Why Barndo's

First, What is a "Barndo"

One of our partners, The Barndominium Company™, defines a Bandominium as –

“A custom-designed, steel frame, single-family residence with a metal roof and siding.”

So Why a Barndo?

What makes a Barndominium build unique is the use of a steel frame and metal roof. This combination allows the entire weight of the roof structure to be carried on the perimeter of the building. If you want to build a two-story home, the only load we need to consider is the weight of the second story. When we design a two-story Barndo, we address this difference as necessary.

What this means to you is that none of the walls inside your Barndo have to be load bearing walls. Which means, even during the build stage, you can adjust the floor plan any way you like, as long as you don’t impact plumbing or electrical placement or proper egress.

The concept of the Barndonium has been around much longer than you might think. The term, Barndominium, was made popular in a 1989 New Your Times article, when it was used by the developer of an equestrian community in Connecticut. You can check out that article here.

As you’ve already seen, we like to shorten the word to just Barndo from time to time!

Chip and Joanna Gaines, on the HGTV show Fixer Upper, also used the term Barndominium when they turned a barn into a beautiful home. Check out this story here.

Barndominiums are typically built on lots of one acre or more in more rural areas beyond the suburbs in most communities.

Why a Bando versus a traditional, stick built home?

In addition to the benefits associated with moving walls during the build stage, there are many benefits to building a Barndominium versus a traditional stick-built home. Here’s a few more:

Faster Build Times:

Building a Barndo can take a fraction of the time required to build a traditional stick-built home. Because the buildings are metal structures, all it takes to enclose the Barndo is to erect the exterior, add the roof, the windows, and the insulation. Once the foundation has been set, it only takes three to four weeks to start working on the interior. Exterior work on traditional stick-built homes takes several months to complete before you can start working on the really fun stuff.

Lower Exterior Maintenance Expense:

Traditional, stick-built homes require much more exterior maintenance than Barndos. With a Barndo, you might need to power wash the outside every two or three years but no painting is required. Every 20 years or so, you’ll likely need to re-anodize the exterior, but that’s it.

Overall Lower Maintenance Expenses:

With proper insulation, it’s possible to reduce your heating and cooling costs. Many of the benefits of a steel Barndo can reduce your insurance expense as much as 30-40%.

The Strength of Steel Against Mother Nature:

The weight-to-strength ratio of steel buildings versus wood-based structures is 25 times greater. With a steel home, you no longer have to worry about wood rot, pest infestation, mold, mildew or fire.

Environmentally Friendly:

Many of the companies who manufacture steel structures for our Barndos do so using only recycled steel. A 2,000 square foot stick built home requires approximately 40-50 trees to build. A steel building of the same size requires about six scrapped automobiles. Steel is the most recycled material on the plant. When you choose to build a Barndominuim, you are helping to protect the environment from many years to come.