Multi-family barndominiums; Designing the ultimate compound (2024)

Not every family unit is the same size or has the same physical needs & capabilities. Not every family has a similar background and history. On that same note, not every culture has the same idea or concept of family as you or I might have either. Every family is unique and that’s one of the most beautiful things about America and the greater world: we can be night and day different from our neighbors and there’s nothing wrong with being different. Being different in a community, or around our peers actually allows us to share our culture with others in a nonverbal way through the way that we live, through our home decor, and subtle cultural styling cues that have organically emerged throughout the design process. All-in-All, people are naturally curious about almost anything that doesn’t sit within the realm of their cultural norm; sadly, many cultural norms in America are disappearing or being replaced. Nonetheless, we were created to be curious people.

In many cultures around the world, families prefer to live together and make decisions as a group. They all typically live together in the same dwelling in order to support one another in a communal style of living that has proven effective throughout history. and has allowed the community to thrive for thousands of years in this manner. Many religious groups in the United States seem to have adapted to this close sense of family and community that this type of lifestyle can offer. Oversized barndominiums have become very popular in these communities, with some families opting for dormitory-style rooms so that each family has their own section of the home. Let us explore some ideas for large multi-family barndominiums, some possible issues you could run into, and where to get house plans for such a build in the first place.

Hands down the most technical & costly aspect of building a large multi-family style barndominium is going to be the massive slab of foundation required to be poured and leveled out prior to the build and especially if your planning on going with a reinforced steel frame barndominium because the steel beams must be fixed to the foundation. Over the years, teams of foundation specialists have poured some epically massive foundations for multi-family Barndominiums; their motto is it’s all downhill after the concrete dries, which speaks to the intricacies, calculations, and precise measurements required in successfully pouring such a large slab.

Designing the ultimate compound can look like whatever you have in mind. My advice would be to first sketch out your ideas on paper or get online and check out some barndominium kit prices to compare to your other options. Buildmax.com has adapted all their house plans including their famous BM5550 to be used to produce a steel frame package that can be ready to ship in as little as 6 weeks based on the plans that you pick out on their website but if you don’t like their stock plans or If you are just more interested in designing your own house plans I would get online and start finding designs that you can use as inspiration for your build and Buildmax can draft house plans based off sketches or rough CAD drawings coupled with a brief phone call to gather some more detailed information on the build. So once you have a pretty solid handle on what you want, you have some ideas written down and maybe sketches on paper or you know what plan you like online your ready to contact a house plan designer like Buildmax.com to help you draft a custom set of plans or modify their design based on your sketches or ideas you have compiled. Custom house plan companies like this have all the expertise and knowledge from years of designing barndominiums to work with you in creating the most detailed set of plans you can buy. ‌House plans are extremely important to your build. They are essentially a roadmap to your dream home, the basic instruction manual on how to build, down to identifying where every electrical socket goes. It’s a time-consuming process creating house plans from scratch, but it can be done and the satisfaction, in the end, is entirely worth the work. The beauty of custom-designed barndominiums really shines through in the uniqueness of each home you’re designing. This ensures your family gets a home that fits their specific needs down to each individual room. Some families need ramps instead of stairs for elderly family members or those in need of wheelchair access. Having everything located on a single level can also help in this situation, making the design process even more important. If you find a stock plan on Buildmax’s website, you can also purchase one of their pre-designed plans that have become very popular in barndominium circles lately.

Property becomes an issue when building such a large structure. Finding the right piece of land for those plans can sometimes be a challenge. Finding a flat piece of land in some areas can be hard. Yes, you can use fill dirt and level out a nice area in pretty much any circ*mstance, but doing it efficiently and right should be your main focus. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to consult with an engineer or a builder if you haven’t already settled on a piece of land, they can tell you exactly what they need in a piece of land to make it work as well as what would make the job cheaper and easier for you in the long run, these insights could save you from buying and being stuck with a rough unbuildable piece of land. This type of thing is rare, but it can happen and it’s important to put some serious thought into your land and where to place your barndominium.

Multi-family barndominiums can even go as far as have two of everything, kitchens, large garage spaces with vehicle lifts to free up space and extra-wide driveways for all the vehicles, extra restrooms are popular additions, as well as Dule laundry rooms in many cases or one large communal laundry room have been designed in the past to meet the needs of each unique family unit. I hope you were able to gain some insight into multi-family barndominiums and it allows you to make better decisions for your next home in the very near future.