House and barn build

[97xj4.0]

I was going to start this on Pirate, but I already like this place more.
This is likely going to be a long thread, and continue long after construction is complete, because with 49 acres does it ever really end?

Anyways, this is the barn I had built at my parents house 5 years ago...
https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/40x48-pole-barn-build.1927362/

Little back story, after searching 3 years for a house with land or land to build on I finally found more than what I was looking for. 49 acres, 35 min from work on a dead end road, almost all woods, and hilly for all the fun. 🤘

I purchased the land Aug of 18,
Summer of 19 I had a logging company come in and do some slective cutting to help with house funds.
Dec of 19 we started clearing for the build.

We started with plan from Texas Barndominiums and changed it to work for us. I always wanted a house built in a pole barn but know from a family standpoint its probably not the most ideal.

The house is 2400 sq ft built on a slab 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, open floor plan, 10 ft ceilings, metal barn siding and roof. The barn is going to be 48x60 and will be connected to the house with a 14ft wide breezeway.

Everyone likes pictures, so I'll try to keep them coming.

As of right now, the driveway is in (about 800 ft long) the building site is leveled, the septic area is cleared and I just got the well permit this morning, septic should be tomorrow, with the actual building permit to follow shortly.

The plan is to break ground on the 30th to dig the foundation.

I have a ton of pictures of whats happened so far that I'll get uploaded later today.

 

[97xj4.0]

Picture dump...
This is at the road looking up what is now the driveway.

After all the brush was down looking from the top down.

Once the trees started coming down.

What better time to start than in the middle of winter right?

House area at the top of the hill getting cleared.

Up until this point I did all the work myself except one day I had a couple guys from work come help me move some logs and dig some stumps out on the driveway.

At this point, the build area was ready for the dozer.
Originally we didn't think much would have to be cut to get the area flat, after days with a dozer we found that to be wrong.
about 80% of the area is cut, and 20% is fill.

Cut for the house and barn done!

Driveway geo going down.
The driveway has 4" of #2 stone and 4" of 304 stone.

I didn't get many pictures of the gravel going down.

I wanted to get some gravel down in the shop area for staging material and trying to keep everything as clean as possible.
Project foreman checking my work.

The road is really narrow, and the gate the previous owner had up wasn't wide enough to get big trucks and trailers in, I'm not messing with moving it, so we just added a 2nd gate, and since it didn't match the original we got to paint bolt of them...
Anyway, it looks better now.

Everything is finally starting to get green again.
Now I just need it to stop raining so everything can dry up.

 

[97xj4.0]

House plans, like I said in the first post, it was a design off Texas Barndominiums that we changed.
Originally it was a 4 bedroom 2500 sq ft plan.
We took it down to 2400 and made it 48' wide to match the barn.
This is the final floor plan.
We didn't do any cathedral ceilings, but did do 10 ft ceilings in the entire house.

Depending on time and where we come in with allowances will determine what we try to do ourselves.
As of right now, it's just the barn doors, the coax (if we ever get internet out here), landscaping, exterior drainage and some misc other things.

As for counter tops, we want concrete, but the prices I have been getting have been all over the place and I'm wondering if something a little more forgiving might be a better option.

Front view

Right side

Rear

 

[Subzer008]

Going to follow this one along. Real close on pulling the trigger on 135 acres and doing the same on a smaller scale. 40x60 with 800 sf being an apartment.

Nice looking piece of land. What part of the country?

 

[KrustyTJ]

Subscribed ! What are the snow loads in your area

 

[97xj4.0]

Going to follow this one along. Real close on pulling the trigger on 135 acres and doing the same on a smaller scale. 40x60 with 800 sf being an apartment.

Nice looking piece of land. What part of the country?

Thanks! I've had this plan in my head for years and its finally going to happen!

Central Ohio, about 45 min east of Columbus.

 

[97xj4.0]

Subscribed ! What are the snow loads in your area

I honestly don't even know, I know the trusses had to be sent in for engineering for the barn and house.
this year we didn't get shit for snow, but its hit or miss here.

 

[KrustyTJ]

I honestly don't even know, I know the trusses had to be sent in for engineering for the barn and house.
this year we didn't get shit for snow, but its hit or miss here.

I had my pole barn put built a few years ago and went with a local builder and lumber yard based on my townships requirements. I did shop around on line and the engineered plans from the lumber supplier fits my area wind and snow loads vary from state to state. I'd be curious as to what the snow load would be on a pole barn engineered/built in texas vs northern states from what I've seen on google my area is 25 S.E Michigan my property up north is 50 and its about 3.5 hrs away Central Ohio is 20 and Texas 5. There is some carts online that show different conditions light/dry , wet/heavy, ice , water design load lb/sq ft.

I have a co-worker that purchased house plans online and there not engineered for Michigan he was just asking me yesterday if I knew anyone that could help him out he closes on his property soon not sure if he's going to try to get a refund or not but probably his best bet. I like what your build I'll be following along would like to something similar up north.

 

[Dethmachinefab]

I would avoid the concrete countertops, a guy that does them told me they stain easy unless epoxy coated. Depending on your style would stainless work? I have it in my kitchen mostly because it was cheap and easy but came out nice and is a great durable surface.

Not sure if I missed it but what type of flooring? I'm a big fan of the polished concrete I did I'm my house.

 

[SomeGuy]

Quartz is really the only option for counter tops IMO, they're by far the most durable.

Also, a couple comments on the floor plan:
1) The mechanical right beside the bedrooms will be annoying when the heat/water are running. Consider moving them, possibly next to the closet in the play room or where the pantry is or even just move it to the right so it's aligned with the closet which acts as a sound break. Then you could extend the master bedroom right out to the kitchen and gain a lot of useful square footage rather than a wasted hallway. Could even then do his/hers closets with the extra space.
2) Dual sinks, while trendy, are pointless unless they are separate vanities too.
3) Sink/dishwasher on the island is fine if you're good at staying on top of dishes, but means your mess is always right in the middle of everything. Consider flipping with stove.
4) Closet should be off the master bedroom, not off the bathroom.
5) Closet on the playroom should be full width, you'll not regret having extra storage for kids toys or whatever else.

Otherwise, I do like the overall layout :)

 

[97xj4.0]

I had my pole barn put built a few years ago and went with a local builder and lumber yard based on my townships requirements. I did shop around on line and the engineered plans from the lumber supplier fits my area wind and snow loads vary from state to state. I'd be curious as to what the snow load would be on a pole barn engineered/built in texas vs northern states from what I've seen on google my area is 25 S.E Michigan my property up north is 50 and its about 3.5 hrs away Central Ohio is 20 and Texas 5. There is some carts online that show different conditions light/dry , wet/heavy, ice , water design load lb/sq ft.

I have a co-worker that purchased house plans online and there not engineered for Michigan he was just asking me yesterday if I knew anyone that could help him out he closes on his property soon not sure if he's going to try to get a refund or not but probably his best bet. I like what your build I'll be following along would like to something similar up north.

I'll have to check my plans Tuesday when I get to work.
20-25 sounds right. I know the house trusses at 24 OC and the barn are 48 OC. I had a local engineer do the final house plans so they better be right haha.

 

[97xj4.0]

I would avoid the concrete countertops, a guy that does them told me they stain easy unless epoxy coated. Depending on your style would stainless work? I have it in my kitchen mostly because it was cheap and easy but came out nice and is a great durable surface.

Not sure if I missed it but what type of flooring? I'm a big fan of the polished concrete I did I'm my house.

I love the look of them, but I have heard from a few people that they are hard to keep looking nice. I also know concrete does 2 things, gets hard and cracks... cracks in the counters would drive me crazy.
Your stainless looks nice that might be an option for us.

Floors are going to be mostly hardwood with carpet in the bedrooms and play room. We thought about doing ground and sealed concrete, but I was worried about how cold it would be in the winter without radiant heat.

 

[97xj4.0]

Quartz is really the only option for counter tops IMO, they're by far the most durable.

Also, a couple comments on the floor plan:
1) The mechanical right beside the bedrooms will be annoying when the heat/water are running. Consider moving them, possibly next to the closet in the play room or where the pantry is or even just move it to the right so it's aligned with the closet which acts as a sound break. Then you could extend the master bedroom right out to the kitchen and gain a lot of useful square footage rather than a wasted hallway. Could even then do his/hers closets with the extra space.
2) Dual sinks, while trendy, are pointless unless they are separate vanities too.
3) Sink/dishwasher on the island is fine if you're good at staying on top of dishes, but means your mess is always right in the middle of everything. Consider flipping with stove.
4) Closet should be off the master bedroom, not off the bathroom.
5) Closet on the playroom should be full width, you'll not regret having extra storage for kids toys or whatever else.

Otherwise, I do like the overall layout :)

I like the idea of moving the mechanical room to the right and extending the master all the way out and removing the hallway, but I also like the barrier between the living area and the bedroom
I wanted to keep it as centrally located as a could for ease of heating.
Luckily the gf is good at cleaning up, so the kitchen is almost always clean!
It would be pretty easy to change the closet access from the bathroom to the bedroom. I think with the separate toilet room it won't be that bad though.
We are planning to have a TV in the cutout area in the playroom with a shelf in under it.

 

[97xj4.0]

My parents have been having issues with animals getting under the porch of the barn we built at their house recently. First possums then ground hogs. I took the mini out there, dug up around the entire porch, put another board on, and back filled it higher.
They also had issues with a couple of the gutters not working well. I ran new drain lines while I was there.
They has a large tree cut down a few weeks ago and it seemed like a great time to dig the stump out, so that happened too.

 

[97xj4.0]

Today I mowed the one grass area we have for the first time this year, it was long to say the least.
Last year one of the areas stayed really wet, this year it looks like a new spring has shown up. I have steady running water running down the hill, across the entire grass area and into the woods on the other side.

Everything is at the building department for the building permit, already have the well and septic and the loan closing is Friday. If all goes well, I should be digging the foundation next weekend!

 

[SomeGuy]

I like the idea of moving the mechanical room to the right and extending the master all the way out and removing the hallway, but I also like the barrier between the living area and the bedroom
I wanted to keep it as centrally located as a could for ease of heating.
Luckily the gf is good at cleaning up, so the kitchen is almost always clean!
It would be pretty easy to change the closet access from the bathroom to the bedroom. I think with the separate toilet room it won't be that bad though.
We are planning to have a TV in the cutout area in the playroom with a shelf in under it.

You could keep a stub hallway in and make the door 90 degrees to what it is now, basically facing the mechanical room door. That would still give you space to extend the room down to have the separate walk ins or a reading nook or something more useful than hallway. One of the things I always try to do with floor plans is maximize usable space, I see too many floor plans where they have massive entries or pointless hallways or awkward layouts...square footage is expensive and so I always want to use as much as possible for living space.

Reason for closet access via the bedroom is not so much access, it's to keep the moisture and smells from getting at your clothes. Of course being able to grab something out of the closet while someone is using the bathroom is nice too.

Makes sense...other option is extend the closet further, make it a walk in, then wall mount the tv there. Think about where you will store luggage, vacuum cleaner, extra bedding (although you have a coupe linen closets), random bins full of childhood memories, etc.

Either way, it's still a good plan!

 

[97xj4.0]

Saturday we picked siding and roof colors. Went with black for the roof and charcoal for the siding with some white trim.
We submitted the plans for review last week and they said they would get to them this week. Well Tuesday the barn builder was at the buikding department and had an appointment for 3 projects. Only 2 were ready so he told them to get ours in. So Tuesday we got our building permit!

Friday is closing with the bank, and Friday afternoon/Saturday I'll be digging the foundation. Friday they are also dropping off the shell of the barn.

 

[97xj4.0]

Did the closing for the construction loan Friday at 9am. At 945 the trusses for the barn got delivered,, and shortly after that all the wood for the barn. Metal is coming Monday, and they are going to start putting it up Wednesday.

I've been digging the house foundation, we have an inspection Monday afternoon and we are pouring shortly after that.

Cinder blocks show up Tuesday and the masons are coming Wednesday to start on the block foundation.

Its real, it's happening, and quickly!

 

[McBastard79]

I like where this is going.

 

[Crawl Away]

This looks like a rewarding project. Good luck.

 

[97xj4.0]

Inspection Monday, all went well, poured concrete Monday afternoon.
Masons showed up this morning and got about 60% done today. They should finish tomorrow. Hopefully backfilling this weekend.
Call into the plumber, hopefully they can get there next week to do the underground.
barn guys aren't there yet, hopefully tomorrow.

 

[97xj4.0]

Barn started Friday, footer inspection on Friday as Well. Foundation backfilled this weekend, cleaned the site up a little and started moving dirt that was mounded up by the excavators to give some more staging/parking area. Its still pretty soft, but the forecast is mostly dry this week.

 

[Poriggity]

Dang you're moving quick! Subscribing!!

 

[97xj4.0]

Dang you're moving quick! Subscribing!!

I'm trying! Between working 60+ hours a week and trying to get stuff done out there its been interesting. Its a new level of tired haha

 

[97xj4.0]

Should be seeing metal tomorrow.

 

[KrustyTJ]

They sure go up fast looks good

 

[97xj4.0]

Roof metal and some trim started.
Hoping to see the plumber for the house this week.
Energy co-op should be showing up in the next few weeks to set the pole and primary.
I took the fun job of trenching the 800 ft from the road to where the transformer is getting set so that will be happening soon too.

 

[97xj4.0]

And some siding! 4th side won't get done until the house is framed since the breezway connects the house to the barn.
plumber is running behind, but should be there tomorrow (Monday)

I went out Saturday and moved some more dirt. Only a little more to go. I'm trying to make some more parking/staging area, but this is mostly the muck that was on top when they graded the area flat. Its pretty soft, but hopefully some sun and it will dry up.

​​​​​

 

[97xj4.0]

Plumber started last week, had some pea stone dropped off for back filling and the truck driver ran over all the siding for the 4th side of the barn . Plumber is planning to be done this week and hopefully we can get the pad poured early next week and start framing shortly after that.

Energy company was out and took down 3 trees and set the power pole. They are letting me dig the trench to save money.
.. 7 hours in and I have aboit 150 of the 800 foot done. Its all shale and sucks to dig. Hopefully I'll get the rest done next weekend and have power ran in the next 2 weeks.

 

[Clemson13]

Any updates on this? Super cool project.