Help Me Design a Texas Home

My pending divorce leaves me with the sudden ability to design and build my own home without having to compromise with a partner and having the restraints of having to cater to their lifestyle during construction. I'll soon move in with my brother and begin searching for land.

Here is what I want. I want to build an energy efficient home that will house myself and have an extra bedroom. I plan to provide my own utilities. I don't have to be off grid and the cheapest alternative is to use net metering and remain connected to the electrical grid, but I'll consider off grid if I can get land much cheaper because electrical service isn't available. I'd like to provide my own water through a well or rainwater collection, but I'm not against having public water available as a backup. I want to live on at least 5 acres and not be located within any city limit. I want to be able to claim an agricultural exemption on my property taxes.

I've looked at and considered monolithic domes, geodesic domes, hay bale construction, underground homes, earth bermed homes, log cabins, and many other types of construction. After looking at all of this, I have decided to build a "barndominium". Basically, a barndo is a modern home built into a metal building. There are "pole barns", where the skeleton of the building is made from wood and clad with metal siding, but I'm looking at a ready built shell of a metal building on a modern slab with all of the included plumbing for water service and draining to a septic system. After the interior is framed and all plumbing, electrical, internet, AC, and all other "in wall" systems are installed and tested, I will spray foam insulate the entire inside of the metal shell of the home. Then I can cover the internal walls and finish out all of the electrical and plumbing fixtures. I plan to do as much of the work as possible by myself with the help of friends and my sons.

The barndo appeals to me for several reasons. They are maintenance free on the outside and are rated to not need painting for 50 years in most cases. They are a free standing shell and the interior can be designed as open or closed as you like. Many of the traditional home furnishings can be ignored. Stained concrete floors are an option to carpet, wood, or tile. I'm considering just painting the entire exposed ceiling a flat black and only finishing the walls in a traditional manner with siding or sheetrock. Some metal roofs have ridges included so that I can mount solar panel brackets without drilling through the roof to mount them. The expansive metal roof is also perfect for rainwater collection for drinking and plumbing needs. Large porches are attractive and lend themselves well to the Texas heat and outdoor lifestyle. Here are some examples of barndominiums. I'd also like to include a large shop/garage in the building that is about the same size as the house.







I'm open to alternate ideas or any suggestion concerning heating/cooling, lighting, utility systems, home security, fencing, etc....

the abode should be as close to square as possible. with the smoke pipe from the coal burning stove at dead center. your second bedroom ( first is where you fall asleep while watching Cincy Reds baseball ) should have a good wall mounted 4' heater on the non shared wall. door to said second bedroom being adjasant to shared bathroom with the bathroom having a bedroom door and a greatroom door. something akin to a 28x28w/10x10bdrm.

I'd be able to take my time and do individual projects to make my home unique as I finish the house. Let me know if I get too weird and have stupid ideas. Here is an example.

I like the idea of concrete countertops. You can pour them in place after you frame in the mold. I'd like to build a kitchen island with butcher block countertops around the edge, but have a large portion in the center made of concrete. I could install electrical outlets/USB phone chargers in the center and pour concrete around it. That would be handy for crockpots and cookers to rest on a concrete base and have easy electrical and places to charge your phones while in the kitchen.

Here is an example of a concrete countertop.

jirqoadai wrote:the abode should be as close to square as possible. with the smoke pipe from the coal burning stove at dead center. your second bedroom ( first is where you fall asleep while watching Cincy Reds baseball ) should have a good wall mounted 4' heater on the non shared wall. door to said second bedroom being adjasant to shared bathroom with the bathroom having a bedroom door and a greatroom door. something akin to a 28x28w/10x10bdrm.

I like the idea of a wood burning stove. Wood will be more plentiful for me and cheaper as I will live on wooded land and need to clear brush and dead trees sometimes. A stove will be able to heat the entire small house and I like the flicker of the fire through the glass door. I think I want to put it on an outside wall to save the open spaces for a possible pool table. Our Texas Winters can be harsh, but only last one or two months. My in laws wood burning stove was removable and during the rest of the year, they put the stove in storage and unplugged the stove pipe from the wall and put a decorative covering over the hole in the wall. I think I'd like mine to be permanent with a stone or brick wall behind it for thermal mass and eye appeal.

Crusader wrote:

jirqoadai wrote:the abode should be as close to square as possible. with the smoke pipe from the coal burning stove at dead center. your second bedroom ( first is where you fall asleep while watching Cincy Reds baseball ) should have a good wall mounted 4' heater on the non shared wall. door to said second bedroom being adjasant to shared bathroom with the bathroom having a bedroom door and a greatroom door. something akin to a 28x28w/10x10bdrm.

I like the idea of a wood burning stove.  Wood will be more plentiful for me and cheaper as I will live on wooded land and need to clear brush and dead trees sometimes.  A stove will be able to heat the entire small house and I like the flicker of the fire through the glass door.  I think I want to put it on an outside wall to save the open spaces for a possible pool table.  Our Texas Winters can be harsh, but only last one or two months.  My in laws wood burning stove was removable and during the rest of the year, they put the stove in storage and unplugged the stove pipe from the wall and put a decorative covering over the hole in the wall.  I think I'd like mine to be permanent with a stone or brick wall behind it for thermal mass and eye appeal.

i suggested a center stove so the entire heated area is as uniform as you can get. shoving it off to one side has the effect of non energy efficiancy. last thing you need is another Uri to freeze up your kitchen water. that wasnt a 1-off experiance. as we are in a colder cycle of winters now. until california experiances any apriciable rain, itll stay that way too.

( historicaly, during the Oatman girls kidnapping years, cali and az were bone dry. and everywhere else was cold and wet )

Polished concrete is really nice. If I ever built again I'd like under floor heating.

Red Lily wrote:Polished concrete is really nice.   If I ever built again I'd like under floor heating.

If I lived in a colder climate I would love radiant floor heating. I only turn the heat on about 3 months each year. My focus will be on energy efficiency and cooling. Thick insulation, energy efficient windows, big shaded porches on the South side of the house, and a very good AC system are my priorities.
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Crusader wrote:

Red Lily wrote:Polished concrete is really nice.   If I ever built again I'd like under floor heating.

If I lived in a colder climate I would love radiant floor heating.   I only turn the heat on about 3 months each year.  My focus will be on energy efficiency and cooling.  Thick insulation, energy efficient windows, big shaded porches on the South side of the house, and a very good AC system are my priorities.
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then your exterior walls need to be of 2x6

One thing's for sure you'll get great satisfaction out of building and watching it all come together.