DIY & Home Improvement

In my experience, if you want it as a temporary dwelling while you build your house, it is better to make it tall enough that you can move an RV/travel trailer inside it, or buy a single wide mobile and live in that during construction. Heating a barn in winter (in a place where a snowblower is necessary), to the "habitable" range regardless of construction method will be cost prohibitive.

My shop is stick built because that's what one guy working alone (with an occasional helper) can do.

If you want it heatable so the chickens can survive, heat the 150 cu ft coop, not the 15,000 cu ft barn.

Insulation is useful to manage the relative humidity though.

In my area, most barns are of the "pole" variety (6x6 pressure treated posts buried 6' in concrete).

http://www.rochesterlumber.net/polebarns.html