Selecting Your Floor Plan

By Stacee Lynn

   The process of selecting the perfect Barndo floor plan can be both exciting and overwhelming. There are many factors to consider: cost, size, layout, specialty features – the possibilities seem endless. The planning process is where you dream. It is also where you have real conversations about budgets and requirements. The corner of dreams and reality is where you will find your happy place. As you browse through Barndominium designs, here are some tips for choosing the floor plan that is right for you and your family.

   The size and the layout of your home are two of the most significant choices you will make when selecting a floor plan. And, unless cost is not a significant consideration for you, budget will be the guardrail for many of your choices. So, let’s start with cost.

The process of selecting the perfect Barndo floor plan can be both exciting and overwhelming. There are many factors to consider: cost, size, layout, specialty features – the possibilities seem endless. The planning process is where you dream. It is also where you have real conversations about budgets and requirements. The corner of dreams and reality is where you will find your happy place. As you browse through Barndominium designs, here are some tips for choosing the floor plan that is right for you and your family.

   The size and the layout of your home are two of the most significant choices you will make when selecting a floor plan. And, unless cost is not a significant consideration for you, budget will be the guardrail for many of your choices. So, let’s start with cost.

Finish Out

   The level of finish out varies greatly depending on your selections. Appliances are a perfect example. A complete set of kitchen appliances could cost $5,000 or $50,000. Polished concrete floors are a fraction of certain hardwood or tile floors. Everything from plumbing fixtures, to lighting fixtures, HVAC systems, countertop selections, window options, and grade of lumber impact the budget in significant ways depending on your choices.

Infrastructure

     When you are budgeting for your Barndo, don’t forget infrastructure costs. Infrastructure is the less glamorous part of building that many soon-to-be Barndo owners forget. If you have raw land, the cost to develop it can be substantial. You will want to price out the cost for tree removal, excavation, dirt, driveways, culverts, septic systems, water wells, gates and fencing. You may also need a generator, storage shed or other structures on your property. Factor these in.

   Finally, consider budgeting in a 10%-15% contingency to cover unexpected costs, additions, and upgrades that invariably occur in the home build process.  

THREE SHEETS OF PAPER

   I developed an exercise that my clients have found useful. It involves only three sheets of paper and some uninterrupted discussion time. The goal is to arrive at a place where everyone involved in the decision making (yourself, spouse, other family members) is on the same page with at least a preliminary plan that is realistic and workable.

   Take out three sheets of paper. On the first page, dream. Write down everything everyone would love to have in your new home. On the next page, have an honest conversation about money. And, just because you have a big budget doesn’t mean you want to spend it all on your build. Other than the land and the home itself, what related items do you need to spend money on (new furnishings, stables for the animals, tractors, generator). Now, on the last page, make a list from one to 10 identifying your must-haves. If your budget from sheet #2 would only allow one must-have item from your dream sheet, what would it be? If you have money left over, what else would you add to the list? Continue doing this until you have prioritized everything you’d like in your dream Barndo. In order to arrive at the most useful list possible, you may need to do some homework to price items like that professional 8-burner stove or glass garage door that you have your heart set on. In the end, you should be able to engage more efficiently with bankers, designers and builders.

   If you find a stock plan that comes close to meeting your must-haves, you may want to go that route. With a few modifications to the stock plan, you can get your plans faster and for less. If not, then you may choose the full custom route which will be more expensive and take a bit longer to create, but you will get exactly what you want.

Square Footage

    Square footage is an important factor for several reasons including lifestyle, building costs and maintenance. Keep in mind, however, that a well-designed floor plan that makes efficient use of the space allows you to live more comfortably than a poorly designed home with more square footage.

   The average size of a single-family home has increased in recent decades while family size has decreased. That is a testament to the desire for more elbow room – perhaps for entertaining, privacy, or working from home. Many people today engage in activities at home for which they once had to leave their homes to enjoy. Home theaters, gyms, even golf simulators are found in many modern homes. 

   When considering size, the first few questions to ask yourself are how long you plan to live in your new Barndo, how many people do you foresee living there now and in the next 10-12 years, and what can you afford? Will you be adding to your family, moving elderly parents into your home, seeing grown children move away? The answers to these questions help to inform your decision about size.

   Some people are opting for the small but mighty approach. A smaller Barndo can be a good choice for practical reasons including lower building, maintenance, insurance and utility costs. It also frees up budget to invest in high-end appliances, lighting, flooring and plumbing. If building a larger Barndo stretches your budget, you may have to forego costly features like outdoor kitchens, masonry fireplaces, custom cabinetry, glass garage doors and high-end finishes. Trading off square footage might allow you to incorporate these features back into your plan.

Layout

   Having a general idea of the size Barndo you want gives you some parameters to work within. Now you’re on to the fun part – and perhaps the most important, which is the layout.

   There are so many considerations, but the best way to know if a design works for you is to imagine walking through the home. How will you function in the space? Do you need an area designated for work? Recreation? Does the flow work for the way you and your family live? Where do you tend to gather? Does the placement of the bedrooms provide you with the right amount of access to young children or with the right amount of privacy?

   One large consideration is how you envision the separation of your spaces. My designs feature the open concept creating a multi-use great room. It is an attractive and functional layout because the lack of walls between the kitchen, living, and dining rooms allow for more socializing and usable square footage. However, if you desire more privacy for studying or working from home, then, consider flex spaces that are closed in. For some households, separate rooms serve their needs better.

    If only one or two people are living in the home full-time, but you frequently host gatherings or overnight guests, consider large living spaces – indoors and out – and limiting the number of bedrooms. You can incorporate a bunk room for overnight guests and/or consider a guest house (that can also be used for entertaining or other purposes when not occupied by overnight guests). If you are the go-to home for holiday meals and other family and friend gatherings, plan on having a larger kitchen and living area to accommodate company. And, if you entertain frequently, having a big pantry may be essential for keeping your holiday platters, serving dishes, large cookware and tabletop appliances neatly organized. Also consider how far you are from the nearest major shopping center. If you tend to stock up on dry goods to minimize trips into town, you will need a large pantry, utility room or closet for storing bulky products.

   Outdoor living spaces can be incorporated into your layout as well. Today’s Barndo can be outfitted so that you can do nearly everything outside that you do inside. You will find the collections in this publication feature outdoor theaters, kitchens and even sleeping porches. 

   Consider how you might future-proof your home by imagining how your family will change over the next decade. Make sure to identify a layout that can reasonably accommodate your family as it matures. Perhaps children are not a consideration, and you are focused more on growing a home business or hobby that requires a designated space. If you are planning to retire and relocate in the next few years, you will want to keep resale value in mind—selecting plans with popular and versatile features will serve you better when it comes time to sell. Life isn’t completely predictable—and we wouldn’t want it to be. But we can anticipate certain life changes. Remember to think long term when selecting your floor plan.

   A few other considerations: If you have beautiful views you’d like to take advantage of, choose a plan that captures these special landscape vistas. Measure large furnishings you plan on taking to your new Barndo and make sure it fits in the space where you envision placing it. Think about what might be missing in your current home that would make life better or easier. How about a dog wash in the laundry room or a washer/dryer in the closet of the primary bedroom? Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of functional places like mudrooms, storage closets and laundry rooms. While homeowners don’t usually get excited about these utility spaces, they can make a big difference in how you live and move in your home.

MAKING CHOICES

   Most people find that at some point in the planning process, they must make decisions that require trade-offs or compromises. The reasons could be budget constraints, availability of desired products, local codes, HOA requirements, or architectural limitations. The best way to make some of these choices is to start with your priorities. For example, if it is important to you to have that over-sized masonry fireplace that requires a reinforced foundation, you may choose to forego the library that you imagine will look beautiful but that no one will actually use.

SELECTING YOUR PLAN

    Decisions are hard to make, but choices are good to have! Remember in a Barndo, moving interior walls is usually no problem. So, if you change your mind about a layout, the fix is probably doable. I hope you enjoy each step of your Barndo journey, beginning with the floor plan selection process.

One word of caution as you select your Barndo floor plan—Be sure you have proper permission to use the plan you intend to build. You can use any floor plan that you find as inspiration, but unless you have purchased a stock plan or designed a fully custom plan, you must be careful not to infringe on a designer’s intellectual property. Simply moving a wall here or there on an existing floor plan does not make it yours. Unfortunately, some individuals are finding themselves in unwanted litigation. It happens frequently in the design business.