Custom Barndominiums in Arkansas

Custom barndominiums in Arkansas start with a parcel and a wish list that a stock plan cannot satisfy: a walkout basement on an Ozark slope, a raised pad on flat Delta ground, a shop with a mezzanine, a pool house or a view over the Ouachitas. We design the building around the land and price every custom piece on its own line.

Building on Arkansas terrain

The state's land changes fast. The Ozarks have shallow hillside soils over limestone, sandstone and chert; the Ouachitas are folded ridges with deeper soils in the valleys; the Delta is so flat that local relief is only a few feet; Crowley's Ridge carries loess up to fifty feet thick that can slide on steep cuts. Each changes the foundation, grading and drainage.

Rural site work is part of the custom price

HomeGuide lists land clearing at $1,200 to $8,000, a septic system at $3,500 to $8,500 and well drilling at $30 to $80 or more per foot, and says developing a rural lot can run up to $75,000. Angi puts a gravel road at $14 to $25 per foot. On large acreage, a long driveway and power run are real line items, so we price them early.

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Septic and well layout on custom sites

State rules keep wells at least 100 feet from any part of a septic system, drain fields 100 feet from a stream, lake or sinkhole and 10 feet from the house and property lines. A single residence on ten or more acres with all system parts more than 200 feet from property lines can be exempt from the septic permit, but the system must still meet state requirements. We lay out custom homes with those distances in mind.

Engineering where it counts

Walkout basements, tall glass walls, mezzanines and long clear spans need engineering. We bring in outside engineering for those elements and for slabs on expansive soils, such as the Porters Creek Clay belt between Hope and Arkadelphia.

State septic rules that shape a custom site

Custom sites are often the hardest ground: slopes, rock and wet bottoms. Arkansas Department of Health rules keep a standard absorption area off fill and require 18, 24 or 36 inches of separation to bedrock depending on the soil. Capping-fill systems cannot sit on slopes over 12 percent, and standard systems on lots under 3 acres face the same 12 percent limit. Where a standard field will not work, a surface discharging system needs a lot of 3 acres or more, with its outlet at least 300 feet from neighboring dwellings and 100 feet from the home it serves. If the seasonal water table has to be confirmed with observation wells, monitoring is allowed only from December 1 to May 15, with at least 16 readings over eight weeks, which can add months to a schedule. Outbuildings follow their own rules too: in unincorporated Benton County, a detached shop with no living space needs no building permit, but its plumbing, electrical or HVAC work does.

Keeping a custom build on budget

Custom does not have to mean open-ended. We price each custom feature separately, so you can see what a walkout, a glass gable or a mezzanine really adds. If the total runs high, you can drop or simplify individual items without redesigning the whole house. Big decisions such as foundation type, roof shape and clear-span width are fixed early, when changes are cheapest.