Custom Barndominiums in Indiana

Custom barndominiums start from your land and your list, not from a catalog. You might want a walkout on a southern Indiana hillside, a big covered porch facing a pond, an attached heated shop with a tall door, or stone and wood instead of steel siding. A custom build lets every one of those choices shape the frame.

Fitting the terrain

Indiana's ground changes from glacial moraines and kettle lakes in the northeast to the flat Tipton Till Plain in the center to the steep Norman Upland and the karst of the Mitchell Plateau in the south. The Indiana Geological Survey notes the Mitchell Plateau is pocked with sinkholes and caves. A custom plan can use a slope for a lower level, step a slab, or avoid an unstable spot entirely.

Exterior choices

Metal panels are not the only option. Board-and-batten, stone wainscot, lap siding and mixed materials can all go on a post frame or steel structure. Check local zoning and any subdivision covenants first, since some restrict metal-sided homes or set minimum sizes.

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Budget follows choices

Published ranges are wide because custom work is wide. HomeGuide puts finished barndominiums at about $65 to $160 per square foot nationally, and HomeBlue's Indianapolis range is $76 to $126 before site work. Basements, long driveways, wells, high-end kitchens and large shop doors move the number. We price each choice on its own line so you can trade one for another.

Northern and southern differences

A custom barndominium in the northern lake country is designed for 36-inch footings, 30 psf ground snow in counties such as Noble and DeKalb, and ice shield underlayment at the eaves. In the far southwest, Vanderburgh and Posey Counties need only 24-inch footings. In the southern hills, steep lots and karst ground can call for extra grading, retaining or drainage work. A custom design accounts for these from the first sketch, so the plan you fall in love with is one that can actually be built on your land.

Keeping the barn character

If you want the look of an Indiana barn, that means tall gables, a gambrel or monitor roof, sliding barn doors and exposed trusses or beams in the great room. We work these features into the framing plan so they are structural and practical, not just trim.

Check the parcel before you commit

Some counties say it plainly. The Allen County Department of Health notes that some sites in the county are not suitable for on-site wastewater treatment, and it strongly recommends having a soil scientist and a septic designer review a parcel before you buy it. Design values can also change between neighbors: the 2020 Indiana Residential Code lists Allen County at 36-inch footings but a 20 psf ground snow load, while DeKalb County just to the north is at 30 psf. In Kosciusko County lake country, the Area Plan Commission handles planning, zoning, permitting and flood control for unincorporated areas and towns such as Syracuse and Milford, so a lake lot starts with that office. A custom design is only as good as the land research behind it.