Frequently asked questions
Have a question about Barden Building Products?
Find the answer here.
Does Barden Build Homes?
This is a question we get asked a lot -- no, we do not build homes. Our network of Barden Independent Dealers handles construction.
What Does Barden Do?
Barden provides building solutions. Our services touch every element of the custom home building process, from drafting and design services to supplying building materials and products to independently owned and operated custom home builders, AKA -- our Barden Independent Dealers.
Our partnership with these builders allows them to provide a single point of contact experience for custom home buyers.
What Type of Homes are Barden Homes?
After more than 70 years of innovating and refining, Barden has developed a panelized construction process – featuring our Fast Track Framing System – that offers our customers the best of all home construction methods.
We combine the custom versatility of “stick” building with the shorter construction times, protection from the elements, and single point of contact of modular construction.
Our manufacturing division, North American Truss, assembles all of the wall panels and roof trusses necessary to build a home, but not the siding and windows to avoid damage during shipping. Barden home structural components use high-quality lumber and higher-precision assembly methods than even the best stick builder. Our homes are assembled and enclosed quickly, minimizing exposure to the elements. Every home we manufacture is completely unique and customized to customers’ specifications.
We supply all of the materials to build the home and offer design services in-house to offer a single contact point process like a modular builder. Unlike modular building, we allow our customers the freedom to purchase and select their own materials to design their homes with no limitations.
Our homes are built more precisely and efficiently than any stick builder and we offer a wide range of customization options and quality that can’t be found with a modular manufacturer.
Our decades of innovation have left us with a home-building process that even surpasses our panelized home competitors.
What does Barden Building Products Supply?
Working with a Barden Independent Dealer gets you:
- Access to our in-house design and drafting services
- Precision manufactured panelized home framing
- Full catalog of products from national name brand manufacturers.
- Products include:
- Windows
- Doors
- Siding
- Roofing
- Vanity cabinets
- Kitchen Cabinets
- Kitchen Countertops
- Interior trim
- Decking
- Exterior trim
- Door hardware
- Garage doors
- Stairs
Why Should I Build with Barden?
Barden offers our services so local builders and construction companies can build your fully customized house through a streamlined process with a single point of contact.
Logistically, our process is more efficient and our finished product is superior.
As long as your products are all purchased through Barden, they are guaranteed for quality and have been proven and tested in the field by a team with 70 years of experience and a sound track record.
How Much Does it Cost to Get a Custom Home Plan?
Your custom floor plan starts with a $500 deposit for preliminary plans and revisions, $1,500 deposit for final structural plans.
Better yet, this eliminates a $5000-$10,000 up-front cost that can’t be included in financing. Without having to worry about additional costs, you can feel free to create a home that’s perfect for you!
What Kind of Plan Can I Get?
Any kind you want!
Our floor plans are just a starting point. Start from ours, show us one you like, or draw a sketch. We’ll do anything!
When you work with Barden to create a customized home, you become your own architect.
Why Does Engineering Matter?
Our manufactured homes are designed in-house by our expert staff. They carefully design and select materials for your home that are perfectly suited to handle their intended purpose.
This extra step ensures your home is built properly and to code for a smooth construction process. It also means that your home will stand strong through the test of time.
How Long Does it Take to Build?
The time it takes to design your home, obtain financing, purchase a lot, and prepare the lot for building is completely dependent on your situation.
Construction times for our homes range between 4 and 7 months depending on size, complexity, contractor availability, material availability, and weather.
The real benefit to Barden is that with our Fast Track Framing System, homes can be enclosed and weathertight in as little as a week, providing protection from the elements and theft for the duration of the build.
Can I Pick All of the Colors and Materials for my Home?
Yes, absolutely. Barden supplies national name brand products for:
- Siding
- Roofing
- Windows
- Doors
- Interior trim
- Kitchen Cabinetry
- Vanities
We have standard products and color selections and carry a plethora of upgrade products with different styles and colors.
Don’t like what we have on offer? We allow our customers to supply their own materials if we don’t carry a selection they like.
Do you Design Kitchens?
Of course! Our in-house kitchen designer will supply a customizable kitchen plan along with the custom home plan supplied by Barden.
What is a Track?
A track or subdivision is a large plot of land purchased by a developer. The developer then connects the land to necessary utilities, builds streets, and separates the land into individual lots for building.
Lots are sold to either builders or customers to choose their own builder.
What is a Scattered Lot?
A scattered or “odd” lot is any privately owned piece of land zoned for residential construction.
Where does Barden Build?
Barden does not build, however, our independent dealers specialize in scattered lot building. Our flexible process was designed with unrestricted scattered lot building in mind.
Does Barden Have Land Available?
Barden does not have land available, but we have lots of connections. Our independent dealers, however, are all experts in lot selection and development costs. You should contact us before selecting a lot to ensure there are no curve balls in development. In some cases, we may even be able to find someone with land for sale.
What Kind of Ways Can Homes be Built?
There are two main types of home construction: “stick” framing, or prefabricated homes. Prefabricated homes can be modular, panelized, or manufactured (trailer).
What is “Stick” Framing?
“Stick” refers to the lumber or “sticks” used to build a home. This is the traditional method of home building. Raw lumber is dropped at a job site then measured, cut, and installed all on-site.
What is Modular Building?
A modular home is a home nearly fully built in a factory -- complete with windows, roofing, siding, and interior fixtures.
It is delivered entirely or in segments on a trailer and craned onto a waiting foundation.
Is Barden a Modular Home Builder?
No, we are not. We are a panelized manufacturer.
What is Panel Building?
Panel building is a hybrid of stick and modular building.
Walls and roof trusses and sometimes even floor decks are manufactured in segments. Depending on the manufacturer, components like siding, insulation, and windows are pre-installed in the factory.
What Floor Plans Can I Choose From?
You can choose from any of our floor plans!
What makes Barden unique is that you can even choose a floor plan you found from another builder. You can also change any floor plan you find as much as you’d like or draw one yourself.
AND you can come to us and have a floor plan drawn from scratch by a professional. Basically, you can do anything you want to create your dream home!
Learn more about all the customizations options available to you.
I’m Getting Older and Plan to Live in My Home for the Next 30 Years, How Can Barden Help Me?
As all of our homes are 100% customizable, we can work with you to create a space that meets your accessibility needs.
We would refer you to Accessible Home Solutions to consult during the design phase to build you a home that will work during every stage of your life.
Do Barden Homes Have Garages?
If you want it to, yes!
We are not a modular home company, we design fully customized homes.
We don’t consider garages to be an optional extra. We price everything from scratch. We can add and remove features like garages, porches, patios, and decks to fit your budget.
Are Barden Homes Environmentally Friendly?
The manufacturing process to create the structural components of Barden homes creates less waste both in our facility and at the job site than traditional construction methods. In a sense, all of our homes are environmentally friendly by default.
As for certifications such as Energy Star or LEED -- our customers can specify designs, materials, and products to make their homes meet those requirements.
Our standard designs and materials do not because they are cost-prohibitive.
Are Barden Homes Expensive?
Our dealers’ pricing is competitive within the industry while offering several benefits others cannot and a more complete package.
Learn more about what goes into the price of a Barden home.
Why Doesn’t Barden Build Homes?
Our goal is to make the local contractors involved in our jobs better at their jobs.
The framer’s hardest job is done for him, better than he can do it. Your siding installer and roofer aren’t responsible for supplying siding and roofing, it will be waiting for them when they get there.
We don’t build, we just make the experience better for everyone involved.
How Do I Get Started?
Step #1: Contact us .
Depending on where you are in your decision, we’ll answer your questions and set you up with one of our pros when you’re ready.
We’ll never pressure you to take a step you aren’t ready for. Our only goal is to educate you and prepare you for the process.
We’ll help you sort through the intimidating initial process of organizing financing, finding and developing a buildable lot, and designing your floor plan.
What Does it Cost to Build Per-Square-Foot?
This is the most commonly asked question we get from future homeowners. It’s also by far the most difficult to answer.
There is no one answer and we urge you to avoid asking for one while shopping builders.
Because of wide variations in specifications, style, and design, a general cost per-square-foot figure is tough to calculate to provide a fair and competitive analysis.
Our homes are priced and quoted on an individual basis. This ensures an accurate and transparent quote.
Check out this resource for more information:
Is Financing Available for my building lot and Barden Home?
We do not offer an in-house financing solution. Instead we're happy to refer all of our customers to our trusted lender, Rick Daniels of PrimeLending
Please note that we do not have a business arrangement with Rick. We do however refer Rick because of the exceptional service and financing structure he provides that is tailored to our process.
We encourage our customers to seek out a financing solution that’s best for them.
Check out this resource for more information:
How Long Does This Process Take?
Actual construction times usually fall between 4 and 6 months, and are dependent on things like weather conditions and contractor availability in your area.
The biggest variable is the time spent planning your project. Future homeowners who are decisive and move quickly can see pre-construction finished in 1 to 2 months.
Check out these resources for more information:
Can I Just Hire Barden to Design a Home?
Unfortunately, no. Our design services are reserved for those who intend to build their homes with our products and Barden Independent Dealers.
Can I do some of the work on my new home myself?
You should discuss the options of an "Owner/Builder," "Do-it-Yourself," or "Turn Key" programs with your Barden Independent Dealer.
We're often asked what the cost of "just a shell" would be so the owner can finish the inside of the home themselves. We're happy to do this as long as the owner understands the situation fully and has the support and expertise to complete the job. We do NOT sell directly to customers without consulting a Barden Independent Dealer to ensure that our customers are fully informed and set up for success.
Because so much goes into designing and building your home, we get plenty more questions from customers as we work with them. Check out our FAQ page for more answers to questions we often get.