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Using The Barn Plans Library to calculate the cost of your barn project
How much is my barn going to cost to build?
Good barn plans can be a vital tool to help you figure out what the costs of each stage of your barn construction process will be.
Here are the steps you need to take to determine what your Barn Project costs are going to be, and how to use our barn plans to help you calculate these costs for your budget.
How much is my barn going to cost to build?
Good barn plans can be a vital tool to help you figure out what the costs of each stage of your barn construction process will be.
Here are the steps you need to take to determine what your Barn Project costs are going to be, and how to use our barn plans to help you calculate these costs for your budget.
1. Site Evaluation
Get an estimate from an excavation contractor. You are most likely going to need to have your site leveled or have vegetation cleared.
Plus you are going to need a professional evaluation of your site.
Your site could be in a flood plain, or on an easement, or it could be to close to water ways or a property line.
It is best to determine these things before you build. That way you can save unexpected costs down the line. You could do all of this work yourself, or you could hire someone to do a site evaluation for you. It depends on your goals, and your skill level.
2. Permit Costs
This cost depends a lot on where you plan to build, and what you plan to use your barn for. In many places you don’t even need a permit if you are building a barn for livestock. In some places you will need a whole litany of permits to do anything.
You may even need a permit to clear brush away from your building site! In any case, you will need to contact your local building department, zoning board, etc. to see what permits you need to obtain.
Having a good set of barn plans from our Barn Plans Library can help you demonstrate what you want to build with the building department.
3. Foundation Estimate
The next step is to get an estimate on how much it will cost to build your foundation. This could be as simple as the cost for digging post holes and filling them with concrete. If you want a dirt or limestone floor then that is really all you need.
You could choose to do that work yourself, or you could choose to hire a contractor to do it for you. Either way you will want to know how many posts need to be supported and where they will be located . For that you will need a set of barn plans. You can download those in the members area of our website, if you are already a member, or you can join our membership and get access to the barn plans library.
4. Lumber Estimate
After you get your foundation costs calculated you will need to figure out how much the lumber is going to cost you. For this you need a materials list which you can hand out to sawmills in your area. All of the barn plans in the barn plans library include a materials list so you can do just that.
Just choose the barn you want to build and download the materials list for that barn. Then print it out and send it to your local sawmill and ask for a quote. These materials lists along with a 20 minute video explaining how to find local sawmills and sawyers to get your lumber from are both available in the barn plans library membership area.
5. Hardware Costs
We have hardware kits available for any of our barn plans, and they are customizable. If you wanted a slightly larger or smaller barn than one listed we can provide hardware for those as well. If you need your design customized, we may be able to do that as well.
Just email us and let us know what you want to do. If it is feasible we will give you a quote on the design and hardware. If not, then we will let you know that as well.
6. Shipping Costs
You will want to find out from the sawmill how much it costs to have your lumber shipped to you. Also anything else that needs to be shipped to your barn site, you should figure into your costs.
You may even want to factor in the time and fuel it costs you to run to the hardware store for more nails, or screws. Of course you can’t figure this to the penny, but you can make an educated guess.
7. Roofing, Windows, Doors
Ask local lumber yards for quotes on your roofing. Your barn is designed to use any kind of roofing, but I recommend steel.
If your Barn Project requires any windows or doors, you will want to get prices on those as well.
8. Construction Costs
If you are using a building contractor you will want to get at least 3 estimates from 3 different contractors. You will want to show them a set of plans to get an accurate quote, and you can get those at the barn plans library.
Even if you are going to build this yourself you should figure your time and labor into the cost of building your new barn.
9. Other Costs
Anything else that you want to add to your barn you should write a list and calculate the costs of each of these individually. Some of these extras might be..
Electrical service
Call electricians for estimates. Call the poser company to find out the cost to have service brought to you. Or you may want to install an Off Grid system with solar panels, wind turbines, or even a propane generator. Compare the costs and reliability of each of these options and decide which solution is best for you.
Water
You may want to call a plumber to install any plumbing you may need in your barn. If you don’t have a water supply close by, you may want to hire a well drilling company to drill a well for you. Or you could install a water catchment system on your roof. You can get a lot of water off a barn roof. There is a really nice one that was designed by Practical Prepper on Youtube.
Insulation
I recommend using spray foam insulation. There are a lot of options out there, so you will want to call an insulation contractor to determine the best insulation option for you.
Heating and Cooling
This may be one of those extras that are not necessary in a barn. However if this is a workshop, and you need a heated or cooled space to work in then it could well be critical for your comfort while working in your barn. I plan to heat and cool my new workshop because I want the space to be comfortable to work in. One benefit of these barns is that they are designed to not need as much energy to heat or cool as your typical steel sided pole barn.
If you pour a large slab of concrete for your floor, that can be a huge thermal bank. You may be able to heat and cool it by installing an in floor pex pipe system that you can run heated or cooled water through.
Whatever heating or cooling option you want to use, you will want to calculate what the costs of that system will be.
As you can see, starting with a set of barn plans is essential to calculating all the costs for your barn project. Without plans, you will just be guessing, you could easily miss some vital information that could cause big delays and cause your project to go over budget.
I want to help you avoid these costly mistakes, that is why I have made my barn plans library available for a very reasonable price.
Purchase the barn plans library today, and you will be well on your way to building a barn that will last many lifetimes!
