Barndo & Co Inc.: Revolutionizing custom home building

Barndo & Co Inc. is Canada’s only dedicated barndominium company and the brainchild of Shauna and Matt Glasgow - both co-owners and co-founders - who came up with the idea when they were getting ready to build their new home.
“At the time we had just sold our home and we were looking to build. That’s when we came across barndos,” says Shauna. 
A barndominium, often shortened to barndo, is a housing style that combines the rustic charm of a barn with the modern comforts of a home, usually featuring open floor plans, high ceilings and metal framing or siding and they can be more cost effective than building a traditional house.
“We had our own dreams of what we wanted and we were just going to build our next home ourselves,” adds Matt. 
“I have been part of the construction world as well as financing and insurance for decades and we landed on barndominiums as we were trying to uncover affordable ways to get what we need in a custom home, but not at a custom home price.
“Shauna’s experience, both as a mortgage specialist with Bank of Montreal and with design and vision combined with my experience in construction and construction management, it kind of was a perfect fit for us. So we fell down our own personal rabbit hole loving barndominiums, because people who see barndos love barndos.”
“I’ve always had a knack to create a Champagne look on a beer budget using unique designs and looks using affordable and sometimes even refurbished items,” Shauna adds.
Matt was born and raised in Collingwood and Shauna grew up in Barrie, and over the years they have lived in Barrie and Wasaga Beach and now Fenelon Falls in the Kawarthas is home.
Over the years, while they were working their regular, fulltime jobs, they’ve also flipped their own homes, “we’ve always had a knack for that,” Matt says.



So when it came to building their next home, and after having discovered and then researched barndos for a couple of years, they decided to start their own company and came to market with an affordable option for people, like themselves, who want to self manage their home-building project with an approach that is unlike anything in the industry as it relates to how typical contractors and home builders work.
“For us the real transition came during the pandemic, Matt says. “Shauna and I were both working for financial services firms and we left our roles to work together to start a contracting business. And then the pandemic made a mess of a lot of things, but we came out on top, because we are offering something that is unique to the Canadian space not just from a homebuilding perspective, but from a barndominium perspective as well.”
“And keep in mind that came after a lot of research,” Shauna says. “From 2021 to 2023, like Matt said, we went down that rabbit hole of barndominiums. But once we were ready to start the company we did a soft launch in the spring in 2023, just through social media.
“When we did, we got 200 requests for information in the first 24 hours and we were like, oh no, now what. 
“Because our plan was to build our own and then also be builders for other interested people, probably within an hour or two from the shop, but we realized right away that that would not be possible. There was way too much interest.
“We had a team ready to go and start building, but this really was unexpected. We were completely surprised by the number of people interested in more affordable and alternative housing options and solutions. Of course there was the option to just take what was close and be done with it, but we decided against that.”
Instead, they stepped back and took several months to re-examine the business and how they could approach it. And after a lot more work they re-launched the business in winter 2024, it took off in March and they’ve never looked back.

The complete package
Today, Barndo & Co leads the industry with custom designs and full-service project management, transforming home building. They are committed to transparency and client empowerment, while offering tailored solutions that eliminate unnecessary costs and prioritize local sourcing. 
“At Barndo & Co, we believe in a partnership approach to building your dream home,” says Shauna “Our services are revolutionary because we operate without padded profits or hidden agendas. We pass on extended discounts from suppliers directly to our clients, ensuring they receive the best value. It’s a transparent process designed with the homeowner’s best interests at heart.” 
Barndo & Co Inc. manages projects across Canada, the United States, and Australia, providing clients with a seamless building experience. 
“Our international reach allows us to bring diverse expertise to each project,” says Matt. “Despite our global operations, we maintain a local focus by sourcing materials and partners near our clients’ builds. This approach not only supports local economies but also reduces shipping costs and wait times for our clients.” 
Clients can choose from a variety of customizable floor plans available for purchase on the Barndo & Co Inc. website. These designs cater to a range of preferences and can be tailored to meet specific needs, ensuring each home is as unique as its owner. 
“The crossroads for us came when we had a client who wanted to purchase a building and we realized that the steel companies are really good at manufacturing the buildings and they have networks of erectors, but they cannot do the permits, they cannot do the interior finishing, and they want anything to do with talking to clients about scope or floor plans or anything like that,” Matt says. “They just want to sell the steel and put it up. So that’s why we started by filling the gap of everything the steel companies weren’t doing.
“One of the things that makes us different from a project management perspective is centered on our project portal where we share all the information with clients. That’s what makes us not a homebuilder. The transparency we have with the client,” he says.
“It’s not any secret that in general contracting the homebuilder world, they are a for profit business.
“We get the estimate with the HVAC or concrete company and we share that estimate with the client. We don’t package it up in a Barndo & Co estimate and make money on top of it, because that is how most of that world works.
“We are a fee-for-service company; we charge a fee for heated square foot only. That transparent nature sets us apart from anybody else.”

From start to finish
“So the idea is to help people build barndominiums and help them with everything that is required to do that,” Shauna says. “From start to finish, from design and floor plans to completion. So it’s kind of like a DIY as far as cost is concerned, but with an experienced homebuilder holding your hand.”
So while they will help clients source everything for the complete package, if the client has a brother who is a kitchen manufacturer or a master electrician, than they can hire them instead to save even more. 
“We are open to that,” Shauna says. 

More wood
Barndominiums have traditionally been all-steel buildings, the frame, the roof and the siding. But since there has been a dramatic increase in steel prices, Shauna says they are now also offering a so-called hybrid model that offers a wood frame.
The hybrid option also makes it easier to build in some municipalities that are unfamiliar with all-steel buildings. It eliminates any zoning issues with steel structures on a residential lot. Because sometimes, in some municipalities, it was a little challenging to erect a steel structure in town.
“So with our hybrid approach, it is a traditional slab-on-grade, stick-frame bungalow with steel siding, which is just an upgrade from vinyl and a steel roof, which is an upgrade from asphalt shingles,” says Matt.
“Slab-on-grade homes are nothing new; they’ve been around for years, but until last summer that wasn’t really available in Canada. We brought that to market and we have seen a dramatic shift towards that because clients really love it.”
“And just about everything we do usually ends up being a custom project,” Shauna says.
“We realized early on that most homes would end up being customized. People will come to us and say for example, I love the kawartha, but I need about 1,800 sq. ft., and we’re going to add another bedroom. So we will start with that model and then customize it for that client’s needs.”
Barndo & Co Inc. has also introduced two new divisions. Barndo & Co Mortgages, which helps secure financing and Barndo & Co Real Estate, which helps with everything from vacant land to custom barndos and resale homes.