Barndominium Builders in Laurens, SC

Barndominium builders looking south of Greenville find Laurens a straightforward place to work. Laurens is the county seat of Laurens County and part of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan area. The city had 9,139 residents in 2010 and 9,335 in 2020, while the county counted 67,539 people in 2020 across about 712.87 square miles of land. That is a lot of land for not many people, and it is why so many pasture and timber tracts here suit a barndominium with a shop.

No county zoning ordinance

The biggest local fact for rural buyers is simple: the county's Planning Department states that Laurens County does not have zoning or a zoning ordinance in place. New subdivisions and commercial development fall under the county's Subdivision Ordinance #926, and a pre-application meeting is required for major subdivisions of 10 lots or more. A single home on its own tract is not a major subdivision. In practice, deed restrictions and covenants are the main private limits on a metal-sided home in the unincorporated county, so read yours before you buy.

City or county? Check the plat number

Inside the City of Laurens, the city has its own planning and development office and issues building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, grading and encroachment permits. Outside it, Laurens County Building Codes reviews plans, issues permits and inspects. The county gives an easy way to tell which applies: look up the parcel on the county GIS. Plat numbers beginning with 906 are in Laurens, 901 in Clinton, 905 in Gray Court and 904 in Fountain Inn; those go to the city or town. Other plat numbers go to the county.

County codes and permit timing

Since January 1, 2023, Laurens County has been implementing the 2021 International Residential Code and related 2021 codes, most with South Carolina modifications, along with the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2009 South Carolina Energy Conservation Code. The county says applications that fail to show compliance with these codes will be rejected. A few other county rules shape a barndominium schedule:

• Permits expire after 6 months, or 6 months after the last approved inspection, so a long pause between slab and dry-in can cost you the permit.
• Permits are needed for new buildings and for accessory structures like decks and patio slabs.
• Homeowners can do some of their own work, but the county advises against letting a contractor have the owner pull the permit, because the owner then takes responsibility for the work.
• Deeds and surveys are recorded at the Laurens County Courthouse, 100 Hillcrest Square, where you can get a copy of your plat.

Floodplain

The county runs a floodplain management program through Building Codes, with a floodplain development permit application and a Floodplain Administrator. The county's own advice is that anywhere it rains, it can flood. We check the FEMA map for your parcel before siting the building and keep slabs well above any low ground.

Soil and septic

Piedmont uplands in South Carolina include soils like Appling, which the USDA describes as very deep and well drained, on ridges and side slopes with 0 to 25 percent slopes, a brown sandy loam surface and a strong brown clay subsoil. That kind of soil generally supports a slab well, but only a site evaluation tells you whether and where a drainfield will work. Rural lots here rely on septic permitted through the state's septic program at the SC Department of Environmental Services, and we set the drainfield and repair area before locating the house.

Climate in Laurens

Laurens' 1981-2010 NOAA normals show an average annual high of 73.2 degrees F and low of 48.6 degrees F, about 44.18 inches of precipitation and about 2.3 inches of snow a year, with records of 107 and -2 degrees F. Heat and humidity are the design priorities: closed insulation details at the roof, a slab vapor barrier, good attic or roof ventilation and HVAC sized to dehumidify.

A long history of building here

The General Assembly established the town, first called Laurensville, on March 15, 1785, and it was chosen as the county seat in 1790. The 1838 county courthouse is on the National Register, and the city grew with Laurens Cotton Mill (1895), Watts Mill (1902) and Laurens Glass Company (1910). That older fabric is in town. Out in the county, parcels are larger, and that is where a barndominium with a shop usually fits.

Call (864) 326-0632 or

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to talk through your Laurens County land.