🌱 How much would I save on a barndominium by doing the labor myself instead of hiring a builder?

Everyone wants to know what a barndominium will cost per square foot. As Blair Neihouser puts it, that's like the white whale of a question. The massive range depends entirely on your stackup of decisions, which this calculator helps estimate based on size and your willingness to put in sweat equity.

The core formula is finished living space multiplied by your price per square foot. Do not factor in the raw outer shell. As Blair Neihouser notes, if you take 150, the low low low, and a 2,000 sq ft home, that's likely going to be somewhere around $300,000.

The stackup of decisions dictates your final cost per square foot. Standard residential finishes put you in the $150 to $200 range, while opting for custom finishes pushes you higher. As Blair Neihouser notes, The Post Frame Channel has seen them go up into the 250s. It's not that hard to do.

Taking on the labor yourself or leaving areas unfinished are the only reliable ways to drop costs near the $100 per square foot mark. As Blair Neihouser puts it, if you're going to get this thing for a 100 bucks a square foot, something's going to be undone or you're going to have to do a lot.