After officially making Texas our home base, we started to plan for the future. We quickly decided on building a barn large enough for The Imagine but spent weeks trying to figure out what exactly met our current needs while allowing for future growth and life changes.
We used the 3D Design Tool on the Mueller Custom Steel Buildings website to play around and see, in a virtual world, what our designs and concepts could look like. This tool was essential to our design process as we picked what wanted it to look like and how we could make it work for us. Down to the color of the metal and the pitch of the roof, I was in complete control of my custom barn.
Here is the size breakdown:
The Barn is 48ft x 40ft. The Center main portion is 24ft wide and 40ft deep. Each “Lean-to” is 12ft wide and 40ft deep, however, half of that depth is enclosed! Each enclosure is 12ft wide x 20ft deep. Large center doorway openings measure 14ft tall.
Why this size?
Our current rig measures only 12ft wide (with the 1 slide out) and 30ft long and the idea was to not have to squeeze it into the barn. I wanted to make sure that although our home was inside another building, I did not want to feel enclosed and claustrophobic. I wanted to ensure that there was enough space to walk all the way around without any issues, open areas to allow for natural light, and room for growth. The Imagine is wonderful and we hope to call it home for at least another year, but eventually a larger rig will replace her. As we strongly consider a 35ft 5th Wheel with opposing double slides, we wanted to plan for and ensure that The Barn would allow us to grow.
We also wanted “carports” for both vehicles. With this in mind, we knew we needed to add “Lean-tos” to the design. We both liked the drop roof design and decided that was the look we wanted for our barn.
Along with the carports, we also wanted workshops for each of us. His would allow for storage and woodworking projects, while hers housed the washer/dryer and crafting space. We both would have our own spaces to do the hobbies we enjoyed while also allowing for storage of non-year round RV equipment. Because the carports did not need to be the entire depth of the barn, we decided to enclose the back half of each carport and turn that space into the workshops.
Other design considerations
With the basic design mapped out, we started to consider how we could make the space as open and airy as possible. Taking out the walls between the carports and the center was an easy way to decrease materials while opening up the footprint. I also opted for “plexi” like material on the top drop-down portion of the siding. The plexi material allows for light to come into the barn at the darkest points and truly allows us to get the natural light we wanted!
We added 4 windows to the design, two in each workshop and opted for the large industrial double doors.
How long did it take to build?
The build of the barn was longer than expected for us. We live in a very small rural area where the number of projects outnumbers the number of contractors available to do them. We had to wait for each contractor to be available to complete each step of this project.
What was the building process?
The first step was getting dirt work done and the wait time for the contractor was weeks out. Our site was no where near level and required the back to be raised by more than 5 feet.
Next came laying water lines and septic lines prior to pouring the concrete. This was done by us and family and was not an easy chore. With only schematics and measurements to go by, we had to grid out the location of the future barn including where the walls would be and lay pipe at our best guess locations.
Then it was concrete time. This part happened very fast with very little wait. We did consider gravel as a cost savings idea but are so glad we ended up going with full concrete.
Once the concrete was in, we decided to connect the water lines to city water. This time, we rented a “ditch witch” to save our backs and arms.
It was finally time to get the building process started. We hired a local welder who had experience constructing Mueller Metal Buildings. The construction took 6+ months to complete. Delays occurred frequently with weather, incorrect or missing structure pieces, and the fact that our welder was building this by himself with only one other person. Because of my contract work, the delays did not bother us, as we were away for the majority of the building process but I would not expect this to be a normal timeframe for these type of builds.
Future plans
Now that the frame of the barn is up, we have so many plans for the “finishing” of it. We have already added an external and internal water connection along with having run water lines for future additions of a washer and an industrial sink.
The electric meter and breaker-box has been mounted but we are still waiting for professionals to come connect us to “the grid”.
We will eventually run electricity all throughout the barn.
Plans to also add a septic system are in the works.
I have been asked in the past, “what happens to the barn if you decide not to live in an RV anymore?” Easy, I also thought that far ahead! My plan is to enclose the back half and renovate it into a Lofted barndominium. (google it, it’s totally a thing!) Our once RV barn will be reborn into a modern country home!
This barn will be an ongoing project for many years and will definitely keep us both busy while we are home and off contract. Even in its current state of a shell, we could not be happier with our choice in design and build!
Feel free to let me know if you want to know more and follow along as I do my best to document our ongoing work to make this barn an extension of our RV home!
