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A Barndominium, or Barndo, is a barn that has been converted into a residential home. In most cases, barndos are also less expensive than their stick-built counterparts.  Most look like a traditional barn on the exterior, but the majority are metal building structures. The interior often looks just like any other open-layout home but that varies with your floor plan.  These hybrid structures are built to modern energy-efficient standards and combine the rustic elements of farmhouse style that people love.  They commonly include a metal shell, spray foam insulation, exposed ceiling beams, radiant flooring, open floor plans and workshops. 

• Exposed beams, especially in the living and kitchen areas 
• Vaulted ceilings 
• Wooden staircases  
• Sliding barn doors 
• Gabled roofs 
• Metal siding and roofing,  or variety of exterior options.  
• Columns 
• Energy efficient windows

• Durability:  When have a metal building floor plan built by a contractor, you can be sure that the building process meets or exceeds your local construction codes. Your home will benefit because the steel is stronger, resistant to rotting, termites and even fire-resistant.  When compaired, steel building materials are far more durable than wood. 
• Low maintenance:  The structure of the home will require less maintenance. Interior walls, countertops, doors and other materials will need the same maintenance seen in traditional homes. 
• Faster construction:  A new build is faster because a lot of the components are made off-site and pre-drilled. The contractor will put the shell of the home together much faster and spend the majority of the construction time on the interior of the home. Barn homes, if they’re using a complex floor plan, can go from working on the barndominium plans to completion in six months. 
• Adaptable design:  Metal buildings are more structurally sound, so you don’t need load bearing walls inside of the space. You can maximize the space of your dream barndominium with a wide-open floor plan that has expansive views and really opens up space. You’re less restricted with steel buildings than traditional homes, and you can maximize your space per square foot. Build an airplane hangar, horse stalls or even traditional homes with a barndominium kit.
• Eco-friendly design:  Metal buildings are more eco-friendly than their wood counterparts.  A barndominium is energy efficient due to the metal of the building. Metal provides natural weatherization and insulation for the home. If the roof is also made of metal, it can help conserve more energy, too. A barndominium has a lower carbon footprint, reduces material waste and can offer long-term energy savings. In terms of being eco-friendly, steel construction always beats wood. It’s a structure that lasts longer, requires less maintenance and wastes fewer materials. 
• Fire-resistant design. The structure of a metal building is fire resistant, with steel having a melting point of 2,500°F. If the builder uses fire resistant materials inside of the home and focuses on fireproofing, the structure will be even less susceptible to fire damage. The interior walls and wooden components can catch fire, but the shell of the home will not. 

 Costs will depend on: 

• The size of the home 
• Your location  
• How much site work needs to be completed 
• How difficult it will be to hook up utilities 

According to data from HomeAdvisor, a barndominium costs, on average, $30-$40 per square foot to build. This amount assumes that the barndominium is basic (nothing custom) just a shell with exterior walls as a metal building, while building a stick-built home costs $100 to $200 per square foot, and the building process is much longer. Interior options and materials will cost the same whether you choose metal or wood construction.