A Barndominium, otherwise known as a barndo, is a home that has been converted from a barn into a living space. A lot of families are starting to go in this direction when looking for a home because they are so affordable. Before building many of these individuals start to wonder how thick are barndominium walls? Well, we are about ready to talk about this question and more as we help you determine how thick your barndominium walls should be.
How Thick Should My Barndominium Walls Be?
Before diving into how thick your barndominium walls should be, we must first consider how you’re going to be creating your Barndominium. Are you converting an old barn into a home, using a barndominium kit, or starting from scratch? Your answer may determine how thick your walls should and will be.
Converting an old barn into a Barndominium
Barns often don’t have as thick of walls as houses because they’re not built for people to live within. The walls are often be made up of 2 x 6 studs as well as steel and maybe some interior wall materials. However, not all barns use an interior wall material as they are only used for storage or keeping livestock. Without the interior wall material, a barn’s walls will be an average of 7.5 inches thick.
As you convert a barn into a Barndominium you will need to add proper insulation for your barndominium, as well as adding anything you need within the walls such as plumbing, electrical wiring, and HVAC systems. Once all of this has been added to the walls, you will need an interior wall finish to give you the sleek appearance desirable.
The majority of this should fit within the studs so that the walls are not too thicker than 8 inches. However, there are a number of factors that could affect this. If the barn has been made poorly or is particularly old, the exterior timber could be thinner or weaker, allowing more moisture and cool air through into the barn.
If this is true for your old barn, you might find yourself making the walls thicker to reduce the amount of heat lost from the older walls. This is to allow for more insulation to retain the heat more sufficiently so that your family can remain comfortable. You might also have to add more timber to the exterior walls to fix any gaps between the exterior walls.
Using a Barndo kit
You can choose from plenty of Barndominium kits on the market, all of which have slightly different thicknesses of walls.
Some use metal walls while others use traditional timber. 2 x 4 studs are commonly found within Barndo kits which will create walls of eight inches thick, although you can find some kits with thinner or thicker walls than this.
The good thing about Barndominium kits is that they are newly built according to your customized measurements and desires. You won’t find yourself needing to repair any old walls or add more insulation to your barndominium to keep drafts out. When a barndo kit says the walls are going to be eight inches, they will be 8 inches thick.
Using a bardo kit is much more reliable when ensuring that the wall thickness is that which you imagined when first designing your new living space.
Why choose thinner walls?
When deciding whether you want thinner or thicker walls in your Barndominium, you might be trying to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of these two features.
The main advantage of thinner walls is that they are cheaper.
You’re creating an entirely new living space from almost nothing, and so the cost of this can add up quickly. You need to plan accordingly in your budget as well as have a contingency budget you need in case anything goes wrong.
So, when you’re already spending a lot of money on your Barndominium, you might want to cut costs wherever you can. The thickness of the walls is a good place to start. You just need to make sure that the walls are thick enough to support the weight of the structure and include enough insulation to abide by your area’s regulations, you can make the walls thinner to save money.
Thinner walls also require less labor to create which can reduce the time it takes to build a barndominium as well as the amount you need to pay professionals to build the walls. Thinner walls can save you both time and money, which is appealing to many Barndominium builders.
Another reason why thinner walls are appealing to people is that it allows you a little more square footage within the home.
Why choose thicker walls?
There are some barndominium builders that choose thicker walls when building. While thinner walls do have a lot of benefits, thicker walls also offer a few that the alternative simply cannot.
Thicker walls offer better insulation so that you can remain warmer in the winter and you won’t need to spend so much on heating costs. Building thicker walls also help keeps more of the outside world out, including noises.
More insulation can keep out all sorts of noises, which is particularly beneficial when you’re keeping livestock or have built your Barndominium near a busy highway. Thinner walls may allow all of the noise pollutions inside of your barndo which can disrupt both your days and nights. While this might not seem like a dealbreaker, we can be that it will get very tiresome, very quickly.
Summary
The answer to your original question is not as simple as a single figure. The majority of Barndominiums will have walls around eight inches thick, although this can be changed due to your personal preference.
There are benefits to both thinner and thicker walls, as well as drawbacks to these options. Thinner walls are cheaper, but thicker walls offer you better protection from the outside elements. The market average is eight inches, but the choice for your Barndominium ultimately comes down to you.
If you are ready to get started building the barndo of your dreams, be sure to check out our barndominium floor plans to help you create the barndominium of your dreams or use a barndominium software program to help you plan out your space for your new home. When in the planning stages be sure you also check out the barndominium financing and insurance options that are available. For more helpful tips visit our FAQ barndominium section as well to get answers to all your barndo questions.