Barndominium Builders in Fountain Inn, SC

Barndominium builders who work around Fountain Inn deal with a county line that runs right through the city. Most of Fountain Inn is in Greenville County, but the southern part lies in Laurens County. In 2023 about 7,777 residents lived on the Greenville County side and about 2,639 on the Laurens County side. Land south of town toward Laurens is some of the more open country left within commuting range of Greenville, and that is where much of the open land is.

Comparing the two counties

Here is how the permit picture differs depending on where the parcel sits.

Greenville County side

• Applications go through Greenville County Planning and Codes Compliance on the eTrakit portal.
• Every application needs a tax map number.
• Permit technicians review floodplain status, road frontage and setbacks at intake.
• The county leaves deed restrictions and covenants to the owner.

Laurens County side

• Laurens County Building Codes reviews plans, issues building permits and performs field inspections from 100 Hillcrest Square in Laurens.
• Since January 1, 2023, the county has applied the 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina modifications, along with the 2021 building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas and energy codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.
• Applications submitted after December 31, 2022 that do not show compliance with those codes are rejected.

Inside Fountain Inn city limits

• The City of Fountain Inn has a Planning and Development department and a Permit Center at City Hall, 200 North Main Street.

Why people look here

Fountain Inn grew from 7,799 residents in 2010 to 10,416 in 2020, a 33.6 percent increase, and a 2025 estimate puts it at 14,722. Greenville is 17 miles to the northwest and Laurens is 16 miles southeast on Highway 14. Interstate 385 runs along the southern edge of the city with exits 22, 23 and 26, which makes land on the Laurens side practical for someone who works in Greenville or Simpsonville but wants acreage, a big shop and room for animals.

Reading the soil before you pour

The Piedmont uplands of this part of the state are deep, weathered clay soils. Some of them carry a lot of mica. The USDA describes the Madison series as forming in residuum from mica-rich rock, with saprolite described as mica schist and mica content of more than 20 percent by volume in the lower horizons. Madison occurs at roughly 700 to 1,200 feet, and Fountain Inn sits at about 866 feet. Mica-rich soil can be slick and hard to compact when wet, so if a soil test or the county soil map shows it on your pad, we plan for proper compaction and moisture control under the slab.

On septic lots, the soil evaluation done for the septic permit is a useful early read on the same ground.

Where the name comes from

Fountain Inn took its name from an inn and fountain on an old stagecoach route; drivers called the stop Fountain Inn and the name stuck. Eight local sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, among them the Cannon Building and Fairview Presbyterian Church. Highway 14, the old road through town, is still Main Street.

A barndominium plan for open land

On the larger tracts south and east of town, a barndominium can be laid out the way the property is actually used:

• A shop bay with tall doors facing the driveway turnaround
• A covered breezeway or lean-to for equipment and hay
• The living quarters on the side with the view and afternoon shade
• A slab sized for a future addition, with room on the site plan for setbacks

We draw the site plan around the setbacks and frontage the county will check, so the building permit goes in clean.

Climate notes for a metal building

The Upstate's long, humid summers are the main design load for comfort. A barndominium here needs a vapor-controlled roof assembly, enough insulation to keep the steel panels from sweating, and ductwork sized for summer humidity. Large overhangs and a porch on the west wall help with afternoon heat.

Call (864) 326-0632 or

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. Tell us which county your land is in, or send the parcel number and we will find out.