Barndominium Builders in Elkhart, IN

Barndominium builders in Elkhart plan around serious winters. Wikipedia's climate figures for Elkhart show about 74.2 inches of snow a year, with January alone averaging 18.5 inches. The city of 53,923 (2020 census) sits where the Elkhart River flows into the St. Joseph River at Island Park, just north of downtown, about 15 miles east of South Bend. It was dubbed the RV Capital of the World by 1949, after the first recreational vehicle factory opened here in 1934. A home with serious shop space suits anyone who builds, fixes or hauls RVs. Below are the five things that most change how we design one around Elkhart.

1. Snow load and drifting

The 2020 Indiana Residential Code county table lists Elkhart County at a 30 psf ground snow load and requires ice barrier underlayment. A barndominium often combines a tall shop roof with a lower living-space roof or porch, and wind piles snow into the step between them. That drift zone gets heavier framing or closer purlin spacing. Other snow-country details we plan for:

• Roof slope and panel profile chosen so snow sheds where you want it, not over a door
• Snow guards above entries and walkways
• Gutters sized and heat-traced where ice dams are likely, or left off the eave and replaced with grading
• Overhead doors on the gable end where practical, so they are not under the sliding snow

2. Frost depth

The same table sets a 36-inch minimum footing depth for Elkhart County, measured from finished grade to the bottom of the footing, with a 1 F winter design temperature. Monolithic slabs need either footings carried to that depth or a properly designed frost-protected shallow foundation. For post-frame buildings, posts or piers bear below the frost line so the frame does not heave. Unheated shop bays deserve the same care as the living space, because frost does not care which side of the wall the furnace is on.

3. The rivers

Elkhart sits on two rivers. The first hydraulic dam across the St. Joseph here was built in 1867. For a parcel near either river or one of the small lakes around the city, we pull the flood map first and set the building on the highest practical ground. Being outside a mapped flood zone still does not mean water will not stand in a low corner, so grading around the building matters on every lot.

4. Sandy ground and shallow water tables

The Indiana Geological and Water Survey notes glacial outwash of sand and gravel in the northern lake region, and kettle lakes formed where buried ice melted under outwash. Two soil series the USDA lists as common in northern Indiana show the range. Oshtemo, found on outwash plains, valley trains and moraines, is well drained with very rapid permeability in its lower sandy layers and is of large extent in the region. Bronson, on outwash plains and low-lying moraines, is only moderately well drained and carries a seasonal high water table 1.5 to 2.5 feet down from November through May. Fast-draining sand is easy on a slab but can push a septic design toward treatment that slows effluent down. A shallow winter water table limits trench depth and can call for a mound. A site soil evaluation tells you which you have.

5. City permit or county permit

Inside city limits, the City of Elkhart Building and Code department's Building Division reviews construction documents and inspects work, and its Permit Center handles applications. Its electrical, mechanical and plumbing division inspects trade work within city limits as well. Outside the city, the parcel falls under Elkhart County, and septic and well permits come from the Elkhart County Health Department's Environmental Health division. State rule 410 IAC 6-8.3 governs home septic systems, and where city sewer is reasonably close a new septic system is not allowed.

Getting to the site

Elkhart sits on the Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90) at exits 92 and 96, with US 20 bypassing the south side as the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, and SR 19, US 33 and SR 120 running through or ending in the city. For a shop house that will see trailers or long rigs, the driveway approach, turning room and apron depth are part of the site plan from day one.

Have land in or around Elkhart? Call (317) 893-3806 or

Get a Free Estimate

and tell us what the shop needs to hold.