Living In The Barn?

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

No, I didn't get kicked out of the house /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif. My wife and I are beginning the planning process for building our "compound", which will be on 10 - 20 acres and will include a house, a barn/workshop, and an art gallery/custom frame shop. As we discussed various options and styles, she wondered if anybody has ever, or does now, live upstairs from the barn/shed? She's thinking that if we build the barn/workshop first (she recognizes that I need some place to put the tractor - not bad, huh?), and build the second floor like an apartment or condo, we could live there while the house and gallery are being built and then we wouldn't feel like we were being rushed to get them finished. Is there anyone who has done something similar or is currently living like that? What are some of the pros and cons that we could expect?

Alan L. · Mar 26, 2002

We don't live upstairs, but we do live in a 900 square foot apartment inside our 40 by 60 metal building. Its been just fine so far.

Mark_in_NH · Mar 26, 2002

It sounds to me like a feasible and intelligant plan. One of the things that I believe you will need to consider and check on would be certain building and fire code requirments. Seeing how you would have living quaters Over a shop / barn they may require you to have fire rated doors and sheetrock, exterior entrance for escape purposes etc. etc. Your local building code officer should be able to inform you of the necessary laws and requirments you would need to adhere to.
I personally think it is a great idea, it provides you a place to live, a place to work, a place to store those expensive and valuable building materials for the house. And when your all done, you will have a fantastic office getaway or a rentable apartment. I say go for it.

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

Alan,

Thanks for responding. Any unique problems you've discovered?

Anonymous Poster · Mar 26, 2002

I know somebody who planned to do this. A friend of mine, who makes his living as a contractor, and his wife bought some land, got drawings, and pulled permits, then found out that the neighbors wells had all gone bad (salt) and put everything on hold. The land is up for sale.

Anyway, they couldn't find an engineer to sign off on a platform-framed apartment as a second story to a pole-framed barn. They had to platform-frame everything down to the ground under the apartment, with a suitable foundation. They could still build the rest of the structure as a pole barn if they wanted. This is from discussion with my friend; I never saw the actual drawings.

Since the National Building Code probably doesn't address this exact situation you may find different requirements in your area.

Another issue may be zoning regulations. A lot zoned for one single-family home might not be able to have an occupied over-the-barn apartment and a house under construction. Again, local rules will differ.

My wife and I went ahead and built the house we wanted, and followed it up a couple years later with a pole barn. A lot of my stuff spent the first couple winters under tarps.

billbobtlh · Mar 26, 2002

I designed my 30x36 house w a barn laundry and workshop downstairs. Frame construction made it easy to finish. Mistake may have been not moving the kitchen downstairs after closing in the bottom. I have agreat view from up there but lots of groceries go up those stairs.

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

Mark,

Thanks for the comments. We are aware that we need to know what the various codes are, but that shouldn't be a problem. First, my wife designs homes so she has a pretty good idea of what's required already. Second, although we don't know these people personally, we do know of a few people that are currently living in similar situations, so I guess it can be done.

Concerning the use of the space after the house is built, I figured that I'd make it into a TBN Fan Club meeting place. Think anybody'd go for that /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif?

Mark_in_NH · Mar 26, 2002

If your club house will have valet tractor parking and if Muhammed will provide a vending machine for those really great TBN hats, I'll bring the first case of beer.

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

If your club house will have valet tractor parking and if Muhammed will provide a vending machine for those really great TBN hats

I can live with that /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. For the grand opening I figured I'd get Muhammad to come out and drive a tractor through a red ribbon, and then we'd have all the local dealers represented in a raffle of at least one tractor from each dealer/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif. Of course, just like the dealer open houses, we'd have to have all the free hot dogs and Cokes a guy could eat and drink /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif!!

Mark_in_NH · Mar 26, 2002

How about if all us TBNr's pitch in and buy Birds Kubota and we could display it as a center piece in the club house.

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

Now that would be cool /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif! Bird - Are you willing to come to Wisconsin when you get homesick for your Kubota/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif?

billfires · Mar 26, 2002

Golfgar4, my brother-in-law's boss started his plumbing business in exactly that way, built a 2 story garage with 3 room apt. above. He lived their for approx 3 years and then built a conventional house out back. This garage had 10' high doors so the stairway was higher than a standard second floor. After moving into yhe house he used the upstairs as his office.

Bill C

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

He lived their for approx 3 years and then built a conventional house out back.

Yup, that sounds like what we're planning. We will have to figure out a way to include a dumbwaiter type of contraption to get all the groceries, packages, etc. (Thanks Billbobtlh!) up to the living quarters. Maybe I'll just have one of those small elevators installed so I can still "carry" the groceries up stairs/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

Mark_in_NH · Mar 26, 2002

golfgar4,
A man here in my town (many years ago) took the lift assembly and controls from an old fork lift and built it into his house as an elevator, I used it many times when I was doing some wiring at his house. It worked great, and would make one heck of a dumb waiter

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

My wife would probably say that I make the best dumb waiter /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif, but we may have to go with a commercial brand, just because of codes. It might work in just a barn, but I bet "Da Inspectors" wouldn't like it in people spaces.

cedarranch · Mar 26, 2002

A feller I worked with tried to get a permit to do that. He said he wanted to build a garage/workshop with an apartment living area above. They started with all these codes, etc. It looked impossible to get it approved. A few weeks later he passed by a newly built one just as he wanted. He stopped and asked them how they got it approved. The guy said he showed them plans for a 900sf house over a two car garage! He bought the same plans and had is wife take them for approval. Just goes to show you how careful you need to be when explaining what you want to do!!!

Golfgar4 · Mar 26, 2002

Just goes to show you how careful you need to be when explaining what you want to do!!!

I'll remember that - it's all in the presentation! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

ewoss3 · Mar 26, 2002

Gary my father in-law made an elevator a couple of years ago that was really simple. He used 2" angle iron and expanded metal to create a cage(3'x3'x7.5'), then incased the cage inside a much taller cage that rose to their second floor. He used a small electric winch from northern tool to power it with the controller zip-tied to the top of the cage. I think he spent around $500 for the complete setup which is strong enough for 3-4 people. cage weight 275lbs plus 800lbs cargo, winch capacity is 1500lbs in single line mode we have larger cable and have it configured as double line pull. The whole project took him about two day of puttering around the shop then he and I used the old ford 601 FEL to lift it upright and in place. it would be great for a shop after you moved out you could still transport cargo for storage to the second floor....good luck

ewoss3 · Mar 26, 2002

also I'm not advocating this but a lot of stuff gets added after a project is complete and the city has gone away. I have seen barns or steel buildings go up then later become temporary households. Would plan on building the basic frame and quarters then add things like a lift at a later date.

MarkV · Mar 26, 2002

Garry, My wife and I have a plan in mind like yours when/if we can make a move from the city in a few years. My thinking is that unless you have a planned need for the upper level area of the barn, after you have the house, it would be a lot cheaper to do like Alan has done. Regardless of how large of barn you want to end up with it would not be hard to partition off a section for living even if the partition were to be removed in the future. A two story barn is going to raise the construction cost considerably and most likely some of the code issues will become more involved. Your plumbing needs would be at ground level and could be positioned to leave a bath in the barn if the living space is returned to barn space in the future. I am sure things differ by region, but I know I could build a one story pole barn cheaper than a two story barn of the same square footage in our area.

MarkV