Barn Style Tiny Houses

Love the look and feel of a barndominium, but wanting something with a smaller footprint? You might consider a barn style tiny house.

In this post, we will share a couple of examples with you of beautiful barn tiny homes. But first, let’s define this style and its benefits.

What is a Barn Style Tiny House?

The term “barn style tiny house” does not refer to a formal architectural style. It loosely refers to any tiny house that is built in some way to roughly resemble a barn or barndominium.

In a lot of cases, this means a home with a gambrel roof. But not all barns have this roof shape, and not all barn tiny houses do either.

Many barn style tiny houses have rustic influences, just as many barndominiums do. But just as barndos can be modern in their aesthetics, the same is true for barn tiny houses as well. Indeed, many barn style homes combine modern and rustic elements.

Why Build a Barn Tiny House?

Here are a few reasons to choose a barn style for your tiny house:

• Classic Americana. If you want to capture the spirit of Americana in a tiny house, it is hard to beat a barn style home.

• Versatile style. You can personalize the barn style endlessly, choosing materials, roof types, configurations and finishing that fits your aesthetic.

• Pleasing layouts. Many barn style tiny houses have open floor plans, as is the case with full-size barndos. But you can also find floor plans that offer more seclusion and separation between the rooms in the home.

Small Barn Homes: Four Plans From 612 To 1,572 Sq Ft

Past about 1,000 square feet a barn home stops making compromises a visitor would notice, and the four plans below sit in that band. They are barndominium plan sets rather than kits, which means you buy the drawings and build it — the cheapest route to a specific design, and the one covered in the plan-set section above.

Read the proportions as much as the square footage. A barn silhouette comes from the ratio between the gable end and the length of the building, and these four are shaped very differently from each other despite covering only 960 square feet of difference between smallest and largest.

JRW-10002 Amerie — 612 sq ft

The only true mini barndominium home in the group

Amerie belongs to the tier above rather than this one. Its house is 612 square feet — one bedroom, one bathroom, an open kitchen and living space — inside a 1,752 square foot building that is mostly shop. Only 35% of what is under that roof is living space.

That is the shape a lot of people are actually picturing when they search for a barn home: a workshop with somewhere to sleep, rather than a house with a garage. It works as a guest cabin, a rental on land you already own, a place to live while a bigger build goes up, or a first structure you extend later.

It is not a family home and does not pretend to be. What it is is the cheapest route on this page to a barn building you can legally live in, and at 612 square feet it clears most minimum-dwelling-size rules while staying well inside what a small lot and a modest budget will carry.

• 612 sq ft heated, single story
• 48′ x 38′ footprint
• 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
• 1,752 sq ft total under roof — 35% of it conditioned

RP-10007 Beaumont — 1,482 sq ft, and the most barn-like shape here

Beaumont is 27 feet wide and two stories, and that proportion is the closest thing on this page to a classic barn silhouette. A narrow gable end carrying two full floors is exactly the tall, upright form of a hay barn — where a long low single-story building reads as a shed instead. If the look is what brought you to barn style homes, start here.

It gets 1,482 square feet out of a 999 square foot footprint by stacking, which is the same trick a barn loft plays. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, both floors fully conditioned — 82% of everything under the roof is living space, with almost nothing given over to storage or parking.

The trade-off is the one every narrow plan makes. There are stairs, the stairwell takes floor area out of both levels, and single-level living is not an option. What you get for it is a house that fits a lot nothing else will — a 27-foot building sits comfortably on frontage that rules out most barn homes entirely.

• 1,482 sq ft heated across two floors
• 27′ x 37′ footprint — the narrowest here by a wide margin
• 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
• 1,809 sq ft total under roof

GJ-4405 Dover — 1,572 sq ft with a 982 sq ft garage

Dover is the largest plan here and the one that reads most like a conventional house wearing barn siding. Everything is on one level: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an attached garage big enough for two vehicles and a workbench.

The 65-foot length is what makes it a barn rather than a ranch. A long low rectangle with a continuous ridge is the working-barn proportion — think machine shed rather than hay barn — and it wants a wide lot to sit right. Sixty-five feet before setbacks is a real constraint and worth measuring before you fall for the plan.

Just over half the building is conditioned space, so the garage and porches account for nearly 1,400 square feet you are roofing but not living in. That is the trade for covered parking and workshop space under the same roofline, and if you were going to build a detached garage anyway it is the cheaper option by a distance — one foundation, one roof, one set of exterior walls.

• 1,572 sq ft heated, single story
• 65′ x 40′ footprint
• 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
• 982 sq ft attached garage
• 2,949 sq ft total under roof

PL-71003 Jericho — 1,350 sq ft, and almost none of it wasted

Jericho is the most efficient plan on this page. 1,350 of its 1,596 square feet under roof is heated — 85%. There is no garage, no shop and barely any porch, which means almost nothing you are paying to roof is space you cannot live in.

Three bedrooms and two bathrooms inside a 42 by 32 foot footprint is tight, and it works because the plan spends nothing on hallways. The flip side is that covered parking has to be a separate structure, so budget for that if you need it.

One thing that sets it apart from everything else here: Jericho is built from insulated concrete forms, not stick frame and not a metal kit. ICF costs more up front and performs considerably better afterwards — quieter, far more airtight, and genuinely storm-resistant. It also means none of the kit or shell pricing elsewhere on this page applies to it, and some builders will not quote it. Ask before you buy the drawings.

• 1,350 sq ft heated, single story
• 42′ x 32′ footprint — the smallest here
• 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
• 1,596 sq ft total under roof
• Insulated concrete form construction

Barn Tiny Home Kits

Now that we have gone over barn style floor plans for sale, we can take a look at some beautiful barn tiny house kits for inspiration.

The Tiny Cottage By Extreme Panel

The Tiny Cottage floor plan from architect Lew Oliver of Extreme Panel gives you 376 sq ft of net zero living. The insulation and R-value of this SIP panel design will help you reduce energy costs by 60%.

The construction can be completed in a single day with the prefab panels.
See this build diary video for an actual build of this plan:

Board & Batten Tiny House from AD

A lovely modern farmhouse style barn house plan from Architectural Designs with board & batten siding. This design features 600 sq ft and has enough room for a small family. With a 30′ x 20′ blue print, the combination living, kitchen and dining area is completely wide open on the left side of the build. The bedroom, bath, closet and washer & dryer share the right hand side.

Truoba Mini 222 Plan

The mini 222 plan from Truoba is a clean take on tiny living. Coming in just shy of 1,200 sqft it includes 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The minimalistic design is influenced by mid-century modern style with window walls and 360* views.

Barnam Home by Everywhere Shelter Company

First up, we have a fairly traditional-looking barn house called the “Barnam” by Everywhere Shelter Company.

This house actually is somewhere between a strictly-defined “tiny” house and a full-size home, measuring 859 square feet. This square footage comfortably houses 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

The exterior of the home is clad in stunning board and batten wood siding, creating textural interest. With its gable roof, the overall look and feel of the home is traditional, with a hint of modern minimalism to balance out the rustic elements.

One of the standout features is the roomy sheltered porch at the front end of the home. There is plenty of space here to set up some comfortable seats so you can relax and make the most of your outdoor space.

The patio doors lead to you to the laundry and bathroom, both of which include some space for storage. Beyond is the wide open living room and kitchen. At the back end of the house, you will find the second bathroom along with the pair of bedrooms.

The modern elements of the design are even more pronounced inside the home. A neutral color scheme, clean lines, and a delightfully compact kitchen await you. There is also a wood-burning fireplace, and a nook built right into the wall for storing firewood (the effect is at once practical and pleasing to the eye). The exposed beams of the cathedral ceiling offer further architectural interest while retaining an air of simplicity.

Best For:

We recommend this tiny barn house model if you are in search of the perfect union between modern and rustic. It also strikes a great balance with respect to size, being neither too large nor too small.

Since there are two bedrooms and the layout provides a nice combination of open living spaces and privacy, a family could live comfortably in this home.

Hutch Home by Everywhere Shelter Company

At 263 square feet, the Hutch Home by Everywhere Shelter Company fits well within the traditional definitions of a “tiny house.” It is a single-bedroom, single-bathroom home featuring a design with a flat roof. In fact, a ladder built right into the side of the home leads you to the top so you can utilize the roof as additional living space.

This house is not as traditionally barn-like in appearance as the Barnam, but you can see some similar design features, including the same board and batten wood cladding.

The most impressive thing about this design is the clever floor plan, which does an amazing job packing in a lot of features while maintaining an open look and feel.

You will notice the bed is located right at the front of the home, and is surrounded by huge glass windows. You can actually open the front windows wide, seamlessly connecting indoors with outdoors. Since the windows raise upward, they form a temporary awning while they are open. Venturing into the hall, a small kitchen is on your left, even with the bed. A partition separates the cooking and sleeping spaces.  

Continuing toward the back, a laundry area is located on your right. In the very back of the house, you will find a bathroom on your right, and storage and an office desk on your left.

This is an excellent feature, as lots of tiny house designers in the past did not give much thought to where a person could work in their home. That is something that may be changing as more and more people get used to working from home.

Best For:

If you want a tiny barn house that is truly tiny, this compact home will delight you with its sophisticated modern layout. This floor plan would likely be most comfortable for one person living by themselves, or maybe two.

The Everywhere Shelter Company Process

Wondering how things work if you decide to order plans for the Hutch or the Barnam? These are not tiny house kits—you do not build them yourself. But this manufacturer works hard to make the purchase and construction process as simple and straightforward as possible.

On this page, you can read in-depth about how the process works. They even provide an interactive checklist you can use when you create an account that walks you through the steps (i.e. buying your starter plans, choosing a lot, and so on).

Since the design team is fully in-house, you can work with them to customize these plans to your needs. Once your plans are ready, you will work with a builder that signs a license agreement with Everywhere Shelter Company.

Ready To Build Your Own Barn Tiny House?

We hope you enjoyed checking out these barn tiny houses and learning more about this versatile style.

If you are dreaming of moving into a barn style tiny home of your own, visit EverywhereCo.com or order the Trouba Mini 222 plan here.