30×50 Barndominium

Pricing

How Much Does a 30×50 Barndominium Kit Cost?

The shell kit for a 30×50 barndominium starts from $42,000 — our flat national rate of $28/sqft across the full 1,500 sqft footprint. Turnkey (move-in ready, built by our vetted contractor network) starts from $172,500, at the blended national rate of $115–$200/sqft, all-in across the full footprint.

Finish level on the living side moves the range the most. Cabinets, flooring, fixtures, and countertops can roughly double the per-sqft cost between builder-grade and high-end — and because the living side of a 30×50 runs around 1,100 sqft by default, those choices have an outsized effect on the total. Foundation type is the next major variable: a standard slab in a mild-climate market differs meaningfully in cost from a frost-protected or pier foundation in colder or uneven-terrain regions. The insulation and HVAC package for the living space adds another real range, and conditioning the shop bay — insulating and adding HVAC so it functions as a year-round working space rather than an open-air structure — adds cost on top of that.

Shop bay configuration adds its own variation: the sidewall height and overhead door spec are custom to your build, and a taller sidewall or commercial-spec door costs more than a standard residential door. A loft add-on over the main living area, covered-porch size, and site-specific work — utility runs, septic, well, driveway — round out the range. Geography is the single biggest cost driver overall: Midwest and Southern rural markets sit at the low end; rural Northeast, mountain West, and Pacific Northwest sit at the high end. For accurate pricing in your market, see your state page or visit our full cost guide.

What fits

What Can You Fit in a 30×50 Barndominium?

In the default layout, a 30×50 splits into roughly 1,100 sqft of living space and a 400 sqft single-bay shop or attached garage — two bedrooms, one or two bathrooms, an open kitchen and great room, a utility/laundry, and a real working bay that fits a full-size truck or SUV alongside a workbench and tool storage.

That shop bay is the key distinction from a 30×40: it is a genuine working bay, not just covered storage. Sidewall height and the overhead door spec are custom to your build, so you can configure it for a tall pickup, a lifted SUV, or light contractor equipment. Whether the bay is conditioned — insulated and heated or cooled — is also a design choice with real cost and usability consequences.

If you don’t need a shop, the full 1,500 sqft can be all-living: a comfortable single-story home with 2–3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an open kitchen and great room, and a real utility room, with room for a covered porch. A loft over the main living area is a common add-on, picking up usable square footage for a second-floor bedroom, office, or storage without expanding the footprint.

Layouts

How a 30×50 Can Lay Out

We design custom plans — not stock floor plans. The 1,500 sqft footprint runs from a full single-story home to a shop-forward build, drawn around your household, site, and priorities.

The same 30×50 shell runs the full range — from All-living to Mostly shop, and anywhere in between. These are common starting points, not fixed plans. Every 30×50 we build is custom-drawn from scratch.

Drawn to scale. The living-to-shop split shown is just one of many possible layouts — every 30×50 is designed from scratch.

The default layout pairs roughly 1,100 sqft of living — two bedrooms, one or two bathrooms, open kitchen and great room, utility/laundry — with a 400 sqft single-bay shop or attached garage. Your plan sets the dividing wall; sliding it toward the living side adds bedroom or great-room space, sliding it toward the shop side grows the bay.

A full-house, no-shop layout uses all 1,500 sqft as a single-story home: 2–3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an open kitchen and great room, a real utility room, and room for a covered porch. This is the right call if you want the most comfortable living the footprint can deliver and have no need for an attached bay.

The mostly shop configuration — roughly 900 sqft of living and a 600 sqft single-bay shop — works on a 30×50, but it is tight on both sides: the living area is studio-scale (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a compact kitchen), and 600 sqft is a generous single bay rather than a true two-bay shop. Buyers who want a real shop-house with comfortable living and a 2-bay shop typically step up to the 40×60, where both sides have room to breathe. A loft over the main living area is a common 30×50 add-on regardless of layout — it picks up usable space for a bedroom, office, or storage without increasing the footprint. Covered porches, vaulted great-room ceilings, and exterior panel and color selections are all part of your custom plan.

Best for

What a 30×50 Barndominium Is Best For

The 30×50 is best for couples, downsizers, light tradespeople, and small families who want a modest single-story home with an attached working bay on an acreage lot.

Couples and small families on rural acreage who want an attached garage rather than a separate outbuilding get exactly that: a complete 2-bedroom home and a bay that fits their vehicles and projects under the same roof. Rural retirees and downsizers who want to right-size their home without giving up space for tools, project vehicles, or seasonal storage find the 30×50 matches their need closely — comfortable living, no wasted square footage, one working bay.

Light tradespeople and service contractors who need a single working bay for a truck and equipment — but not a full shop floor — are well served here without the cost or footprint of a larger build. And first-time buyers stepping up from a 30×40 who want the same compact home plus a real attached bay find the 30×50 is precisely that transition: 300 extra square feet that become a genuine garage rather than more hallway.

Size comparison

30×50 vs. Other Sizes

The 30×50 splits the difference between the 30×40 and the 40×60. The 30×40 is a 1,200 sqft starter — a complete compact home with no room for a shop bay. Adding 300 sqft to reach the 30×50 is exactly what buys that single working bay alongside the same compact home: the “starter with garage” step up. The 40×60, at 2,400 sqft, is a different class of build — a true shop-house with room for a 2-bay shop and a 3-bedroom living side, at a correspondingly higher cost and larger lot footprint. Buyers who find the 30×50’s single bay insufficient, or who need a third bedroom alongside any shop space at all, are typically 40×60 buyers.

Kit or turnkey

Kit or Turnkey: How Most Buyers Build a 30×50

Most buyers at this size choose turnkey because they can’t erect a steel shell themselves. Here’s exactly where the kit ends and the finished home begins.

The shell kit — the engineered steel frame, roof and wall panels, fasteners, and hardware — ships nationally and arrives at your site ready for erection. Everything from the slab up through interior finish (erection, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall, flooring, cabinetry, fixtures) is the turnkey layer, coordinated through our vetted contractor network where coverage exists. For a 30×50, that includes the shop bay configuration — sidewall height, overhead door, and whether the bay is conditioned — all designed in your custom plan and built as part of the single turnkey process.

The process

How Turnkey Delivery Works

Turnkey delivery runs in four stages. We coordinate the vetted contractors at each one, so you manage one process instead of a dozen subcontractors.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions