We live out in the country just south of New Braunfels and are looking to build a barndominium. Does anyone recommend any builders in the area that specialize in them? Any tips on the process?

Pleasanton:
http://www.wdmb.com/texas_barndominiums.aspx

New Braunfels:
http://www.tcbuilderstexas.com/

Various:
http://texasbarnbuilder.com/texas-house-barn-builder.html


No recommendations, just found these....

no help here, but i have a buddy up north of dfw building his own... (literally himself and his dad) gonna be a pretty sweet house when hes done. 5000 sq ft slab with half shop and half home

gotta admit i like the idea, but i couldn't convince the mrs...

We have property out in Erath County that needs a new dwelling. Interested in doing a barndominium. A little hard to find vendors out there, though.

Love this idea. Glad Im the breadwinner vs the Mrs so maybe will look into to get one. They look awesome

Meant to ask before, but why are these things so 'cheap' in comparison to conventional builds? They still have all the same components, right?

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Meant to ask before, but why are these things so 'cheap' in comparison to conventional builds? They still have all the same components, right?

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http://www.texasbarndos.com/price-calculator-tx-barns

I'm not sure are. I linked a calculator on one of their websites. The 2500 sqft one I just priced was between $90-$100 / sqft. That's comparable to conventional builds.

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Meant to ask before, but why are these things so 'cheap' in comparison to conventional builds? They still have all the same components, right?

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I'm not sure they are anymore either. I think they were originally but have become so popular that prices are now on par with conventional builds.

Yep, and the benefits of rectangular, standard sizes and shapes.

Basically you get more garage for your money.

They can be beautifully done. My husband is a contractor out of Seguin and has done several around the area!

Feel free to contact him:

Darren Peters
Peters Construction
830-660-1955

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Meant to ask before, but why are these things so 'cheap' in comparison to conventional builds? They still have all the same components, right?

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http://www.texasbarndos.com/price-calculator-tx-barns

I'm not sure are. I linked a calculator on one of their websites. The 2500 sqft one I just priced was between $90-$100 / sqft. That's comparable to conventional builds.

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It depends how you do it. You can:

- Leave the outside as metal panels rather than bricking it (conventional has to have waterproofing and some sort of skin)
- Eliminate some interior walls for a more open floor plans that are not possible with stick frame
- Install liner panels on the underside of the roof instead of framing out ceilings (stick frame has to have ceiling framing)

From what I've seen, it should come out cheaper.

Also, you can build a big building, and then it's there dried in quickly. You can finish out 1/4 of it, half, the whole thing, or whatever. After 20 years, you can tear everything out and do something different since there are no load bearing walls. They are much more flexible than conventional construction.

Can they be reasonably done DIY?

I just spoke with him, thanks!

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Can they be reasonably done DIY?

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Had a buddy do this. All it takes is a little know-how. He did everything he could himself (frame, Sheetrock, cabs, texture, paint, trim, and all the mechanical trims).

It's not extremely difficult if you trust yourself, have the tools, and put in a little more time.

Great! He is just finishing one up right now here in Seguin, and I LOVE IT! Super Jealous!

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Meant to ask before, but why are these things so 'cheap' in comparison to conventional builds? They still have all the same components, right?

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also they are not "brick and mortar" as they are metal buildings. Inside, you wouldn't know the difference, but outside, they often look like a barn. So, you save a lot of costs there.

How do these perform in a tornado vs. a traditional build?

Here is a picture of the Mueller building in Huntsville. Not sure what other structures in the area looked like so I don't know how it faired relatively speaking.

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How do these perform in a tornado vs. a traditional build?

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You can get them designed for different wind speeds, but I doubt any structure would survive a direct hit from an F3 or higher obviously. But I mean, it's structural steel vs wood...

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An F0 Tornado
Have wind speeds between 40-72 mph
Causes light damage.
Branches breaks off of trees and pushes over smaller trees.

An F1 Tornado
Have wind speeds between 73-112 mph
Causes moderate damage.
Tiles breaks off of roofs. Cars and trailers gets pushed

An F2 Tornado
Have wind speeds between 113-157 mph
Causes considerable damage.
Roofs gets torned off. Big trees get toppled. Mobile homes are destroyed. Heavy cars are lifted and thrown.

An F3 Tornado
Have wind speeds between 158206 mph
Causes Severe Damage.
Roofs torned off even on the most well constructed structures. Trains are overturned.

An F4 Tornado
Have wind speeds between 207-260 mph
Causes Catostrophic Damage
Well constructed structures are leveled. Structures with weak foundations are blown away.

An F5 Tornado
Have wind speeds between 261318 mph
Causes Total Damage
Few if any structures are left standing. Cars become missles flying in the air.

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Here's a house that got hit by an F3:

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Here is a picture of the Mueller building in Huntsville. Not sure what other structures in the area looked like so I don't know how it faired relatively speaking.

http://i.imgur.com/z2kV2IUl.jpg

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For a direct hit it did pretty well. The pictures look rougher than in person. I don't remember for sure what size but for some reason I was thinking it was a 1 or 2. That picture is from right before Christmas storms a couple months ago.


Has anyone used Muller?

Does anyone know if there's a possibility of foundation issues if using an existing barn? In other words, are there special foundation requirements that may not have been met by Farmer Brown pouring a slab in the barn?

I'm actually looking at a barn to consider doing this to, and it was originally built ~1920. Has a slab, but I know that came later.

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Does anyone know if there's a possibility of foundation issues if using an existing barn? In other words, are there special foundation requirements that may not have been met by Farmer Brown pouring a slab in the barn?

I'm actually looking at a barn to consider doing this to, and it was originally built ~1920. Has a slab, but I know that came later.

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I assume you need piers or spread footings under each column since they are more of a point load. You could maybe build the metal building slightly bigger with a new perimeter foundation, and leave the existing foindation in the middle as a floating slab.