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Turning a pole barn into a home

Asked Sep 11, 2008, 12:54 PM — 14 Answers
I began my first construction project on our property by building a 30x40 pole barn. After seeing the project under roof for the first time my wife asked me why this couldn't become our home. So it begins. What should be my primary concerns related to this conversion?

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14 Answers
ballengerb1's Avatar
ballengerb1 Posts: 25,644, Reputation: 11296
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#2

Sep 11, 2008, 04:32 PM


Lets see, something other than you have no floor, no insulation, no heat, no plumbing, superficial electric. Do you get inspected by a local or county building inspector?
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Benton's Avatar
Benton Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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#3

Sep 12, 2008, 07:19 AM
Of course I will have to get a permit related to septic system before plumbing and electric can be pursued. I saw a previous conversation related to concrete floor and footer. I assume a floating floor is probably not the best case scenario for a home with interior walls and doors. Are there options other than trenching between posts for the footer?
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ballengerb1's Avatar
ballengerb1 Posts: 25,644, Reputation: 11296
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#4

Sep 12, 2008, 09:08 AM


Before your wife takes you further down this raod I'd have a cup of coffee withthe county building inspector. Show him your pole barn plans and ask him what he would approve in you trying to reach you goal.
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rtw_travel's Avatar
rtw_travel Posts: 344, Reputation: 179
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#5

Sep 12, 2008, 10:32 AM
I think where Bob is heading is that you can do it, but it'll be expensive. I would guess it'll be more expensive than building new next door. So how about building a house in matching style nearby? Your wife gets the house she wants, and you still get a barn to fill up with toys. :-)
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ballengerb1's Avatar
ballengerb1 Posts: 25,644, Reputation: 11296
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#6

Sep 12, 2008, 10:36 AM


Rtw hit it on the head. 1. You needed/wanted a barn and conversion takes it away. 2. Retro fitting a barn to a home is very costly compared to building from scratch.
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lownoterider's Avatar
lownoterider Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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#7

Sep 12, 2008, 01:06 PM
I actually built a pole barn style house using a Cleary Free-span structure. The thing is, I was able to plan that way from the get-go. I'm in Wisconsin. It was no issue to get permits, but you really need a 4' frost wall, you don't want a floating floor, and might not get that past an inspector anyway. Converting would probably add significantly to the cost. If your wife likes the style, check out Cleary Buildings website. The house turned out great. We went with Hydronic Heat, and were able to lay out the rooms how ever we wanted.
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ballengerb1's Avatar
ballengerb1 Posts: 25,644, Reputation: 11296
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#8

Sep 12, 2008, 02:02 PM
Lownot, if you get a chance with pics we'd be interested.
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lownoterider's Avatar
lownoterider Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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#9

Sep 12, 2008, 02:19 PM
Will do, but my pics are too large, so I have to do some conversion. Back in a minute....
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lownoterider's Avatar
lownoterider Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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#10

Sep 12, 2008, 02:33 PM
Here are some pics from right when we were finishing up and moving in, so sorry about the mess! I'll post more in a minute....
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