Lately, you may have heard about a new trendy type of home: the barndominium. They’ve seen increased popularity across social media and with homeowners everywhere.
Whether you already know what a barndominium is or not, it’s important to take a look at all of their features, and which of those features you can find in manufactured homes. (Spoiler alert: many of them!)
If you’re looking for the barndominium experience in a manufactured home, then this blog post is for you!
What Is a Barndominium?
Barndominiums, also known as barn homes, are barn-like structures that are used as homes. They’re usually made of metal and have a floor plan in the interior that allows for bedrooms, kitchens, and other rooms that you’d find in any other home.
The term has been around for several decades now, but has recently been gaining popularity across social media with homeowners and those who dream of owning a home.
But when it comes to manufactured homes, do they share any features? How similar are barndominiums to mobile homes, and can one be confused for the other?
Are They Similar to Manufactured Homes?
While there are a few qualities that manufactured homes share with barndominiums, they aren’t very similar beyond that.
Both manufactured homes and barndominiums are predominantly built in a factory (some barndominiums can be site-built) and then shipped to their final site, and both have come to share a few features in their interiors and exteriors that we’ll get into below.
However, barndominiums aren’t nearly as common for use as a permanent home. Going back to their roots, many are still used to hold tools and animals found on actual farms.
Additionally, their structures are quite different, as it’s hard to find a barndominium that will have as many bedrooms or features as a true manufactured home. And, you’ll find it next to impossible to find a barndominium-style structure in a manufactured home community.
Of course, many barndominiums are now used today as permanent residences, with open floor plans and other features that make them more similar to manufactured homes than ever before. Here are just a few of the features that they share:
What Features Do They Share?
Sliding Barn Doors
Sliding barn doors have become a popular fixture in both manufactured homes and barndominiums. They offer a rustic feel to any living environment while offering the same level of privacy as a single or double-door.
While you wouldn’t use a sliding barn door as a main front door or patio door, they’re often used as a door to separate a kitchen and living room, or other types of common areas.
Most sliding barn doors are mounted on a track system near the top of the door that allows them to slide in and out of the doorway. Some manufactured homes come pre-fitted with these doors. That said, it’s also possible to install a sliding barn door the DIY way. You can find the materials needed for a barn door installation at most large hardware stores.
Farm-style Kitchens
In short, a farm-style kitchen is one that has a more open concept and appliances that aren’t found in other kitchens. This can include wide-tubbed sinks and large counters and tables to accommodate large meals.
The aesthetic of a farm-style kitchen is unique, too. Most of these kitchens opt for a rustic, unassuming, and natural look. You’ll find that wood finishes on a lot of cabinets, counters, and chairs are common. The goal with a farmhouse kitchen is to make those who dine and cook in it feel more connected to the environment and the people around them.
These kinds of kitchens are more and more common in both manufactured homes and farmhouses.
Open Floor Plans
Open floor plans are all the rage in manufactured homes. They offer more space for storage, more space to move around when entertaining friends and family, and give you, the homeowner, much more flexibility in how you arrange your home’s interior.
The open floor concept is highly popular with barndominiums as well. Both forms of house have evolved to meet the needs and demands of the modern homeowner, which all come back to flexibility.
So, if you want to have an open living room that seamlessly connects to your kitchen or mudroom, you can do exactly that! Or, you can turn a common area into a work-from-home office if you live alone.
Affordability
Okay, so this one isn’t a feature per se, but both manufactured homes and barndominiums are much more affordable than site-built homes.
Because barndominiums are also mostly factory-built and use more energy-efficient materials and building processes, they come in much cheaper than site-built homes.
However, if you want the full features of a luxurious home while having thousands of options (literally) to choose from, you should consider a manufactured home from MHVillage.
On MHVillage, the nation’s leading platform for buying and renting manufactured homes, you can search your local area for manufactured homes for sale. And, you can filter your search based on a number of criteria, so if you want to buy a manufactured home in a pet-friendly community or are looking for a home to be moved onto your own private land, you can search for exactly that!
Don’t wait – look for the manufactured home of your dreams on mhvillage.com.
