Pole barn homes are popular nowadays due to their flexibility and affordability. You can also build a custom pole barn house faster compared to traditional house models.
Because of that, people who need a new home think that a pole barn home is a good solution. If you have the same idea, learn about this house model below and how effective it is for the owners.
A. About a Pole Barn
A pole barn is known as a building with no basement, open spaces, and a high ceiling. The process to build this home started by doing the post-frame building. In this process, builders are using laminated wooden posts on the frame.
You should build the post-frame building based on the IBC and UBC standards. Laminated wooden posts have a lot of benefits compared to other materials, such as being durable and flexible for a variety of structures.
Indeed, the price of this material is also affordable. It supports people who have a plan to build or find an affordable house for a comfortable living atmosphere. The process to build the post-frame building is also straightforward and fast.
You only have to place a laminated post at 8 feet in the center of the area where you want to build a pole barn house. Then, bury the laminated wooden posts 4 to 6 feet deep to provide strong support.
The idea of this process is to give a vertical frame in all post-frame buildings. The laminated wooden posts are also connected to wood sidewall grits.
B. The Benefits of Building a Pole Barn House
Some people decide to build a pole barn house because they think that it gives more benefits. You should check the benefit of building a pole barn house below to ensure whether you have to build it or not.
1. An Affordable Option Than Traditional House
A pole barn home is more affordable because of the post-frame construction. This construction reduces the building cost.
One of the reasons is that post-frame building doesn’t need a concrete foundation. Because of that, the process is not only affordable but also fast.
2. Durable
Only because a pole barn house is made of laminated wood post-frame doesn’t mean that it is weak. The truth is that this house model is durable enough against snow, rain, wind, and other weather conditions.
The owners even can stay in this house for a few years. The durability comes from the size of the pole and how deep you bury it. The bigger and deeper the poles, the more resistant the building to harsh weather.
3. Flexible
At first, farmers built pole barns to store their harvest, cows, horses, and other animals. It is an effective solution to protect their assets without separating from the house.
As a result, farmers can check the condition of their assets anytime they want, especially during harsh weather.
Nowadays, the function of a pole barn is various, including for pole barn homes. Others build a pole barn for a garage, an art studio, workshop, construction ship, and office. It even provides a quiet place with fewer safety and odor issues.
4. Create a Stylish Open Space Home
In case you want to build a pole barn house, it is a solution for those who want to have an open space living area. It means that you don’t need to build or use a lot of separators to divide the rooms. As a result, you will get a bigger living area.
A pole barn home is perfect for homeowners who need a specific gathering area. You can also install a variety of door models, including hydraulic doors.
A hydraulic door is useful for those who have a plan to place some big items inside the house that seem to be impossible if installing a standard door.
5. Easy and Fast to Build
Do you need to move to a new house immediately? Indeed, you need to find pole barn home plans and build one of them. The process is much easier and faster due to the use of fewer materials and simpler designs.
Modern pole barns are more adaptive to any terrain. It means that regardless of the type of the land, you can build a pole barn house there.
C. The Way to Build a Pole Barn House
You may be a bit curious about how easy it is to build a pole barn house. Surprisingly, you can even build a small pole barn house by yourself. Indeed, finding professional contractors and designers to build a pole barn house is also easy to do right now.
1. Build a Pole Barn House by Yourself
Building a pole barn house without calling an expert is fun for those who love DIY projects. The process and result are satisfying enough.
You only have to consider the type of flooring. You would better choose concrete flooring, especially if it is your first time building a pole barn.
Then, consider creating a foundation to keep the house durable for a few years. Work with the interior and ensure that it is something that you love. Remember to consider the plumbing and electrical system.
That’s it! You can give an additional personal touch to make the house feel cozy for the entire family. Indeed, it doesn’t mean that you are finishing the house by yourself.
You still need a professional in some parts. Best of all, you can limit the building cost because you can do some parts. It is a solution to have a living area with a limited budget.
2. Build a Pole Barn House with the Help of Professionals
Building a pole barn house with the help of a professional is more expensive, but it gives you a satisfying result. You don’t need to worry about the safety issue because the professional team knows what to do.
The design is also customizable as long as you choose the right designer and contractor. The process is even faster because they work based on the deadline.
Check their portfolio before hiring a professional contractor and designer. Ensure that they know what you want, so you get a perfect pole barn house just like what you expect.
D. Steps to Build a Pole Barn House
1. Financing
You are about to buy the laminated wood post-frame to build the foundation of the house. Ensure that you have enough money to buy it. Some people decide to find the best financing to buy the post-frame foundation faster.
Unfortunately, not all financial institutions have a loan program for pole barn houses. It is because they have difficulty predicting the resale value and return on investment. Find a professional post-frame builder who can also give information about reliable lenders.
Learn about loan-to-value or LTV ratio. It is a ratio to know the risk a lender has to take on a secured loan.
Lenders will divide the amount of money you are about to borrow by the appraised value. The result determines the interest rate of your loan. The higher the percentage, the riskier the loan.
On the other hand, the riskier the loan, the higher the interest rate. You have to continue the process by learning about the loan review process. The lender will send your loan request to the board of directors and senior management.
Director and senior management will give their final decision on whether your request is approved or not. When your loan request is approved, you will get the money and start the pole barn house building project.
2. Prepare the Land
Indeed, you should prepare the location where you will build the pole barn house. You have to prepare more money to buy the land if you don’t have it yet.
Identify the exact location of your pole barn home. Follow the tips below to get the best location on your land before building the laminated wood post-frame.
3. Ensure that the Location is Ready
Ensure that the location is ready so your builder team can directly build the post-frame construction. If it is not, hire an excavator or tackle the location by yourself to prepare the land.
4. Utility Mapping
After preparing the location, you also need to create a utility mapping. This map is crucial to determine the electric, gas, sewage, and water system in your pole barn house.
Find an expert that can transfer the systems into a map. This map is a guide for the workers while building your pole barn house.
5. Ensure the Site Access is Easy
Besides preparing the building location, you should also prepare an area for the workers, materials, and equipment.
The site access should be easy to ensure that the building process runs smoothly. As a result, workers can work based on the schedule and finish the house on time.
6. Excavation
You should consider excavation, especially if the location to build the house has a lot of obstacles, such as trees and stones. The more obstacles around the area, the more money you have to spend for the excavation process.
It will be better if you choose a location with fewer obstacles. Check the size of the house you are about to build and match it with the size of the land. The size of the land depends on the land you have and the pole barn house you want to build.
You may build a 40×60 pole barn house. It means that the land has to be a bit bigger than the size of the house. You can use the rest of the land for accessing the house or creating a small garden.
7. Get All Permits You Need to Build a House
Continue the process by getting permits once the land is ready. Each state has different permits for people who want to build a house. It is mostly related to the setback, easement, building height, and lot coverage restrictions.
The setback means the minimum distance between a post-frame building and the property line. The easement is the legal right for another owner to cross or have limited access to one’s property.
Building height and lot coverage restrictions are the limits of the height you can build and the percentage of your lot you can cover with the structures.
You should submit some documents to get permission to build a house, including a blueprint, site plan, plat survey, and the legal description of the property. You can start the pole barn home building project only when the permits are approved.
Local governments will also inspect the construction process, including the footing and foundation, framing, electrical and plumbing, and HVAC system.
The process will be much easier if you work with a professional post-frame builder who has experience in your area. It helps a lot to minimize schedule delays and other issues during the project.
8. Prepare Your Interior Floor Plan and Assemble the Construction Team
Don’t forget to prepare the interior floor plan for the house. The plan helps to showcase the versatility of the post-frame construction. It means that you have to hire an architect to design the interior layout. A general contractor or GC is another party you have to hire.
The prices vary and it is costly because they will do several jobs, including site preparation, installing a driveway, installing a culvert, installing a septic tank, framing the interior walls, running electrical wires and plumbing pipes, and others.
E. The Amount of Money You Need to Build a Pole Barn House
Pole barn homes are a solution for people who are looking for a more affordable home. So, how much money do you need to build a pole barn house? This information will illustrate the comparison between building a pole barn house and a traditional house.
The result explains that a pole barn house is cheaper than a traditional house. The cost to build a pole barn house is only $4.000 to $5.000.
On the other hand, you need at least $165.000 to $488.000. A 40×60 pole barn home is closer to $50.000 to $70.000.
The highest price for a barn house is $300.000 where you will get a 2.400 square foot luxury pole barn house with luxury interior, insulation, metal board, and batten siding. Indeed, the cost is a bit lower than a conventional home.
You can also purchase barn house kits if you don’t want to buy all the materials by yourself. The cost of the kits is around $30 to $60 or even more per square foot. You still have to consider the cost of the foundation for about $26.000 or more.
The installation of this home can cost $800 to $2.000 whereas the roofing cost is up to $25.000. Then, spend $5.000 to $15.000 for the siding.
The cost depends on the material you choose. The flooring process can cost $1.000 to $5.000, along with the costs for the installation.
The cost of the door and window depends on the number of them you want to use. The price of doors is $1.000 whereas a window can cost $100 per product. You may spend up to $1.000 or even more on the painting, interior, and exterior.
This product needs an extra $3.000 to $4.000 or even more for the clearing and grading. The cost depends on the size of the lot. Indeed, the electricity has to be ready before living in this house.
Because of that, you need to spend $1.000 to $3.000 to install the electrical system. The price is higher when the electric company requires the pole and line.
The watering system is also crucial in a pole barn house. In this case, you have to spend $10.000 or more on the plumbing installation. You need to drill up to 150 feet in depth for the installation and it costs $5.000 or more.
The cost of the septic tank installation is from $3.000 to $9.500. Some homeowners want to connect their pole barn house with the city water and sewer system.
It means you have to spend a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars more. You also have to deal with the permission process where you still have to spend up to $1.000 or more.
Remember the cost of the workers. The salary of a worker is between $5 and $10 per square foot. The standard price for a worker is $40 to $70 per hour.
The more professional the workers, the more expensive the cost. Following average pole barn house cost may give you a better overview.
- The pole barn house $60.000
- Site work $4.000
- Permits $1.000
- Electricity $2.000
- Plumbing $10.000
- Septic Tank $5.000
- Well $5.000
- Foundation $26.000
- Total $113.000
The prices above may be different in each state. You can check the materials and services to know the latest price.
F. Pole Barn Home Styles
The pole barn home style is another thing you should know to get the best barn house just like what you want.
You can start by asking yourself whether you need space for extra storage or not and space for a hobby or not. The detail below will help you to decide on the best pole barn home style.
1. Shome or Shouse
Shome or Shouse is for those who want to have a large pole barn home with an open concept. It means that the house will not use too many separators or walls. Each room flows smoothly and there is a spacious area for walking.
This pole barn home style often has a living room, kitchen, dining room, laundry room, bedroom, and bathroom. You can still request an office or workout room. You even have to think about the possibility of expanding this house in the future now.
Ensure the size of the room and how many rooms you need. It is important to decide the size of the furniture you will place in each room. You would better buy furniture that will not make the room feel cramped and uncomfortable.
The size of the rooms is also crucial to get the overall pole barn house size. This pole barn house often comes in three different sizes, which are 64 inches x 64 inches x 16 inches, 48 inches x 104 inches x 20 inches, and 70 inches x 104 inches x 20 inches.
2. Hobby Shop or Hobby Barn
You may also build a hobby barn close to your main house. It is a place where you can express yourself and be whatever you want to be. You can use this barn for woodworking, rebuilding or customizing vehicles, painting, and many more.
Just like building a pole barn house, you have to decide the size of your hobby barn. You can start by examining the items you are about to place in the barn. The more items and bigger the items, the larger a hobby barn you need to build.
The main function is not only to ensure that you can place all the items but also to ensure that you have a comfortable place to do your hobby. You even have to think about the potential to expand and grow this hobby barn in the upcoming years.
It is okay if you build a less expensive hobby barn now. Then, save more money to expand it in the future. The standard hobby barn sizes are 30 inches x 48 inches x 10 inches, 42 inches x 64 inches x 12 inches, and 60 inches x 120 inches x 16 inches.
3. Garage or Storage Barn
In case you have a car or a lot of items to store, consider building a garage or storage barn near your main pole barn house.
You often can request to build a 48 inches x 64 inches x 16 inches, 40 inches x 80 inches x 16 inches, or 60 inches x 88 inches x 16 inches garage or storage barn.
Ensure that the barn will accommodate the vehicles and items you are about to place there. Don’t forget to calculate the space for walking around the barn while the vehicle or items are there. The idea is to create a place to protect your precious stuff which you are also excited to enter.
4. Entertainment Space
Building a pole barn house is perfect for those who need more areas to gather or host family and friends comfortably.
Thanks to the open concept, the area feels spacious once you enter it. In this case, you can build a specific room or area for an entertainment space.
Fill this room with anything you like when gathering with your loved ones. For example, it will be great if this barn has a gaming area. Then, pick a spot to create a kitchen and minibar to serve the food and beverage.
Don’t forget to create an area for those who want to sit and talk to each other while waiting while enjoying the snacks. Make this area complete by adding a home theater, an audio system, and other things.
Try to accommodate all guests that come to this area. Dealing with this idea, you can build a 42 inches x 20 inches x 15 inches, 48 inches x 64 inches x 14 inches, or 56 inches x 80 inches x 14 inches.
5. Recreational Space
Some people love to build a pole barn home because they can create any room just like what they want. One of them is creating a pole barn for recreational space.
Imagine that you can create a place for playing sports at an affordable price. It is a solution to playing favorite sports anytime, including in winter.
Now, you can play basketball, tennis, indoor football, and other sports in a modern pole barn. You can even set the barn just like the standard sports courts.
Pole barn home companies are ready to build a 48 inches x 44 inches x 12 inches, 48 inches x 104 inches x 10 inches, or 70 inches x 104 inches x 20 inches indoor sport court.
G. Pole Barn Home Ideas
After learning about how to build a pole barn home, you should find a variety of pole barn home ideas. It helps to design your barn house just like what you want.
Here, we have some ideas you can apply for your pole barn house project. The ideas below are great for those who want to build small pole barn homes.
1. Pole Barn Home with a Loft
Your pole barn house may need an extra area, but you can’t expand it yet right now. If it is so, building a pole barn home with loft is one of the solutions. The loft gives an additional area in your pole barn house.
You can use the area for a working area, bedroom, television room, and many more. It depends on the extra space you need at home.
It seems that you are living in a two-floor barn by adding a loft. As a result, you have all the rooms you need at home.
2. Modern Pole Barn Home
Despite the classic design, you can mix and match a pole barn home with modern designs. Decide the rooms that should be available in the barn house, including the spot.
For example, you can create a living room in front of the house. Use a medium or large rug to separate the living room and other areas.
It is a better option than building a separator. In this case, you only have a space that is the same as the size of the rug. Now, start to think about other items, such as the sofa, table, and other accessories.
Choose furniture and accessories with soft colors if you use a wooden flooring model. The colors create a contrast effect and are clear enough to differentiate between the living room and other areas. You can set a dining room and kitchen close to the living room.
The open space style gives an intimate atmosphere. The owners of the house can also sit anywhere they want while doing their jobs.
Use glass windows and doors in this pole barn house. This trick is also effective to keep the house feeling spacious. You can see the view outside even if you are inside the house.
It can also limit the electricity bill. You only have to open the windows or curtains in the morning and let the sunlight pass through your barn house. Best of all, the house feels comfortable due to the good airflow quality.
3. Wooden Pole Barn House
You may want to build a wooden pole barn house because it feels warm inside. You can do it by using wooden doors, cabinets, tables, and even ceiling. Instead of letting the wooden flooring model, you can cover it with a rug.
Indeed, you need to spend extra money because you need to buy a large rug, but it gives a great result. It is a great option if you are living in a cold-weather area. The rug will keep the floor warm even in cold weather.
You can apply an open space interior design and add a sofa set and a round wooden table. Try to mix two rooms in one area if you live in a small barn house. For example, creating a kitchen that has a dining room is a great idea.
Put a rectangular wooden table to separate the dining area and kitchen. Use the wall to install wall-mounted cabinets for extra storage. Don’t forget to add chairs to the area. Three or four armless chairs are enough in the dining area.
You don’t need to add any separator and let everything be seen. The most important thing is that you have a barn house that can accommodate your activities. Indeed, you still have space for walking around inside the barn house.
4. A Pole Barn Home with Small Loft
You don’t have to create a large space after installing the loft. Create a room that you want to use on the second floor.
For instance, you need a private home office to focus on finishing all tasks. If so, create a small home office on the second floor. Then, place all the items you will use there.
Pick the right furniture, so it doesn’t make your home office area look cramped. You can also consider using a flexible design that is easy to expand. It is effective enough in case you want to expand the second floor in the future.
This pole barn home idea is good for those who need extra room but only have a limited budget. Use glass material if you want to use a separator. A glass separator keeps the area looking spacious.
5. A Pole Barn Home with Several Rooms in One Area
You have to be creative in designing a small pole barn home because you only have a limited area. That’s why designing several rooms in one area is a good strategy.
Try to mix and match the rooms that make the home more functional. For example, arrange an area to become a living room and dining room. Then, use another area for the kitchen, television room, and working room.
This strategy gives you easy access at home, especially if you love to mobile from one area to another area. Pick furniture with texture or plain instead of placing furniture with a complex pattern. It keeps the area spacious even if there is furniture.
Use that often unused, such as the corner of the barn house. A corner area in a barn house is suitable for reading or relaxing.
Indeed, glass windows and doors are still effective in this design. Best of all, you have a functional pole barn home that supports your activities.
6. A Pole Barn Home with Sliding Doors
How about if you want privacy in a pole barn home? Do separators affect the comfort of the house? You don’t need to worry about that because you can build a more flexible separator.
For example, instead of building a fixed separator, you can install a sliding door between the rooms you want to separate.
A sliding door is not only covering one of the rooms but you can open it anytime you want. As a result, the house looks more spacious. It is effective enough, especially if you have events at home where you have to accommodate several guests.
Choose a sliding door that has the same color as the wall. This simple trick will camouflage the doors. At a glance, people will see the doors as a part of the wall. The truth is that you can open the door and enter another room.
7. A Pole Barn Home with Beach House Styles
You can also apply beach house style to your pole barn home. It looks simple for a small barn home, but it accommodates your needs and looks aesthetic.
Start the project by painting the walls white. Then, add some accessories that strengthen the beach atmosphere, such as a mermaid statue, a ship steering wheel, shells, and many more.
Mix the white color with contrast colors, such as bold blue, green, tan, and others. Ensure that the additional colors support the beach house styles. An old wooden chair or bench is perfect for this pole barn home style.
Use more natural accessories, including rattan baskets, wooden tables, and many more. Don’t forget to give flowers in several spots inside the house.
The atmosphere of this barn home will always remind you of a beach once you enter it. You should try this idea if you are also a beach lover.
8. Colorful A Pole Barn Home
It is okay if you are typically a person who loves to play with colors. You can apply it while designing your pole barn home.
The colors are effective enough to classify the room inside the house. Use white for the sofa in the living room. Then, use yellow chairs for the dining room. Apply the same method while designing the house.
Ensure that you don’t use too many colors to keep the house spacious. Learning the color theory will affect the barn house significantly.
Each color can also separate the rooms. You would better pick an interior first to decide the colors you are about to use.
9. A Luxury Small Pole Barn Home
Only because you have a small pole barn home doesn’t mean that you can’t live in a luxury house. Use specific materials, such as ceramic, concrete, glass, and crystal to strengthen the luxury ambiance of your barn home.
Install a chandelier and combine the soft and bold colors correctly. Designers often use white, blue, tan, gold, and yellow to expose the luxury atmosphere in a room. You would better not place too many items inside the house.
Keep everything balanced and you will feel the luxury ambiance once the barn home is ready. Indeed, it is an effective trick to build a luxury house at an affordable price.
The point is that building a pole barn home is an option for those who need a house immediately. The price of pole barn homes is more affordable than common home models. You can also customize the design based on the size and the number of rooms.
Find out a reputable company that is ready to do pole barn home projects. At least, they have experience handling this home model.
As a result, they can accommodate your needs. The simplest way to find a reputable company that can help you to build a barn house is by using pole barn house floor plans near me as a keyword. You will get the list of the companies in a few minutes.
Find out more about them and compare their services. Ensure that they can do your project well before hiring them. As a result, you will have one of the most comfortable and stylish pole barn homes in the neighborhood.
Best of all, your dream to have a home for the entire family is finally realized. It can be a valuable reference if you still find a more affordable home. You can start to manage your money from now and build your beautiful pole barn home in the next few years.