Barndominium vs. Traditional House

The structural benefit is clear span. Sherman Buildings frames barndominiums with post-frame columns set 8 to 12 feet on center, which moves the load to the columns instead of continuous load-bearing walls, so Sherman can give you a great room or an attached shop without interior walls holding up the roof. That also makes the layout easier to change later. Sherman builds the home and the shop as one permitted structure under one roofline and one heated envelope, rather than a house plus a detached outbuilding. Sherman engineers every barndominium to the 2020 Minnesota State Building Code, so it permits, appraises, and insures as a single-family residence.

Acreage is where a barndominium fits most naturally, and Sherman Buildings builds across rural Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. On rural land you generally control the setbacks and the siting, so Sherman can orient the building for drainage, wind exposure, and equipment access instead of squeezing it onto a platted lot. Sherman sets footings to the frost depths in Minnesota Rules 1303.1600 — 60 inches in Zone I counties and 42 inches in Zone II — and engineers the roof from the county ground snow load, which is 60 psf across the listed northern and central counties and 50 psf in the rest of the state, converted to a design roof load of 42 psf and 35 psf respectively at the 0.7 factor. Sherman also builds the attached shop or equipment space into the same structure, which on acreage is usually the reason for choosing post-frame in the first place.

The answer depends on the site, foundation design, size, roof shape, openings, utility work, interior finish, and how much shop space is included. A barndominium can combine living and shop space in one building, while a traditional home may better fit another site or layout. Sherman does not publish standard pricing; request a project-specific quote.

Yes, when it is on a permanent foundation and permitted as a single-family residence. Sherman works with Acorn Finance and HFS Financial, both of which have products set up for post-frame homes, and our team can walk you through the paperwork lenders ask for.

A code-built, permitted post-frame home appraises and resells as a residence. As Minnesota barndominium comparables continue to grow, resale keeps strengthening — especially on rural acreage, where an attached shop is a genuine selling point rather than a compromise.

Yes. Post-frame supports lofts, full second levels, and walkout lower levels on sloped sites. Sherman designs each barndominium to the site and to how you want to live in it, rather than from a fixed floor-plan catalog.

Yes. A properly engineered post-frame home — pressure-treated ground-contact columns, steel roofing, and a sealed building envelope — regularly lasts 50+ years. Sherman Buildings has built post-frame structures since 1976.