You’ve Decided to Build. Now Comes the Phase That Determines Everything.Most barndominium projects that go over budget, run late, and produce
regrets have one thing in common: the planning phase was compressed,
skipped, or done out of order. The builder was hired before the specifications
were written. The permit was filed before the engineering was complete. The
floor plan was drawn from someone else’s life, modified to approximate yours.
This book exists to prevent that.
The Barndominium Planning Blueprint is the complete pre-construction
planning system for first-time barndominium builders — the guide to the 90 to
180 days between your decision to build and the moment you break ground. Done
correctly, that phase produces a project that comes in close to budget, close
to schedule, and without the layout mistakes, mechanical failures, and change
order avalanches that define the difficult builds.
What This Book CoversThe Tools InsideA 90-Item Planning Phase Master Checklist organized week by week
from vision to signed contractA Build Vision Specification Worksheet — 8 dimensions, fill-in,
designed for both partners to complete independentlyA Scope Definition Worksheet covering in-contract, owner-provided,
and phased itemsA Builder Comparison Matrix for evaluating up to three finalist
builders side by sideA Reference Call Script — 10 questions that produce specific,
useful answers from past clientsA 30-Point Construction Contract Review Checklist with all
12 essential clauses documentedA Permit Application Package Checklist with the 8 documents
required for most residential permitsA Master Specification Worksheet — the complete build brief
to hand your designer and builder
This is Book 2 in The Barndominium Builder’s Library. It begins whereThe Barndominium Decision Book ends — when the decision is made and
the real work starts.
Site Analysis: Topographic surveys, drainage evaluation, solarorientation, soil composition, utility distances — everything the boundary
survey doesn’t tell you and every floor plan decision depends onBuild Vision and Specifications: The 8 specification dimensions
that must be defined before any floor plan is drawn — and the partner exercise
that surfaces the differences before they become change ordersScope Definition: What goes in the contract, what you provide,
and what gets phased — including how to design for future additions that cost
almost nothing to incorporate nowThe Floor Plan Process: Four stages from bubble diagram to
construction document, the walk-through test, and the most common barndominium
floor plan mistakes with corrected alternatives shownRoom-by-Room Design: Kitchen work triangles, master suite flow,
mudroom design, shop ceiling heights, and the specific dimensions that
separate a plan that works from one that doesn’tThe Four-Part Thermal Envelope: The insulation, HVAC, and
mechanical decisions that determine whether your barndominium performs for
30 years or 10 — and how to specify them in writing before a builder is hiredEngineering, Permits, and Contracts: What structural engineers
do and what you give them, how to assemble a permit package that gets
approved the first time, how to vet and select a builder with a complete
documentation package in hand, and how to read a construction contract
clause by clause
