I finally bought a small peice of property!! So I am starting all the way from the ground here...I just got the CAD permit approved. Now I am working with a water company that will be drilling my well and septic system/drainfield. The well and septic design were submitted to the county and are awaiting approval. The barn house that I am building is going to be based off of this model:    https://www.barnpros.com/barn-plans-products.aspx?itemid=3065&pagetitle=Huntington-Barn-Apartment

This is my first house, so I am kind of just learning as I go. I was wondering what your guys' opinions are as far as building something like this? Ways to make it easier and/or cheaper? I am debating hiring someone to come and build the structure, then having family and friends help with all of the finish work. Or should I go ahead and buy this barn pros kit? Or go totally from scratch and do everything myself? I do not have a materials price yet, but I am currently working on that with a local GC. I am trying to keep the house under 100k, but I am a little flexible on that. All opinions or ideas are appreciated  =] Thank you!

Join this FB group. There aremany builders and people with experience either building or living in a barndomnium. Many people throw their floorplans out there and ask for opinions or how to make it better. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/273430999730827/

This is my dream! We are in the process of saving every penny for a substantial downpayment on some land. Currently we live in a double wide, dont get me wrong, I love our home, we purchased it brand new and its been awesome for us. But we are living on my in laws land and we kinda need to get out of here lol! I'm grateful to them for allowing us to set up here for the last few years but it's time for us to go. We had to move in a huge hurry from New Mexico when my hubby's job relocated him.. traveled with 3 kids. 5 horses, 3 dogs ducks and chickens and 4 cats lol!! We didnt exactly have time to shop around for a place so my in laws offered us to come here. I'm just wanting about 10 acres, even 5, and build a barn home.. or a metal barndominium, stalls attached preferably. Our plan is to purchase raw land and move our trailer out there and then begin the building process. Super exciting. Congratulations on your land! 

SoDak - Thank you for that idea!! I am not on Facebook, so I would not be able to join that group though.

Want2chase3 - Thank you very much! I hope you guys are able to find something soon so that you can be on your way building something also  =]

With 50 years in the construction field I can tell you that thier addvertized price for this package is HIGH. I think you could do far better with a local contractor. 

Yep, getting friends and family to do the work for you when they have jobs could get dicey.  I'd hire a contractor.  Not sure I'd want to live in the building with horses though.  Manure and flies I'd rather have a distance from me.

A big Ditto , and man when the heat sets in the smell of poop and pee sure would not set well, I would want my horses away from the house,

Yept having friends and family doing work would be kinda hard on your relationship after awhile, I would hire a contractor too. 

 i love the plan you picked.  but i dont see a place for a washer/dryer?  might make room for them downstairs in the barn if there is not upstairs.  Also if you can sneak in a small pantry for kitchen items i dont think you would regret it.  crock pots, cereal boxes, a trash can are all in my pantry and i cant imagine life without it.  Since your building from scratch and depending on the lay of the land a small/raised deck off the living area might be a cool spot to hang out also?  Good Luck!

Thank you guys for the input! I can see where the smell/flies could be an issue. Thanks for bringing that to my attention  =]  The stalls will be more of a run-in, open concept. The pasture will be connected to that side of the barn, so they will not be in the stalls often. But I will definitely make sure it stays very very clean! My family (dad) and friends all are in the construction field and do things like this for a living. I will be careful when working with them to not get in a sticky situation. I believe we will just be doing the finish work. There is a GC that is local who did a pole barn shop, the same size as I want (24x36), for 28k total. I know this is not exactly what I want, but at least going through him should be cheaper than buying the actual barn pros lumber kit  =]

Great ideas! I was thinking of putting a wall from the front door and up the staircase in to the living quarters, so that the house part os completely separate from the barn/shop. Also, then the entrance could be a little mudroom with the washer and dryer? Hopefully they can make something like that work! Thank you for the ideas! I love the thought of having a little outdoor porch out the side window upstairs. Maybe have the BBQ and some outdoor furnitire? I will definitely make sure there is storage (pantry, cabinets) in the kitchen! Thanks for bringing these to my attention  =]

Back when I was single I met a dude who had a huge cutting horse operation, I came out to visit a few times, he had no less than 30 horses in the barn, it was attached to his house, just had to walk thru a door in the kitchen and youd be right in the aisle of the barn. I never smelled anything foul while in the house. I was surprised, especially having that many in the enclosed barn, which also had a large indoor arena attached. I know the stalls where kept meticulously cleaned. I saw a set up where the living quarters are set up one one side and across from it are the stalls that have attached runs to go outside the tack room and feed room are on the living side. It was very open, lots of air moving thru the breezeway .. that way if its raining and ugly outside,  you dont have to schlep to the barn to feed, it's right there out your back door. Obviously stalls need to be cleaned out a lot and they installed an auto fly spray system to control the bugs. It's really neat actually. I only have 3- 4 horses at a time so hopefully it wont be an issue! 

I know of a big cutting horse ranch in Carrizo Springs that has this set up and it was awesome, the owner was very pleased with it, the trainer lived in this set up, he like it but said it was around the clock work to keep it that nice, he tolded me when he or if he moved, he didnt think he would like living that way again if he didnt have the extra help on keeping stalls clean. I knew of a couple more and its round the clock work if horses are being stalled, but if not kept in stalls all the time I guess it would be ok, but when you would go into the living room you could tell that stalls were close by, they kinda became nose blind after awhile, lol.. I always wanted a home like that when I was younger but as I got older no way Jose, ha ha ha ha to much added work for me.. But I know it can work for the right people..

Living in a barndominium is AWESOME!! We built ours pretty much completely. The only things we didn't do was the concrete, dry wall, and heat/AC portions. It helped tremendously cost wise. We (and by we, I mean my other half) even drew up the plans. Family helped us with the rest when needed. Ours is approx 1200 square feet and a 3 car oversized garage.. We have a 70 x 120 arena and then a 4 stall barn that could actually be 8 if we wanted but we made one area a tack room and the other is a hay or work area. It has a lean to off of each side. I forgot the dimensions of the barn. We decided to seperate the barn and housebecasue of the possibilities of smells, flies, etc. I don't have any real answers for you but I agree that friends and family are great WHEN they can help but they have lives too, and sometimes it's just not feasible for them to help. So be prepared. We did pay a family member to put up the large portion (arena/house) area. He builds large structures in his families business so it worked out. Maybe general it out yourself and see where you can save money. I would have to agree with seperating the barn from the house, just becasue of the fly/smell issue, but again that's my opinion only. Dust can be a real issue from the arena into the garage, but we work to keep that a dull roar.

All in all, it is a dream that we were blessed with building.

That's what kids are for lol!!! If I get my way... and that's a big IF I definitely wouldn't want mine stalled 24/7 if they lived in the same building. I'd put runs off them and hopefully that would help with some of the odors. Honestly I'd rather smell horses than pretty much anything else Haha! 

Now thats really cool!!!! 

This was my dream too.  When I went to research it I changed my mind.  When they talked about how rodents and flies came in your house and the smells of a barn, I decided against it.  Just my thoughts.

Good luck!  It's so exciting building your home. 

Thank you! We absolutley love it. 

To the OP - If you are ready to build, do a ton of research and decide what YOU want. You will have to live with it....and your horses. :) Good luck!

Foodfor thought. Talk to insurance company's before you build. Many won't insure  these types of homes  :(  

I got flies trying to get in my house now lol! My barn is far from my actual home. I think it comes to keeping it cleaned out and installing proper insect control. As far as rodents... if you keep your feed room cleaned up and have a few good barn cats that should deter any unwelcome guests! I'm super duper OCD when it comes to cleaning... I think I may be worse in the barn ... idk, everyone leaves when I start to clean so I'm guessing that's a good indication I'm a little nuts lol! My in laws dont have any horses near their home or cats... my poor mil gets overrun with mice in her home it seems. I think you can make it work if you're willing to put in the work it takes to maintain having your horses pretty much living under the same roof as yourself lol! 

Thank you all for the replies! That barndominium is absolutely beautiful! I will continue doing some research on these types of homes =] Definitely thinking the living area needs to be completely sectioned off from the barn area. 

Congratulations on your beginning stages! Super cute concept! I hope you will keep up updated.