So we rent a house now! I work a job and farm on the side wife wants a house cant find anything for a decent place with a house and a machine shed! So I was thinking why couldnt I get a few acers build a machine shed with a shop and put apartment for the wife and I to live in for a few years! Anybody live under the same roof as thier tractors?
- Thread starter Gleanerk2
- Start date
have some in my area doing that . biggest thing i notice when you visit is the home part also smell like shop are fumes etc. if your lady is fine with that then it would work. most other freinds if it something like that they have it beside like a breeze way then into shop area those work nice.
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
I know of a large farm that built a cattle barn with an 'office' in reality the office was an apartment for the cattle manager,building permit only cost $5 and no inspections because it was a farm building.
my cousin built a shop, garage a few years back and added a small appartment at one end. He has stayed there for short times, sometimes with his wife for a few days. Now his sister and husband have been living there while building a house nearby. As far as living there a couple years, no matter how close you are with your wife, a small appartment gets "really small" the longer you live there.
If you look at "Top Shop" videos on YouTube, it is amazing how nice these shops are built with conference rooms, offices and living quarters "upstairs". I often thought it would be a nice living arrangement for the winter time in a warmer climate, if someone owned a few acres to build on. Not sure what local ordinance or a Building Inspector might say though....
jim castleman
Member
In this area fire rating and other code requirements gets real expensive.
Richard G.
Well-known Member
Have seen it done a lot around here. They usually just get a permit for the shop and add the apartment on the end a little later.
Richard in NW SC
Richard in NW SC
Planning and zoning will be the biggest issue, depending on your county. Many areas you end up doing the full sewer, fire, insulation, etc and the temp corner of the shed for a home is going to cost mucho bucks, so that you won't be able to afford something new down the road.....
Myself I'd be careful about fumes and such, a lot of that oil, fuel, grinding, welding makes for some interesting fumes floating around the building, not sure I'd want to live in that with the family all the time.
Third issue is insurance, you are putting all your eggs in one basket, fire (more likely in a shop area) is risking everything you own, shop, equipment, home, furnishing, family, all in one roof. That's harder to insure and might be something to think on.
Lots do it and do it well just think it all through.
Paul
Myself I'd be careful about fumes and such, a lot of that oil, fuel, grinding, welding makes for some interesting fumes floating around the building, not sure I'd want to live in that with the family all the time.
Third issue is insurance, you are putting all your eggs in one basket, fire (more likely in a shop area) is risking everything you own, shop, equipment, home, furnishing, family, all in one roof. That's harder to insure and might be something to think on.
Lots do it and do it well just think it all through.
Paul
Several have done it in my area in Central KS. I think it is a great idea depending on the design. I think the cost would certainly be favorable for you, but you would definitely need to get the proper permitting. It's been done more than a person realizes. Good luck with whatever - Bob
Worked on a tractor in the garage of the house one time or more than once maybe. Anyway I ran the tractor in the garage around 11:00 pm for a short time. About 2:00 am the carbon monoxide detector set off. I couldn't smell a thing in the house but the monoxide must have been strong enough to set off the alarm.
When i bought my farm there was a burned down house on it.
Our budget at the time did not allow us to build another house.
I build a 72' x 36' machine shed and converted it to living quarters for the time being and planned on building a house later on as money allowed.
Guess what,..we still live in the machine shed 25 years later.
We did some renovations and upgrading over the years though.
It looks like a house now and it serves us just fine.
Our budget at the time did not allow us to build another house.
I build a 72' x 36' machine shed and converted it to living quarters for the time being and planned on building a house later on as money allowed.
Guess what,..we still live in the machine shed 25 years later.
We did some renovations and upgrading over the years though.
It looks like a house now and it serves us just fine.
Jim in New Mexico
Member
A guy I know close to me bought a place that only had a "big" farm barn,no other buildings or house. He built a beautiful "Home" in one side and had his "Workshop" on the other side! When I was inside I would never have thought it could be that nice! The best part was, from the outside it looked just like any other barn. He also did have the barn painted real nice on the outside. It sat on about 6 acres,It was a "Gambrel"(sp)?? design.....Jim in N.M.
When i bought my farm there was a burned down house on it.
Our budget at the time did not allow us to build another house.
I build a 72' x 36' machine shed and converted it to living quarters for the time being and planned on building a house later on as money allowed.
Guess what,..we still live in the machine shed 25 years later.
We did some renovations and upgrading over the years though.
It looks like a house now and it serves us just fine.
Our budget at the time did not allow us to build another house.
I build a 72' x 36' machine shed and converted it to living quarters for the time being and planned on building a house later on as money allowed.
Guess what,..we still live in the machine shed 25 years later.
We did some renovations and upgrading over the years though.
It looks like a house now and it serves us just fine.
A guy I work with wanted to do the same thing but local zoning wouldn't allow it. So he built a heated workshop with a full bathroom which was okay. Then he parked a large camper inside of it. This got around the zoning issues. He has his television and sofa sitting out in the workshop. He has been living like this for a number of years.
I always sort of half joked to the wife and kids I should of put them in a pole barn type house with a drain in the floor and used outside lawn furniture. This way I could just wheel out the pressure washer and clean up after them !
My pole barn has liner panel on the inside with 6" of insulation in the walls and blown in fiberglass to around R30 in the ceiling. It is a lot easier to heat than the house.
There are a few of those type places around here but you have to watch for zoning restrictions.
My pole barn has liner panel on the inside with 6" of insulation in the walls and blown in fiberglass to around R30 in the ceiling. It is a lot easier to heat than the house.
There are a few of those type places around here but you have to watch for zoning restrictions.
what i did was build a barn with a steep pitched roof with dog house dormers.I stored 2 dozers and tools in the bottom part and finished off the upstairs to an apartment. we lived in that for a few years until i added additions, built another barn. In the pic it was the original 24 x 32 section on the right side. Where the sliding glass door is where I had a 10ft wide swing door
Skyhighballoon(MO)
Member
- Location
- Pilot Grove, MO
Here the term is Shouse (Shed-House). Lots of people have done it both as temporary and permanent housing. Luckily in my county in west-central Missouri, the rural unincorporated areas have no zoning, building code, permits, etc. to deal with. If you borrow money though the bank can make their own rules. Mike
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
I had to go through board of health and area planning just to put up a pole barn. Then the building inspector came at different times to make sure everything was done properly.
Same story when I put on a room addition. Everything had to be to code, speical smoke detector, GFCI's, plumbing and electrical to specs. Even the window size in bedroom had to be large enough for fireman to get in. If it were a two story, the upper bedroom windows had to be larger.
Good luck getting a loan too, not to mention insurance.
The last thing I would want in a home is a cold slab floor with plumbing in it.
Same story when I put on a room addition. Everything had to be to code, speical smoke detector, GFCI's, plumbing and electrical to specs. Even the window size in bedroom had to be large enough for fireman to get in. If it were a two story, the upper bedroom windows had to be larger.
Good luck getting a loan too, not to mention insurance.
The last thing I would want in a home is a cold slab floor with plumbing in it.
IAtractorKid
Member
My sister just did this...bought an acreage with a barn on it. Want to build their dream house, but want to sell their current house and save enough money to pay for the new house with cash. So...they added an 800sq Ft apartment onto the barn, and put new steel on the roof and sides of everything along with adding the lean-to's. Looking very nice all far. Pics show before and after.
Local contractor built a new shop with a nice "office" upstairs. Worked good for him when his wife decided she didn't love him anymore. He's been living in his office for 4 or 5 years now. You can get by with a lot of things if you don't have kids. With kids the powers that be get real picky.
Strongly urge you not to do it reasons: 1. your living quarters will smell like a welding/paint shop! 2. will be hard to rent out, who wants to come home to relax and have a crew running a machine shop?? A Friend had a shop like that with rentals above it and it was a disaster. 3. FIRE you will lose both the shop and house!!!
What does your wife think of this idea? More and more younger farm families live in a house in town and dad commutes to the farm. The resale market of a house on a gravel road is often limited to those who don't need a loan and can pay cash. Farm houses often just sells with the farm, unless it is close to a hard surfaced road and the house can be split off as an acreage. Do a lot of homework and crunch the number before you commit any money. I expect farmland prices to fall within the next five years.
I'm a bit confused by the idea of a machine shed on an acreage away from the farm instead of keeping the shed and the machinery at the farm. Wouldn't an off-farm machine shed add a lot of road time and lost hours moving equipment, or is the shed only for winter storage?
I'm a bit confused by the idea of a machine shed on an acreage away from the farm instead of keeping the shed and the machinery at the farm. Wouldn't an off-farm machine shed add a lot of road time and lost hours moving equipment, or is the shed only for winter storage?
Insurance company will probably put the kibosh on that idea.
My folks built 2 or 3 houses after they retired and split some building parcels off the farm. They bought an old 8 X 40 mobile home, and would park it by what would become the 2 car garage for the house. Dad would build the garage part first, and insulate and panel it, and put down cheap carpet remnants. He'd put a temporary partition in the garage, so as to make a living room and a bedroom. They'd use the mobile just for the kitchen and bathroom facilities. They'd live in that lash-up while dad built the new house. When it was done, sell the house on private contract, pull the trailer down to the next lot, and do it all again. They ended up wit a nice income stream for retirement.
My folks built 2 or 3 houses after they retired and split some building parcels off the farm. They bought an old 8 X 40 mobile home, and would park it by what would become the 2 car garage for the house. Dad would build the garage part first, and insulate and panel it, and put down cheap carpet remnants. He'd put a temporary partition in the garage, so as to make a living room and a bedroom. They'd use the mobile just for the kitchen and bathroom facilities. They'd live in that lash-up while dad built the new house. When it was done, sell the house on private contract, pull the trailer down to the next lot, and do it all again. They ended up wit a nice income stream for retirement.
I would chime in that around here insurance and zoning would be an issue. I agree with the notion while the wife might be OK with the idea today that tomorrow she might be ready for a divorce. As men we do not see it but women sometimes have more peer pressure than we do. Going to work might be miserable for her once people find out about her living arrangement. If you want to keep the marriage going I would get the house in order even if it means wrenching outside for a while. Start with a trailer, build the house, then garage, then machine shed.
newhollandnut
Member
I personally love the idea and there are so many more things you can do with pole building homes but the Mrs. Would have a stoke over the shop being attached. I got a small house in town about 4 miles from the farm and works out pretty well but I know before long I will end up back out at the farm I'm just mainly waiting on some adjoining property to come for sale. I'm my head I have in my head a two story "pole style" or pole barn looking house that will match the shop but the house will probably have to be first. The great thing about where we are now is the grocery store is about 2 blocks away (I'm pretty forgetful) and when I go out to the farm it's more of an escape and same when I get home. I'm not tempted to go out and tinker more or eat supper and stay in the shop until the wee hours of the morning.
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