A barndominium (barndo) can be a great investment for those looking for a durable, low-maintenance, and cost-effective living solution. However, as you’re reviewing options, it’s common to feel confused about choosing the right floor plan for your needs.
What are popular barndo floor plan options? How do you ensure your living space remains functional? We’ve created this guide to help along the way. Read on for all the information.
What Is a Barndo Floor Plan?
The floor plan is the overall layout of your steel barndominium. Even if your barndo looks very similar to other designs from the outside in appearance, size, and metal structure, the layout on the inside can differ quite a bit depending on your needs and preferences.
For example, you could design your floor plan with:
- A different number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the ideal locations for you
- An open concept layout with lots of space and flexibility
- A more traditional home layout with dedicated rooms and spaces
- Add-ons like a garage or workshop for projects
The great thing about a barndo is you have many options, whether you choose a prefab kit or have one custom-designed. You can tailor the barndo layout you choose based on the size of your space and your ideal living situation.
How Barndo Floor Plans Are Structured
When you work with a designer to come up with a barndominium floor plan, the focus will be on ensuring every room and space is functional and practical based on what you need. Core design elements featured in most barndos are:
- Open concept living areas, such as the living room or recreational rooms
- The placement of bedrooms and other private zones, like bathrooms or a home office
- Ceiling heights for enough headroom, and to make the space feel open and inviting
- A wide-span design to give each room enough width and functionality
- Dedicated utility zones, such as a laundry room, pantry, or mudroom
- Combined living and shop/garage areas to have parking space and room for projects you want to work on
You can also consider other amenities or custom elements like an extra-tall garage bay, covered patio, custom storage, or lofts to get everything you want out of your space.
Popular Barndo Floor Plan Layouts
Now that you have the basics in mind, let’s go over some popular barndo design ideas that can help you customize your layout based on your preferences.
Open Concept Great Room + Kitchen
This is a popular open concept layout option since it combines all your primary living and entertaining spaces in a central location of your home. The great room will feature a large and open kitchen, dining area, and living room in a primary spot of the home.
Many barndos that use this layout also feature a kitchen island for a dedicated serving and meal prep area, vaulted ceilings to make the space feel inviting, or indoor/outdoor elements like a covered deck with dining space. It’s a great option if you like to entertain and have guests over often.
Split Bedroom Layout (Primary on One Side)
A split bedroom layout in a barndo will place the master bedroom on one side and secondary bedrooms on the opposite side. This is usually used for single-story barndos where you want to add some privacy between the master bedroom and kids’ bedrooms, guest rooms, or home office areas.
Integrated Shop or Garage Wing
If you like working on cars, doing woodworking, or other projects in your garage, integrating it with the rest of your layout is a great idea. The integrated shop/garage wing makes it easy to access from the home, so you can carry in materials and get to your workspace whenever you need to.
Loft-Style Second Floor
A loft-style second floor can add a modern feel to your barndo while giving you some extra square footage to work with. The loft space typically overlooks the main living area and can create a nice extra space for a play area or rec area, an office, or an extra guest room. It adds some nice flexibility where you can adapt its purpose as your needs change.
L-Shaped or U-Shaped Barndo Designs
L-shaped designs are often a great idea for those who want to create a private outdoor entertainment space. The overall layout of the barndo is shaped like an L with an entry porch, sunroom, or other outdoor entertainment space off to the side.
A U-shaped design is another option if you want to create dedicated wings in your barndo. For example, the center could be your living and dining space, while you have your master bedroom and bathroom on one side and secondary bedrooms and bathrooms on the other side. It’s an option that can offer a bit more privacy when you want it.
Multi-Generational or Dual-Suite Layouts
You can also design a barndo with two master suites on opposite ends. It can be a great idea for those living with aging parents, older children, or looking to make some extra rental income. You can even design it to have separate entrances and dedicated living spaces on each end for extra privacy.
Key Design Considerations
Some of the important considerations you’ll want to make when coming up with a barndo floor plan are:
- Lifestyle and daily routine: The floor plan should complement your lifestyle and feel functional based on your routine. For example, adding an open concept entertainment area if you frequently have guests over, or creating a private office space if you work from home.
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Think about the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll need throughout the time you’re living in the barndo. That includes if you plan to have kids in the future, plan to have aging parents move in at some point, etc.
- Shop/garage requirements: Many barndo owners like to have an easily accessible shop/garage added to the layout. It’s a good idea to consider where you want to place it to make it accessible while minimizing noise disturbances to the rest of the home.
- Lot size and orientation: How big is the lot where you’re putting the barndo? The available space you have can affect the design you choose.
- Structural span requirements: The overall width and size of your barndo can affect the structural elements you need to add to the building for stability and safety.
- Natural light and window placement: You’ll want to add enough windows throughout your space to let natural light in during the day and keep it bright and inviting. Some barndo owners even like adding big floor-to-ceiling windows in some spaces to create a bright, modern look.
- HVAC, utilities, and energy efficiency: The design of your home can affect HVAC requirements, utility placement, and overall energy efficiency. It’s a good idea to think about those elements before selecting an option.
Choosing a barndo option with steel framing is often a good idea to ensure your space is as flexible as possible. Steel framing is much stronger than other material options like wood, so you can have wider spans, reduce the amount of load-bearing walls needed, and create inviting open concept spaces.
Common Mistakes
Common mistakes you’ll want to avoid when planning your barndo’s layout include:
- An oversized shop without planning traffic flow: A big shop to work on projects is great, but it can start to feel clunky when it affects the rest of the flow and layout of your home. So, make sure your design still gives each room in the barndo enough space to feel functional and usable.
- Poor placement of bedrooms vs. common areas: Most layouts benefit from having dedicated spaces for bedrooms and common areas, and elements that help create privacy. For example, placing a bedroom too close to a common area could be a distraction if someone is trying to sleep or work in their room.
- Not planning storage and utility zones: You’ll want to have enough storage throughout your barndo along with dedicated spaces for utilities like your HVAC system, water and sewer, and gas to ensure easy access if anything needs to be worked on.
- Ignoring window and ventilation needs: As mentioned, it’s important to have enough windows to let natural light in, and you’ll need to consider ventilation needs to keep your space comfortable, such as fans, vents, your roof/attic, etc.
- Underestimating your budget for interior finishes: The costs of finishes for floors, walls, framing, ceiling, doors, and countertops can all add up, so it’s important to budget enough for those elements.
Conclusion and Next Steps
A lot goes into designing the floor plan of a barndominium. It’s an exciting step since you get to adjust it to your liking and choose an option that fits your needs, but there can be some confusing elements along the way.
Fortunately, there are options that can help you choose the right floor plan and feel confident in your decisions. At US Patriot Steel, we offer American-made steel barndominium options. You can choose between prefab kits or work with us to create a custom design that suits your preferences.
Throughout the process, our team is available to discuss your barndominium plans, from the exterior structure to interior design and floor plans, to ensure you feel confident and happy with your decisions each step of the way.
You can get started reviewing our options today. Get in touch with us to get a free custom quote or contact us with any other questions you have.
Call Us: (888) 415-1576