Update - First of all thanks for all of the great comments/feedback. Last week got the new plat maps for the property from the surveyor dividing the property into two tracts; front tract is 1.5 acre (zoned residential) that has the rental house on it and the remaining tract is 13.5 acres (zoned farm). In our county if you have 10 or more acres zoned farm you get a little relief from some of the hoops you have to jump through to build. Took those to the lawyer so he can get a new warranty deed filed with the county. Went to the county health dept. and paid the application fee to get an onsite visit from them they can tell me where they want me to put the septic system, the type it has to be and the sizing. If he is happy then I go back and get the actual permit to allow it to be built. I can then take that and go to the planning commission, provide some type of drawings of what I want to do, the plat maps showing where the structures will be built and if they are happy I get to pay about $500 for a building permit. Also, contacted the power company and they will be out June 2nd to do the initial engineering visit to get power back to the house location, which is about 700 feet off the road, might as well go rob Ft. Know now.
Hopefully we can get started by mid June building something.
Plan to meet with two different builders who have built pole barn/frame homes in this area and get their ideas on the best approach. If it helps to provide advice these are the important factors for us in our planning:
1) Most home for the money spent as with pretty much everybody
2) Like to openness of a pole structure so we do not have to worry about interior load bearing walls allowing for more flexibility
3) Farmhouse look inside and out
4) Wanting something in the 2500 sq. ft + range, wife wants big of course
5) We would like the basement or something for storage and storm protection
6) We think we would like a 1 1/2 story so we can put a couple bedrooms upstairs for guests and family
7) Ground floor has to have large kitchen, pantry, family room, living/parlor room, dining room, master bedroom with master bath and large walk in closet(s)
8) If we can add an office/guest bedroom with a full bath on the fist floor that would be great.
I have floor plan drawn up that utilizes a 30x60 footprint, would like to stick with that
We have considered the Menards/Lowes house packages but none of the plans are quite what we want and not comfortable with the pricing, I bet it goes up significantly.
Our son is a contractor so we will be able to get things like windows, doors, siding, roofing and subcontractors at this pricing he uses to help keep costs down. We just thought all along that we could just draw up a set of plans that is what we want and go build it, the pole barn/frame seemed to be the most cost effective and give us the most flexibility.
Our county will allow hand drawn plans, which does help. Your ideas on the slab floor in the pole barn and how to get a basement or equivalent will be greatly appreciated.
