I'm trying to build a 2,500 sqft barndominium in Blanco County with about 1,100 sqft under hvac (two bedrooms and two baths). I already own the land and did most of the site prep myself. The builders quote was for $431,000 and will still be higher once the garage doors and insurance are included. Disregard the price per sqft figure below because he used an erroneous amount for the hvac portion (he used 1,431 iso 1,100 sqft). Does this sound completely insane or am I not in touch with reality these days?
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Barndominium costs - outrageous or inline? Need opinions
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Last: 2 yr ago by Hodor
Well I can't seem to be able to post a pic on here anymore. This may be a worthless thread without it.
Let's throw some rough math at it.
If you assume the finished out portion is 60% of the cost, and the shop portion is 40% of the cost, that works out to $235/sqft on the finished out area, and $123/sqft for the shop side.
If you just take an average, that's about $172/sqft.
With those numbers in mind, yes it sounds very expensive, but unfortunately it also sounds like he's inline with the current market prices, especially considering your location. I don't think you're crazy for thinking it's high, but I also don't think your builder is screwing you either.
Barndos aren't some magic cheap "hack" that people seem to think they are, but especially not with current market conditions. You're trying to purchase a high demand service made with high demand materials in a high demand area. **** is just expensive right now.
If you assume the finished out portion is 60% of the cost, and the shop portion is 40% of the cost, that works out to $235/sqft on the finished out area, and $123/sqft for the shop side.
If you just take an average, that's about $172/sqft.
With those numbers in mind, yes it sounds very expensive, but unfortunately it also sounds like he's inline with the current market prices, especially considering your location. I don't think you're crazy for thinking it's high, but I also don't think your builder is screwing you either.
Barndos aren't some magic cheap "hack" that people seem to think they are, but especially not with current market conditions. You're trying to purchase a high demand service made with high demand materials in a high demand area. **** is just expensive right now.
Were they cheaper 5 years ago? I rarely ever heard anyone mention that word but lately they seem all the rage in Texas.
Does seem high, but not absurd.
Currently working on a 2400sf house/barndo in the $400 neighborhood S E of San Antonio.
Currently working on a 2400sf house/barndo in the $400 neighborhood S E of San Antonio.
Everything is expensive right now.
Welcome to 1979... Again.
Thanks Obama.
Welcome to 1979... Again.
Thanks Obama.
The steel frame is the driver. I've had three metal frame buildings quoted the last month all over 200/ft because of the cost of the steel frame.
They can be cheaper - it if you are paying a builder to do the entire thing it won't be.
I follow Texas Best Construction on YouTube, great barndo videos IMO. Every so often he will do a video discussing costs. From last year, he estimated finished interior sections at $150 a sq ft, and shops/porches around $40-50. That's what I recall at least.
From that, I think your estimate is a bit much.
So many variables though….
From that, I think your estimate is a bit much.
So many variables though….
Probably in-line with market conditions.
Me…I wouldn't build it.
I can't imagine resale on these things. Who wants to live in a metal building? By that I mean, who wants to pay the asking price the owner will have to list at in order to break even bc it was built during a time of inflated material ?
That said, maybe I'm wrong. And this style of habitation will be popular in resale later on.
But for $175/sqft, I'd build an actually damn house.
Me…I wouldn't build it.
I can't imagine resale on these things. Who wants to live in a metal building? By that I mean, who wants to pay the asking price the owner will have to list at in order to break even bc it was built during a time of inflated material ?
That said, maybe I'm wrong. And this style of habitation will be popular in resale later on.
But for $175/sqft, I'd build an actually damn house.
Things have been crazy over the last 3 years. I had a proposal to build me a 4000 sq ft barndo with 1400sq fy 3 bedroom 2 bath "apartment" in it for less than $100/ sq ft. But we went a different round and just built the 4000 sq ft shop, used a 3 bed 2 bath farmhouse as an office and built a custom home.
My buddy just got a quote on a build in California. Nothing fancy, but it came out to be $400/sqft
Deplorable Neanderthal Clinger
I agree to some degree. So many of the barndos I see do not seem all that professionally designed and I can't imagine anyone else is going to share the same degree of appreciation for the original builders vision.
I also wonder how many of them are being built by people that don't have a ton of experience building homes.
I also wonder how many of them are being built by people that don't have a ton of experience building homes.
I know of two different people that have gotten bids come back around $200/ft (average) for 2500sqft in the last 6 months. Brazos valley area.
Never built a barndominium but work for a bank that finances them as well as traditional construction with a one time close program. I don't see any cost savings with them but have seen some really fabulous designs.
We are just finishing up a 4000 square foot barndo with a bout a 1700 s/ft apartment, quite a bit of porch and smallish lean to. We started about 15 months ago, the quote was probably around $90 sq/ft, but did not include septic. Not sure where we will actually end up. I asked him a couple of months ago what it would be now and he said easily 1.5x what we paid, and he told me this week that metal was going up another 10% next week.
I'm holding off building right now. 3200sqft custom in east Texas is about 15% higher than when I started planning in October. Interest rates need to come back down before I get started
Owner of Kool Provisions
www.koolprovisions.com
www.koolprovisions.com
If you're gonna wait for interest rates to come back down, settle in for the long haul. We have many months, probably several years before they top out, not to mention how long it might take for them to fall back just to the current levels. Now if you're talking building materials cost, I have no idea on that side, and thats something you might can wait out in the short to intermediate term.
Yeah.. I ended up buying in the meantime. Saving a bunch of cash until, hopefully sooner rather than later, start building
Owner of Kool Provisions
www.koolprovisions.com
www.koolprovisions.com
I have a friend with a place in Blanco county who got a quote for about the same price and size as you. You may be talking to the same outfit that he did, but he's looked around a bit and hasn't found anything much cheaper, so it sounds like that's just the current market. Now he's thinking about doing the finish out semi-DIY instead of paying for turn key.
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