Barndominium planning for Shawnee, KS.

Choose an energy approach before comparing wall systems.

Shawnee’s new one- or two-family permit application asks the applicant to identify an energy compliance approach, including prescriptive, ERI/HERS or simulated performance. Discuss that choice with the designer before selecting a shell and insulation package. Write down the living-space area, unfinished area and any heated shop space. Those choices help the team define the building envelope and documentation; a general promise that a package is “insulated” does not tell you what the completed residential design includes.

Connect the building application to the site work.

The same Shawnee application describes a coordinated permit scope that includes specified low-impact land disturbance and right-of-way work for utilities or public improvements, subject to its stated conditions. Confirm what applies to your new home and whether any other approvals are needed. Show the driveway, trenches and construction staging as well as the roofed structure. This avoids treating the ground work as an informal extra after the shell dimensions have already been chosen.

Resolve the street edge and erosion plan together.

The application requests an erosion and sediment-control plan and asks whether the street has curbs. Use those prompts to start a site-specific access discussion: where will vehicles enter, how will the driveway meet the street, and where can water pass during and after construction? Have the design team determine the needed details with the city. A large shop door is only useful if the approach and finished grades work for the vehicles you intend to bring inside.

Prepare one brief for the house, shop and ground work.

For a parcel in Shawnee, Kansas, confirm the city boundary and proposed use, then collect:

• Finished and unfinished areas, shop conditioning plans and the proposed energy documentation route.
• A sketch of the building, vehicle turning space, driveway connection and utility routes.
• The designer or contractor responsible for the erosion plan and for confirming the application’s right-of-way and disturbance scope.