Looking for a post frame barn that can accommodate some living quarters or maybe even an in-law suite? This is a popular type of plan and one that we see often. One of the nice things about adding living quarters to your floor plan when you are planning your building is the flexibility it gives you for whatever the extra rooms are for. That college student that needs a little extra independence but isn't wanting to leave home quite yet, the in-laws or parents that need a place to stay that's nearby (or maybe even just a place to stay when they're visiting the grandkids!), or even just an extra space for when you have guests in town.
Accessible dwelling units (ADU), granny pods, and post frame builds with livable areas built in are becoming more and more popular.
Pros of Living Quarters in a Pole Barn:
Living quarters can be easily worked into a detached garage, workshop, sportsplex, party barn, and other similar type building plans. They can be designed to be accessible (on the ground-floor) or be on a second floor.
Something else that we touched on above is that these builds made with an apartment included can be a great spot to have a guest room or suite, an in-laws suite, or an expanded space for your own family.
Some other great uses we've seen of adding additional, separated space into your build (framing out a room or two in your building plans) include things like having an office space stationed in your pole barn, a kid's area (playroom, hang-out spot, or similar), a bonus room or entertainment room (think like a man cave or party barn, but on the smaller scale and enclosed into a room inside your garage/barn build), to accommodate for game nights, guys' night, or hosting and family purposes in general.
We've even had clients that add an apartment while building their stand-alone barn on their property, not to live in constantly, but to have a space to stay when they are in the area of their property.
Side note: Two-story post frame barns are totally possible by the way - we know this is something people wonder, and yes, two-story barndos, pole barns, and more can be built well and can be a great use of the space you have to work with. Post frame construction is also great for working in lofts and mezzanines. But two-story pole barns are another discussion, and they do require careful planning during the designing phase of your build, since they have some additional structural needs. Back to our main topic though... 😅
Here are one of the post frame garages/barns we built for a client recently, that incorporates an apartment into the plan.
The exterior just looks like a great post frame build - along with a nice corner wrap porch and windows on the side where the apartment was built. The build (48' x 72' x 16' with a 24' 6" ridge height) was made to house vehicles and equipment and, of course, the apartment space. 14' x 14' and 16' x 8' garage doors were chosen by this client. The garage doors setup allowed for a drive through garage (have to love the convenience of that!)
Inside, there was a large area for parking vehicles and storage, and then in the one corner of the build was planned and built an apartment (ground floor) with a loft for storage above.
We, of course, constructed the building. And as far as the interior build goes, we completed the framing out for the apartment and loft area (with staircase for access), and then we ended up doing the interior work on more of a turnkey level for the client as well (electrical, plumbing, drywall, etc.)
Floor plans for pole barn/garage with apartment/living quarters and loft area.
Once the interior was roughed in, electrical and plumbing done, and drywall up and mudded, it created a beautiful and practical blank canvas for the owners to personalize and make their own! See below for pictures of the living quarters, the storage space/loft, and the garage area. The owner did select to have Milmar's interior insulation package included in this garage build as well (for the main garage area).
Apartment in pole barn garage, interior
Garage/storage space interior
Loft and additional storage space above apartment
While we've built many barns with living quarters added on, or designed into the plans, there are a number of ways you can go about including this in your build.
Option 1 Have your builder do all the work. The most expensive option, but certainly the easiest and probably highest quality way of having your build with an apartment done.
Option 2 Letting your builder know of your plans to add an apartment in the build, but just having them stick to constructing the main build (not the living quarters addition). Make sure you let your contractor know about this ahead of time, that way if they need to adjust the design of your barn to accommodate any additional tie-ins or framing you'll be doing after their work is done, they can make sure to do so. They may even be able to give you an idea of where it may be best to plan the living quarters to go with the construction of the main/exterior build.
Option 3 Have your builder do the main build, and the interior FRAMING. This is one that we've done a lot. While turnkey is a great option, if you're looking to save some time and money, this is a great way to get the most important and challenging elements taken care of all at once. This would leave things like drywalling, electrical (maybe), and plumbing to be done by you, but if you have the skillset to manage this (or a friend or two that you wouldn't mind working with on it) then this can be a great way to save on some of the cost.
Option 4 You can DIY the whole build yourself. While not always practical, and sometimes it's not even more cost effective once you factor in time and experience, it is possible to build yourself. It does require having building skills and history, contacts for things like concrete, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and so on.
All this to say, apartments and living quarters inside a garage or pole barn are doable and even common. And your builder should be able to work with you to put together a design and plan that best suites your needs. Feel free to contact Milmar to get started on a design for your build! Our team loves to take you from the start of planning and getting a quote all the way to the end result of the build being completed, inspected, and signed off on.
Let's build something great together!