Barndominium?

[TnT_M]

I had a cousin build a barndominium. The living quarters were about the garage and behind it. The pain was climbing the almost 2 flights of stairs to get to the main living quarters. If this does not have stairs to access the main living area, then that is good.

I keep telling my wife we need less house and more garage...

 

[Cujet]

Depending on exactly wherein TN you are looking at, make sure your general health is compatible with the distance to doctors etc. My wife is from a very pretty area around Jamestown, TN, but when my mother in law started having aging problems and broke her shoulder it was almost an hour drive for someone to get her to specialists, physical therapy etc. They don't even have a hospital in town any longer.

It is up on the ridge, 20 mins to the bottom. Interestingly, right near the end of the road, there is a small hospital. It's open and has ambulance service. How long that remains open is anybody's guess. I should use it a lot

Health issues are a concern, and who knows.. While I still can, I probably should do the things I want to do. Loved living in Jupiter, FL. But it is not the place I moved into and I want to move out. TN is not a bad choice. FL is tough to deal with now. Just dropping the rental car off today took 2.5HR due to traffic jams both ways. Should have been 1HR.

Hard to beat Jupiter beach! I rarely go. Can't take the sun/heat for very long and I scare people when I'm in shorts...

 

[Cujet]

I looked up the retention rate of this location of TN (Pikeville), 43%. On the surface that seems horrible, but 43% is in line with most of the country. 50-60% of newcomers eventually leave due to isolation, job scarcity, or gloomy/harsh winters. Retirees tend to have higher retention rates in TN. Young folks find the low pay tough to deal with.

FL is 45-47% general retention (highest in the nation)
Tennessee 43% (with 80% of retirees staying due to affordability)
Arizona 44-46%
North Carolina 45%
South Carolina 44%
Texas 42-44%
Wyoming 40-42%

Rural New York 38% (nearly tied with CA for lowest in the country)
Rural Pennsylvania 41-43%
California 40%
New Jersey 39-41%

Anyway, I'm prob going to make an offer on the place. I did love it. Roomy all one level living, with plenty of indoor maneuvering space for a wheelchair/walker or mobility scooter for my wife.

My FL home is also an open layout, but does have 3 stairs from the garage into the house, and 2 stairs at the entrance, making wheelchair entry more difficult.

 

[Cujet]

My cash offer on the barndo was accepted, pending no disasters from the inspection, it will be mine at the end of Feb. Should be really fun. Now to pick up a log splitter, a bigger tractor and maybe make a jet engine powered leaf blower...

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Congratulations! We took the leap to TN from NC 4 years ago. It's a great state to live in.

 

[KCJeep]

My cash offer on the barndo was accepted, pending no disasters from the inspection, it will be mine at the end of Feb. Should be really fun. Now to pick up a log splitter, a bigger tractor and maybe make a jet engine powered leaf blower...

Good times. Congratulations!

 

[Cujet]

The place is not quite 6 years old. But needs to be partially remodeled and there are many interior walls/closets unfinished. I have this in the budget. I will need to hire people to do the work, as I have things I need to work on. The place is rather remote, so finding help will be an issue. I suspect if the project is large enough, workers will show up.

 

[Cujet]

Beautiful home and property. Sorry if I missed it, but is this not a stick built home, clad in metal? I see wood framing in doorways, etc. Interior painting would be a chore given the wall and ceiling heights. Anything slab built makes repairs or renovations expensive. I assume it's on septic and well water?

As I understand it, it is a metal building with a steel frame. Wood shell inside to finish it out. I can't see inside the walls, but I've been told that's how it is built.

City water, septic system. Small spring fed man made pond 50x25 or so. I can pump water from that for non household needs.

I will need to find or construct a scaffold or high ladder to get up to the ceiling bird, er, ah, smoke detector.

 

[tbm5690]

Congrats. In the woods in TN = highly desirable in my book. Definitely a bit remote, but then you aren't paying Knoxville/Nashville prices so there's that.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Congrats! If it’s a spring fed pond, I’d rent an excavator or high lift and dig that bad boy out much deeper and bigger if possible.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Exactly the kind of place I have dreamed about (in Tennessee) for many years. Just not in the cards for me for several reasons.

 

[nomas]

You build a large shop/barn with an apartment inside . It can be as nice and cozy and well lit as you want it to be .

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I am considering the purchase of a very nice Barndominium in TN. It sits atop a 1300 foot high ridge at about 2100 feet elevation, has a spectacular view.

If anyone has experience or thoughts on such a house, feel free to share your thoughts.

The property is 20 useable acres, with trails about and a small spring fed lake. The home is a steel building, finished inside with conventional materials. The layout is unusual but spacious and warm. About 3000 sq ft under the roof and 2700 inside.

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These are unique properties so obtaining a legitimate appraised value is difficult. Just looking at the construction they're probably fairly drafty and you have this huge interior air space which must be heated/cooled.

White elephant comes to mind.

 

[Cujet]

These are unique properties so obtaining a legitimate appraised value is difficult. Just looking at the construction they're probably fairly drafty and you have this huge interior air space which must be heated/cooled.

White elephant comes to mind.

A conventional home would be exactly what I don't want. Is it my 'dream home', not even close. I'd actually prefer a big log home, been there, done that and liked it. I had a 2800sq ft log place in PA. This place is one level, which means the wife can roll the wheelchair, I don't have to deal with stairs (my enemy) and it has plenty of room for all my stuff. Plus the location is exactly what I'm looking for and the land is mostly flat.

My other TN property has a few hundred feet elevation change. Not exactly what I need as a retiree.

We were up there mid winter, so it's not drafty at all. Insulated with spray foam, top to bottom. It feels nice.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

A conventional home would be exactly what I don't want. Is it my 'dream home', not even close. I'd actually prefer a big log home, been there, done that and liked it. I had a 2800sq ft log place in PA. This place is one level, which means the wife can roll the wheelchair, I don't have to deal with stairs (my enemy) and it has plenty of room for all my stuff. Plus the location is exactly what I'm looking for and the land is mostly flat.

My other TN property has a few hundred feet elevation change. Not exactly what I need as a retiree.

We were up there mid winter, so it's not drafty at all. Insulated with spray foam, top to bottom. It feels nice.

Spray foam is the only way to obtain reasonable air tightness. Why not just build a ranch house without the wasted second story?

 

[Cujet]

Spray foam is the only way to obtain reasonable air tightness. Why not just build a ranch house without the wasted second story?

I could do that and if it fails inspection, I just might. However, building is now considerably more expensive. A 3000 sq ft home on 20 good acres is out of my reach.

Breaking it down:
1) 20 acres with an epic view = 10K-15K acre. Yes, less epic TN land can still be found for $6,500/acre. I have 12 acres separately that might be worth 6,500/acre.
2) Completed 3000sq ft ranch style homes with septic/elec/water run about $700K+++ now.

Bottom line, I don't have $900-950K. I simply can't do it. I could afford to build a 2000 sq ft home. Which is smaller than I have now.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I could do that and if it fails inspection, I just might. However, building is now considerably more expensive. A 3000 sq ft home on 20 good acres is out of my reach.

Breaking it down:
1) 20 acres with an epic view = 10K-15K acre. Yes, less epic TN land can still be found for $6,500/acre. I have 12 acres separately that might be worth 6,500/acre.
2) Completed 3000sq ft ranch style homes with septic/elec/water run about $700K+++ now.

Bottom line, I don't have $900-950K. I simply can't do it. I could afford to build a 2000 sq ft home. Which is smaller than I have now.

You're probably good on inspection. How's road access? I saw Pikeville TN in responses. That's and hour from Chattanooga and over an hour from Knoxville. Would finding a medical specialists be a challenge?

A lot of retirees have been moving to TN to avoid the Florida hurricanes while preserving similar tax benefits.

 

[nomas]

It seems that a lot of folks don't understand how a barndominium works . The living area is just like a regular home or apartment . Drywall , eight or ten foot ceilings , etc . Around here most folks build them at the same grade as the shop/barn floor unless you want to save space and go up .

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

It seems that a lot of folks don't understand how a barndominium works . The living area is just like a regular home or apartment . Drywall , eight or ten foot ceilings , etc . Around here most folks build them at the same grade as the shop/barn floor unless you want to save space and go up .

Yes but the outer shell is typically not built like residential home but instead a commercial metal building.whicb creates all sorts of problems.

 

[nomas]

Yes but the outer shell is typically not built like residential home but instead a commercial metal building.whicb creates all sorts of problems.

What kind of problems ? I see metal buildings with finished interiors everywhere .