The Slate - Barndominium House Plan
A bedroom and a bath at each end, 40 feet of porch across the front.
Front elevation (South): the 40 foot front porch.
Exterior renders show the steel version of this plan; the wood-framed set's windows and doors are as drawn on its own elevations.
Saturday morning, both of you in one room, the porch outside the open door. The Slate is a single-story 2-bedroom, 2-bath barndominium, about 1,500 square feet on a 40×40 footprint: a vaulted living and dining room, a kitchen open to it with a walk-in pantry, a master suite with a walk-in closet, and a porch across the front. The two bedrooms share no wall. Whoever builds it drinks the first morning's coffee on that porch.
The Floor Plan
Key Features
- A 12′ × 24′ living and dining room under a vaulted ceiling, with the front door opening straight into it
- A 16′ × 16′ kitchen open to the living room, vaulted, with two windows over the counter and a walk-in pantry behind a barn door
- A master suite at the east end: a 13′ × 16′ vaulted bedroom, its own bath, and a 13′ × 11′ walk-in closet with hanging on three walls
- An 11′ × 20′ second bedroom at the west end, with windows on two walls and the hall bath next door
- An 11′ × 8′ hall bath with a window, next door to the second bedroom
- A tubular skylight over the hallway, daylight in a hall with no window
- Laundry behind a barn door off the hallway, with the mechanical room beyond it
- An 8′ × 40′ front porch, the full width of the house, 320 square feet covered
- One simple rectangle under a 3:12 gable roof with a 12 foot eave
Is This Plan Right for You?
A great fit if you want
- a first home on one simple 40′ × 40′ square
- one open living, dining and kitchen space under a vaulted ceiling, with the front door opening into it
- two bedrooms that share no wall, a bath at each end of the house, the master with a 13′ × 11′ walk-in closet
- a porch across the whole front of the house
- a home around 1,470 square feet of conditioned space with no garage to pay for
View our other plans if you need
- a garage: see plans with a garage The Bramble
- a shop: see plans with an attached shop The Forge
- a third bedroom: see the 3 bedroom plans 3 Bedroom Barndominium Floor Plans
- a rear porch: this plan has one porch, across the front; see plans with a rear porch The Alder
Tour The Slate
The Heart of the Home
Step in through the front door and the 12′ × 24′ living and dining room opens under a vaulted ceiling, the 16′ × 16′ kitchen open off its far end, vaulted too. Two back-wall windows light the kitchen and a barn door hides the walk-in pantry. Supper comes off the range and onto the table with no wall between.
The Master Suite
Off the living room, the 13′ × 16′ master opens under a vaulted ceiling with two east windows. Its own bath and a 13′ × 11′ walk-in closet with hanging space on three walls open off it. The hallway and living room, 16 feet of house, separate it from the other bedroom; whoever sleeps here wakes in a retreat.
The Second Bedroom
Walk down the hallway to the 11′ × 20′ second bedroom in the north-west corner, with a reach-in closet behind a sliding door. Windows on the north and west walls light it from two sides, and the 11′ × 8′ hall bath is next door. Whoever sleeps here pads one door down to the bath before anyone else is up.
Work & Service
Step out of the living room into a 4 foot hallway, 24 feet long under a tubular skylight. The 11′ × 7′ laundry sits behind a barn door off it, and the 11′ × 5′ mechanical room opens beyond the laundry behind its own door. Whoever runs the wash never walks through a bedroom.
Outdoor Living
Step out the front door and the 8′ × 40′ porch runs the whole width of the house, deep enough for a table, 320 square feet under cover. A living room window and the front door face it. Whoever sits out here at the end of the day picks a spot along 40 feet of shade.
Plan Specifications
Square footage
| Conditioned living area | 1,469 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Covered porch (front) | 320 sq ft |
| Total under roof | 1,789 sq ft |
Building
| Span × length | 40′ × 40′ (40 ft clear span, 40 ft long) |
|---|---|
| Eave height | 12′ |
| Ridge height | 17′ |
| Roof | Gable, 3:12 |
| Stories | 1 |
| Ceiling height (flat areas) | 9′-0″ |
| Vaulted ceilings | Master Bedroom, Kitchen, Living / Dining |
Construction
| System | Designed for standard pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) construction |
|---|---|
| Interior walls | 4-1/2 in thick (2x4 framed) |
| Foundation | Not included; designed by your local structural engineer for your site, using the anchor bolt plan and loads from your building supplier |
Openings
| Doors | 10 (one entry door, two barn doors, one sliding closet door, six interior) |
|---|---|
| Windows | 11 (each bedroom has an egress window, big enough to climb out of in an emergency) |
| Skylights | 3 tubular (laundry, hallway, walk-in closet) |
Rooms
| Master bedroom | 13′ × 16′ |
|---|---|
| Bedroom 2 | 11′ × 20′ |
| Living / dining | 12′ × 24′ |
| Kitchen | 16′ × 16′ |
| Master bath | 13′ × 8′ |
| Hall bath | 11′ × 8′ |
| Walk-in closet | 13′ × 11′ |
| Pantry | 13′ × 5′ |
Room sizes here are before the outside wall is taken off. The floor plans print finished sizes, a little smaller along an outside wall, and the presentation floor plan notes any corner a room gives up to a closet or a notch.
Service & extras
| Laundry | 11′ × 7′ |
|---|---|
| Mechanical | 11′ × 5′ |
| Hallway | 4′ wide (3′-7½″ clear) |
| Front porch | 8′ × 40′ |
Square footage
| Conditioned living area | 1,508 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Covered porch (front) | 320 sq ft |
| Total under roof | 1,828 sq ft |
Building
| Span × length | 40′ × 40′ (40 ft clear span, 40 ft long) |
|---|---|
| Eave height | 12′ |
| Ridge height | 17′ |
| Roof | Gable, 3:12 |
| Stories | 1 |
| Ceiling height (flat areas) | 9′-0″ |
| Vaulted ceilings | Master Bedroom, Kitchen, Living / Dining |
Construction
| System | Designed for standard wood-frame construction |
|---|---|
| Exterior walls | 2×6 studs with continuous sheathing and braced wall panels, shown on the detail floor plan |
| Interior walls | 4-1/2 in thick (2x4 framed) |
| Foundation | Not included; designed by your local structural engineer for your site |
Openings
| Doors | 10 (one entry door, two barn doors, one sliding closet door, six interior) |
|---|---|
| Windows | 13 (each bedroom has an egress window, big enough to climb out of in an emergency) |
| Skylights | 1 tubular, in the hallway |
Rooms
| Master bedroom | 13′ × 16′ |
|---|---|
| Bedroom 2 | 11′ × 20′ |
| Living / dining | 12′ × 24′ |
| Kitchen | 16′ × 16′ |
| Master bath | 13′ × 8′ |
| Hall bath | 11′ × 8′ |
| Walk-in closet | 13′ × 11′ |
| Pantry | 13′ × 5′ |
Room sizes here are before the outside wall is taken off. The floor plans print finished sizes, a little smaller along an outside wall, and the presentation floor plan notes any corner a room gives up to a closet or a notch.
Service & extras
| Laundry | 11′ × 7′ |
|---|---|
| Mechanical | 11′ × 5′ |
| Hallway | 4′ wide (3′-7½″ clear) |
| Front porch | 8′ × 40′ |
Included in This Plan Set
The Design Plan Set is eight pages in one PDF, sized to print at 24 × 36 inches (ARCH D). It is the set you send out for quotes and estimates; each page is listed below.
Included Pages
- A-001Cover sheet and legend
- A-100Presentation floor plan
- A-101Detail floor plan
- A-102Schedules
- A-111Roof plan
- A-201Exterior elevations
- A-202Exterior elevations
- L-001License and terms
Not included, handled by local professionals
- Foundation design: by your local structural engineer for your site, using the anchor bolt plan and loads from your building supplier
- Engineering drawings for the structure (provided by your chosen supplier)
- Plumbing, electrical and HVAC layouts, by your local trades to local code
The Design Plan Set is eight pages, delivered as a single PDF sized to print at ARCH D (24 × 36 in). It carries the detail a framing contractor and a truss manufacturer need to quote this exact home, enough for local contractors to price the slab foundation and the interior fit-out, and enough to take a real number to your lender.
Included Pages
- A-001Cover sheet and legend
- A-100Presentation floor plan
- A-101Detail floor plan
- A-102Schedules
- A-111Roof plan
- A-201Exterior elevations
- A-202Exterior elevations
- L-001License and terms
Not included, handled by local professionals
- Foundation design: by your local structural engineer for your site
- Roof truss engineering: the sealed truss drawings and layout from your truss manufacturer
- Plumbing, electrical and HVAC layouts, by your local trades to local code
Can I Build This?
Yes: every page is designed for standard pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) construction. Stamped structural drawings come from your building supplier's engineer, and permit review is with your local building department.
Why a pre-engineered metal building?
A PEMB encloses more home for the money than a wood-framed building and goes up in weeks. Its steel frames carry the roof, so no inside wall has to hold it up: the living room, kitchen and master bedroom can be vaulted. The frame layout on these pages follows standard metal building practice, so a supplier can quote it as drawn.
Who does what
We design the home: the rooms, where the doors and windows go, the elevations and the roof. Your building supplier engineers the steel frame for your site and confirms the vaulted ceilings against it. That is the usual split on a metal building project, and our pages are drawn to it.
Yes: every page is designed for standard wood-frame construction. The sealed truss drawings come from your truss manufacturer's engineer, the foundation design from your local structural engineer, and permit review is with your local building department.
Why wood framing?
A 2×6 wood frame is the construction framing crews work in and lumber yards stock, with a deeper wall cavity for insulation than a 2×4 wall. The roof is carried on trusses, engineered by your truss manufacturer for the spans these pages draw, and the kitchen, living room and master bedroom are designed with vaulted ceilings that follow the roof trusses. The braced wall panels on these pages follow the US building code's standard method; the header framing comes with the construction plan set, and any beam too large for the code's tables is marked there for an engineer to size.
Who does what
We design the home: the rooms, where the doors and windows go, the elevations and the roof, and the braced wall panels the US building code asks for. Your chosen truss manufacturer's engineer designs the trusses: the sealed truss drawings and layout for your exact roof, and they confirm the vaulted ceilings against the trusses they supply. Your local structural engineer designs the foundation, including any thickened footings under interior bearing walls. That is the usual split on a wood-framed project, and our pages are drawn to it.
What Will It Cost to Build?
$240,000 to $290,000
A home like The Slate is estimated to complete for $240,000 to $290,000 with you as your own general contractor, hiring the trades yourself. That covers the steel building and putting it up, the foundation, the inside finish, and an allowance for site work, utilities, driveway and septic.
It leaves out land, financing, sales tax, payroll taxes and insurance on labor, appliances beyond a standard allowance, landscaping and window coverings. Hiring a general contractor adds about 15 percent.
This is a rough estimate, not a quote. Costs vary by region by 15 to 25 percent, and your building supplier and local contractors will price it for your area. Our barndominium buying guide walks through what moves the number.
$285,000 to $335,000
A home like The Slate is estimated to complete for $285,000 to $335,000 with the owner acting as general contractor, including framing materials and labor, roof trusses, metal roofing and wall panels, the foundation, interior finish, and an allowance for site work, utilities, driveway and septic.
It excludes land, financing, sales tax, labor burden, appliances beyond a standard allowance, landscaping and window coverings, and hiring a general contractor typically adds about 15 percent.
This is a rough estimate, not a quote: costs vary by region by 15 to 25 percent, and your framing contractor and local trades will price for your chosen building location. Our barndominium buying guide walks through what moves the number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will it really cost to build The Slate?
The cost section on this page gives an estimated range and lists what is in the number and what is not. The Slate is a simple shape to price: one 40′ × 40′ rectangle, one gable roof, one porch. A local contractor prices the concrete slab and the inside finish from the same drawings.
Will a home of about 1,500 square feet feel small?
The living and dining room, the kitchen and the master bedroom all sit under vaulted ceilings, and the front door opens straight into the largest room in the house, 12′ × 24′. The master is 13′ × 16′ and the second bedroom 11′ × 20′. One hallway takes under 7 percent of the floor; the rest is living space.
Can I build The Slate with any metal building supplier?
Yes. Every page is designed for standard pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) construction, so any steel building supplier can quote this home as drawn. Their engineer then provides the stamped engineering drawings for the steel building, along with an anchor bolt plan and the loads for your site, and your local structural engineer designs the foundation from them.
Is the plan stamped, engineered, or permit-ready?
No. No plan set is a permit. This design set is for quotes, budgeting, and financing; permit review comes later, on a construction plan set (ours is launching soon) with the engineering your building department requires. The Slate is designed and informed by the IRC (USA) and NBC Part 9 (Canada). Local permit review is between you, your builder and your building department.
Is a steel barndominium a good choice in a wildfire zone?
Yes, with the rest done right. The steel frame and the metal wall and roof panels do not burn, the kind of construction wildfire rules favor. A metal roof also carries the top fire rating, Class A. Ember-resistant vents, boxed eaves, tempered windows and cleared ground around the house decide the rest. No home is fireproof.
Is a steel barndominium a good choice on the coast?
Yes. Your building supplier's engineer designs the frame, its bracing and its anchor bolts for your site's wind speed, and the stamped drawings say so. The windows, doors and panel fasteners decide the rest. Buy windows and doors rated for your wind zone, and fasten the panels to the engineer's schedule, which says how many fasteners go where.
What will it really cost to build The Slate?
The cost section on this page gives an estimated range and lists what is in the number and what is not. The Slate is a simple shape to price: one 40′ × 40′ rectangle, one gable roof, one porch. A local contractor prices the concrete slab and the inside finish from the same drawings.
Will a home of about 1,500 square feet feel small?
The living and dining room, the kitchen and the master bedroom all sit under vaulted ceilings, and the front door opens straight into the largest room in the house, 12′ × 24′. The master is 13′ × 16′ and the second bedroom 11′ × 20′. One hallway takes under 7 percent of the floor; the rest is living space.
Can I build The Slate with any framing contractor?
Yes. Every page is designed for standard wood-frame construction: 2×6 exterior walls with continuous sheathing, braced wall panels drawn to the US building code's standard method, and roof trusses. A framing contractor and a truss manufacturer can quote the home from this set; the sealed truss drawings and layout come from the truss manufacturer's engineer when you order with the construction plan set, and your local structural engineer designs the foundation for your site from that set and the loads from your truss manufacturer.
Is the plan stamped, engineered, or permit-ready?
No. No plan set is a permit. This design set is for quotes, budgeting, and financing; permit review comes later, on a construction plan set (ours is launching soon) with the engineering your building department requires. The Slate is designed and informed by the IRC (USA) and NBC Part 9 (Canada). The sealed truss drawings come from your truss manufacturer's engineer, the foundation design from your local structural engineer, and local permit review is between you, your builder and your building department.
Is a wood-framed barndominium a good choice in a wildfire zone?
It can be. The metal roof and metal wall panels help with the exterior rules wildfire codes set, and the wood framing behind them stays protected only while that skin holds. Ember-resistant vents, boxed eaves, tempered windows and cleared ground around the house decide the rest; ask your insurer how they rate a wood frame under metal.
Is a wood-framed barndominium a good choice on the coast?
Yes, built to the high-wind rules. In high-wind regions the code asks for engineered connections: uplift straps from the trusses to the walls and anchor bolts from the walls to the slab, a continuous path from roof to ground. Your framer and truss company build to it; rated windows and doors do the rest.
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