Barndominium floor plan and elevation drawings laid out on a drafting table with a scale rule.

Custom Barndominium Plans in Pennsylvania

Custom plans turn what you want from a barndominium into a drawing set a Pennsylvania municipality can review and a crew can build from. Most of the state is hills, ridges and valleys rather than flat ground, so a good plan starts from the land: the slope, the view, the tested sewage area, the setbacks and the way in from the road. We work out the floor plan with you, fit it to the lot, and prepare the drawings to the Uniform Construction Code and to the design values your code official sets.

Stamped drawings where your jurisdiction requires them
Drawn to your code official's snow, wind and frost values
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Custom Plans: how the work runs

Four stages, in this order. The sequence matters more than it looks: settling who administers the code for your municipality, the sewage soil tests and the site approvals before anything is fabricated is what keeps a Pennsylvania build from stalling.

1

Start from the land

We look at the slope, the trees, the sun, the driveway and where the sewage soil tests passed, because the tested area often decides where the house can go. A walkout basement or a stepped slab can turn a steep lot into an advantage.

2

Shape the floor plan

Rooms, shop bay, porch, loft and garage are laid out with you, starting from one of our floor plans or from a blank sheet. The frame system, steel or pole barn, is chosen at the same time, because column and frame spacing shape the rooms.

3

Prepare the drawing set

Floor plans, elevations, sections, foundation and framing details are drawn to the 2021 International Residential Code as Pennsylvania adopted it, and to the snow, wind and frost values your code official uses. Frame and truss drawings are sealed by a licensed professional engineer where the municipality requires it.

4

Submit and answer questions

The set goes to your municipality, or to the certified third-party agency where the municipality has opted out. We answer the plan reviewer's comments and revise the drawings until the permit can be issued.

Overhead view of architectural floor plan and structural elevation drawings spread on a workbench with a scale ruler and pencil.
Built for hills

In Pennsylvania the plan has to fit the slope before it fits the budget

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources notes that three physiographic provinces, the Appalachian Plateaus, the Ridge and Valley and the Piedmont, make up more than 98 percent of the state. Flat, open building sites are the exception. A plan that works with the grade saves on excavation, fill and retaining walls, and can gain a walkout level or a drive-in shop door at the bottom of the slope.

Where we deliver custom plans

In Pennsylvania the line that matters is the municipal boundary. The building code is the same everywhere, but each of the 2,562 cities, boroughs and townships decides how it is administered: by its own code office, by an agency it retains, or by opting out and leaving the applicant to hire a certified third-party agency. Cross a township line and what changes is who reviews the drawings, what they charge, how the land is zoned, which Sewage Enforcement Officer tests the soil, and whose snow, wind and frost values the drawings answer to.

Barndominium builders across Pennsylvania.

Every city, borough and county we build in has its own answer on permits, sewage and design values. The service area pages set out who handles each one.

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Before you commit

What actually decides the price

Square footage is the number everyone leads with, and it is rarely the one that moves a barndominium budget. These four do.

  • Footprint and spans

    The overall size, the width of the open living area and the shop bay set the size of the frame. A few feet of width can move the frame into a heavier size range.

  • Slope and foundation type

    A slab on level ground, a stepped slab, a crawlspace or a walkout basement each cost differently. On a steep Pennsylvania lot the foundation choice is often the biggest single decision in the plan.

  • Shop bays, doors and porches

    Large overhead doors, a tall shop bay, wrap-around porches and lofts all add structure. They are worth planning early rather than adding once the frame is ordered.

  • Sealed drawings and review

    Whether the municipality asks for a design professional's seal, and how many review rounds the set goes through, both affect the design budget and the schedule.

Barndominium floor plan and elevation drawings laid out on a drafting table with a scale rule.

Custom Plans in Pennsylvania: common questions

8 questions we get asked most often about building in Pennsylvania. If yours is not on the list, ask it directly.

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Can you change one of your floor plans instead of starting from scratch?
Yes, and most people do. A stock plan resized, re-roomed or turned to suit the slope and the view is quicker and cheaper than a blank sheet, and it still ends up as a set drawn for your building on your land.
Which building code are the plans drawn to?
The Uniform Construction Code, which for houses is currently the 2021 International Residential Code with Pennsylvania's own amendments, in effect since 1 January 2026. The design values that go into the drawings come from your municipality's code official.
Do my barndominium plans need a stamp?
It depends on the building and on what your municipality or its code agency asks for. Frame and truss drawings from a kit manufacturer usually carry a licensed professional engineer's seal. Pennsylvania's rules also give a faster permit decision where the drawings carry a licensed or registered design professional's certification: 5 business days instead of 15.
Can I build on a steep lot?
Often, yes. A walkout basement, a stepped slab or a split between the living level and a lower shop can all use a slope well. Very steep ground adds excavation, retaining and drainage cost, and more earth disturbance can bring erosion and sediment controls, so we look at the lot before the plan is fixed.
Why does the sewage test decide where the house goes?
Where there is no public sewer, the on-lot system can only go where the soil passed its tests, and the house, the well and the driveway have to be placed around that area. Drawing the house first and finding the sewage area afterwards is a common and costly mistake.
Do I need an architect to design a barndominium in Pennsylvania?
No. Pennsylvania does not require an architect to design a detached one- or two-family home of up to three stories, so our design team draws your plans. You can build from them with us or take them to another builder.
How long does the design stage take?
It depends on how settled your ideas are, how many revisions you want and how long the plan review takes. Pennsylvania's rules require a residential permit application to be granted or denied within 15 business days of filing, but getting to a complete set usually takes longer than the review itself.
Do the plans include the site layout?
The drawing set shows where the house sits on the lot. Property lines and corners are set by a licensed land surveyor, and any grading or stormwater plan the municipality asks for is prepared by the appropriate licensed professional.

Sources

Keep reading

The pages that answer the next question this one raises.

Floor Plans

Starting points by size and by feature, before anything is drawn from scratch.

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Permits and Approvals

What the finished drawing set has to get through, and who reviews it.

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Are Barndominiums Legal in Pennsylvania?

How the statewide building code, your municipality and zoning fit together.

Read it

Ready to put custom plans against a real plan? Start there and the rest follows.

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Tell us about the land

Tell us where the parcel is and what you want on it, and we will come back with who has jurisdiction, what the land needs before it can be built on, and a realistic budget range. Starting the survey costs nothing.

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