DIY Barndominium: Completing the Barndo's Exterior

We all desire a place that looks exceptional just by glancing at the exterior design, whether we live in a farmhouse, a townhouse, or a barndominium. If you wish to use your creativity to build a home that looks just like how you imagined it, barndos is a great option that provides a blank canvas for people with fascinating tastes and artistic vision. To know to complete your barndominium structure, follow all these tips and ideas for your barndo exterior design from the roofing down to the siding/walling.

What is a barndo exterior?

Barndo exterior is defined as what can be found outside a steel-enclosed or post and beam building known as a barndominium. Barndos, with their unique look and durable materials, can help you create a sophisticated exterior design perfectly suited to your preferences and needs. Barndominiums are also built for other purposes aside from a living space. This warehouse-like structure is utilized as workshop space for your hobbies and interests, shelter for livestock, and storage for boats, lawn equipment, tractors, and other vehicles. Thus, it needs the best materials to survive structural damage due to heavy activity and moss growth.

What to look for in your Barndominium Exterior?

Bardominium combines two structures in one: a barn and a condominium. Barndominiums are usually built-in steel and wood to create that stylish and rustic feature on the outside. Building your home exterior is all fun and exciting, but you still have to consider functionality to not only create a safe and reliable place but a valuable space to live in.

The exterior of a barndominium is as essential as its indoor aesthetics. Aside from the design you have created in your mind, it would help if you considered the durability, weather-resistant, fire-proofing, and structural sound. You can choose among the following listed best materials to build your DIY barndo exterior.

Wood

Barndos looks a lot like the traditional barn house style, and the application of wood on its external output makes it easier to replicate. Because of this, wood is the most popular material to build on your barndo. However, using wood also risks water damage such as rotting, warping, and mold growth after prolonged exposure to rain or snow. It’s also susceptible to insect damage; hence you should apply anti-wood-destroying insects chemicals, add a few coats of varnish or use a higher quality of wood for walling/siding like cedar instead of raw wood varieties. Another threat to wood material is fire, so be sure to have fire insurance and fire safety precautions around your home.

Steel

If you want a more fire-resistant material on your barndominium, you can opt for steel. Like wood, it’s also famous for its durability. But unlike wood, steel is the preferred choice of many because of its advantages like mold-proof, rust-resistance, fire-resistance, and the more robust ability to against severe weather conditions. Barndominium owners also recommend this material because of its low maintenance and lesser upkeep than wood. Aside from that, metal is also easier to build, especially with a DIY barndo kit. In addition, if you want to keep that wooden appearance but still want to use steel for the exteriors, you can consider woodgrain-printed steel. Woodgrain steel exhibits the aesthetics of wood but with the durability of metal.

According to a barndo expert, barndominiums are defined by their roofing style. Aside from the protection it gives to homeowners from the weather, it’s also a visible part of the house which means it also needs attention. There are four typical roofing styles you can consider when it comes to roofing:

Gable Roof is the most common type among others. It shows two horizontal pitches that come together at a ridge, creating a rectangular extension, usually an A-shape view in front.
Monitor roof is a ‘second roof’ raised section that runs parallel to the main roof. It’s commonly a traditional form of ventilation. For barndos, it gives the appearance of a second story and adds natural lighting for your homes, which gave this roofing style another term as ‘roof lantern.’
In a cartoon, Gambrel Roof is what we mostly see for an American barn roofing style. It’s a symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side– the upper slope is shallower pitch while the lower slope is steeper.
A shed roof is a single-pitched roof surface sloping down on one side. It’s purposely for smaller barndos but can also be used as a roofing style for the porch, and the other parts of the house can use a different style.

Cost of Barndominium Exterior

Building a barndominium will surely cost you less than a traditional house when it comes to financial aspects. A DIY barndo kit costs just around $5,000– $70,000, depending on the style and size you choose. The kit already includes a roof, beams, and walls, making it easier for you to build your homes. It’s also your decision to add more features to your home aside from what the kit has provided. Just work on your creativity to create the best-looking barndo exterior everyone would envy.