By JONATHAN SNYDER
A barndominium home under construction in Markle has caught attention online.
Lauren Kinsey, along with contracted help, is building her own barndominium on County Road 150 in Markle and plans to use that as her permanent home. Kinsey knew she wanted to be out in the countryside, but original quotes for ideal 2000-square-foot homes were out of her budget.
“We had thought about building a single story … with a basement,” Kinsey said. “We got a quote and it was close to like $500,000, and that was not in our budget. We got quotes for a normal house with multiple roof lines … and they were more than we were able to afford.”
After some creative thinking, the barndominium plan was put into action. Kinsey, with her experience as a real estate agent, wanted to ensure that her home would stand through time and age. Kinsey said that the main bedroom is on the first floor, so they can avoid going up and down the stairs when they get older.
“We built it with a mindset of it being our (Kinsey and her husband’s) forever home,” Kinsey said. “He wanted a shop with … materials and equipment and an office. My (ideal list) was a large playroom for the kids and land and things like that. Being in the real estate industry, I just knew that both of us getting our wish list (was impossible). We can’t buy it but maybe we can build it.”
Barn Builders by LS Construction’s Leander Schwartz stated that barndominiums are more cost effective than traditional homes, which is a key factor in the trend. Barndominiums are also extremely flexible with floor planning according to both Schwartz and Kinsey, allowing for a garage, workshop and living area to occupy the same space in the same building.
“There’s just so much more that you can do,” Schwartz says. “It’s all combined into one building versus having several different buildings. You get way more bang for your buck if you go with a barn home versus a traditional home … you can build them way quicker than you can vinyl siding and all the pump outs.”
Barndominiums have become a significant trend over the last few years. The term comes from a mix of barn and condominium and combines aspects of both. Schwartz reported that the first barndominium he built was in 2017. Since then, he has built over 30 barndominiums in the area over the past few years.
Schwartz noted that standard houses have five and a half inch walls, packed tight with insulation which can lead to splits and tears. Standard barndominiums have seven inch walls, which gives more room for insulation and lessens the risk of splits.
Kinsey also noted that the community has taken a lot of interest in her home. Kinsey created a Facebook page due to interest from their neighbors and has answered their questions throughout.
“I just felt like there were a lot of people just naturally stopping by, which we’ve enjoyed,” Kinsey said. “It’s also just … given us energy because it’s been every night and weekend for the last six months. Having the community support and cheering us on has given us a new boost.”
jonathan@news-banner.com
