create for our final home. Knowing that it would be our forever place, it was certainly important to get the design to fit our wants and needs.

There were definitely things we knew we wanted right from the beginning. For starters, we wanted to have plenty of open space for entertaining and hosting events inside. In addition, it also had to be low-maintenance, energy efficient, and, of course, affordable to build.

building a barndominium
The final rendition drawing of the barndominium project at the farm. The double barn doors in the front of the house will open to reveal two glass doors into the main room. The barn home / lodge will feature textured board & batten siding with a stone foundation.

Last but not least, the building (or “The Lodge” as we have come to now affectionately call it), had to look like it belonged on a farm. And, for us, there was no better way to do that than making sure it had the look, feel and charm of a classic barn.

Creating The “Lodge” – Building A Barndominium

We have both always loved the look and feel of vintage barns. Especially when it comes to the classic style of a traditional horse barn with adjoining lean-to’s.

For keeping horses, the lean-to is an incredibly efficient design. The lean-to wings create space for the horses stalls and tack room, all while keeping the main area open for a show or working space.

But it just so happens, that exact design is also absolutely ideal for creating an incredible living space. One that is spacious and open in the middle, with plenty of area on the wings for an adjoining kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and more.

The Vision Comes To Life – Building A Barndominium

With that exact vision in mind, we headed to our forever friends at Weaver Barns to put the dream down on paper. Weaver not only designed and built our “Simple House” at our first farm, but many of our cabins and outbuildings here on the new farm as well.

scrapiong off the dirt
Once the design was complete, it was time for construction to begin. The ground was leveled out in late October, and the foundation work is just now finishing up. The hope is to have the barndominium under roof by the end of January 2022.

One of the biggest keys to success in any building project is to surround yourself with talented people and then let them do what they do best. And when it comes to the final design of the barndominium, Weaver Barns knocked it out of the park! See: Weaver Barns Website & Projects

It’s funny, but building a barndominium never crossed our minds. It certainly wasn’t something we set out to do. But after listening to all of our ideas and wishes for the space, that is exactly what Weaver designed for the project. And to say we fell in love with it right away would be the understatement of the year!

Creating A Barndominium

The word barndominium is made up of two simple words – a barn, and condominium. The concept originated when folks started to turn old barns into beautiful living quarters.

But from there, the entire idea has simply exploded to include creating all types of barns into living spaces – old and new. One thing is for sure, Weaver’s design for “The Lodge” puts the barndominium style front and center!

A look at the final drawings for the exterior sides of the barndominium. We wanted to keep the look of a barn / carriage house around each side. The best part of all is that with a stone and metal exterior, there will be near-zero long-term maintenance.

The Floor Plan – How To Build A Barndominium

The floor plan of “The Lodge” really is an extension of our old “Simple House” floor plan. We loved the main great room area of that home with its vaulted ceilings. It made the space feel so much bigger than it really was, and we wanted to have the same effect in the barndominium.

Although it will double as our living quarters, we will also be hosting garden and farm events in it as well. In fact, the very first event it will ever host is the wedding next fall of our daughter!

For that very reason, it was important to have the main area wide open. With the staircase leading to the loft area above, it certainly gives us a large enough space to hold events.

The “Wings” Of The House

The first floor floor plan allows for plenty of open space in the main room, which is exactly what we had in our first house and loved it. By adding (2) wings to each side like a traditional horse barn, it allows for even more room in the middle for special events.

At the same time, we wanted to also be able to have the living quarters be close, but tucked out of the way. Each side wing of the house works perfectly for this function.

The left wing of the Lodge holds two bedrooms and two full bathrooms. With a lock of one door, it can close off most of the living quarters, all while leaving the bathrooms for use for an event.

The right side holds the kitchen, pantry, a half bath and back porch area. We loved the way the kitchen opened up to the main room in our old farmhouse, and kept the same concept here as well. It just makes the flow and being a part of the action all possible from the kitchen.

Download The Plans For The OWG Lodge Barndominium Below. Once you hit the button, check your downloads file on your computer to access.

Keeping It All Low Maintenance

You may recall at the beginning of the article we talked about wanting to create a low-maintenance home. With both of us now into our early 50’s, we know it’s important to create an easy care home for our future.

One that requires little future painting and staining, and uses long-lasting materials that will hold up to the test of time. We also wanted it to be 100% wheelchair accessible with wide doors and flat entry ways.

With that in mind, here are some of our favorite features of the design:

The Lodge – How To Build A Barndominium

Dry Stack Stone Veneer Foundation
  • Zero maintenance
  • Dresses up the bottom of the “barn” for a more classic look and feel
Textured Board & Batten Metal Siding
  • Zero maintenance
  • 50 year warranty
  • Textured board and batten material creates a more “barn-like” feel than traditional straight metal siding
how to build a barndominium
Progress on the foundation is well under way. The next phase will be installing insulation and the floor heat tubes, and then pouring the foundation. Once that is in, it is time for the barndominium to start going up!
Radiant Floor Heat / On Demand Gas Water Heater
  • An incredibly efficient way to heat a house
  • No furnace or duct work required – huge up-front savings
  • Energy efficient, on-demand gas heating unit also doubles as our hot water heater
Concrete Acid Stained Floors
  • Will give a marble tile look when stained (made with slight saw cuts for pattern)
  • Floors are low maintenance, require only an occasional seal coat for shine
  • durable, easy to clean and nearly impossible to damage
Split AC Unit
  • Energy efficient and zoned to the house areas for temperature control and savings
  • eliminates the need for duct work
  • No need for a central air conditioning unit
Metal Ceilings:

Just as with our first farmhouse (below), we are using galvanized panels for the main ceiling. Not only do they give a unique look to the interior, they are also completely maintenance free. That means no painting ever – and dusting is easy as wiping it off with a pole and a dust pad.

barndominium project old world garden farms
The barndominium will have the same textured galvanized metal panels for the ceiling we used in our first farm house. They reflect light to brighten the room, and are extremely low maintenance.

Construction Timeline – Building A Barndominium

Progress is well under way on the barndominium. The ground was scraped off in late October, and the foundation and plumbing rough ins are now all in place. The radiant floor tubing goes in next, and weather permitting, we hope to pour the floors by Christmas!

Once that occurs, the Weaver Barns’ crew will take over, and the house will begin to take shape. We are certainly hoping to get the gutter cleaners in for the finishing touches and have it all ready by late spring. We will be sure to have an update when complete, including a walk through video.

Here is to the barndominium build and the new farm taking shape! – Jim & Mary.

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

As always, feel free to email us at thefarm@owgarden.com with comments, questions, or to simply say hello! You can sign up for our free email list in the subscribe now box in the middle of this article. Follow us on Facebook here : OWG Facebook. This article may contain affiliate links.