Cody Long Arkansas Barndominium | 40′ x 60′ Sq Ft Simple And Stylish Shop House

How big do you plan your barndominium to be? There are a lot of factors to think about when planning your dream barndominium. If you start small, you can always expand your home in the future. But whatever the case, there are no regrets with regard to design, cost, and durability. You can never go wrong with a barndo.

This featured barndominium is in NW Arkansas. The Cody Long Arkansas Barndominium started with a small living space and finally built their dream home in the same land where their shop is. The family stayed in the shop apartment for a year while building a bigger home. And they sure were glad they went that route. Now, the shouse, as Cody’s wife calls their little home is used as a guest house for family and friends coming for extended visits.

The shop was built in 2017, a 40′ x 60′ sq ft wood frame building with 14’H walls. The 40′ x 40′ sq ft space was the shop area, while the remaining space was finished out with a king bed studio, an additional small bedroom, a complete full kitchen and bathroom. and a 12′ x 24′ screened-in porch along the back.

Bricks are built around the foundation. The owners picked an inexpensive brick and painted it with soft white, which definitely looks neat and matches the barndominium exterior. A beautiful landscape can definitely add more bright colors to the barndominium exterior

The Screened-in Porch

Before entering the shouse, you will be welcomed with a full nature view from the screened-in porch. It’s a welcoming space for guests coming to visit. It also is a perfect spot for relaxation for the owners and their guests as well- whether having a relaxing afternoon or some chit-chat in the cool evening, the spot lets you enjoy the pleasant breeze without having to worry about insects or outside debris.

The red furniture is a beautiful contrast to the gray walls and concrete floor and even pops up against the green scenery of nature in the country. The space is kept simple and spacious enough with no other furniture but the couch set with coffee and side tables, and a 6-seater round table.

Inside the Cody Long Arkansas Barndominium

The indoor is quite a tiny space if you would think about a family of four. There might not be a lot of space for small children to play around but the owners managed to design it in a way that doesn’t look cramped up. The open space concept is a lot of help in creating a more spacious and airy look.

The entrance brings you to a small but functional kitchen, while the other door on the right leads to the shop. The kitchen has a 4-seater dining table and another table in the center that could practically function as the center island. Organizer baskets placed under the table add more storage spaces. The kitchen looks really neat with the white walls, cabinets, and backsplash. Stainless steel appliances add a more trendy and modern look. Heading onto the living room, red leather couches and a leather recliner chair are set for ultimate comfort when lounging in.

The bathroom is right near the living room. One bedroom is set studio-style just up the farthest corner of the living area where the king bed is set, while another smaller bedroom is set inside the “office”. The family totally did a beautiful job with the interior despite the limited space.

Barndominium Unique Design and Features

Pops of colors are spread throughout the Cody Long Arkansas Barndominium interior that nicely contrasts against the white and gray walls. From the kitchen utensils neatly stacked on the shelves above the sink, the red couches, brown-stained wooden cupboards and coffee tables, and even the kitchen chairs, especially those stools in the kitchen center table that have lovely earthy neutral colors. And I’m pretty sure just right by the time we entered, you have already fallen in love with those truly attractive colorful carpets in the kitchen and that in the living room. I know because I totally fell in love with those too!

Another unique feature is the exposed boards on the walls. These are actually 6″ studs for the building but the owners decided to leave those exposed when finishing out the interior. Well, even some unexpected home design changes can still turn out great!

The Shop

The owner’s wife doesn’t call it a shouse (or shop house) for no reason. The biggest area of the Cody Long Arkansas Barndominium is occupied by the shop. The shop temporarily functions as a huge storage space for the rest of the family’s things while waiting out on their build for a bigger home. This shop is definitely spacious with lots of stuff in and still enough space for a vehicle.

Whether you want to wait out before you do a full build, or start small like the Cody Long Arkansas Barndominium, you’re still on the right track. It can never be emphasized enough that one can never go wrong with a barndominium for lots of reasons. But building your dream barndominium still takes a lot of planning, especially when you don’t want to make a mistake along the way, or realize you actually did make a mistake after the entire build.

The flexibility of the barndominium is endless. There are lots of design options from Facebook groups or Pinterest, and even Youtube that you can recreate in your own build. You can eventually extend out your barndo, or convert a space/room for another desired function. Or you can convert the entire smaller barndominium and turn it into a shop and guest house. The design ideas are just limitless.

An Ebook by Don Howe called Build Your Dream Barndominium is also a great resource for anything about barndominiums, from planning to finishing out!