A barn style kit home is the classic American barn shape: a high centre bay with lower wings either side. Here is how our barn designs are laid out, how they differ from a barndominium, and what you can do with each part of the building.
Category: Shed Home Guides Author: Brian Best Reading time: Approx. 4 minutes
Most people know the shape before they know the name. A tall middle section with a steep roof, and a lower roof stepping down on each side. It is the barn you see on farms across America, and it makes a very good home.
What makes a home barn style
In a traditional or American barn, the building is split into bays. The centre bay is high, tall enough for two storeys. The wing bays either side are lower, with their own roofline running off the centre.
That shape gives you two kinds of space in one building. The high centre carries the height: an upper level, a loft or a big open room. The wings give you ground floor space that can be living, bedrooms, a garage or a covered outdoor area.
Our barn style designs
The Kyogle
Our American barn design. The raised centre section brings volume and natural light inside, with a garage for two cars and a workshop built into the home. See the Kyogle.
The Kakadu
Traditional barn style, with the high two storey centre bay and lower wing bays either side. If you need a garage or carport, we can design one to match. See the Kakadu.
Barn style or barndominium?
The two words get used for the same thing, but in our range they describe two different looks.
The Kyogle and the Kakadu are barn style: a high centre bay with lower wings. The Fremantle is our barndominium style. It is traditionally built loft style, with a mezzanine floor in part of the two storey section, so the one building does two jobs. That dual purpose is what makes it a barndominium.
Under the name, the building is the same: a steel portal frame home. I cover that in shed home vs barndominium, and you can see the full barndominium range on our barndominiums Australia page.
Engineered as a home, wings included
All seven of our standard designs are engineered to Class 1A as a full building. That includes the garages, the carports and the garaports. So a wing that starts life as a garage or carport can become additional living area later, because it was engineered as part of the home from the start. Class 1A vs Class 10A explained.
Every kit is engineered for your site, so a full site address gives you the most accurate quote.
What it costs
Every model page carries its kit price. For a size of your own, here is our rate per square metre.
| Style of shed home | Base kit | Complete kit supply |
|---|---|---|
| Single level barn style | $340 to $420 /m² | $430 to $530 /m² |
| Single level with a workshop or breezeway wing | $380 to $400 /m² | $440 to $460 /m² |
| Two storey | $380 to $440 /m² | $470 to $530 /m² |
How to use these rates. Measure the total floor area under the roof, including verandas, then multiply by the rate for the style you like. Our own models work out between these numbers, so use our measurements as a guide: a 198m² barn style, a 280m² barn style with big verandas, or a 292m² two storey. Base kit is the structural shell and engineering. Complete kit supply adds windows, insulation, drawings and NatHERS. Internal lining and fit out are never part of a kit.
These are a guide, not a quote. Your real number depends on your block, your wind region, bushfire rating and what your council asks for, which is why we price against a full site address. Send us the address and a pin and you get a real figure instead of a rate.
The kit price is the only number we commit to. For the slab, trades and fit out, see how much does a shed home cost.
Where to start
Start with the Kyogle or the Kakadu and change it in the 3D designer. Then send it through for review with your site address.
- Start your design in 3D
- See all seven designs
- Shed and home under one roof
- Dutch gable, gambrel and hip roof designs
- Livable sheds: what makes a shed livable
Brian Best
Founder & Builder
Shed Homes · Class 1A Kit Homes · Australia-Wide Delivery sales@shed-homes.com.au · 0488 510 550 · shed-homes.com.au
