Black Barndominium
In my opinion, a black barndominium will never go out of style. We have a black barndominium and it is gorgeous! The color black is associated with power, elegance, sophistication, and formality.
When you look to historical barns; many of them were black. A black wooden barn dates way back and you see them dotted all throughout this country.
When building and designing a barndominium, one of the most important decisions you will have to make is the color. The color of your barndo will dictate the entire aesthetic of your home’s exterior. Building and designing a black barndominium is your chance to create something that is unique to you and your style.
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We did not build our barndo; it was on the property when we purchased it. Our property has a main house at the front and the barndominium and workshop toward the back of the land. We love it and have been taking the last several months to furnish it and make small repairs before we finally turn it into an Air BnB and event space!
What is a Barndominium?
You may be wondering, “what on earth is a barndominium?”
If you’re not familiar with the term, a barndominium is essentially a metal or wooden home built using the basic shell of a pole barn. An open floor plan design is usually what you will find in these barn homes, incorporating a living area, kitchen and dining space all in one. They can be built strictly out of metal or wood or a combination of the two. Barn house plans have as much design flexibility as a traditional home, but have a different exterior aesthetic than a traditional home.
The term “barndominium” is a blend of barn and condominium. It refers to a structure that was originally intended as a barn but has been converted or designed as a livable space.
Barndominiums have gained popularity in both rural and urban settings. They typically have architectural features of traditional barns, such as high ceilings, open spaces, and large doors, while incorporating modern amenities found in homes, such as kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and living areas. Their cost to build is usually less expensive than a traditional home.
Why a Black Barndominium?
Black may not be the very first color you think of when deciding on your home’s exterior color. A black exterior can be incredibly beautiful if paired with the right combination of trim colors and other design elements. We painted our barndo Benjamin Moore Onyx after trying several black and charcoal paint color samples.
We Painted Our Barndominium
Benjamin Moore Onyx (2133-10)
Black is always elegant. It is the most complete color in the world because it is made of all the colors in the palette. With every passing season, new colors keep trending, but the King of all Colors is and always will be – Black! It is the only color that never fails to exude sophistication and gives an instant upgrade to your style.
When designing your own home or barndominium, exterior color is one of the choices that will be displayed at the forefront of your design. It is, after all, on the outside! Black barndominiums showcase a striking and elegant appearance. Check out Best Black Paint Colors for Interior & Exterior to find the best shade for your black barndominium.
Advantages of a Black Barndominium
A black barndominium can have the benefit of being both stylish and unique. Black brings a mix of both modern and traditional styles to create a one-of-a-kind design. As the cottage urban style becomes more sought after, black barndominiums offer homeowners the perfect mix of modern materials with a relaxed traditional feel.
Open-floor plan options give you room to play with your layout, as well as the ability to add a second level. We have a two story barndominium. There is a bedroom and a bathroom upstairs while the downstairs has a large open floor plan, bedroom, bathroom and laundry room.
Uses for a Black Barndominium
Barndominium builds aren’t just used for a living space, but can be used for a variety of commercial and personal purposes. Our barndominium was already on our property, but if you have land you could build one to use for whatever you like.
Barndominium for Events
Many people build a barndominium to use as an event space for weddings. When I ran my wedding business, I had some clients who chose a barn style wedding. While these barns aren’t necessarily for living; they are for function other than animals and classified as a barndominium.
Our barndominium was built as a home, but I love how versatile it is because I have used it to house people and also for smaller events. For Valentine’s Day we cleared out all the furniture and hosted a dinner for forty guests. That’s the great thing about a barndo; they are so versatile because of their open concept floor plan.
If you are building a barndominium for events; ensure that it is large to accommodate at least 100 seated guests and be zoned in your area as an event center.
Barndominium as Guest House
If you have even a small amount of land, and can zone to build, you could add a small barndominium as a standalone guest house on your property. Renting out a small barndominium as an Air BnB is a great way to earn extra income or use it to pay off your existing property.
We plan to use our barndominium as a higher end guest house due to its size and interior amenities and finishes.
Black Barndominium Styles and Design Options
Barndominium designs come in many shapes, styles, and sizes, and they are customizable to your own specifications. The interior has as much versatility as a traditional home and can be laid out to your specific needs.
Just like a home, a barndominium can be as large or as fancy as you like. With all the exterior details and bells and whistles to a more simple structure. Here are just a few design elements for the exterior to inspire you.
Wood or Metal
The most cost effective barndominium is a metal one. Our barndominium is rough cut pine and built using a board and batten style. I LOVE it! The real wood paired with the painted black board and batten is just timeless and gorgeous to me!
Many barndo’s are built with metal due to cost. Our barndo was built in 2011 when the cost to build was way lower than it is now. If we were to build a barndominium, we would likely have to go with metal. To rebuild what we have now would be very costly. You can have a black metal barndominium or a black wooden barndominium. It really comes down to your personal preference and your budget.
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Painting Our Barn
Benjamin Moore Onyx (2133-10)
Our Barndominium Porch
Black Barndominium Roof
Many barndominium roofs are metal. You can use any roofing material you like, but metal is cost effective and efficient. Our roof is a gray metal and it goes very nicely with the black. You can use any color roof you like, and even do a black metal roof to match your barn.
Black Barndominium Trim
Our barndo is pretty basic and we do not have a lot of trim or stone work. I wanted three colors to be present on our barndominium. The main color to be black, with silver roof and gutters, and wood accents.
We have trim around the windows and doors, but chose to paint those the color of the barn. We added in the natural wood tone doors and the matching wood planters to add that wood aspect. I love how the wood pops against the black barn. The metal roof helps to break up all the wood and the textures. It’s a nice blend of wood and metal giving it a nice clean look.
You can add stone to your barn front, or paint your trim a contrasting color. The possibilities are endless.
Black Barndominium with Exterior Stone
A black exterior barndominium with stone go together so well. The barn shown here is an old barn that has been converted into an event center in Leesburg, VA. I took this picture to show how nicely black and stone pair nicely together. I think this is gorgeous.
If you are considering a barndominium build, consider adding stone around the bottom portion. Our shop has stone around it’s base and it does add a nice contrast and texture to the black.
Black Barndominium Lighting
We selected galvanized goose neck barn lights. I went back on forth with these or with copper barn lights. The price of copper was out of budget. I did consider painting lights with copper paint, but in the end just wanted something that was what is was meant to be.
I like how the galvanized lights give the space a casual feel but still looks elevated. The lights on the barn before we very small…too small for the size of the barn.
You do not have to use a barn light, but we chose to. We live in the country and while I wanted the barn not to feel too “country,” I also didn’t want it to feel stuffy. I love an elevated relaxed feel with design and wanted this to feel more cottagey than farmy…hope that makes sense.
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Black Barndominium Landscaping
A black barndominium can act as a visual backdrop for landscaping. I love how the grass and the trees pop with our black barn. Since we have a wood barndominium, we do not have a lot in the way of planted landscaping around around the actual barn. The trees and the plants in the handmade wooden planters add visual interest as well as the surrounding trees.
If you are interested in having lovely landscaping in front of your barndominium, then black is a great exterior color. Black is a great blank canvas to set your landscaping against.
Frequently Asked Questions
A barndominium is usually less expensive to build than a traditional home, they are fully customizable, and lower maintenance if building with metal. It can be difficult finding financing, and not all cities allow them.
If built out of metal and steel, they can last well over 100 years. A wooden barndominium can last a long time too as long as regular maintenance such as painting or staining the exterior is maintained as well as spraying for bugs and termites.
Barndominiums do maintain their resale value and can increase in value as any other property. However, the value of a barndominium does not increase nearly as rapidly as a traditional home
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