Barndo Builder Questionnaire

Nail this first: "Is this a dry shell, finance-ready, or full turnkey price?" — roughly $60–90 / $100–150 / $150–200 per sf. I want the middle, but specifically complete enough to finance: what a construction lender's appraiser calls complete & habitable for the final draw — a notch above the bare county CO (sealed-slab floors, a functional kitchen, paint, interior doors). A bare CO won't close the loan. Then I upgrade quality on cash. Get every quote on that same basis or the per-sf numbers are meaningless.

01 Scope — what I'm asking you to bid

Footprint: a ~2,000 sf conditioned barndo + a ~400 sf wraparound covered patio (≈2,400 sf slab). Can you build this exact footprint?

I want the finance-ready minimum — everything my construction lender's appraiser needs to call it complete & habitable for the final draw: weather-tight, a sealed/stained slab as the finished floor, a functional kitchen (cabinets · counter · range · sink), working baths, paint, interior doors, HVAC, egress. (A notch above the bare county CO.) I upgrade quality myself after closing. Will you bid exactly to that line and stop there?

Is your number a dry shell, a framed shell (shell + interior studded to my layout), finance-ready, or full turnkey?

Price per sq ft for the finance-ready version — and exactly what's included vs left for me to upgrade later?

02 Experience & references

How many barndos have you finished in the last 2 years? Can I see 2–3 and call those owners?

Do you build post-frame (pole) or red-iron steel — and why that system here?

Are you a licensed/insured GC, or do I hire the slab/MEP trades separately?

Have you done a finance-ready / owner-upgrade contract before, where you stop at the lender's completion bar? How did the handoff and the final draw go?

03 What's in the finance-ready price

What's excluded — septic, well hookup, gutters, concrete flatwork, appliances beyond the range? Which quality items do I upgrade myself after closing (flooring over the sealed slab, trim/baseboards, tile, built-ins)?

Typical finance-ready vs full-finish spread on a ~2,000 sf home?

Is the ~400 sf wraparound covered patio priced in the slab and roofline, or a separate add?

04 Slab, structure & climate (North TX)

Engineered slab sized for the full ~2,400 sf (incl. the wraparound covered patio) on our expansive clay — post-tension or rebar?

What wind rating do you build to, and is the design engineer-stamped?

Insulation — closed-cell spray foam on the metal? (Non-negotiable for TX heat; batts alone sweat.)

Roof: standing-seam vs exposed-fastener? Warranty on each?

05 Permits, utilities & financing

Who pulls permits and handles the county inspections through CO?

Do you coordinate my well / septic / electric contractors, or is that on me?

Will the structure appraise & finance as a residence (not an outbuilding)? Any lender you've closed barndo construction loans with — and will this finance-ready scope satisfy their final draw, or would an appraiser flag anything as incomplete?

06 Money & timeline

Payment schedule — deposit, draws, retainage at the final draw / completion?

Realistic timeline to finance-ready completion, and what's the weather / material risk?

What's not in the contract that owners always get surprised by?

Warranty — structure, roof, workmanship — how long, and what's the claim process?

07 The owner-upgrade handoff

You stop at finance-ready and I upgrade quality (flooring over the sealed slab, trim/baseboards, built-ins, the wraparound-porch finish) after closing — will you leave it at a clean, documented stopping point so it appraises complete and passes the loan's final draw?

How are change orders priced once we start?

Two fast filters. Spray foam: a builder who shrugs at closed-cell foam on the steel doesn't really do conditioned barndo homes. Finance-ready: a builder who'll only quote full turnkey — or who thinks a bare county CO will close your loan — isn't your builder. See the CO bar vs lender bar note.