Foundation

 We hired a metal barn company to do the first big step towards our dream home and our home is constructed Pole Barn style.  This is where the posts are set into the ground first, and then the concrete is poured around them instead of the posts being nailed into the already set concrete.  We also have engineered trusses for the roof which actually gave us alot of attic space which we originally didn't think we were going to have.  We did construct the shop first, just in case we needed to live there while the house was being built.  With this being a whole new adventure for us, we had NO IDEA what to expect time wise or if we were ACTUALLY going to pull off the budget per square foot.  Our hopeful budget is between $100-$105 per square foot and you'll just have to keep following to see if we reach that! 

Spot little Baker in the very back! This is the view from the kids wing (above)

This is the view from the Master Patio (above) 

The view from the backyard! (above) 

Blueprints

We started off the dream of building a house awhile ago and the cost was just too high for us to pull the trigger.  We drew up plans, went to open houses, threw plans away, met with different builders, the whole process.   

I was getting frustrated one night when we were looking through plans and couldn't find one we wanted.  I loved the fact that our current house was one story and the kids were just around the corner from the living room, but our master was at the other end of the house.  I also loved how open our main living and kitchen area was because we like to host ALOT.  Between friends and family, athletes, the kids friends, etc., we are always having someone over.  

Then our cousin, who is also our realtor, stumbled on land that wasn't even listed yet.  7.3 acres closer to the school my husband coaches at.  This would bring Corbin's daily commute from 42 minutes one way to 7 minutes one way.  Our son also wrestled around there and the girls were starting to as well. This was starting to be ALOT of driving.  

So we jumped on it, listed our house and that's when we had to get serious about our blueprints.  We drew up about 100 different versions before we finally settled on the one posted below.   

A few things that we kept in mind:

How can we maximize our space for the least amount of money?

What ways can we save money now and in the future? 

What are our most important needs/wants?  

So first, we came up with a plan with the least about of exterior jet outs.  This was going to cut down on the exterior cost. 

Next, we chose to go with 26 gauge metal roofing which is going to save us 23% on our house insurance over using an Architectural shingle. 

Lastly, our wants.  We wanted a large main area, large pantry, large laundry room and even after it was all drawn up, we made some changes in the middle of construction.  

We did save some money by drawing it up ourselves because we didn't have to purchase a plan and then modify, we just sent our drawings to an engineer who put it all together for us.

This was just the beginning of the Burch Barndo. 

Intro to the Burch Barndo

 

The Burchett Barndo

Hello! 

We are the Burchett Family and we are building a Barndominium! 

Just a little about us, Corbin and I (Courtney) have five amazing kids. Their ages are 10,5,5,3,1. My husband is a teacher and coach.  He coaches Varsity and JV Football, Girls JV and Varsity Basketball, and Girls and Boys Track.  We stay BUSY.  I work full-time as the Project Manager at a local accounting and tax office and LOVE my job.  Between all the sports, we are managing 17 different sports schedules!!! No joke! 

So we are BUSY and still decided that we were going to GC our Barndo Build... Yes, you can call us insane, but we are sooo close to the finish line now and it has been soooo worth it! 

Now, I will say we do have some background in construction. I sold scaffolding for awhile, my dad owns a construction and septic company, my husband and my dad have built a full brick two story shop before and we know several people in different trades that we asked to help us before taking this all on. It is still very scary as this is our very first home start to finish though! 

With that being said, we have decided to share our adventure from the past few months.  The amount of interest and questions we have had has been overwhelming so a blog has been the best way to share all of the knowledge that we have gained and the full process of the barndo! 

Please reach out with any questions you may have! 

Thanks for reading! 

Courtney