Barndominium

A barndominium is a metal pole barn or barn-like structure with sheet metal siding that has been partially or fully converted into a furnished home or living area.[1][2] Barndominium designs can include structural conversion into a full home, whereby the entire interior consists of a living area, and partial conversions, whereby part of the space is used for living and part is used for other purposes, such as a workshop, garage space, for storage or as an animal pen.[1][3] Some barndominiums double as both a residence and as a place of business.[2]

A Kainos steel barndominium located near Houston, Texas

A barndominium: this home doubles as a workshop with parking for personal vehicles and farm equipment.

The term barndominium was originally coined by Karl Nilsen, who was a real estate developer in Connecticut. The original use of the phrase referred to a master-planned development that centered on living near horses. [4] The term was then readopted in the mid-2000s to refer to metal homes that were used as a primary residence. In 2016, Chip and Joana Gaines of the HGTV show Fixer Upper used the term barndominium to refer to a metal building that was featured on the show. This caused a massive surge in popularity and growing acceptance of the term barndominium to refer to a metal primary residence, not just a home with horse barns. [5]

Due to their open-floor layout, barndominiums are highly customizable,[2] and can be constructed as one-story or two-story dwellings. In the United States, some companies purvey barndominium kits that are customizable relative to local or state building requirements and geographical elements, such as risks of earthquakes, snow load levels and fire risks.[6]

Barndominiums typically have lower overall construction, labor and materials costs compared to traditionally-built modern homes.[1] States such as West Virginia, Alabama, and Mississippi have the lowest costs of building a barndominium at less than $100 per square foot. [7]