Barndo, Shop House or Traditional Home: Which One Fits Your Life

A barndominium, a shop house, and a traditional home can look surprisingly similar from the road. The difference is in what each one is built around.

• A barndominium is a home first, designed with barn-inspired style, often with a shop or garage attached.
• A shop house is a shop first, with living quarters built into it.
• A traditional home is a house first, with a garage, and the shop, if there is one, is usually a separate building.

Which one fits depends on how you'll split your time between living and working, how your county treats each one, and what you'll want from the property years from now.

The barndominium: home first, barn style

A barndo is designed to be lived in. The living side gets the best views, the best light, and most of the design attention. The shop or garage is part of the plan, often connected through a mudroom or breezeway, and shares the same roofline or sits under an extension of it.

Best for: families who want open, durable, barn-style living and a shop that's convenient but secondary.

Watch for: keeping the shop proportionate to the house so the property appraises and resells as a home.

The shop house: shop first, living inside

A shop house starts with the shop. The building is designed around equipment, doors, ceiling height, and work, and the living quarters are fitted into part of it, sometimes on one end, sometimes in a mezzanine or second level.

Best for: people whose work or hobby is the center of daily life: tradespeople, mechanics, small farm operations, people storing big equipment, RVs, or boats. Also people who want to live on the property while they plan a main house later.

Watch for:

• Zoning. Some counties treat living quarters inside a shop or agricultural building differently than a house. There may be limits on how much living space is allowed, whether it counts as the primary dwelling, or whether it's allowed at all in that zone.
• Financing. Lenders and appraisers look at how much of the building is living space. A building that is mostly shop can be harder to finance as a primary residence.
• Comfort. Living right next to a working shop means planning for noise, fumes, dust, and separate HVAC.

The traditional home with a separate shop

A traditional home puts the house and the shop in separate buildings. The house can be any style. The shop is its own structure with its own foundation, roof, and utilities.

Best for: people who want the shop's noise, dust, and activity away from the house, or who want flexibility to build the shop later.

Watch for: two buildings means two foundations, two roofs, two sets of walls, and often separate utility runs. Some counties also limit the size of accessory buildings relative to the house.

Side by side

Questions that make the choice clear

1. Where will you spend most of your waking hours? In the house, a barndo or traditional home. In the shop, a shop house might fit.
2. How loud, dusty, or smelly is the shop work? Welding, engine work, and woodworking with heavy dust make a separate building or a well-separated attached shop more attractive.
3. What does your county allow? Check the zoning for living quarters in a shop or agricultural building, the limits on accessory building size, and any rules on metal buildings.
4. How are you financing it? If you need a conventional construction loan and mortgage, a living-first design is usually the smoother path.
5. What happens in ten years? Kids leave, businesses grow, you retire. Which building still works?

A common path: build in phases

Some owners build a shop house first, live in it while the main home is designed and built, then turn the living quarters into a guest suite, office, or rental where allowed. Others build a barndo with a smaller attached garage now and a large detached shop later. Both can work. Both need a site plan that leaves room for the next phase, which is one more reason to start with the land.

If you're weighing these options for a specific parcel, our Homesite and Design Consultation lays out what your land can hold and where each building could go.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a barndominium and a shop house?

A barndominium is a home designed with barn-inspired style, often with an attached shop. A shop house is a shop with living quarters built into it. The ratio of living space to shop space is the clearest difference.

Can you live in a shop house full time?

In many places, yes, but it depends on your county's zoning and building codes. Some areas limit living quarters inside a shop or agricultural building. Check with your county before you buy land or plans.

Is a shop house cheaper than a barndominium?

Not necessarily. Shop space usually costs less per square foot than living space, so a building that's mostly shop can cost less in total. But the living quarters still need full plumbing, electrical, HVAC, insulation, and finishes, and financing can be harder.

Is it better to attach the shop or build it separately?

Attached is convenient and can save on a second foundation and roof. Separate keeps noise, dust, and fumes away from the house and can be built later. It depends on the work you do and how your county treats accessory buildings.

Which one is easiest to resell?

Generally, a home-first design. Traditional homes have the broadest buyer pool. Barndos sell well where they're common. Shop houses appeal to a narrower group of buyers.