Barndominium Builders in Mount Carmel, TN

Barndominium builders in Mount Carmel work in a narrow strip of a town. Mount Carmel sits in eastern Hawkins County, bordered by Kingsport to the east and Church Hill to the west, with US Route 11W as its main road. Rogersville, the county seat, is about 22 miles southwest. The town incorporated in 1961 and had 5,473 residents in 2020. Most of the land people want for a shop house or a steel-frame home is behind the highway or out in the county, so the first question is always whose permit you need.

We design and build barndominiums, shop houses and turnkey metal building homes in and around Mount Carmel. This is how we approach a build here.

Permits inside town limits

Mount Carmel requires permits for new construction, including storage buildings, garages, patios and decks, plus driveways, curb cuts and demolition. Applications go through the town's online building permit portal. The town has adopted the 2018 International Building and Residential Codes, the 2018 plumbing, mechanical and gas codes, and the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code. Building inspection and code enforcement are handled by an outside inspection firm the town contracts with. For a barndominium, a single 2018 code base makes the plans review straightforward. We draw to it from the start.

Permits outside town limits

Step across the line and the rules change. Hawkins County says it does not issue building permits, that all building permits are issued through the State of Tennessee, and that it has no zoning restrictions or code enforcement. The State Fire Marshal's Office program uses the 2018 International Residential Code with amendments. It requires a foundation inspection before concrete is placed and inspections at rough-in and final. The state notes its permit covers building work only. Electrical, septic, grading and floodplain approvals are separate.

Sewer is a real question here

Mount Carmel's wastewater system is operated and maintained by Inframark, a third-party utility management company, and some homes are served by residential sewer pump stations. The town asks customers on pump stations to keep wipes, grease and similar items out of drains, because they can stop the pumps. If you are building in town, we confirm sewer availability and the connection details with the town before design. If your land is out in the county, plan on septic.

Septic in rural Hawkins County

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issues septic permits after an Environmental Scientist evaluates the site, and may ask for a soils map from a private soil consultant. Have the house pad staked, including the porch and garage, so the evaluation covers the real footprint. A barndominium with a big attached shop has a large footprint, and the drainfield has to fit around it.

Ridge and valley soils

This is ridge-and-valley country between the Holston and Bays Mountain. Soils over limestone on uplands in the region include the Dewey series, which the USDA describes as very deep, well drained and moderately permeable, on slopes of 2 to 40 percent, with some areas pitted with sinks and depressions. On a lot like that, we site the slab on solid ground and keep roof water away from any low spot.

Ideas for a Mount Carmel lot

• A compact barndo with an attached two-bay garage in town
• A shop house on county land behind US 11W
• A single-story steel-frame home designed for aging in place
• A barndominium with a separate shop on a rural parcel

Call (423) 607-8447 or

Get a Free Estimate

to plan your Mount Carmel barndominium.