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Can you live in a "pole barn"?

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  • Higgins909

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    Apr 7, 2016
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    Pflugerville
    Not sure if I've asked this before... So where I work, in Round Rock, it's pretty much a bunch of pole barn style buildings put together. I was just curious if I could go buy a acre or two somewhere out in the boonies of Austin area and put some kind of pole barn in and live in it. Half house, half garage type of deal or something like that. I've been seeing a acre for $50k to almost two for $100k. No idea about water, electric, septic. I wonder if I could make a massive vegetable garden. I'm currently trying to get a small entry level fall garden going.

    But does anyone know about the legality, zoning, etc of doing this? Supposedly cheap mobile homes are $90k minimum now.

    Thanks,
    Higgins909
    Hurley's Gold
     

    leVieux

    TSRA/NRA Life Member
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    I have one of those newer "sorta" pole barns. It supposedly can withstand 120mph winds and it looks the part.

    But, prices usually are for bare bones +/- foam insulation.

    They can be finished and fitted-out to your desires, but the prices go up rapidly.

    I'm seeing lots of barndominiums in nearby rural areas. Much, much stronger than most "mobile home" type structures.

    I use mine as a "boat garage" and Jeep parking. Also for extra ammo, fuels, etc.
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
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    Dec 15, 2019
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Quick search and those probably look nicer then the $600k house I'm currently residing in.
    In some instances they can be far cheaper to build, and insure. If building inside a "pole barn" and having a metal roof and structure, you never have to worry about shingles, or wood rot, or termites for the most part. There are significant advantages in many respects to building inside a pole barn. Might even be cheaper to insure as well.
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Another aspect that needs to be factored in, is the actual building of the metal structure itself. Most times, you are responsible for the foundation, and the metal building company just erects the metal structure. Then you have to either hire a contractor to build the housing part inside the structure, or build it yourself. Also factor in a lot of custom parts like doors and windows because it's not a conventional frame house.
     

    skfullgun

    Dances With Snakes
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    Oct 14, 2017
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    In the woods...
    This was a pole barn. When I bought the place, one side of it had been dried in and looked like a tack room. I converted it into a 1200 ft self-contained guest house and added a porch. It already had a small septic system, since the previous occupants parked a small single wide trailer there by the barn while they built the main house.
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    skfullgun

    Dances With Snakes
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    In the woods...
    These are the before and during pics. It had two single pane windows, a door that opened under the barn side, and zero insulation.

    The very last photo is what it looked like before we got started.

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    Higgins909

    Active Member
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    Apr 7, 2016
    235
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    Pflugerville
    This was a pole barn. When I bought the place, one side of it had been dried in and looked like a tack room. I converted it into a 1200 ft self-contained guest house and added a porch. It already had a small septic system, since the previous occupants parked a small single wide trailer there by the barn while they built the main house. View attachment 328190
    Really like that forest look. Got two window ACs to cool it down? Does that work well? I'm guessing no legal/insurance problems. What about electric and water?
     

    Tblack89

    Active Member
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    Apr 3, 2022
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    Hutto tx
    I am actually a contractor in the greater Austin area. My buddy in jarrell actually just did 1 as a house. It’s nicer than most homes and was much more affordable. If you have any questions regarding who did the shell or how we finished it out feel free to pm me.

    It is definitely cheaper to shop your own materials and pay just labor. For example to frame the entire inside was roughly $8,800 labor plus materials. He had a connection on metal framing and picked it up himself so he saved a lot.

    Also we did stained concrete and that’s was way cheaper than buying materials and paying labor to install it. Definitely helps to know people for sure.
     

    skfullgun

    Dances With Snakes
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    7   0   0
    Oct 14, 2017
    5,430
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    In the woods...
    Really like that forest look. Got two window ACs to cool it down? Does that work well? I'm guessing no legal/insurance problems. What about electric and water?
    I've got an 8,500 BTU in the front (living room, kitchenette), and a 6,500 BTU in the private bedroom on the other end. The bathroom, shower, and bunk area are in the middle. I used pocket/sliding doors between the back bedroom, bathroom and bunk area, and living/kitchenette areas. Hinged doors eat up a LOT of space in a small structure!

    The two A/C's keep you cool. My kids usually keep it about 68° when they visit in the summer. Water was already piped to the barn for livestock, and the septic was already there from the single-wide and a makeshift toilet (long gone and broken plumbing) in the tack room.

    I heat it with electric oil-filled heaters and one of those fake, fireplace heaters in the living room.

    The only thing living in it when I bought the place was rats, mice, possums, spiders, and wasps.

    EDITED TO ADD: there are no issues in Angelina County with building a structure like this. You can even dig your own septic tank as long as you are not in a city that has restrictions against it, such as Lufkin. I did, however, increase the insurance on my out buildings to cover the expenses of the build.
     
    Last edited:

    Colonel

    Well-Known
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    Mar 1, 2011
    1,994
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    Houston, 3rd Rock
    Not sure if I've asked this before... So where I work, in Round Rock, it's pretty much a bunch of pole barn style buildings put together. I was just curious if I could go buy a acre or two somewhere out in the boonies of Austin area and put some kind of pole barn in and live in it. Half house, half garage type of deal or something like that. I've been seeing a acre for $50k to almost two for $100k. No idea about water, electric, septic. I wonder if I could make a massive vegetable garden. I'm currently trying to get a small entry level fall garden going.

    But does anyone know about the legality, zoning, etc of doing this? Supposedly cheap mobile homes are $90k minimum now.

    Thanks,
    Higgins909

    Will there be any pole dancers?
     
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