Pole barn with living quarters...plans? Kits?

[Bubbagumpshrimp]

Is anyone aware of a website that has plans for pole barns that have living quarters on the second floor? I'm at the early planning stage at the moment...but I'm considering this as a low cost living arrangement. i.e. Purchase a few acres, put one of these up, and live in it until I have the time and money to build a dedicated home on the property. Thoughts?

 

[mikim]

Did it for 2 years.....there's 2 sides to this....make it nice and comfy so you don't have to suffer convenience ....and it may take awhile to get the main house built....or make it bare bones and it's your incentive to get the main house done. I went with option 2 ...not easy and can't say I'd recommend it unless you & or the wife have been through tough times with even worse living conditions in the past. That was our situation. We'd each been in worse so we were able to tough it out knowing what we were going to be in eventually. ....As for plans for such a thing ....call up your imagination and get out a ruler and pencil. or graph paper.
-----BTW ---welcome to TBN -----

 

[Bubbagumpshrimp]

Thank you. :drink: Yeah...I'm going to be stepping down from a nice home in a HOA community. I'm used to creature comforts, but have done without in the past. It'll just be me and the dog...so I don't need much.


I'm researching other options as well (i.e. modular/pre-fab cabin kits, travel trailer, etc.).

 

[mikim]

OK -- now I get it. MY PLAN -- 20+ yrs ago....I had sole custody of 3 kids for 10 yrs and my plan was to be single, 45, no kids, and move to the country. Picture this. Metal building, on far right is a large overhead door (for backing RV trailer into) just to the left is a personnel door. If you walk in the door, on the left there is a sheet rock wall running the full depth of the building. To the right is the RV. In between is a rug on the concrete floor with a living area, maybe a kitchenette, bed & bath are in the RV. Back outside....to the far left of the building is another overhead door -- where you park the truck. You could have an opener on that door, pull the truck in, and walk through the sheetrock wall to living quarters. Beauty of this layout is...you don't have to put anything in the slab. All utilities can run through the wall. Tear out the sheetrock wall, pull out the RV, and you have a shop. My plan went south when after 10 yrs of single life I met and married a woman with 2 little girls, at the same time my job went on the delete list so had to move to a new job ...whole life changed in a matter of 6 months.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Be careful how you approach this. Code on occupancy is important to understand wether you are doing this above board or not. Check your local rules and make a gameplan before you start to build as you are not going for conventional housing.