Has anybody here ever lived in a steel building home (also known as a "Barndominium" or a "Shouse")? I am seriously considering building one to live in for my first home, but haven't heard many first hand experiences about them. It would just be my girlfriend and I living there. What I am considering is a 40'x60' or a 40'x75' steel building with 18' sidewalls and a 2/12 roof, then framing roughly half of it into living quarters. I would have two stories in the living half, then the remaining "shop" half would be where my girlfriend and I would park, and also where I would be working on things for my own business. I have been pricing some kits online, and they range from $20k to $29k for everything related to the steel building except the concrete slab and rebar. In the estimates I got, there were- -Two 10x10 insulated roll up shop doors -Four 3/0 insulated steel walk through doors -Six 3x3 insulated sliding windows -Complete gutters and downspouts -Cable X braces (for wind resistance, etc.) The majority of the work would be done by me except for things like standing walls and beams, plumbing, and running the electrical to the building. Once the building is up, I would begin framing the interior using lumber. Basically, it would just be a stick framed house inside of a steel building. An example of what I'm considering: Any thoughts or suggestions? Pros vs. Cons?
I work in real estate and have been inside a couple. I would first check zoning and regulations to make sure they will allow it. I know some will not. If it is allowed you should see a real estate tax advantage when compared to other homes with the same GLA. One of the only disadvantages I can see is limiting the amount of buyers for resale. Most buyers would pursue a conventional home, but the ones I have seen on the market sold with reasonable exposure time for good money. As for the building/home itself, I have been quite impressed with the interiors and how some have finished them off.
Careful what you wish for.. Yes! I would do this if I was in a position to do so. Count the costs. All of them. The shell will lure you in.. price wise. Ensure you have help. It is a job. You can do it. Make ### Certain your slab is right. Anchor bolts need to be right. My 2 cents. Hire a reputable outfit to stand the building and skin it.. walls and roof. Use tyvex or something and cut cost by not using the mfg. insulation. You can insulate it inside.. frame the inside..fur it out and insulate .. etc. Make certain it is dead nuts plumb. Again hire a good outfit to "get it up". I am in head deep with a similar project that I wish I would have started... if you stay on top of things and double check Everything you should be fine. Good luck!
My buddy lives in a 30x40 an my uncle lives in a 40x60 "shome" after the company finished the shell we turned half of it into a home just like you are wanting. Turned out very nice. He only heats his house part with a tiny electric heater and has a window unit for the ac. Energy efficient in my mind. Stays cool in the summer an warm in the winter. If I could talk my wife into it thats what I would live in. No doubt about it. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the input. The zoning and regulations shouldn't be a problem, as my old neighbor lived in one for a little while. He seemed to really like it, but he only lived in it for a couple years so I didn't know if there was any longer term advantages to it. I would assume the upkeep would be slim to none, as long as things are built correctly. Also, resale value most likely won't be an issue, as we plan to rent it out to college students whenever we move into another house with more land. Where the building will go sits on five acres within 12 minutes of the KSU campus, which would appeal to students that have horses or just want to live in the "country". I have built one steel building home already at work, but it was only 20x40. I only built the steel building portion of it, and the guy finished the inside framing and finish work himself.
I happen to work for such an outfit, so that shouldn't be a problem I have easy access to a skid loader for all the foundation set up and all that, plus a telehandler for erecting the walls and trusses. Unfortunately, I have poured more concrete than I can recall, but that will help me out on this project The shell price does seem low, but I know this will end up being at least a $100k job by the time its all said and done. I'm just planning on doing all that I can myself in order to keep the cost as low as possible.
Good deal, thats the kind of reassurance I'm looking for. The whole building will be insulated, as well as the interior framing for the house part. I plan on having a wood burning stove in the shop part, and running some of that heat through the ducts into the house. Shouldn't take much at all to keep it warm I wouldn't think, plus I can keep my shop heated in the winter
He also has a wood stove in the shop part. We didnt run any duct work from the stove to the house though(I dont know why would have been easy enough). If we know we are going to be working in the shop we just get the stove going an hour or so before. Its gets nice an toasty in there. Good luck! One of the best places to live in IMO. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
If you were coming to me for investment advice I would want to know how much money you were saving versus going stick built. You would have less risk going conventional. If the end result is an investment rental would you be better suited to build and live in a duplex or something that style to maximize future rental income? Not looking for you to post answers, but scenarios I would think about. Good luck and if you can build like you kill it's probably half done already.
My house is a 40X60 pole barn home. We had a local company put up the pole barn and pour the concrete. We did the majority of the rest of the work. We have 1850 sq ft. finished with a one and a half car garage. Ceilings are 9' in most of the house, but the kitchen and living room areas have vaulted ceilings. Most people do a double take when they walk in the door because it's not what they are expecting when they see a pole barn on the outside. There are obviously pro's and con's to this type of construction. Resale is going to be a crap shoot, but I didn't build mine to sell. I plan on owning this place for the rest of my life. The pro's are cost if you can do most of the work yourself. I built my place for roughly $56 a square foot. We had quotes from contractors to build us a conventional home, but some of the bids were nearly 3 times that price. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me. You can PM me if you wish. Also, if you are serious about doing it and want to see my place, I'm only about 150 miles from Manhattan.
If I had my way... I would knock my house over and build the one pictured above...in the blink of an eye. Just have to make sure it is sealed well. You can always wrap it in brick or lath & stucco. Sky is the limit.
Lol, I think I have the killing thing down a little more than the building thing, I actually have to make myself build While it will just be my girlfriend and I to start, I'm planning for future things from the beginning. I should probably marry her sometime in the near future, before she realizes how much better she could have it! So maybe throw a kid in the mix after a few years. I think 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, kitchen, living area/dining area would be a pretty good way to get some college kids to rent it out later on. Plus the shop for all the drinking shenanigans they are into. I am also pretty decent friends with the banker, so I think I have a little bit of an edge when it comes to borrowing money. Hopefully anyways...
I might actually take you up on that offer sometime. Next time I know I'm headed to KC or something I might give you a shout and see what you are doing. Is there anything you regret doing, or wish you would have done differently?
Bingo, there's another issue you can run into. Most lending agencies that I contacted were not interested in taking on that loan. I think that is because it is still considered unconventional, but they are becoming more and more common. I ended up working with the local bank in my little town for the construction loan financing. Then when the job was complete, I was able to roll that construction loan into a mortgage without any closing costs.
I wish I had put in radiant floor heating. It would have been so simple and I had contemplated doing it, but just ran out of time in the process. That's my number one regret. I also wish I had put in a geo-thermal heat pump instead of and Air to Air. I'm all electric and the local coop is pretty pricey so my electric bill is higher than I would like a couple months out of the year. I plan on rectifying that by installing an outdoor wood burning furnace to supplement the heat. Other than that, I don't have too many complaints. I still need to finish the landscaping around the house. After I finished the house and moved in, I was pretty burned out and just haven't gotten around to it. Something I really need to do this summer.
Have any idea what the radiant heat would cost roughly per sq. foot? Or is it something that I could do without using the wood burning stove? This place would most likely be all electric, as this will be our first home and are trying to save some money. I also need to think about the flooring. I don't know whether to go stained concrete, or put down carpet or wood flooring. Theres too many decisions when it comes to building a house...
