Building a Barndominium (pic heavy)

I started this project last summer when I had a spot cleared off to build a new barn with living quarters. With the EFS booming down in South Texas is was very difficult getting guys lined up to do the work. I am not one for anything really fancy so I wanted chose a barn with decent size living quarters in it. I was more worried about having enough wall space for mounts than anything I guess Total slab is 30'x92' with 30'x52' living area. The barn/shed area will be 30'x40'.


After the spot was cleared I realized I was going to have to add some material to level the area for the slab. I started in November and this was the start of many loads of caliche with a tractor with a frontend loader. Watered it for several days and then got some good rains on it so we could do the slab.

Then in finally in Feb. I got the slab done.

Barn materials came in and they put up the steel. All welded and no bolts on this build.



Added windows, I did not want many windows.

They then started to put the skin on it.

Front porch after all the skin is on the building.

Next they got started on the inside with framing.



Outside walls are 12' high and center is 16' high. There will be a 15'x52' living area and then 2 bedrooms with 2 bathes along with an office in the other 15'x52' half of the build. Bedroom ceilings will be 10'.

Looks great so far. Is this a work & get away place on your property, or the final resting place to hang it up at?

Looks great stx

Nice place!

I had them use the spray on foam insulation put in for better insulation with 3.5" on the walls and 5.5" under the roof in the living area and barn.


I also decided to put 1/2" plywood on all the wall under the sheetrock in the living area. This will allow me to put mounts any place without worrying about hitting a stud.



I also decided to drop the ceiling in the kitchen area only. So we decided to put a loft area above part of it so I can use the area for mounts. I am going to finish this loft area with barn wood off an 80 year old chicken house that my grandparents built on their farm. I thought it would add some family history to my new home.

The have installed the AC and duct work last week. Now the sheetrock this week and will be taping and floating.

This will be my home and final resting place if I have anything to say about it.

Very nice STX. Love it, Congrats. Going to shed a lot of water when it rains or hurricanes.

Going to put continuous gutters on it and my parents home at the same time. It has had 12" of rain on it since the roof was put on and ran a lot water like I expected. I am waiting to do it after I put in a road/driveway and yard fence to I can see how the water flows naturally after doing all that.

I always like this type of house/barns. I plan on building one in a few years.

Very nice and I like the idea of plywood behind the sheetrock. I plan on building the same type of home some day. I'm an oilfield gypsy living in a fifth wheel for the time being.

I am living in a 14'x32' Morgan Cabin as I get this built since finding anything to rent is impossible or crazy high in price. So I know the feeling.

Man, that is exactly what I want for my retirement home.

With that much water shed, I'd look into a rainwater collection system.

Very cool and congrats.

Looks good and it should be something that will last a couple of generations.

The option I am looking into is to pipe the gutter runoff to a small pond if I can get one built that will hold water below the house/barn.

Worked in 28 counties, stayed in 13 towns, in 6 different states over the past 6 years and my trailer goes everywhere. It's home and I miss it when I'm away from it for too long now. I haven't had to work in South TX yet, but I have heard the horror stories of finding a place to stay down there.

Looking good. The barn wood will be a nice touch

Very nice. Keep posting as it get completed.

That is looking super! You really thought and planned it well. It's going to be awesome!

Nice STX, keep the pics coming, I'd like to see it when you are done.

Very nice!

Looking good, when is the house warming party??

That's the only way to do it, stx! Looking good!

With drywall over plywood over spray foam you should be very well insulated and very sound proofed!

Another plus with the plywood backer is you'll only have to put up 1/2" drywall on the walls, if you go that way. It's a couple dollars difference per sheet with the 5/8".

good work and forethought into the design. excellent!

X2

That looks really nice....Can't wait to see more pictures of the build.

Outstanding stx

Use the RCS for a garden

sweet

Love it when a Plan comes together! Looks great!

Looks like a great design stx. Looking forward to seeing more progress.

That is a great looking place. Looks like you put a lot of time planning it to get what you wanted. Job well done.

Walter

Looks awesome. If I had my way, I'd build one similar and forget living in the city for the rest of my life.

Don't think my wife would buy off on a barndo just yet, but when she introduces the idea of her parents living with us, that will be my negotiation.

Ultimate man cave. Sweet place stx

I've been thinking of building me a place like this for quite some time now!!!

Looking good

Looking great. Keep us updated!

I am lucky that I am not married and can do what I want....
Take her along to ranch and go thru Columbus and turn at the hanging tree onto FM 109 and go past New Ulm. About halfway from New Ulm to Industry is a really nice looking barndoniminum that is visible off the left side of the road in the rolling country. It has been there for a while but is very nice looking. If you are every in the Brady area I have a buddy that has a very nice one, if she it she would change her mind.

She grew up in a town of 2500 people and is terrified of Houston.

I may have the ultimate trump card when it all comes down to it...

"Well, I suppose we could buy some acreage with a nice pond away from the traffic, but unfortunately, they don't build houses out in the woods. Hmmm...what could we do to make you happy? Hmmm..."

Looks real nice STX!

I'll put a billboard up out there that says "Custom Brick Homes...Built in the Woods"




Looking good stx...ready to see how you do your mounts.

PS...at least get a 50" flat screen to go with the new pad

What a great idea! Looking forward to it Ranchman!!!

Looks good stx!!!!

I rolled through your country today, even stopped at whataburger for a minute, almost pm'd tou but had the kid and wife, and they were ready to get home

Goliad?

Yelp was at the coast with in-laws since wed(family vacation). I was going to hit you up for lunch thrusday, but had to install new fans at the house in rockport.

I was in CC all week long everyday till midday Friday at the hospital with my Dad. Rain yesterday sure cooled it down today.

Gotcha, ya you can for sure tell what got rain and what didn't along 183

How bad is 183 torn up? It was really bad last year in the spring/summer.

Wasn't bad, no near like last year or earlier this year. Pretty much run 75 all the way to 130, except in towns of course.

The stop light in goliad is still a train wreck though, but I'm sure you know that

Now 35 from temple to the 35 spilt north of hillsboro is a mess. Took me four hours

I have not been thru the light in Goliad in over a month now and it had been worked on for a few months then. They are still working on it?

I have had over 13" of rain since 4-28 and that area along 183 has had way more than me. So I can only imagine how tall and green it is along that highway. South of Goliad to Refugio has had even more all year long.

13" of rain?!? now you're bragging....

That's going to be a nice set up.

Well considering I did not have 13" total in 2012 I think that is a total worthy of gloating on a bit

rain water collect system with all that roof area would be great

gonna be a nice crib

That's awesome!! Love it.

Looks great so far. My wife has been hounding me to build something like this at our land so she has a place to stay when I/we go hunting. I like your idea and I'm going to have to show her all these pictures of yours.

If you are ever in the Brady area I have a friend that has a really nice build. She would really like it.

I will actually be driving through Brady in the middle of August, I'll PM you if we will have time to swing by and check that out.

Looks like it's gonna be really nice.

You should consider a rainwater collection system... It would signifiacantly reduce your bills and you wouldnt have to worry about your yard and runoff/ drainage as much. Plus there are cost share programs for doing that.

Nice place!

very nice ranchman.

Is it all the same people doing the work? Do you have a cost/sqft figure for just the slab and metal building? Thinking about building a shop at my house 30x40 and starting to do my leg work.

matt

I don't do yard work so if I do the gutters I will pipe it to a small wildlife pond close. Being single, my water use from the well is minimal also.

The metal building and slab was just over $17 per square foot. The slab is 30'x92' for an 8'x30' porch with roof. The building is clear span with 12' outside wall height and 16' in center of building. Barn areas has 2 rollup doors and one walkin door. All welded construction. Slab is 5.5" thick with beams 8" minimum width by 18" deep to 30" deep depending on how deep to hit caliche. Slab pour took 100 yards of concrete. Concrete has gone skyhigh here with the EFS and you have to book your pour at least 4 weeks in advance to as much as 6-7 weeks with some companies.

Thank you much sir, in the ballpark of what I was thinking. Hopefully me being a little further removed from the EFS will help me out a bit both on cost and timing.

Cant wait to see your finished product. What your doing is pretty much what our camphouse is at the ranch, but we opted to be tite square heads and are building it ourselves... makes the wheels turn a little slower.

Any pics of it finished?

Getting close. Will hopefully have it done in 2 weeks. Putting in granite counter tops this week, finishing bathrooms. Then putting in flooring/carpeting and appliances next week. Minor details after that.

It will probably take you another month to hang all your mounts... hell it took me a month or two just to hang 1

Well you are correct since I have over 40 shoulder/life size/pedestal mounts alone...not counting euros and it is deer season...lol

Looking good and wish I had thought of the plywood on the walls.

I have been living in mine for the last 3 years and even with a couple of issues I love it. Had to get out of the city.

It's great to sit out on the patio and shoot pigs.

Mine is attached to a barn/workshop with a covered shed on the other side. And lots of windows.

Congratulations! You will love it!

STX- Any pics of the finished product?

Like to see how you finished out the ceiling

Pretty neat build, you've obviously put alot of fore thought in it.

Not totally finsihed yet.

Ceiling in living area and kitchen are wood lamiment and the rest of the house area is textured sheetrock.

Yes I had seen several of these type metal buildings to see what I wanted. I wanted simple and large enough for me. Also wanted an area large enough to display all my mounts and any new ones I added over time. I also left room in the barn area to expand if needed for a trophy room that is even larger if I wanted to move the mounts out of the living area.

Here are some pics from Sept. that show the faux stucco and ceilings. I also decided to lower the kitchen ceiling to make it not look like a cave. I then decided to put a 5'x14' loft area up there for mounts or whatever I wanted to display. The barnwood in the back of the loft is off of a old chicken house on that my grandparents built back in the late 30's to early 40's. I thought it added a nice touch with some sentimental meaning and value to me. Track lighting is in the living area now. Later on I will get an antler type light fixture for over the dining room area. The cabinets are installed and waiting on granite countertops.
Sorry about the bad pics...I had forgotten I had a filter on the lens.

So did you frame out the ceiling for the wood laminate. I see in some of the pictures you sprayed the insulation ton the metal roof. Can't tell how you attached the laminate..

Ran 1x4's across the underside of the roof purlins. Ceiling is attached to them.

Very nice build going on.

Coming along nice. It looks really good.

Walter

Looking better every time I open the thread

Thanks all I will try to get some better pics tomorrow with the cabinets in and some of the other rooms.

Awesome Place Ranchman

i cant wait for you to finish my room! its gonna be such a fun little weekend place! we will have so much more room for activities and can do karate in the garage!

Lol^^

Very nice progress

Garage karate? So it's safe to say this is more of a dojo than a home?

fear, does not exist, in this dojo, does it?!!
pain, does not exist, in this dojo, does it?!!

Haven't spent much time with old germans have you?

More like how to swallow a penny poop a dime

Or how to thatch an old broom instead of throwing it away

Outstanding!

Great looking place STX!!!

That is so fine! Please keep pics and details coming.

It's looking good, I love the whole concept. I do have a concern... I didn't see any house wrap and that leaves the possibility of water intrusion. I would have installed an envelope system (house wrap and tapes) between the metal sheets and the plywood/OSB, then the blown in insulation and then drywall. Metal cladding moves. It expands and contracts with heat, cold and wind. Fasteners loosen and allow water to come in the wall.

Any new pictures? I'd love to see the finished product.

Agreed. Looking very nice so far! Im sure anyone on this forum would love a place like that.

Looks great, I just finished doing similar project. Mine was 30x60. I also did the rainwater collection which I highly recommend.

I will after I get back from hunting Mule Deer and get everything cleaned up and moved in.

So, how is it?! Any issues? How bout some finished photos!

Add me to the list of those wanting to see the finished house. Especially you trophies on the wall. I'm hoping to start my trophy room in the spring and would love to hear how your walls worked out for hanging all your mounts.

Eddie

Here is an old thread with pics that were added after the start. Just have to look thru the pages.
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4993813/3

I'm only stumbling on this thread now, congrats on the progress. Looks great

Holy 10 yr old thread.

And the OP's moved since...twice.

....HOLY BAT BUMP!


I wonder what the "Then vs Now" construction cost is....

Nice STX thanks for sharing.

He does not want to think about this.

Ten years old... Why has a man so knowledgeable who was so active on the forum stayed away? Appreciated the wisdom of STX.

I miss his posts very badly. So much knowledge and so willing to share it. Im confident he will come back.

free- do you know why he disappeared again? hes doing ok i hope...

A few on here know him better than me. They have said that he is doing fine. Some say hes just real busy and he has stopped posting before for that reason, but has come back. I know the type-hes either all in or all out. Ive described myself as "I dont kinda do anything", so maybe thats it.
I have my theory on why hes stayed away but Ide rather not speculate.

My going theory is that he is helping on a very large study incorporating genetics, live capture, and active management looking at whether it is beneficial to shoot yearling spikes in both HF, with native genetic subgroup and a subgroup of improved genetics, and LF, with multiple subgroups based on different sizes land mass and even one large land size subgroup where they introduced improved genetics, with free choice protein and without in each situation, to ultimately determine if the herd genetic pool can be improved and also if those yearling spikes ever reach the full phenotypic potential of their peers in the same age category. Of course all management shooting has to be done with a 6.5CM and only neck shots.

I’ll just correct one of the so many available - high shoulder and not neck.

Def tongue in cheek there Hud. A little disappointed you didn’t correct more of the many obvious issues with my projected study. I thought the 6.5CM was such easy low hanging fruit to go right along with the neck shots


I do miss reading STX posts here tho. As was mentioned, he is so full of knowledge and had such great pics!

You forgot the 30 something characteristics to judge when aging a buck.