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Building a barndominium: What about the details?Building a barndominium: What about the details?Claudia OrumOrum
2017-03-02T06:00:00ZHousing
​​​​​Editor's note: This is part five of a series.


​Barndominiums can be built in a variety of styles. Some, like this one, even resemble traditio​nal homes.

​During our initial visit with our general contractor, he asked me what my ultimate goal for our new barndominium was. I told him that I wanted it to be “my home, my retirement home, and my nursing home all in one." He was a little surprised by that answer, but then I elaborated.

My ideal home is a moderate-sized home—one that is comfortable, welcoming, well-built, and easy to maintain both inside and outside. I researched and worked on our home layout and design for several months before we selected our general contractor, so I had a good idea of the details I wanted.

With details, try to stay a step or two ahead of your contractor. It will make your building project go faster. Our contractor did a wonderful job guiding me in that direction. He knew the building stages, so he asked me for details in time to order the materials before the sub-contractor was ready for them.


Interior/exterior details
What are the important features you want in and around your new home? There are literally thousands of ideas to choose from and consider. Our first contractor's advice to me was to log onto Houzz.com​ and search for what​ever room or theme I wanted. Well, that almost created a “design monster,” but my budget quickly got that under control. Houzz.com provided modern and innovative ideas on everything from appliances to bathroom decorations and even wall color ideas.​

We chose a variegated stained concrete floor and sheetrock walls with regular nine-foot ceilings throughout our home. Neither my husband nor I thought ceiling height was very important, but I did some research and discovered that a nine-foot ceiling adds more value to the home than an eight-foot ceiling. Also, it can be maintained easily. The ten-foot and raised ceilings are lovely, but, in my opinion, they pose a little more difficulty in maintaining (changing light bulbs, cleaning spider webs, etc.). Not to mention they cost considerably more than nine-foot ceilings. Consider the look you want versus the cost of the building materials, heating/cooling costs, and ease of maintenance.​​

Windows/exterior doors
These were my first big detail items. Natural lighting is ​​​essential to me, so I wanted plenty of windows and doors with sidelights. A 36-inch patio door with ​sidelights and built-in mini-blinds was a must-have.

Lights/electrical plugs
Make the electrician your friend. During the framing process, meet with the electrician to go over how you want the electrical setup in your home. Take a copy of your floorplan and identify where you want your electric plugs, TV cable outlets, internet cables, etc. Let him know if you want LED lights (how many and where) in each room. Identify appliance locations. Do you want plugs on your bar or island? What about under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen? (I love mine!) And don't forget the outside electrical outlets.

Wall colors
I used Sherwin-Williams’ website for my interior colors and trim. It had helpful ideas. I particularly liked their color palette collections. I chose our room colors from their “Rustic Refined” collection. Choosing different room colors was a little more expensive than going with one or two colors, but I am very happy with it.​

Ceiling fans
I purchased most of our ceiling fans on sale at Home Depot. I wanted to add a western touch and create my own "wow" factor. I did this with Rustic Lighting and Fans.

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Appliances
Regardless of which appliances you select, make sure your framer has the correct dimensions of each.

Interior doors/cabinets
There are so many options to choose from. Don’t wait until the last minute to decide. I fell in love with Knotty Alder doors and cabinets, and I have them throughout the house (except in the mudroom).

Kitchen/bathroom
Again, there are so many beautiful possibilities for your countertops and bath. I chose Typhoon Boudreaux granite for my kitchen and cultured marble for the bathrooms.

TIP: With health and safety in mind, I chose 36-inch interior doors and designed the master bath to be wheelchair friendly, just in case we ever need it. I also had 2”x4” or 2”x6” boards added to support handrails in the shower wall and bathtub area.

Next week: Time to move in!
2017-03-02T06:00:00Zhttps://www.recenter.tamu.edu/info/blog/?Item=74

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