Barden Building Products Blog Archive

Framing is one of the most important steps in construction – but it doesn’t have to be the most frustrating. 

Post frame buildings are becoming more popular among people looking to build their own custom homes, whether they’re dreaming of a spacious barndominium (barndo), a workshop, or even a commercial building. 

From rising material costs to lingering labor shortages, the landscape of pole barn construction is evolving yet again as we look ahead to 2025. 

Builders and businesses face a mix of challenges and opportunities shaped by economic policies, post-pandemic recovery, and fluctuating market conditions. While uncertainties remain—such as the potential impacts of the new administration's tariffs — pole barn construction continues to be a necessary and resilient solution for agricultural, commercial, and residential needs.

Barndominiums are slowly – but surely – becoming a more prevalent part of the custom home scene. And for plenty of good reasons, too.

Visually unique. Durable. Versatile. Customizable. The list goes on.

But as a newer custom home style, clients considering a barndo as their next residence are coming with plenty of questions – some more frequently asked than others.

Some Barden custom homeowners have an enhanced sense of ownership over their homes.

Why? 

It's not because they custom designed it to fit their lifestyle, nor is it because there's not another home like it (though both play into it).

Their pride of ownership comes from the fact that they took a more involved path to realizing their dream home, taking on the general contractor (GC)  role for their project. Fully embracing the idea of "build your custom home," there's very little they don't know about their home and the work that went into it.

But even for those with the best intentions, going the GC route route isn't always the best idea.

Many hopeful homeowners hear the same refrain: "The housing market is tough."

This has been true for several years now and is expected to continue. Finding the ideal pre-existing home is increasingly difficult and costly.

For many aspiring homeowners, building a custom home is the next option. However, new home construction faces its own challenges, mainly due to supply chain issues, which make the process difficult.

"Who will be living in your home?"

The world of custom home building can get pretty interesting at times.

While every future homeowner has their unique vision for what their next residence will look like, some are more unique than others.

Barndominiums are a prime example of this. As one of the latest "different" takes on custom homes, we're seeing a growing, yet small contingent of future homeowners looking to step outside the box of convention and pursue this option.

It's a tough question for anyone looking to build a new custom home: Do I wait for home construction loan interest rates to go down or move forward on my project?

High interest rates have (unfortunately) become a fact of life in recent years, and they're not just limited to loans for real estate or home construction. Auto, student, and personal loans all have a higher price tag when all is said and done.