Barndominium Builders in Lyman, SC

Barndominium builders looking at Lyman land are working in a town that has changed fast. The town had 3,243 residents in 2010 and 6,173 in 2020, nearly doubling in ten years. It covers about 7.30 square miles, including about 0.68 square miles of water, at an elevation of roughly 784 feet. Growth on that scale changes what surrounds a rural parcel, so we look at the neighbors and the roads as well as the lot itself.

A company town at heart. Lyman grew around a general store Augustus Belton Groce opened in the mid-1870s, and the place was first called Groce's Stop. In 1923 the Groce family sold more than 700 acres to Pacific Mills. The Lyman Printing and Finishing Mill was built by 1924, the company had put up 375 employee homes by 1927, and the town took the name of former mill president Arthur T. Lyman. It was incorporated in 1954, and the last mill closed by 2005. The old mill-village streets have small lots; a barndominium fits better on the larger parcels around them.

Land along the river

The Middle Tyger River forms part of the line between Lyman and Duncan. Land near a river in the Piedmont usually includes two very different kinds of ground: the active flood plain right along the channel, and older, higher stream terraces set back from it. The USDA's Hiwassee series is a good example of terrace soil. It is very deep and well drained, formed in old alluvium on high stream terraces in the Southern Piedmont, with slopes from 0 to 25 percent and a clay subsoil. Terrace ground like that can make an excellent building site: fairly level, well drained and above the flood plain.

The low ground is the opposite. Before we set a pad anywhere near the river, we check the FEMA maps through Spartanburg County's Engineering and Flood Plains office, which handles floodplain development permits and floodplain verification for the county.

Rules that apply

Inside Lyman's town limits, ask the town about its requirements first. On unincorporated land, Spartanburg County Building Codes issues the permits. A few things set the county apart:

• No parcel-level zoning. The county's Unified Land Management Ordinance and Performance Zoning Ordinance do not assign zoning classifications to individual parcels.
• Concurrent review. Planning, Engineering and Building Codes approvals can be submitted at the same time through the online portal.
• Several permits per house. A residential job usually has its own building, electrical and plumbing permits, and each inspection is booked against the right permit number.
• Current codes. The 2021 International One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 2020 National Electrical Code and 2009 International Energy Code.

Septic and wells outside town

Where sewer does not reach, a septic permit is required from the state's septic program at the SC Department of Environmental Services. The site evaluation weighs soil and landscape, so the well drained terrace and upland ground near Lyman tends to be where systems are approved. A private well, if you need one, has to keep its distance from the drainfield, so we sketch house, shop, well and septic together on the first site visit.

Building for the climate

Spartanburg's 1991-2020 normals give July highs averaging 90.1 degrees F and about 50 inches of precipitation a year, with a record low of -5 degrees F. A barndominium here needs to handle long humid summers and the occasional hard freeze. We pay close attention to:

• Roof and wall insulation that keeps humid air away from cold steel
• A vapor barrier under the slab
• Gutters and downspouts that carry roof water well away from the foundation
• Frost-protected footings designed to the county's adopted code

Homes and shop houses

A barndominium home on a few acres and a big shop with living quarters above or beside it both suit well drained terrace and upland ground. Our estimates break out site work, foundation, shell, insulation, mechanical systems and finish so you can compare options clearly.

Call (864) 326-0632 or

Get a Free Estimate

to plan your Lyman barndominium.