I’m looking at land with the intent of building a barnominium. Does anyone here have any experience with this process? Is it really most cost effective that building a house and barn separately? Any notable pros and cons? I have checked with towns I am considering and they are allowed. I understand insuring them might be a hurdle. Any info would be appreciated.
No personal experience but you might want to ping Leah Khorsandian about the setup at Parrish Oaks.
If you click on the second dot, or wait for the slide show to play on this site, you’ll see the barn that has living space in the middle: http://khorsandianeventing.com/
She recently posted some video / her FB is mostly public also, there are probably some posts from the construction which wasn’t that long ago: https://www.facebook.com/leah.khorsandian
A lot depends on where you live. Are you really in CT? If so you are in a “high regulation” state and the State Fathers may decide this is a Bad Idea and you won’t be able to get a building permit.
What’s your budget? Assuming you could pull this off financially and legally build a covered arena large enough that you could build in a living quarters on one end and a stable/tractor shed on the other end. If you keep it simple you might have a shot at a pretty viable, and very useful, structure.
G.
Sooooooo, so many threads on this already.
There is a local developer building those along a country road here.
He markets them as special because they are barndominiums.
He has already built five, none really nice looking, each one very different but all look like a big, square box sitting there?
They have darker looking metal outside walls, etc.
None have animals, most are for barndominium looks and maybe shop or big garages.
I have seen others somewhere else that are more aesthetic, nice architectural touches to them, those are nice, some even have horses.
Our trainer in Texas has one and it’s very nice. 1 bedroom, 1 bath with a great room/kitchen and a loft for guests. His is part of his shop and a short walk to the barn. The side of the building where they live has a nice covered patio. My husband wants to find some property and build one for us. Edit to add that since it’s in Texas the washer and dryer are in the shop. That wouldn’t work up here where it freezes.
Yes I’m in CT and no arena is involved. Just stalls on lower level and humans on upper. I already checked with the town zoning and it’s fine. I would be more of an insurance issue. I’m seeing anything from ugly metal boxes to homes that look just like regular houses that just happen to have horses inside. They appear to be more cost effective than building a house and barn separately. I’m not remotely rich, so money is a big factor in what I build.
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You should calculate into your equation what this kind of building would do to the resale value of the property, if you ever have to move. Buyers who want a horse barn/house combo are going to be hard to find. Make sure you have it in your budget to withstand an extra-long sale process.
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Here are some previous threads you may be interesting to read thru for ideas:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…hed-house-barn
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/around-the-farm/287646-barn-apartments
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Not a factor. This is my last house.
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Thanks Bluey
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Con: Getting financing to build can be even harder than finding insurance.
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I would suggest instead putting in a normal house and connecting the barn by a breezeway.
those hunt box types look nice but are a pain.
- rodents. All barns have them and as you are sharing walls those mice will get into your house too.
- smell. It’s hard to not have some barn smell when you live over it.
- ventilation. Having you over the top makes the barn have poor ventilation. No cupolas, no roof vents. Short of running fans all the time you will have a very stagnant Barn. There is a reason no one builds bank barns anymore
- heating and cooling. Having a basement/being on the ground regulates house temperature. Having a barn under you will make costs go up.
I could go on. Resale, insurance, loans, lack of backyard space, manure pile either by your door or in the north 40, barn noises, flies, etc.
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I knew someone in Ohio who had one with the house part the second story above the barn. Not a fan, and everything StormyDay posted is completely accurate, especially #3 and #4.
There’s one here on my road in Florida, but it is single level. The front is the house, the barn part is off the back. It is lovely, all concrete block and looks like the whole thing is a house until you drive around back.
If you just must have a house/barn combo, I highly suggest this route, instead of two-story with house on top.
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Another issue with house-on-top are stairs! Everything will need to be brought up and down a full flight of stairs. Annoying but no big deal, until it is. Like when you sprain an ankle (or worse) Especially for a “forever” home.
Go look on Realtor.com sold for Tryon, NC. A few recently sold barn/living quarters facilities there. Some are very nice
Oh yes good point. I’d definitely want my forever home to be at least mostly first-floor.
There’s a weird dissonance between “I’m not remotely rich / cost is a major factor”, and having zero concern about resale. When there are so many alternatives that would not impair resale value. Such as, build a normal house and a $3,000 lean-to for the horses. Horses do not need stalls, period.
ETA: None of my biz, in the end-- when considering relative costs of home vs barn-home, you get to draw your boundary around that analysis wherever you choose. Your bankers and insurers will be a helpful reality check in terms of establishing the value/risk.
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We actually have both. There’s a 2-bedroom apartment over a center-aisle. The tenants have no issues with smell or rodents. HVAC costs aren’t significantly higher (I have a spreadsheet that tracks my power and propane bills monthly, and the costs with tenants in the apartment are only minorly increased). Now granted, the tenants have a horse, and work on the farm, so they are used to barn smells/sounds, but they report zero problem with the issues StormyDay referenced. The only thing they report is noise (if a horse is kicking, etc) which actually is a not a bad thing, as they may hear signs of a cast horse or other problems.
Our main house is attached to the barn’s tack room through a large sun room. I prefer the single-level house/barn combo because it means I don’t have to climb the stairs every time to get into my house. This is hugely appreciated after a large grocery run, a horse-related twisted ankle, or when I’m running late and still have to run back inside for a forgotten item like my wallet.
People often state that insurance is difficult to get, and financing might not be willing to cover a barn/house combo. In my experience, neither is true. Our starter farm was a combo as well, and I’ve had zero issue getting pushback from any company due to the barn/house configuration. Granted, our area has an extremely high number of such farms, so locally no one sees anything strange in combining the two buildings.
As stated, there are several threads on this topic, and if you do a search on ‘hunt boxes’ or something similar, you might find some good information.
I adore having my house and barn attached and would never want to go back to an independent-structure design. I like being able t to go out in my PJs to do night check or monitor a sick horse. Having the home and barn attached means it’s easy to have my tack room on House HVAC, so my stuff never freezes or molds.
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One caveat, as a private, small barn, house inside the barn may be ok.
If you are a trainer or have boarders, consider the extra human traffic.
A local trainer built a wonderful barn with his really nice house on the bottom and partly upper floor, the barn lounge above also, all looking into the stalls and indoor arena.
He loved it to start with, then he started resenting not being able to relax, his time always full with this or that employee or client’s attention.
Eventually he sold it all and now has a house and barn complex close to each other, but no more together and said he and his family finally have some real peace.
He still has the occasional client from far away he invites to stay in his home when they are trying horses, but it is not an obligation any more, as it was when someone just parked themselves in his old barn.
Also your climate may have something to do with how close you need to live to your barn.
If you are where you have regular blizzards and huge snow drifts all winter, living under the same roof, by the barn or in the barn makes sense.
Any other place, walking from the house to the barn some feet away to get there?
Anyone should be able to do that, even in their pjs or the middle of the night or with rain gear in a downpour.
You can always drive over also.
Just more to consider, for those that are thinking about this.
