What Should You Build First: Your Barndominium, Shop, or Pole Barn?

You finally have the land. Now comes the fun part: deciding what to do with it.

For many Kansas landowners, the long-term vision includes more than just a house. You may want a custom barndominium, a large shop, equipment storage, a pole barn, or eventually all of the above.

So, what should you build first?

There’s no single answer that works for every property. The right order depends on your budget, how you’re currently using the land, where you’ll live during construction, and what you ultimately want the property to become.

At A Better Barn Company, we build barndominiums, pole barns, shops, garages, and post-frame buildings throughout Wichita and surrounding Kansas communities. If you’re starting with a blank piece of acreage, here are some things to consider before deciding what goes up first.

Start With the Big Picture

Before choosing your first building, think about what you eventually want the entire property to look like.

Don’t just ask, “Where should we put the house?”

Ask:

• Where will the barndominium sit?
• Will there be a detached shop?
• Do we need equipment storage?
• Will we eventually build a horse or livestock barn?
• Where will the driveway run?
• Where will utilities enter the property?
• Do we need room for trailers or large equipment?
• Are there plans for fencing or pastures?
• What about outdoor living areas?
• Could we add another building someday?

A little planning now can prevent a lot of headaches later.

You don’t want to finish your dream home only to realize the best location for your future shop is now blocked by the driveway.

Option #1: Build the Barndominium First

For many families, the barndominium is the obvious first project.

If you’re currently renting, living somewhere else, or simply ready to move onto your land, getting the home completed first may make the most sense.

Building the barndominium first allows you to establish:

• Your primary driveway
• Electrical service
• Water
• Septic
• Internet and other utilities
• Drainage
• Main living area

Once the primary infrastructure is established, future buildings can often be planned around it.

This approach works particularly well when your shop or storage needs aren’t immediate.

Option #2: Build the Shop First

Sometimes the shop needs to come first.

This is especially common for rural Kansas landowners who already have equipment, tools, vehicles, or business materials that need protection.

A shop can provide immediate storage while you’re planning the house.

It may also give you a secure place for:

• Building materials
• Tools
• Tractors
• Mowers
• Trailers
• ATVs
• Vehicles
• Farm equipment

If you’ll be heavily involved in developing your property, having a shop available early can be extremely useful.

Should You Build the Home and Shop Together?

This is where barndominiums really shine.

Instead of building a house and then adding a separate shop, you can combine the two into one custom structure.

A barndominium with an attached shop can give you:

• Residential living space
• Vehicle storage
• Workshop space
• Equipment storage
• Hobby areas

…all under one roof.

For some homeowners, this eliminates the question of what to build first entirely.

You build both at once.

Option #3: Build a Pole Barn First

A pole barn can be a smart first structure when the immediate priority is affordable, functional space.

Kansas property owners commonly use pole barns for:

• Farm equipment
• Tractors
• Hay storage
• Livestock
• Boats and RVs
• Trailers
• General property storage
• Workshops

If you’re purchasing undeveloped acreage, a pole barn gives you a place to start storing the equipment you’ll need to maintain and improve the property.

Depending on your long-term plan, that building can continue serving the property long after your home is completed.

Consider Your Budget

Your construction order also needs to make financial sense.

You may have a vision that includes a large barndominium, a 3,000-square-foot shop, multiple agricultural buildings, fencing, and a long driveway.

You don’t necessarily have to build everything at once.

Breaking the property into phases can make a large vision much more manageable.

For example:

Phase 1: Site preparation, driveway, and utilities

Phase 2: Barndominium

Phase 3: Shop or pole barn

Phase 4: Additional storage, agricultural buildings, or outdoor improvements

The exact order will depend on your priorities.

Think About Utilities Before Anything Is Built

Utility planning is one of the most important parts of developing Kansas acreage.

Before placing your first structure, consider where you’ll need:

• Electricity
• Water
• Septic
• Natural gas or propane
• Internet
• Exterior lighting

If you know you’ll eventually have a house and several outbuildings, planning utility routes ahead of time can help avoid unnecessary work later.

You don’t want to trench across a finished driveway because the future shop wasn’t considered during the original utility installation.

Plan Your Driveway for More Than Cars

A rural driveway isn’t just for your family’s vehicles.

During construction and after you move in, you may need access for:

• Concrete trucks
• Material deliveries
• Construction equipment
• RVs
• Horse trailers
• Farm equipment
• Boats
• Delivery trucks

Think about width, turning radius, building approaches, and where vehicles can turn around.

This becomes especially important if you’re building a shop or pole barn for large equipment.

Pay Attention to Drainage

Water always needs somewhere to go.

Before deciding where your buildings will sit, consider how water naturally moves across the property.

Good site planning can help prevent problems around:

• Foundations
• Driveways
• Shops
• Pole barns
• Outdoor living areas

Kansas storms can dump a lot of water in a short amount of time. Proper grading and drainage planning should be part of your property design from the beginning.

Leave Room Between Buildings

It can be tempting to place everything close together, but think about how you’ll actually use the space.

You may need room to:

• Back trailers into a shop
• Move farm equipment
• Park vehicles
• Deliver materials
• Access buildings for maintenance
• Expand a structure later

Your property may feel enormous when it’s empty. Once buildings, driveways, fencing, and landscaping start going in, that space can disappear surprisingly quickly.

Consider Kansas Wind and Sun

Building orientation matters, particularly on open acreage.

Think about:

• Prevailing winds
• Afternoon sun
• Outdoor living areas
• Garage and shop door placement
• Natural light
• Views

The right orientation can make your home and other buildings more comfortable and functional.

Don’t Forget About Future Expansion

One of the best things about owning acreage is having room to grow.

Maybe today you only need a home and a two-car garage.

Ten years from now, you might want:

• A larger workshop
• RV storage
• Horse barn
• Equipment building
• Guest space
• Additional garage
• Hobby building

You don’t need to build everything now.

You just need to make sure what you build today doesn’t prevent you from building what you want tomorrow.

So, What Should You Build First?

For most landowners, the answer comes down to your immediate needs.

Build the barndominium first if getting onto your property and establishing your permanent home is the priority.

Build the shop first if you immediately need secure workspace or equipment storage.

Build a pole barn first if you need practical agricultural or general-purpose storage while developing the property.

Build a barndominium with an attached shop if your ultimate goal is to combine your home and workspace into one structure.

There isn’t a universally correct answer.

There is, however, a correct answer for your property.

Plan Your Kansas Acreage Before You Build

The most important thing is to avoid treating each building as an isolated project.

Your home, shop, pole barn, driveway, utilities, drainage, and future structures should all work together.

Even if you plan to build your property in stages, having an overall vision from the beginning can help you make smarter decisions at every stage.

That’s especially important when building on acreage in Kansas, where you may have far more freedom than you would on a traditional residential lot.

Use that freedom wisely.

Building Better Across South Central Kansas

At A Better Barn Company, we help property owners turn open land into places where they can live, work, store, build, and enjoy life.

We specialize in:

• Custom barndominiums
• Pole barns
• Shop houses
• Workshops
• Garages
• Agricultural buildings
• Post-frame construction

With more than 15 years of construction experience and over 6 years in business, we understand that the best building isn’t just the one that looks good when it’s finished. It’s the one that still makes sense for your property years down the road.

We proudly serve Wichita, Andover, Derby, Goddard, Maize, Augusta, El Dorado, Newton, Rose Hill, Douglass, Winfield, Hutchinson, and surrounding Kansas communities.

Have Land? Let’s Talk About What Comes Next.

If you’ve purchased acreage—or you’re thinking about buying land—and you’re trying to decide whether to start with a barndominium, shop, or pole barn, we’d love to hear what you have planned.

Sometimes the best first step isn’t building anything.

It’s making sure you have a plan for everything.

Call A Better Barn Company at 580.278.1333 to talk about your Kansas property and start planning a building that’s designed around what you need today and where you want to go tomorrow.

Build Better. Build A Better Barn.