Check out this list before you plan your barndominium.

So many things must be considered when planning a home: zoning, sight lines, well and septic, and all of the details that go into the house itself. It is overwhelming and exciting at the same time. Most barndo builders have very specific ideas about some of the things they want, for example enough bedrooms for family members, an energy efficient home that doesn’t cost a fortune to heat or cool, a lot of natural light…or whatever the case might be. However, in the midst of thinking about all of those things, you are going to want to guard against unwittingly building regrets into your house. Since regrets are hard to spot on the front end, it can be helpful to check out what regrets others have found built into their barndos.

Common Regrets

1. Layout Issues

  • Poor room flow. For example, kitchens are placed far from main entrances or garages, making grocery hauling a chore and forcing you to carry your garbage and recyclables through the house to get them outside.
  • Undersized mudrooms/laundry rooms. This is especially problematic for rural lifestyles with lots of dirt, pets, or farm gear. A very compact laundry room may mean nowhere to hang items to dry or to fold clothing.
  • Insufficient storage. Skimping on closets, pantry space, and utility rooms, and leaving insufficient space in the garage for storage is a real problem for some people who were used to a basement and are now living without one.
  • Not separating living and sleeping areas. Noise from living rooms or kitchens can disturb those trying to sleep, and music or other noise from the bedrooms can become an annoyance in other living spaces.
  • A single large open space without defined zones. This can lead to sound echo and difficulty heating/cooling evenly.

2. Material Choices

  • Cheap windows/doors. The results? Poor window and door energy efficiency which can lead to discomfort and higher heating and cooling bills, condensation issues which if left unfixed can cause structural damage and health issues, or hardware failures within a few years.
  • Metal roofing without proper insulation. Condensation can cause dripping inside the walls which can cause structural damage and temperature swings which will make heating and cooling the house a challenge.
  • Low-quality siding/metal panels. It may look like the better-quality siding at first, but  fading, chalking, or rusting can occur much sooner than expected.
  • Concrete floors without radiant heat tubing. Concrete floors left unheated are very cold on your feet, especially in cold climates. It is much easier and less costly to add it before pouring the concrete, even if it is unused initially.

3. Features Left Out

  • Covered porches or awnings. Sometimes people leave the porch off “for now” to save money on the build. However, they miss out on outdoor living conducted in the shade with built-in rain protection. A porch also adds curb appeal. When the homeowner wants to add the covered porch or awning later, they find the cost is much greater than it would have been if included in the initial build.
  • Additional bathrooms. Especially in large, spread-out layouts, people regret not adding a powder room by the back patio doors or upstairs where the guest rooms and office are located, or near the garage/shop.
  • Oversized garage/shop doors. While oversized doors may not seem necessary when building, many people find that down the road when they decide to get that big RV, large tractor, or tall truck they cannot fit it in the garage.
  • Inside utility sinks and hose bibs. These items can make cleaning tools or pet washing easier and more convenient.

4. General Build Decisions

  • Not future-proofing. While it is hard to know what you may want to prepare for in the future, barndo owners now regret not running conduit or extra wiring for solar, security, and smart home systems.
  • Skimping on insulation. This is another place where people sometimes try to save money, but most everyone who does comes to regret it. They end up paying higher energy bills forever, or until they fix the insulation. Meanwhile they are not as comfortable in their homes as they could be.
  • Not thinking about resale. Extreme customizations can make the home harder to sell. For example, older couples may not install bathtubs because they don’t use them. However, a young family may feel very strongly that they need a bathtub for small children.
  • Skipping a professional designer/architect. This can lead to functional issues the owners didn’t see on paper. For example, placing a wood burning stove in the living space, but not planning where they were going to store the wood and bring it into the home, so they find themselves hauling the wood much further than is convenient, often tracking mud in.

More Specific Regrets To Consider

Layout & Functionality

  • Not accounting for where snow slides off the roof. The walkways will be buried after every storm and the sliding snow can be a danger to people as they enter or exit the home.
  • Bedroom windows facing the shop side. Diesel or other fumes may drift in during equipment use.
  • Septic tank placement. The septic tank will usually be place dfar enough away from the house to avoid unpleasantness, but if it is too close to outdoor entertaining space, odor issues may be a problem during summer gatherings.
  • Steep stairs.  Steep stairs may save space in the layout, but furniture moving is a nightmare. Further, if you age in place, or try to sell to senior people they can become an obstacle.
  • Severe echo in two-story open space. A very large living space may require sound dampening solutions such as introducing area rugs and carpets, upholstered furniture, heavy curtains or drapes, bookshelves full of books and art and build-ins, textured wall panels of reclaimed wood, cork, or felt, and tapestries. Specialized acoustic panels and fabric-wrapped boards in complementary colors and shapes to blend with the décor can be mounted on walls or ceilings.

Materials & Finishes

  • Dark metal roof. Consider the climate when choosing the color for your roof; a dark color can cause the upstairs to heat up in summer.
  • Bright exterior color choice. While an unusual color choice can be fun, if it is too bright it can be blinding in full sunlight.
  • Barn-style sliding interior doors. These doors fail to block sound or cooking smells.
  • Incorrect siding fasteners. Rust stains can bleed through the paint if you have the wrong fasteners. Stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized fasteners are considered some of the best fasteners to avoid rust, however, you must take into consideration what material you are fastening when choosing fasteners.

Features Skipped or Misjudged

  • No ceiling fans. In open layouts a lack of fans can lead to poor air circulation.
  • Skylights overheat the house in summer. Choosing the Low-E double-pane skylights and placing them so they face north or east in warm climates can largely mitigate this problem.
  • No covered walkway between garage and house. Groceries and people get soaked in the rain.
  • No hose bib near the garden. Dragging long hoses around the yard all of the time can become very tiring.

Build & Planning Oversights

  • Skipping soil test. Your foundation can crack from poor compaction if you skip the soil test.
  • Ductwork run in unconditioned space. Sweating and humidity problems can result.
  • Breaker panel in shop. Access to the breakers is inconvenient during outages.
  • Underestimated cost of utility runs from main road. This underestimation can cause budget overruns which can then mean cutting something else out of the building plan to bring costs down.

Doubtless there are many other items that have caused regrets for people who have built barndominiums, however now that you know the common regrets and a few extra to watch out for, you are in a better position to avoid regrets of your own.