Custom Barndominiums in South Carolina

Custom barndominiums are for land and wish lists that do not fit a catalog plan: a raised home on a Lowcountry lot, a long porch facing a pond, a loft over the great room, a horse barn under the same roof, or finishes that read as farmhouse rather than metal building. We design and build custom barndos across the state, starting from what the property allows.

The land often decides first

Near the coast, the flood map can set the floor height before anything else. In Horry County, a house in a flood plain needs a pre-construction elevation certificate, and buildings in a VE zone have to meet specific requirements from the floodplain manager. Raising a barndo onto a stem wall or piers is a custom design job, and Conexwest, a container seller, publishes an estimate that wetland areas near Charleston and Beaufort can add 20 to 30 percent to foundation cost.

Low spots that hold water

South Carolina has about 5,000 mapped Carolina bays, shallow oval depressions under 10 feet deep that may be dry or hold a pond or swamp. On flat Coastal Plain acreage, a slight rise is often the driest house site, and a custom plan can follow it.

Get a Free Estimate

Rules beyond the building code

The state code applies everywhere, but Conexwest's South Carolina guide notes that historic districts in places like Charleston, Columbia and Georgetown have strict architectural guidelines, and many subdivision HOAs and deed covenants restrict metal buildings. A custom design can sometimes satisfy them with siding, roof pitch and porch choices; sometimes it cannot. We check before you pay for drawings.

Wetter, flatter, windier toward the coast

Colleton County requires homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area to be elevated to base flood elevation plus one foot, with an elevation certificate. Wind design rises from 115 mph across York County to 150 mph in the City of Charleston, and Charleston's criteria add seismic design category D2. A custom design takes all three into account before the look is settled.

Custom does not mean open-ended

Every custom choice has a price, and the estimate shows it. HomeGuide's range runs from $65 to $160 per square foot, and custom work tends to land toward the upper half. Line items let you see which features drive the number.