A barndominium's free-span truss design and allows it to have to have few, or even zero, load-bearing walls, allowing the living and work spaces to achieve their hallmark expansive, barn-like layout.

Barndos, large, open-plan structures, have surged in popularity with the recent exodus from urban to rural areas. After Stacee Lynn Bell’s children left for college, she and her husband found 14 ...

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lacey Harwood, a 39-year-old "barndominium" owner based ... and all of the design in addition to running the build myself.