How Much Does A Barn House Cost? (2024)

If you’re attracted to the rustic charm of a barn house, you don’t need to live out in the country to enjoy one. This type of house can be built anywhere, either as a residential home or an extra workspace on your property.

The cost of a barn house can vary depending on where you live, the method of construction and the size of the home. If you’re wondering what the final price tag will look like, here’s what you should know.

What Is a Barn House?

A barn house is either a barn that’s been converted into a house or a home that’s been built or remodeled in the style of a barn. While you can find them in various shapes and sizes, the main characteristics of barn houses are apparent in their designs.

These homes tend to come in simple shapes and might have stone bases, cupolas, rustic wood-plank siding, and gable or gambrel roofs. On the interior, barn houses typically have customizable open floor plans, pitched ceilings with exposed wood elements, stone or brick floors, lofts and heavy sliding doors.

What Is a Pole Barn House?

A pole barn house is a kind of barn home that’s been gaining popularity in recent years. The defining feature of a pole barn is its poles, which act as an anchor for the structure in place of a foundation. This is known as post-frame construction, where the structure is built with laminated columns, steel posts or solid sawn posts instead of concrete masonry or wood. The rest of the structure—typically made with steel or aluminum panels—is built around the poles.

Pole barn house plans are usually simple and require fewer materials, so they’re quicker and less expensive to build than other types of buildings.

How Much Does a Barn House Cost?

The national average cost for a simple pole barn house ranges from $50,000 to $100,000. Smaller buildings, such as garages or home office studios, will cost anywhere from $4,000 to $35,000, while larger buildings like homes can range from $50,000 to $100,000 or more. Generally, you can expect to pay about $10 to $30 per square foot.

Some common costs for building a barn house include:

• Labor: Even if you plan to build the barn yourself, you might need to hire professionals for certain services, such as electric and plumbing installation. While labor typically starts at $5 to $10 per square foot, this can increase to a range of $40 to $70, depending on the type of work needed.
• Materials: Pole barn materials cost about $5 to $20 per square foot. The biggest expenses are typically lumber, concrete and metal trim. Make sure you budget for smaller items like tools, windows, doors and finishing touches.
• Permits: Laws vary in each state and municipality, but you’ll typically need building permits to construct or renovate a structure or to change the use or occupancy of a building. These can be as little as $50 for small jobs but can range up to $2,000 for large projects.
• Foundation: The foundation is one of the most important pieces of a home. For a pole barn house, pouring a concrete foundation will run about $26,000.
• Major systems: Installing major systems—such as the electrical, heating, air and plumbing systems—usually ranges from $40,000 to $75,000.

Ways to Build a Barn House

Keep in mind that how you choose to build a barn house will affect the price tag. Here are some of the common options to consider as well as what you can expect to pay:

Pole Barn House Kit

Pole barn house kits come with everything you need to build the shell of the house yourself, including the building plans and materials. Kits are generally more expensive than buying all the materials separately because they include the planning and sorting.

The price tag on barn house kits depends greatly on your location as well as on the size, quality and any accessories. On average, these kits run from $4,000 to $50,000, though the cost can go as high as $100,000 in some cases. Because the kit typically includes just the shell of the home, you’ll need to figure out how to design the interior.

Barn Conversion

Converting a barn into a barn house is also possible, though it can be more complicated and expensive than building one. This is because the barn might have to be retrofitted to meet residential building codes. This type of remodeling costs an average $30,000, or about $10 to $50 per square foot.

Typically, homeowners who convert a barn into a barn house will need to install a new foundation, interior framing and a roof as well as pay for refurbishes like windows, doors, plumbing, electricity and finishing details. Your final cost will depend on the size and condition of the original structure, your location, the scope of the project, the materials and the construction method.

Barn House Purchase

You could also consider simply buying an existing barn-style home on the market. This is generally the easiest option since the work is already done—you won’t need to build the house, plan the budget or manage a construction or remodeling job.

However, buying a finished barn house could end up being more expensive than using a kit or converting a barn. A seller will likely include their remodeling costs in the listing price, which means you’ll be paying for the work someone else put into the home. The average national cost for building a 1,600 square-foot pole barn is $72,000, but this could increase greatly depending on your location and how much remodeling the seller has done.

Pros and Cons of Barn-style Houses

While barn-style homes are trendy, they aren’t the right choice for everyone. Here are some pros and cons to keep in mind as you weigh your options.

Pros of Barn-style Houses

• Customizable: Barn houses come in many variations for both the exterior and interior. Because they usually have open floor plans, it’s easy to use furniture and home decor to divide the space inside and create a unique style.
• Could save money: In some cases, building a barn house might be less expensive compared to other building options as it generally requires fewer materials. This kind of house typically has more room for insulation, which could help reduce the cost of heating and cooling throughout the building.
• Low maintenance: While there are many roofing and siding options available, steel tends to be the most popular for barn houses. If you opt for metal exterior panels, you can expect less maintenance—in fact, they could last for up to 40 years before signs of aging start to show.

Cons of Barn-style Houses

• Hard to finance: Barn houses are considered a risk by mortgage lenders since they’re usually hard to resell, which is why most lenders don’t offer loans for these kinds of homes. If you find a lender to work with, the requirements to qualify could be much higher compared to a standard mortgage. For example, you’ll typically have to make a down payment of at least 30% of the home’s price.
• Hard to sell: Again, barn houses are often harder to sell compared to traditional homes, especially since prospective buyers could struggle to get approved for financing. Additionally, not all home appraisers are well-versed in determining the value of a barn house, which could negatively impact a potential sale.
• Don’t come with traditional basem*nts: You might not be able to install a full basem*nt in a true pole barn because they don’t have traditional foundations. Another option could be converting an existing home into a barn house to retain the basem*nt—but this will come with its own expenses.

Is a Barn House Right for You?

Ultimately, whether a barn house is right for you will depend on your individual circ*mstances and tastes. If you are looking to build a home for less money than you’d traditionally spend and want to invest in a customizable, low-maintenance structure that could last for up to 100 years or more, then a barn house might be a good choice.

However, building a barn house isn’t cheap, and it could be hard to qualify for financing. Additionally, reselling the home might be difficult—so if you don’t plan on staying in your house for the long haul, it might be better to consider other options.