Building Construction | Building Tips | Post Frame Homes | Building Features | Cost | Building Design
Many of us have the American dream of buying a piece of land, building a house or pole barn home, and adding a pole shed or garage to store our hobbies in. You probably think that adding a pole barn is an affordable storage solution, but there are five reasons why you may consider NOT building a pole barn.
1. The cost of building a pole barn is not cheaper.
2. Pole barn permits may not allow you to build where you want.
3. A cheaper builder may not build with structural integrity in mind.
4. Your cell phone might not work in a metal building.
5. Affordable pole barns have less curb appeal.
In this article, we will learn why you may consider not building a pole barn.
1) Cost to Build a Pole Barn
As you look through our gallery of pole barns, you may be inspired to build a pole barn house with an attached shop, include a wrap-around porch, or maybe even add versetta stone.
A standard 40’ x 60’ pole barn costs $35 to $50 a square foot or $84,000 - $120,000. Compared to a new 2,500-square-foot stick-built home for $250,000-$500,000, it is easy to assume that a barndominium is cost-effective per square footage.
But the $35 to $50 a square foot does NOT include site prep, concrete, foundation, interior finishes, permitting, and landscaping. You could easily spend $150-$250 a square foot or $375,000 - $625,000 on a 2,500 square foot pole barn with living quarters.
However, when it comes to commercial buildings, the wide layout allows for cost savings. Post-frame buildings are more energy efficient than a steel frame. In addition, a post-frame building system doesn’t require as many load-bearing walls to achieve structural integrity. This equates to fewer material costs, less time spent framing and building, and less labor.
2)Pole Barn Permits
Depending on where you live, obtaining a permit for a pole barn can be as simple as ordering pizza. Pole barns are not allowed in some neighborhoods, or the permitting process is more complicated.
You may not want to build a pole barn if your HOA or county does not allow them. Some require pole buildings to match the residence, which could add to the overall cost—more on that in number five.
FBi Buildings is here to help you build with confidence. We have a dedicated pre-construction coordinator to assist with the permitting process.
Pole barn permits can cost $0 to several thousand, depending on the project. On average, you can expect them to cost $200-600 for most projects and counties.
3)Pole Barn Structural Integrity
Whether you are considering a DIY pole barn kit, getting building materials from Menards, or having a local builder construct your post-frame project, it is important to review the materials' quality and the crew's workmanship.
Pole barn construction varies from builder to builder. Some pole barn builders use lower-quality materials that could compromise the structural integrity of your pole building. In addition, you want to ensure the post-frame structure was built properly.
Rest assured, if you decide to go with an FBi Buildings pole barn, it will be custom-designed for your project and engineered by our in-house engineers with decades of experience. Then, they are constructed with some of the best materials in the industry by our company-owned crews.
4)Metal Roof
We live in a time where we rely on our phones to keep in touch with loved ones, take calls for business, or watch YouTube videos on post-frame construction.
A building design with metal for the siding and roof can block cell phone reception. Some might look forward to "shop time" in their ag shop, while others may rethink building a pole barn if they can't use their phone.
5)Pole Barn Curb Appeal
While we all can dream of a pole barn that looks like this, only some have a budget that supports extra features and high-end finishes. If you need a machine shed to store tillage and planting equipment, you may not care about overhangs, additional doors, and windows, and a simple rectangle with a sliding barn door is perfect for you.
However, if you are building a hobby barn behind your home, color-matching your pole barn to your home is a simple choice that does not add more money. However, adding stone to match your home is a more expensive choice some of our customers have opted for.
Other options to make your pole barn look more residential include:
- A shingled roof over metal
- Versetta wainscotting over a metal designer wall
- Adding shutters
- Upgrade doors and windows
- Add cupolas with windows
- Add cedar-wrapped posts on your porch
Depending on the type of building you want and your overall project budget, you may not want to build a pole barn if you desire a barn with extra features, but your budget only allows for a basic barn.
One solution is to build a machine shop now and add an addition. If you plan to do this, talk to our Project Sales Consultants to ensure we design your project to accommodate for future expansion.
Do You Still Want to Build a Pole Barn?
After reading this article, are you still considering a pole barn for your building project? If the answer is yes, we hope you will pick FBi Buildings.
If you want to see how we compare to competitors, check out the following articles on how we compare to our competitors:
Have more questions about pole barn trusses not covered in this article? Please contact FBi Buildings at 1.800.552.2981 or click here to email us. If you are ready to get a price, click here to request a quote and a member of our sales team will call you.