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What’s Happenin’ Barndo People!
Get ready to supercharge your savings and make your barndo dreams come true with this week's edition of the Barndo Buzz.
We're diving into a treasure trove of money-saving hacks that we SPECIFICALLY did ourselves on our barndo builds.
These simple tips and tricks will help you maximize your budget without sacrificing style or substance.
So let’s take a look at some creative and resourceful ‘hacks’ that we can share while on your path to building your dream barndo without breaking the bank!
In Just a few minutes, you’ll find:
Easy, money saving tips
Simple to find sources for saving on your barndo
If you search online for ‘How To Save Money With A Barndo’, you will typically get a mix of the following suggestions or answers:
Barndos save on your floor system because most barndos are built on concrete slabs, eliminating the extra cost of concrete in basement walls and floor joists/trusses and subflooring
Simple, rectangular shapes of barndominiums save on your building foundation costs. It can also save over conventional builds by avoiding complex roof lines, ridges and valleys
Using metal siding with a house wrap avoids the cost of sheathing and potentially more expensive exterior siding options
Barndomninums are well know for saving money if you General Contract the build yourself, or even step into Do-It-yourself (DIY) aspects of the build, whether it’s the entire project or limited parts of the build
Some will suggest that a “Barndo Kit’ can save you money
Shopping for materials or supplies in ‘budget barns’, clearance aisles, discount sites, or even ‘haggling’ at local lumber yards
Living in your structure or on site while building (I can tell you that I have actually seen this become a problem for people, but I also know of other stories of folks who have pulled it off)
Using standard products, like windows and doors --- staying away from anything ‘custom’ will save you money
And while ALL of those are GREAT money saving suggestions, its rare that we see SPECIFIC ways to save a little extra money.
So here are a few ways that both my son and I saved on our projects:
Concrete FLoors:
Saving on flooring costs when you already have a concrete floor is a great cost cutter. An idea that the kids got from Mrs. Post Frame was making ‘angled’ concrete cuts so that your floor has some character – there was no extra charge for running the stress cuts on angles, but it looks different and adds an element of ‘customization’. Polishing and sealing next is just an extra step with minimal costs that helps add to the savings column.
Popular Black Windows are expensive!!!:
My daughter-in-law was SET on having black windows. And I don’t blame her --- they look GREAT on black siding….but they are EXPENSIVE!! So to stay in their budget, they ordered their windows as SINGLE HUNG vs. DOUBLE HUNG from Carter Lumber. They had some substantial cost savings AND Carter was lower than other suppliers they checked with.
Build your own vanity/cabinet:
We used a piece of left over butcher block from the kitchen counter and bought galvanized pipe to create our own bathroom sink ‘vanity’.
Asphalt Shingles:
I know that a common look for Barndos is to have a metal roof. But asphalt shingles on the roof, combined with the right design and color scheme can look great and save some money.
Refurbished-Salvaged-Rustic Material:
The best thing to me about Barndominiums is that you can combine multiple design features and have it not only turn out completely unique to your own taste, but look amazing as well! Using refurbished material such as old barn wood, beams or salvaged brick or metal is a great way to save on material and create your own individual design. We used barn wood, beams and inexpensive butcher block to build out our kitchen island.
FOR OUR VIP MEMBERS, Here are 12 MORE SPECIFIC Money Saving Tips that we used when building our barndos that you don’t want to miss!!!
PLUS!!!!!!!! VIP members now have access to past issues of our newsletters and FREE access to Project Barndo, which includes: The Ultimate Barndo Build Planning Checklist, exclusive Design Your Own Barndo Software and 2 sets of the most popular Barndo Blueprints, EXCLUSIVE – YOU WILL NOT FIND ANYWHERE ELSE – BARNDO GUIDES with information that other VIP subscribers are calling, “A Life Saver Before Starting To Build” ---- ALL FOR FREE!!
MORE GREAT MONEY SAVING TIPS!!!
Cedar Wrapped Columns:
Instead of using very expensive solid wood beams, we used cedar wrapped columns. We think they look great and did not compromise the structural integrity of the porch roof.
Military Discounts:
I am not a big fan of big box, but my son-in-law is prior military and has saved a reasonable amount of money by shopping at stores that provide military discounts. If you are a veteran or active military, you have earned it and you should take advantage of these offers….BTW…. Thank you for your service………its because of folks like you that we get to enjoy the dream of living FREE in our barndos!!!!
Butcher Block Countertops:
I mentioned it above, but its worth mentioning again….butcher block is a relatively inexpensive alternative to a lot of countertop options and fits nicely within the DIY platform for finishing and sealing it yourself.
Conventional HVAC vs Radiant Heat:
Full disclosure here….I have radiant, in-floor heat in our barndo and I LOVE it…but it was expensive relative to other heating options. My son and daughter-in-law went with a traditional forced air system for both heating and cooling. There is a substantial savings to this and their builder has provided evidence from prior clients that the way he constructs his home has so much energy efficiency that they will be shocked at how low their utility bills are. Consider traditional HVAC vs radiant if you are looking to save money on the upfront cost. When installing radiant in-floor heat if you want a cooling system, you will still need to add the extra expense of a traditional or mini split system.
Shopping on Wayfair, Build.com, Overstock.com or Ebay.com:
These are great sights for finding fixtures, material or other products at discounted prices.
Location of Mechanical Room
Positioning your mechanical room in a central location provides for shorter runs, saving on pex and other material. Plus, it can also save on labor costs for skilled tradesman like electricians and plumbers.
1 Note vs 2 Note Construction Loan Closing
How could we leave this out! Only having to close one time on a construction loan can add up to thousands in saved dollars. We recently had a client who was originally using a lender that required a 2 note construction loan closing. By switching to a one note closing, they literally saved over $3500.00!
Door Selections:
OK….as I said earlier, I’m not a big fan of big box stores. But, we did get some incredible prices from Menards on our interior doors, AND our garage door was more than HALF OFF from what 2 local garage door suppliers quoted us.
Plus, Menards has a very simple ‘Build Your Own Door’ website that was extremely easy to use and provided an amazing number of options. Again…. not a big fan of big box, and don’t want to give too many plugs for them….BUT, if you are looking for ways to save and have plenty of door options…. it’s worth checking out.
Shop Homeowners Insurance:
If you are not careful, some homeowner policies for barndos can end up costing you more than a conventional home. We suggest shopping carriers, and talking to agents who either specialize in insuring barndominiums or who have experience in writing prior barndo policies in order to show you savings and options.
Cabinets --- base or stock options:
Cabinets may not want to be a place where you skimp. The kitchen is a focal point for many in their barndos. But, there are some nice options for Base or Stock model cabinets (vs. custom orders) that can help save on overall costs.
Shopping For Appliances
We try to shop ‘local’ as often as possible. When my son and daughter-in-law went to our ‘local’ appliance store, the appliance package they were quoted was over $1,000 more than another supplier. As much as they would have loved to stay in our hometown, $1,000 in savings adds up when you are looking at multiple line items on a home.
Builder Who Has Their Own Blueprints/Plans
Design and architect fees are money well spent when their services are required. Finding an experienced builder that has their own sets of prints to choose from (and already built off of the prints) can provide huge benefits, both in time and money.
We enjoyed looking for ways to cut costs during our projects and we hope that this gives you some ideas. If you stay open and flexible, I’m sure you will find your own savings and ways to add your own character to your very own dream barndo.
To Happy Barndo Living!
The Barndo Buzz Crew
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