≈ $37,500 down
Ongoing housing costs
PMI is included below since the down payment is under 20%.
Estimated total
$1,550/mo
$1,461 payment + $89 PMI
Want the occasional useful email?
New calculators, updated cost data, and the occasional money-saving guide. No account needed, and you can leave any time.
By Alex Diaz · How we calculate this
A metal-shell barndominium typically costs less per square foot to build than a comparable stick-built house, but many mortgage lenders still treat it as nonstandard construction and price the loan, or the required down payment, accordingly. This calculator combines the price, down payment, interest rate, and loan term you enter into a monthly payment, then weighs that against your income and credit profile to gauge how risky the purchase would be.
These key factors affect barndominium affordability
Income and expenses
A barndominium payment still has to compete with everything else already in your budget, a car payment, other debt, everyday bills, so this calculator weighs it against your full income and debt picture rather than judging the payment on its own. A lot of barndominium buyers are self-employed or run a farm or small business with income that swings month to month, which makes it worth checking whether the payment still works in a slow month, not just an average one.
Credit score and loan type
Barndominiums don't always fit neatly into conventional mortgage underwriting, and some lenders treat them more like a construction loan than a standard home loan. A lower credit score has an outsized effect on the rate you're offered when the loan type is already less standard to begin with.
Land, shell, and finish-out costs
The total cost usually breaks into three separate pieces: the land, the metal building shell, and the interior finish-out, and financing sometimes has to be arranged in stages rather than as one mortgage covering all of it. Price each piece on its own rather than trusting a single number to cover everything, since the shell alone can look deceptively affordable before drywall, plumbing, and electrical get added.
Permitting under agricultural exemptions
In many rural counties, a barndominium's building permit gets pulled as an agricultural structure rather than a residential one, which can mean a lighter inspection process than a standard house goes through. That shortcut can save money on the way up, but it's also exactly what makes some lenders and insurers hesitate later, once the paperwork says barn rather than house.
Down payment and loan term
A larger down payment lowers your loan amount and monthly payment the same way it would for a conventional home, though lenders unfamiliar with the property type sometimes require more down given the less-standard structure.
Insurance and resale value
Insurers and appraisers are still catching up to barndominiums as a category. Insurance quotes and resale comparables can be harder to pin down than for a standard house, so get real numbers before committing rather than assuming they'll land close to a comparable home nearby.
How to use your results
Try adjusting the inputs to see what actually moves your risk score:
- Down payment - see how putting more down lowers your monthly payment and risk score.
- Loan term - compare a shorter term's higher payment against a longer term's lower one.
- Existing debt - add what you're already carrying for a more realistic picture.
Ways to increase how much barndominium you can afford
- Pay down existing debt before applying for financing.
- Get quotes from a few lenders who specifically work with barndominium or construction loans.
- Save for a larger down payment, since some lenders require more than they would for a standard mortgage.
- Scale back the interior finish-out or square footage to lower the total cost without giving up the basic structure.
More housing calculators
Peer comparison data
Bureau of Labor Statistics (median income by age), Experian (credit score by age)
Used by the “how you compare” figures in the sidebar, not by the costs on this page.
Every figure on this site, with its source and the date it was last verified
How you compare
Income
Credit score
Nothing added yet - add something to see your risk.