Spray foam insulation  

The difference the spray foam insulation makes on maintaining temperature as well as acting as a vapor barrier is tremendous.  3-4 inches on ceiling, 2-3 inches closed cell on all walls even the shop.  Cheap? No, it was hard to stomach.  Worth it? Yes, absolutely.  I feel that for the long haul, it will pay off and it keeps major temperature fluctuations from occurring.   Even if you are pinching your pennies, I would really think about investing in this one. 

Standing seam roof 

We had a home right before we decided to build that had a metal roof.  It was our first metal roof and we really loved having it, except for one aspect.  We discovered that screws back out over time.  So, on this roof that on the back side stood 30’ above house and basement, my husband was crawling around, screwing down the screws that had backed out and replacing those that the washer had become brittle and worn.  No, thank you!  Thus, you can imagine why my husband insisted we went with standing seam roof to prevent exposed screws.  It looks nice, but the longevity and lack of leaks was most appealing. 

Stained concrete  

We did it our self with it was nothing but an empty shell, cursing the majority of the process.  It only cost us $500 for 1600 sq ft. in supply and a weekend in hard labor.  However, we learned a valuable lesson about neutralizing the acid that would have prevented the rigorous amount of effort we spent on the cleanup.  They are beautiful and about 1/5 of the price of our upstairs floors.  The finish took a beating in the construction, but the color is still there meaning all it needs is a topcoat touch up. 

Shiplap 

I was able to call around to a local sawmill and happened to get a phenomenal price for 6000 sq ft of cabin grade ship lap for our walls.  We used it almost everywhere and it turned out beautiful, but it is also so much more durable than sheetrock.  After the home we had before had a lot of wood on the walls, we didn’t really want to go back to sheetrock that although, fixes easy enough, it also damages extremely easy.  Not the shiplap wood walls, they are warm and inviting as well as built to last. 

Put the stairs out of the main living area

Every time we played with the floor plans, I hated how much square footage was eaten away by the staircase and how disruptive it was to the flow of the house.  We discussed a spiral staircase but dreaded having to move furniture upstairs if we did.  So, I asked the question, why can’t it be in the shop?  We only have a few more years with kids in the house anyhow.  So, we put it along the wall that divided the house and shop.  I would have preferred the bottom of the stairs be right when you open the door of the shop, but logistically there were a few issues, so you do have to walk around to them.  However, it hasn’t really been an issue and it has left both floor plans far more open.  I love the flow around the home, so it was a fantastic decision. 

These are just some of the best choices that worked for us and our special metal building home. I hope you find all the ideas you are looking for here and on our store with the handpicked rustic and industrial metal barn inspired items.