Pole Barn Style Homes

If any of you live in a pole barn style home on a concrete pad please give me some pro's and con's about your experience. We are thinking of downsizing and moving to the farm and I am thinking of this as an option. I would appreciate any advice. I would really like to hear the things that you would have done differently from the folks who may have lived in their homes for awhile. Thanks in advance.

I always thought that would be a less expensive option that a regular stick built house. What about a pre-fab, house in a day thing?

It would seem you have a lot of options.

When I was doing insurance inspections, I once encountered a Quonset that had been converted into a home. From the outside it looked like a plain galvanized Quonset, inside it was a beautifully finished 3 bedroom home.

I also encountered a couple of pole barns with a portion finished off into living quarters and the rest of the building used for garage space, or whatever. Also saw a couple of two story units with a horse stable on the ground floor and an apartment on the second floor.

Guess you can do most anything that trips your trigger.

I've thought about that too,at least living space attached to a big shop or something. One thing I think I'd want at the very least,a crawl space and wooden floors as opposed to concrete floors.

3RD YR IN METAL BLDG W/PAD, 40X60X18 HI WALLS, 2 STORY...LIVE IN FRT 32 FT, 6X6 WINDERS...BE SURE U SPEND THE $ FOR SPRAY INSULATION INSIDE WALLS, EVEN W/METAL BLDG INSUL...MINE 6 INCH, ELEC BILL 52 WINTER...U SHOULD STEP PAD UP FOR HOME, SO GASOLINE VAPORS FROM CAR LEAKS STAY BELOW THRESHOLD...INS CHEAP @ METAL BLDG, I HEAT W/WOOD, MINN FURNACE
BE BLESSED, GRATEFUL, PREPARED...ADDED LEANTO 15 W DOWN ONE SIDE...AGE 73, VIET VET

decades ago my father put up a polebarn using telephone poles. he put a flor in and built a good size house 'upstairs' in the barn, with the underside of the barn open to park equipment in. had a set of stairs to get up to the house.

that was ? 30 years ago.. might have a hard time getting a permit for something like that now.. dunno..

fudpucker- I built one in 1997 and have lived in it ever since. I really like it. Standard pole barn construction with 2x4 stud walls on the interior between the vertical posts. I left those posts exposed along with the 2x6 top beam and wrapped them in 1x stained pine. That gives the look of exposed beam. I insulated it really well, even all interior walls(noise reduction) and you can just about heat the whole place with a candle .

Heat with a wood burner stove.

I have been sitting here after typing this looking around and thinking of anything I would have done differently.

Can't think of anything I would have done differently or add.

My pole barn has steel liner panel on the inside. R30 fiberglass blown on top of the ceiling panels and R19 in the walls. Way bigger than the house and cheaper to heat and cool too. All I need is a well and septic for it and I'll move in there !
I always told the wife and kids I should of moved them in one years ago and then I could just pressure wash the insides to clean up after them !

I've thought about it, but getting that approved would take some work, and by the time you meet all the codes, you might be farther ahead with a stick built house, money wise.

I really can't think of too many pros. Some think they might save a little on cost. I my opinion, the cost to finish off the interior would be the same as a house. Same plumbing costs, electrical, flooring, appliances, HVAC costs, doors, drywall. The roof and insulation would be the same. So that leaves the siding. I can't see that much savings. Might save on insurance if roof and siding is metal. Might save on property taxes.

Cons: Good luck getting a loan, building permit, resale value, not everyone thinks a pole barn is a dream home so you may not get a return on your investment. You may not get a building permit in town or certain subdivisions. That means country living. I'll only live in country, but there goes the resale value. Many want to live close to work, save on commute. Not sure what the life of poles are when they come in contact with the ground.

You can build homes on a slab, same as a pole barn. That means all the plumbing is under the concrete and that's a lot of fun when you have a plumbing issue. When I went to college I lived on a mobile home. Very little difference between a mobile home construction of old and a pole barn, metal siding, perlins, metal roofs. The metal siding was far from air tight. Walls back then were made of 2x2. Wood paneling. Not very energy efficient compared to a stick home.

My boy's and daughter's first homes was a slab home. The floors were freezing in the winter. They both live in homes with wood floors over a crawl space. I live in tornado alley. I won't live in a home without a basement.

Mobile homes, like some pole barns are prone to condensation issues during certain times of the year. My old mobile home had a problem with the insulation board between the metal roof and rafters, if you want to call them rafters. In the winter, the warm moist inside air came in contact with underside of the metal roof. Frost formed. Every morning when the sun hit the roof about a cup of water dripped.

If you want a home to look like a pole barn, then build a pole barn around an air tight house. My pole barn is very far from air tight. Not to mention bugs and critters can get in pole barn. Good luck keeping them out of your house.

Metal siding dents too.

This is just my opinion of the pros and cons. If you want to live in a barn, go for it.

There is a place in Indiana, Graber post, that can design a nice looking pole barn living quarters.

My house is "prefab". I have 2X6 walls and 2X10 floor joists with a full basement. The house is fine - now. The set up crew that put the house on the basement was was a joke and I spent three years correcting their errors and ommissions.

There are some folks that have one just north of me in Michigan on one of the lakes. Pretty slick idea as far as I'm concerned. From the road, no windows, just a steel pole barn. The back half on both ends, big drive in slider doors, one end a garage, the other end boat, tractor, other stuff. The front half and upstairs, home with lot of windows facing the lake, Greek columns and stuff. To see it from the road, would have no idea. I have to imagine that it must be cheaper on taxes, just guessing. In my business, I've seen homes from the outside that one would say needs to be burned down, but go inside is a palace. I go into businesses that are in pole barns that look like pole barns, but go inside...wow, what digs.

I don't live in one, but I sure wouldn't knock it or anyone that proposes doing so. As a matter of fact, across and down the road, a young lady inherited 10 acres that her father willed her after his death after being on life support in a nursing home for some 15 or so years. His log home in its day was probably sharp, but after setting for 15 or so years, needs to be razed. But his daughter and her ex-husband/boyfriend lived in a 30' travel trailer for a couple of years while turning the old wooden barn into an incredible home. From the outside, old wooden barn, no paint, now has windows. Inside? Holy cow, really fixed up into something incredible. Sets off back in a woods and other than the new drive cut through to it, wouldn't know its even there.

Good luck, its your money, follow yor dreams, and best of luck.

Mark

I have been thinking of something like that, I would have hot water heat in the floors. And then forced air furnace/ air conditing. If you plan it right only the drains would be under the slab and they with proper cleanouts, should not be a problem. If a combo shop/ garage, would NEED and want a good firewall between the two.
joe

(quoted from post at 20:01:36 09/08/15) If any of you live in a pole barn style home on a concrete pad please give me some pro's and con's about your experience. We are thinking of downsizing and moving to the farm and I am thinking of this as an option. I would appreciate any advice. I would really like to hear the things that you would have done differently from the folks who may have lived in their homes for awhile. Thanks in advance.

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I've seen a few Amish put up these pole barn houses. The one advantage I saw was that they could be put up fast. Of course an Amish home is pretty open inside with only the bathroom and bedrooms walled in. They also had warm water piping imbedded into the concrete slab with the boiler in the buggy garage portion of the building. I think for someone who wants to downsize a pole barn house would be a viable option.

My sister built one. Turned out nice . They have 3 bedrooms, rec room , two bathrooms. Big open living room and kitchen. In floor heat and wood burner. Spray foamed it also . Place is toasty in the winter ,easy to heat. Required "unconventional loan"

(quoted from post at 00:18:14 09/09/15) My sister built one. Turned out nice . They have 3 bedrooms, rec room , two bathrooms. Big open living room and kitchen. In floor heat and wood burner. Spray foamed it also . Place is toasty in the winter ,easy to heat. Required "unconventional loan"

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Brian,
Would you know what the terms are for an unconventional loan?

I've got a friend that built one and there are several around. I considered it a few years ago but found a place that joined the farm. My friend likes his, he had originally planned to build a house later but has instead stayed in the pole building. Around here if you are out of the city limits you are still free to build anything you like.

fp,

believe it or not, but have seen a conventional home built, then surrounded with a larger shed.

I have no further knowledge of how well that worked. But I bet that house seen little weather fro twenty plus years.

D.

(quoted from post at 00:25:38 09/09/15) fp,

believe it or not, but have seen a conventional home built, then surrounded with a larger shed.

I have no further knowledge of how well that worked. But I bet that house seen little weather fro twenty plus years.

D.

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I've seen trailer houses parked inside large pole barns. At least they were protected from the wind, and when you exit your home you'd be right in your garage out of the weather.

My buds and I built my 'garagemahal'. It's 32 x 52 with an upstairs apartment that is 14 x 52, a deck off the south side and a brick patio underneath that.
I am so happy the way it turned out and I absolutely love living here.
good luck
Kenny

Foam would definately make it air tight. What did she cover the foam with? Doesn't foam burn?

Certainly you can build a post-frame house, but why? You still need to insulate and finish the inside, install plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems. Will it really be any cheaper?

Dennis, I'll bet he has the Tax Assessor fooled into thinking that it's just a large storage shed. He just gets taxed for a storage shed instead of a HOUSE. LOL

:>)

Window placement, natural cross ventilation, financing and resale value would be things to check out for your site. Has anyone been able to sell one?

There are three nearby one has hydronic heat in floor rest of building is shop dont know what othere two use for heat but one is just for living and two are shop and living. Why not have one no problems with room size ect.

Window placement and window size for bedrooms is very important in case of a fire.
By-passing building codes is not a really smart thing, especially if you aren't covering up foam insulation, ignoring electrical, plumbing, septic and safety codes.

Where I live people can't sell manufactured homes, banks won't loan you dime. Only high interest finance companies will. So good luck reselling a pole barn home.

Something to ponder, poor cell phone reception in metal buildings. Don't ask me how I know.

They did 2x4 with sheetrock over it. They do have fire retardent foam out now, costs more

If you build a pole-barn-style home, you may have to allow pole dancing.

Good points.

Many counties have adopted the universal building code to reduce insurance costs for their residents. That could happen in this situation. Some counties have later dropped the universal code or tried to add grandfather clauses after a high percentage of the existing homes were so far out of code they could not get a remodeling permit unless a lot of other updates were added to bring them up to code. Buying a country house in those areas is really "Buyer beware" and the selling prices reflect it.

One of the smartest ideas I've seen in building new farm houses is to build the new house away from the farm stead, especially if the farm is on a paved road. The farmer plants a wind break of trees and bushes next to the road, builds a house with an attached garage, a pole barn and space for a garden. The new house is now on a away from livestock and grain driers, and is next to the road with easy access. The new home can easily be separated as a small acreage whenever it's convenient. As time goes on the couple can sell off the farm at their retirement and retain the acreage if they want to, living out in the country as long as they are able. After they don't need the acreage anymore the couple or their estate can easily sell the acreage at a still decent price. I don't see the new homes build on farm steads retain nearly as much resale value unless the farm stead is already next to an existing paved road where it can be split off as an acreage and there is no livestock operation. Today, a house often adds little value to a farm, or is a liability and an added expense to dispose of it.

(quoted from post at 13:27:57 09/09/15) Window placement and window size for bedrooms is very important in case of a fire.
By-passing building codes is not a really smart thing, especially if you aren't covering up foam insulation, ignoring electrical, plumbing, septic and safety codes.

Where I live people can't sell manufactured homes, banks won't loan you dime. Only high interest finance companies will. So good luck reselling a pole barn home.

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I guess this country isn't as free as we think it is.

I live one and have excellent cel service from Verizon. Rarely have a dropped call.

You are not free to build in a flood plain.

Building codes are to stop stupid people from building death traps, to protect them from themselfs.