Free 3D barn designer $39 builder's plan
Size the barn for your loads. Build it from the plan.
Set the width, the bays, the eave, the doors and your snow, wind and frost line. The planner sizes every post, purlin and header, prices the steel and lumber, and draws the truss order sheet.
Preliminary checks for the loads you enter, not a local approvalHow one design becomes a plan
One 30x40, from the first click to the truss order sheet.
Not a gallery: the 30x40 pole barn, followed through the four things the planner does with every design. It draws it, checks it against your loads, prices it line by line and turns it into the builder's plan. Every drawing, number and sheet below is its own output.
The same design in all four steps30x40 ft, 30 psf snow, 115 mph wind, 36 in frost line
The design
30x40pole barn
- Footprint
- 30x40 ft
- Posts
- 19 x 6x6 post, treated UC4B
- Trusses
- 6 at 8'
- Doors
- overhead 10' x 8', walk door
- Eave
- 10'
- Floor
- 1,200 sq ft
Change the width, the bays, the eave, the doors or the loads: the next three steps follow every change.
Planner checks at 30 psf of snow
12 of 12passed
Preliminary checks passed for the loads you entered. Local approval not checked.
- Posts, footings and framing7 of 7
- Size against the guides we read3 of 3
- Loads and what others decide2 of 2
Materials, shelf prices plus sourced estimates
About $14,100
$10,599.78 at shelf prices + $3,478.00 estimated for trusses and concrete
Exact sum $14,077.78, before sales tax, delivery, labor and site work.
- Lumber$2,879.45
- Trussesest. $1,350.00
- Steel and trim$4,294.06
- Doors and windows$1,713.18
- Hardware$464.38
- Site$3,376.71
- Per sq ft
- $11.73
- Lines
- 43
- Labor if hired, broad reference
- $6,000 to $18,000
- A broad reference from published price guides, not a quote or a forecast for your site.
Also not included: permits, engineering, equipment rental. Every line in the list carries its store and the date its price was read. Labor is separate from the materials.
Shopping list The same lines in the plan
Post layout Every post dimensioned from one corner
Wall framing Posts, girts and openings with heights
Truss sheet What to hand the truss makerThe builder's plan for this design
23Letter sheets
- Post layout Every post dimensioned from one corner.
- Wall framing Posts, girts and openings with heights.
- Truss order sheet What to hand the truss maker.
$39 once, CA$55 in Canada. Drawn from the design you finish, so every dimension on it is yours.
What will it house?
Pick what goes inside. The frame follows.
The use changes the building, not just the name: stalls and an aisle for horses, open sides and knee braces for a carport. 19 free plans in four uses, each one drawn and checked by the same engine.
Garage or shop
Cars, a pickup or a shop
An overhead door on the gable end and a walk door. The planner checks the door and its header against the eave, and the wall left beside the door at the corner.
Sizes20x20, 24x24, 20x30, 24x32, 30x30, 30x40, 30x40, 30x48, 30x50, 40x40, 36x48, 30x60, 40x60$7,300 to $26,600 in materials
The 30x40 pole barn, drawn by the designer
- Footprint
- 30x40 ft, 1,200 sq ft
- Posts
- 19, 4' deep
- Trusses
- 6 at 8'
- Doors
- overhead 10' x 8', walk door
- Materials
- about $14,100
Horse barn
Horses in 12x12 stalls
Two rows of 12x12 ft stalls on a center aisle, with sliding doors at both ends. Two rows need 34 ft of width or more: below that the aisle closes and the planner will not draw it.
Sizes36x24, 36x48$15,600 to $25,300 in materials
The 36x24 horse barn, drawn by the designer
- Footprint
- 36x24 ft, 864 sq ft
- Posts
- 16, 4' deep
- Trusses
- 4 at 8'
- Doors
- sliding 12' x 9', sliding 12' x 9'
- Materials
- about $15,600
- Clear height for horsesPass
- StallsPass
Carport
Vehicles under a roof, open sides
Open on all four sides, so the posts are knee-braced to the trusses and set 2 ft deeper than on a closed wall.
Sizes20x20, 24x24$3,200 to $4,300 in materials
The 24x24 carport, drawn by the designer
- Footprint
- 24x24 ft, 576 sq ft
- Posts
- 8, 4' deep
- Trusses
- 4 at 8'
- Doors
- none, open on all sides
- Materials
- about $4,300
- Clear heightPass
Barndominium shell
The shell of a barndominium
The post frame, the trusses, the steel and the doors of a 40x60, drawn as an empty building.
Barndominium shell plans, not a finished or habitable home design.
Not covered
- Residential engineering for living in it
- Foundations for a home
- Insulation and the energy code
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Fire separation and egress
- The residential permit
Sizes40x60, 40x60$25,000 to $31,700 in materials
The 40x60 barndominium shell, drawn by the designer
- Footprint
- 40x60 ft, 2,400 sq ft
- Posts
- 22, 4' deep
- Trusses
- 7 at 10'
- Doors
- overhead 12' x 10', walk door
- Materials
- about $25,000
- Living spaceReview
Checks and limits
What the planner checks, and where it stops.
Every design gets one of three answers, all preliminary: they hold for the loads you enter, not as a local approval. Below are real ones from the engine: a plan that passes, one that asks for a review, and two it will not draw until you change them.
Ready
See its checks30x40 pole barn, as drawn
Preliminary checks passed for the loads you entered. Local approval not checked.
Review
See the review20x20 pole barn, as drawn
Solid wall beside the door: A wide door close to the corner leaves little wall to brace the building; have the bracing checked.
No plan
Try it in the designer30x40 with a 10' x 10' overhead door under a 10' eave
A 10' tall door plus its 2x8 header needs 10' 10.25" of wall on the front endwall; the eave is 10'. Raise the eave or choose a shorter door.
No plan
Try it in the designerA horse barn 24' wide with two rows of stalls
Two rows of 12' deep stalls leave a 0' aisle in a 24' barn; the least we draw is 10'. Make the barn wider or turn the stalls off.
Your inputs set the sizes
The same 30x40, one input changed at a time. Each size is the engine's own pick, and the plan prints the one for your numbers.
Ground snowsets purlins and the overhead door header
- 20 psf2x4 purlins, 2-ply 2x8 door header
- 30 psfthis barn2x6 purlins, 2-ply 2x8 door header
- 70 psf2x8 purlins, 2-ply 2x12 door header
Frost linesets how deep every post goes
- 12 in4' deep
- 36 inthis barn4' deep
- 60 in5' deep
Eave heightsets the post size
- 10'this barn6x6 post
- 12'3-ply 2x6 post
- 14'3-ply 2x8 post
Bay spacingsets truss spacing and the door header
- 8' baysthis barntrusses 8' apart, 2-ply 2x8 header
- 10' baystrusses 10' apart, 2-ply 2x10 header
Tightest members30x40 pole barn, 30 psf snow
12 of 12 preliminary checks passed. These two have the least room left.
Each purlin and door header uses at most 95% of its bending or deflection limit at your snow load; past that it moves closer or goes up a size.
All 12 checks, with rules and sourcesRead this first
Preliminary checks, not a local approval.
The planner sizes posts, footings, purlins, girts and door headers against published post-frame guides and its own span checks. It is not an engineer's review, a permit or an inspection.
Who decides the rest
- Trusses
- The truss design comes from the truss manufacturer you order from with the plan's truss sheet, often with an engineer's seal: ask for it if your building department needs one. Their drawing and bracing notes win over ours.
- Footings
- The plan sizes the pads for soil of 1,500 psf and the frost line you entered. If your soil, your site or your building department calls for it, a qualified professional designs the footings.
- Approval
- The planner checks are preliminary, for the loads you entered. Your local building authority sets the loads, reviews the drawings, issues the permit and inspects.
- Size
- 20 to 40 ft wide, 2 to 15 bays, 8 to 16 ft eave
- Loads
- 20 to 70 psf snow, 105 to 140 mph wind, 12 to 60 in frost line
Not checked
- The span checks do not cover connections, bearing, lateral stability or the whole building.
- Your soil, your site and your local frost depth beyond the number you enter.
Free designer, $39 plan
Design it for free. Pay once for the drawings you build from.
The real plan for the 30x40 pole barn: 23 Letter sheets, marked SAMPLE here.
Free designer
$0no account
- The 3D design, 20 to 40 ft wide, eaves up to 16 ft
- Checks for snow, wind, frost line and spans, each with its rule
- The materials list with dated store prices
- A summary PDF of the design
Builder's plan
$39once, CA$55 in Canada
Everything free, plus the drawings for your design:
- The post layout, every post dimensioned from one corner
- Every wall framed: girts, headers and openings with heights
- The truss order sheet to hand the truss maker
- The roof frame and the steel, panel by panel
- The cut list, the shopping list with store prices and the build, step by step
You check out in the designer with the design loaded, and the plan is drawn for that design. If the plan has an error, we fix it or refund you within 30 days. Guarantee terms
The build
From the first hole to the last panel in 7 phases.
The 30x40 pole barn at the end of each phase, drawn by the designer with that phase's new parts in brand blue. The number of phases follows the design: a carport has fewer, a barn with a slab or stalls has more.
Whole build, broad reference150 to 225 hfor a crew of two, about 9 to 15 working days; a broad reference, not a schedule. Not split by phase.
01 of 07
New in blueposts
Holes, pads and posts
Stake the corners, dig 19 holes 24 in across to 5', pour the pads, then set every post plumb on a string line and pour the collars.
02 of 07
New in blueeave girts, trusses
Eave girts and trusses
Mark the eave on every post from one reference, bolt the eave girt pairs, then lift and bolt the trusses with the maker's temporary bracing.
03 of 07
New in bluepurlins
Purlins
Run the 2x6 purlins on edge with a tie at every truss, then the bottom chord bracing.
04 of 07
New in blueroof steel
Roof steel
Start at the end away from the storm wind, square the first panel to the eave and screw on the supplier's pattern.
05 of 07
New in blueskirt boards, wall girts
Skirt, girts and openings
Treated skirt boards at grade, then the wall girts on center, then the door and window framing.
06 of 07
New in bluewall steel, doors
Wall steel, trim and doors
Base trim, wall panels, corner and J-trim, eave and rake trim, ridge cap and closures, then hang the doors.
07 of 07
New in blueslab
Concrete floor
Pour the slab inside the skirt boards.
The guide to building a pole barn walks through each phase in general terms.
Guides and calculators
Not ready to design yet? Run the numbers first.
- 02Pole Barn Cost: What It Costs to Build, Size by Size11 minWhat a pole barn costs to build: every free design priced line by line, from $7,263 to $26,585 in materials, with labor, the slab and cost per square foot.
- 03Pole Barn Truss Spacing: How Far Apart They Go8 minHow far apart pole barn trusses go, how many a size takes and what they cost: the post spacing they follow, and what 8 ft and 10 ft bays do to purlins and posts.
- All guides
Calculators
Pole barn cost calculator$11.73per sq ft in materials, the 30x40Materials at store prices, trusses and slab from sourced ranges, labor if you hire it outPost spacing and depth calculator19 posts4' deep, the 30x40How many posts, what size, how far apart and how deepPurlin and girt spacing calculator2x6 at 24 inon edge, 8' truss spacingPurlin size and spacing for your truss spacing and snowQuestions
Anything else? Write to us or read how the planner checks a design.
Before you dig
Building it yourself from a plan usually costs less, because you buy the lumber, the trusses and the steel at your own stores and do not pay a crew. For the 30x40 the materials come to about $14,100 at the prices the planner read, before tax and delivery, and published price guides put hiring the build out at $6,000 to $18,000 on top, a broad reference rather than a quote. Put a kit quote for the same size, doors and loads next to that number before you decide.
The 30x40 plan uses 19 posts on 8' bays, 6x6 post, treated UC4B. The count follows the length, the bay spacing and the doors: change any of them in the designer and the post layout is redrawn.
The planner sets every post at least 4 ft deep and below the frost line you enter, on a concrete pad with a collar at the bottom against uplift. Posts on an open side, like a carport, go 2 ft deeper. Your soil and your county can ask for more.
It depends on where you build. Many counties exempt farm buildings and many do not, and almost all want a permit for a garage or for anything you will live in. The planner does not check local rules, so ask your building department before you dig.
A post frame can be the shell of a home, but the planner draws the shell only. A home inside it is a dwelling: it needs its own engineered design, insulation, plumbing, wiring and a residential permit, none of which the plan covers.
The free designer gives you the 3D design, every check with its rule, the materials list with store prices and a summary PDF. The $39 builder's plan (CA$55 in Canada) adds the drawings you build from: 23 Letter sheets for the 30x40, with the post layout, every wall framed, the truss order sheet, the steel panel by panel and the cut list. One payment, no account, and a 30-day plan error guarantee.
Ready when you are
Size it for your loads before you buy a post.
Change the width, the length, the bays, the eave, the doors and your loads. The post size and depth, the purlins, the headers and the materials list follow every change. Free, no account.
- Designing
- Free
- Builder's plan
- $39 once
- Account
- Not needed
CA$55 in Canada. 30-day plan error guarantee.