Common Questions

If your question is not answered here, please contact us for more information.

How much money can I save by doing some of the construction myself ?

Building your own garage or barn can be a satisfying experience if you can avoid making costly mistakes. We've found that for most folks without a construction background, the best way is to hire an experienced builder to help you build the shell. The cost of the materials for a typical building is 50% of the total cost. So you can save as much as half the cost by doing more of the work yourself. Be realistic about your skill level. Most of the owner-builders we've talked to were glad they had professional help with the foundation and construction of the shell.

How much will it cost to build the ______________ design.(fill in the blank) ?

Your local building professionals, the loan officer at your local bank or your local building inspector can give you "ball park" figures for your area using the square footage of the plan you propose to build. We also supply a materials list with all our plans, so you can take it to your local building center or lumberyard for a bid.

For example, our Austin barn design, with 1872 square feet of enclosed space, was built locally (2007 prices) for a material cost of $22,000, including a concrete foundation and roofing. That's about $12 a square foot for materials.

Can your barn designs be built as pole barns ?

Yes, many of our customers have adapted the designs to use pole construction. Our designs use a 2 foot "module", so it’s fairly easy to convert them to the modular spacing of a pole building. Several barn designs, such as the Austin, Lancaster,Monterey, Prescott and Cambridge include plans for a pole-frame version as part of the plans package.

Where can I get barn accessories, such as stall doors and grills, stall mats, feeders, cupolas and hard-to-find barn door hardware?

Check our "links" page to find sources for barn accessories.

In addition, most of the major horse magazines, such as Western Horseman and Horse and Rider, publish an annual directory issue, which should be available at your local library.  

We also have plans for an affordable cupola that can be "scaled" to fit a variety of garage and barn designs. Get them free when you purchase our book "Small Barn Plans for Owner-Builders", or when you purchase any of our barn plans.

How do I modify or alter one of your designs to fit my specific needs?

Our plans are designed to be expandable and flexible so you can customize the design to your requirements or building site. Your builder can make minor changes, such as moving windows or doors. Major structural changes should be made by a design professional. However, you must first purchase the plan from us, because it is a violation of federal copyright law to draft a plan based on the design ideas of any stock plan company, such as Homestead Design, Inc. If you have questions about modifying one of our stock plans, ask us before ordering the plan.We've found that about 90% of the changes our customers want can easily made by themselves or their builder.

Will your plans meet my local building codes ?

Our plans are drawn to conform with the International Building Code, a national building code that has been adopted in most areas. However, your local codes may vary from the I.B.C. because of local conditions such as snow loads, soil conditions, wind loads or a stricter local interpretation of building codes. Because there is no way for us to be familiar with every local code, the responsibility for meeting local code requirements is left to you or your builder.

Are your plans engineered ?

All our plans have been reviewed and approved by a structural engineer. Most areas do not require that plans be engineered. However, many localities require that a locally licensed engineer review plans to insure compliance with local structural design requirements for high wind loads (such as coastal areas), local soil conditions, and seismic (earthquake) zones. It’s always a good idea to work with local building professionals to insure that your structure will meet specific local code requirements.  

Our structural engineer can supply structural engineering calculations if they are required by your local building department. Because he is familiar with our plans, he can generally supply the calcs for less than your local engineer. Because the requirements differ from area to area, please contact us for a quote on your specific project.

Before you spend any money for engineering, check with your local building department to see if your building is exempt. For example, in many areas, agricultural buildings, such as a barn to house horses, is exempt. Many building departments also provide exemptions for structures under a certain size....so check first!

How many sets of plans do I need ?

You will need at least one set for your own use. Your builder will need one set for himself and extra sets for bidding and subcontractors. If you're borrowing money to build, your lender will require one or two sets. If you're building in an area where the covenants require that an architectural committee review and approve your plans, that's two sets. Since most people need several sets, we've priced the extra sets at a very reasonable $12 per set when ordered at the same time as the first set.

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