Barndominiums and homesteading are two things that thrive in rural areas, which is why it should not surprise you to find the two coexisting harmoniously. Instead of constructing a farmhouse for your homestead, why not build something more functional, like a barndominium? In this article, we will tell you what makes barndominiums and homesteading a perfect match. We will also give you some crucial tips to make your homesteading venture successful.
Why Should You Start a Homestead?
Before we go any further, let’s discuss why you should start a homestead. If you are not yet a fan of homesteads, these reasons should be more than enough to make a fan out of you.
Self-sufficiency
One of the primary reasons why people go into homesteading is to become self-sufficient. Having a homestead allows you to grow your own food. You can raise livestock such as cows, poultry, pigs, and other farm animals. You can also plant vegetables and fruit-bearing trees, as well as produce valuable resources such as firewood.
The ability to produce almost anything you need means you don’t have to rely on external sources. This means you don’t have to worry about the lack of supplies. You are also unaffected by inflation or the rising prices of food products. You have enough food and resources, so you don’t feel the effects of crises or economic instability.
Financial Independence
Homesteading can help you save money. You can grow most of your own food, so there’s no need to purchase them. If you have surplus crops, like fruits and vegetables, you can sell them to your neighbors. It is also possible to start a home-based business in your homestead. You can plant crops for the sole purpose of selling them on the market. You can start a small textile business or make handicrafts.
You can up the ante by installing solar panels so you don’t have to pay for electricity. Most barndominiums are in the middle of large plots of land that receive much sunlight. This makes for an ideal location to install solar panels, giving you a sustainable barndo. If you build a barndominium using a small metal building home plan, you can easily power it using solar panels.
It Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle
You can plant vegetables and fruits around your barndominium to ensure that your family eats healthy food.
Homesteading can help you start and maintain a healthy lifestyle. For one, you and your family will have access to plenty of nutritious fruits and vegetables. These are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, potassium, and folate. They are also sources of dietary fiber that promotes good digestion. Growing your own food also ensures that your food is free from pesticides and fungicides – you can use organic soil fertilizer to ensure that you eat food free from chemicals.
Homesteading also provides you with plenty of avenues to stay fit. The attention and care that crops and farm animals require ensures that you have plenty of exercise to keep your body in top condition. You can also involve other family members and turn homesteading into a meaningful family activity. In addition, you are always close to nature, fresh air, and abundant sunlight that can help give you a healthy body.
Keeping your mind sharp is also part of being healthy. A homestead provides you with numerous learning opportunities. You can learn about agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, and others. You can also share your knowledge with others so they can start their own business and help the entire community thrive.
You Can Contribute to Your Community
Homesteading lets you become a productive member of your community. You can supply other community members with your harvest to ensure they have access to healthy and affordable food. If you make a business out of your homestead and it grows large enough, you can hire other community members to sell your goods, help tend to your crops, or make handicrafts you can sell. You also contribute to your community by paying business tax, allowing your county to provide essential services.
What Makes Barndominiums Ideal For Homesteading?
What makes barndominiums ideal for homesteading? Why not just build a farmhouse just like everybody else?
Barndominiums are ideal for rural areas
Just like farmhouses, barndominiums are ideal structures for rural areas. The original bandominiums used to be barns for housing farm animals and storing crops. In addition, some financing services are available only for buildings in rural areas. An example is the USDA Construction Loan. This type of loan is only for building on rural land and is part of the efforts of the government to boost the population of rural communities.
You can have ample storage space
Barndominiums have large floor spaces, and you can allocate enough space for storing your harvest. You can also have ample storage space for storing your farm tools and equipment when they are not in use. Barndominiums often have large garages where you can park your farm tractor, tiller, and others.
You can use a barndominium to start a home-based business
A barndominium is the perfect structure for starting a home-based business. If you already have a barndominium, it is easy to remodel to suit any home-based business you have in mind. If you don’t have a barndominium yet, you can design a custom barndominium with all the features needed to make your business successful.
For example, if you decide to sell farm produce, you can create a space for packaging your product so it is ready for shipment. You can preserve fruits and sell them online or to members of your community. If you decide to produce handicrafts or textiles, you can designate a portion of your barndominium as your production area.
Woodworking is another popular choice among barndominium owners. Instead of having a large garage, allot a portion of your garage as your woodworking workshop. You can use wood from the trees surrounding your homestead. You can even source wood from neighbors and help provide them with an additional source of income.
Because of a barndominium’s open floor plan, it is easy to expand your work or production area as your business grows. A barndominium doesn’t have load-bearing walls that require knocking off just to expand your workshop. This means that altering your barndo to accommodate your growing business is easier and cheaper.
It is resistant to pests
Because of a barndominium’s metal frame and shell, it is resistant to pests, like termites, that are destructive to wood. This can help ensure that your barndominium will last longer than wooden farmhouses. Metal structures are also resistant to rodents. Rodents cannot gnaw on metal to gain access to your barndominium. This means that whatever crops you store inside your barndominium are safe.
Final Word
A barndominium is the perfect structure if you are interested in homesteading. It provides a safe structure for storing your products, tools, and equipment. A barndominium looks great when surrounded by crops, farm animals, and fruit-bearing trees. You can also repurpose a barndominium to suit whatever home-based business you set your sights on. By engaging in homesteading, you can have a healthy lifestyle while cutting down on expenses and earning enough money for your other needs. If you want a successful and one-of-a-kind homestead, why build a farmhouse when you can build a barndominium that makes homesteading a more fulfilling experience?
