Barndominiums · Cambridge Pole Barns
Barndominium Builders in Cambridge, MN
A home with a barn's strength and a shop attached. Tell us about your acreage.
Barndominiums across Chisago, Isanti and Pine counties
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Barndominiums
Barndominium Builders for Cambridge, MN
Plenty of people up here want a house on their land and a shop to go with it, and a barndominium puts both under the same strong frame. It is a post frame building with a residential interior: open floor plan, tall ceilings, and room for a garage bay or workshop at one end. Some people call it a pole barn house, others a shouse. The idea is the same.
Because people live in it, it gets built and permitted as a home. That includes energy code, egress windows, a proper foundation and, on country land, a septic system and a well. Choose a dried-in shell if you want to finish the inside yourself over a few winters, or have the builder carry it all the way to a house you can move into. Either way the crew handles the site work too.
What's included
What goes into barndominiums
- 01
Land clearing and pad
Trees out, a level pad built up, and a driveway cut from the road to the house site.
- 02
Septic and well
Placement planned with the house so the layout, the drain field and the well all fit the lot.
- 03
Frost-proof foundation
Posts or footings set below the frost line for your county, with a slab suited to living space.
- 04
Insulated shell
Steel roof and walls, insulated and sealed against drafts and condensation.
- 05
Attached shop or garage
A shop bay or garage with its own overhead door, set apart from the living side.
- 06
Finish choice
Stop at dried-in or carry on through electrical, plumbing, drywall, floors and kitchen.
Building ideas
Barndominiums: what they can look like
Example photos of the building type.
How it works
How a barndominium job works
- 1
Sketch your plan
Rooms, shop size and a rough location on the land are enough to begin.
- 2
Home permit set
Drawings meet residential requirements, and the county or township permits go in.
- 3
Raise the shell
The shell goes up fast once the pad is ready.
- 4
Finish it out
Interior work follows your choice, ending with a walkthrough.
Questions
Barndominiums FAQs
Does a house need deeper footings than a shed?
The frost depth is the same for the county, 42 inches in Isanti and Chisago and 60 inches in Pine, Kanabec and Mille Lacs, but a house gets more careful treatment of drainage, slab edge and insulation to avoid movement.
What affects the cost of a barndominium?
How much of the inside you finish, the square footage, the number of baths, and whether power, a well and septic already exist on the land. A dried-in shell and a move-in ready home are far apart.
Which permits does a barndominium need?
The full residential permit through the city, or the township and county on rural land, plus septic and well approvals where they apply. The builder works out which offices handle your parcel.
Can I build on sandy ground around Cambridge?
Usually yes. Sandy ground drains well and is easy to excavate. Low, wet pockets and spots near wetlands still need a drainage plan, and shoreland near rivers and lakes limits where you can build.
Can I live in the shop side while I finish?
A building must pass inspection and be permitted for occupancy before anyone lives in it. Ask the builder how to phase the work so the finished part meets the rules.
Related buildings
You might also be planning
Pole Barn Garages & Shops
Garages and heated shops with tall doors, in-floor heat and a place for the tools.
More on pole barn garages & shops
Post Frame Buildings
The strong, simple frame under barns, shops, storage and small business buildings.
More on post frame buildings
Pole Sheds & Storage Buildings
Storage for RVs, boats, pontoons, snowmobiles, fish houses and hay, enclosed or open.
More on pole sheds & storage buildings
Where we build
Barndominiums in these towns
We build barndominiums with attached shops and lofts in every town below.
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