One of the barndominium’s calling cards is its flexibility with an open floor plan. (Photo courtesy Pole Buildings Unlimited)

For people of a certain age, hearing, “Were you born in a barn?” as a child usually meant you had left a door open to the great outdoors, letting precious air conditioning out and dastardly flies and mosquitoes in.
But as “barndominiums” gain popularity, living in a building built like a barn is a point of pride for many homeowners attracted to their rural look and feel.
Barndominiums marry the charm and utility of a farm building with the features of modern living.
Their usual calling cards are post construction with a metal roof and siding outside and exposed wood beams and open floor plans inside.
The term “barndominium” goes back to 1989, when Connecticut real estate developer Karl Nielsen created a community centered around raising horses, featuring stables on the ground floor and living quarters above.
The trend really caught fire in 2016 when Chip and Joanna Gaines transformed a 1,000-quare-foot barn into a home on their popular HGTV show “Fixer Upper.”
Builders and buyers of these country condominiums say they often out compete traditional custom homes on price, have quick build times, less maintenance over time and fit in well with the Eastern Shore’s rural character.
“It’s the modern-day farmhouse,” says, Gary Sensenig owner of Pole Buildings Unlimited in Dover, Del.
While many builders offer a slew of models to choose from and barndominium kits exist for do-it-yourselfers, they’ll also start from scratch with a client, making the home totally unique but not sticking out like a sore thumb.
They can be as elaborate as any custom home or trimmed down to the minimum.
“Everything about this is customized, right down to the exact little need or desire of the client,” Sensenig says.
After more than a decade of focusing on farm buildings and garages, Senseing said local interest in investing in barndominiums really heated up about three years ago.
He said they had the exterior part down pat, but had some trouble getting contractors to come in to do the interior “fit-out” stage.
Sensenig, like many pole building companies, now offers the start-to-finish process, what he calls turnkey, for clients.
“Nobody was really filling that need,” Sensenig says, “So let’s go for it.”
When Sandy and Jeff Biskach moved to Dorchester county last year they wanted their new home to fall in line with the farmland that would surround them.
Downsizing from their previous Cape Cod style home, the opted for a 2,400-square-foot barndominium and a 960-square-foot garage.
Staying on one level was also a must and porches coming off the home also add living space.
Jeff says they went to their builder with their own floor plan and after a few suggestions and tweaks, they were off an running.
“It’s a custom built home,” he says. “It’s a very tight, economical home.”
Paul Rivard said he was familiar with pole building construction with several friends who had sheds and garages on their property.
Then he saw a barndominium on a parcel he and wife Terri considered purchasing and they started looking at one for the Sussex County, Del., spot.
He said their initial design reminded him of a very plain salt box-style house, but then worked with the builder to add window dormers to the roof, vaulted ceilings with exposed trusses and a wraparound porch.
“I think the design turned out really well,” Rivard said. “It looks like a country building.”
They also have a 1,700-square-foot attached garage as part of the project, a benefit, Paul said, of a more competitive pricing than traditional customer homebuilders in their area.
“It’s all first floor living,” he said.
Sensenig recognizes barndominiums aren’t for everyone.
Some potential clients who have come in with their hearts set on multiple roof lines, he says, may be better suited with a stick-built custom home.
Part of the barndominium’s construction is a concrete floor which knocks out the possibility of a basement.
That may be a dealbreaker for some, but Sensenig says other clients have pivoted to instead add storage space or a bonus room above a garage or a home’s upper level.