Could use some barn advice...

I have some acreage that my family will be moving to in about two years. Before that time I will need to build a barn on the property to house some things and I'd like to finish off the upstairs with living quarters so we'll have a place to stay in the interem, and while we build our house after the move.

Once we build the new home we'd use the living space in the barn as guest quarters.

I've looked into a few Barn Kit manufacturers. I've found a few that I really like the look of, but I am looking for some feedback on their build quality, price, and anything else you may know or are willling to share.

I really like the looks of the Uncle Howards Barn Kits. If any of you have or know of the Uncle Howards barns I'd love to hear what you have to say.

I also have been impressed with the Sand Creek Post and Beam Barns. Again, any feedback would be welcome..

Thanks.
Dave

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Where are you at? I'd look into the zoning to see if you could even do what you're considering. I know that around here in Michigan, a barn is an accessory building, cannot have plumbing or residence quarters and cannot be built on a lot without a residence already constructed (or in progress at the same time).

Our property is in Southern Illinois. I do believe we can do what I stated. You could probabaly do that anywhere so long as the building on your property is reported to the county authorities correctly as a "Barn Home", not just a Barn. The fees and taxes will be a bit higher, and the building inspection process will be the same as a residence and not an outbuilding. But yes, it can be done.

When I read about the restrictions and taxes imposed upon folks by the states, I thank God we made the decision to settle in Texas. We have built two barns and numerous outbuildings on our place over the years and without asking the governor for permission even once.
Good luck with your project.

Well, now that it is established that you can build such a structure, I need to share with you from the sad but true file. A friend built a living area over the barn. Truly, I do not know how it was built or by who. What I can tell you is that for some reason the structure went ablaze one night with disastrous results. As you are looking to have this house guests in the future, one thing to look carefully into is the electric.