Built by a Builder.
Not a Marketer.
I'm Nick Gonzalez — a 10-year Air Force veteran and the guy who owner-built and engineered his own high-performance rural barndominium. After living through the recurring planning failures in slab-on-grade and post-frame construction firsthand, I turned that methodology into IronField's systems-first planning framework — designing homes from the mechanical system outward.
Credentials & Experience
10 years in the United States Air Force, including 6 years as a Structural Airman building and modifying military facilities
Owner-built a 4,004 sq ft high-performance slab-on-grade rural barndominium — from planning through completion
Associate's degrees in Construction Management and Financial Management (Community College of the Air Force)
Specialized in post-frame, steel-frame, and metal building construction
Deep expertise in mechanical pre-planning: HVAC zoning, radiant heat, in-slab plumbing
Board Director, Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce
The IronField Approach
Built From a Real Build
IronField didn't start as a blog or a course — it started with me engineering and building my own high-performance rural home. Every recommendation comes from hands-on build experience, not theory.
Systems-First Methodology
After identifying recurring planning failures across rural builds, IronField's systems-first framework coordinates mechanical, structural, and envelope decisions before the slab pour.
548+ Item Checklist
The IronField planning system distills thousands of hours of build experience into a structured, actionable checklist that catches the mistakes most builders miss.
Why Trust IronField?
IronField isn't a blog, a course, or a coaching program. It's a planning system built from going through every phase of a rural build myself — from site selection and septic planning through slab coordination, mechanical integration, and final inspection — backed by a background in military construction.
Every item in the 548+ point checklist exists because it was missed on a real build, costing real money. The system is designed to catch the decisions that get locked into concrete — literally — before the pour happens.
The IronField approach is systems-first: start with the mechanical layout, then design the structure around it. This is the opposite of how most builders work, and it's why most rural builds end up with expensive change orders, missed conduit runs, and HVAC systems that don't perform.
What I'd Do Differently
Real numbers and lessons from the 4,004 sq ft slab-on-grade barndominium build in Ontario.
P1
Excavation
Drainage
$4,500
P2
Slab & Pre-Pour
Slab Coordination
$8,200
P3
Framing
Vapour Barrier
$2,800
P4
Mechanical
HVAC Sizing
$3,400
P5
Electrical
Smart Wiring
$1,200
P6
Commission
P7
Protection
Every mistake mapped to the build phase where it should have been caught — total avoidable cost: $19,100
Slab Coordination — $8,200 in Avoidable Rework
We poured the slab before finalizing the radiant loop layout. Two zones had to be rerouted post-pour, requiring core drilling and supplemental baseboard runs. If I'd locked in the mechanical plan two weeks earlier, the slab would have been right the first time.
Finalize all in-slab mechanicals — radiant, plumbing, electrical conduit — before the pour date is even set.
HVAC Sizing — Oversized by 40%
The HVAC contractor sized the system based on a standard stick-frame home. A metal-clad barndominium with spray foam has a completely different thermal profile. We ended up with a 4-ton system where 2.5 tons would have been correct — $3,400 in unnecessary equipment cost plus higher operating costs.
Insist on a Manual J calculation specific to your envelope type. Generic sizing charts don't work for metal buildings.
Vapour Barrier Placement — Moisture Issues in Year One
The original plan had poly on the warm side of the wall assembly, but the installer placed it on the cold side in the shop section. Within 8 months we had condensation between the insulation and the steel skin. Remediation cost $2,800.
Verify vapour barrier placement in every wall section before insulation goes in. Metal buildings are unforgiving.
Drainage — $4,500 Fix That Should Have Been $800
We didn't extend the weeping tile far enough from the shop apron. First spring, water pooled against the slab edge. Retrofitting drainage after backfill and landscaping cost 5x what it would have during excavation.
Design your drainage strategy during excavation — not after the landscaper is done.
Smart Home Wiring — Missed Conduit Runs
I planned for smart thermostats and lighting but didn't pull conduit for future security cameras, a whole-home audio backbone, or network drops to the shop. Retrofitting structured wiring into a sealed envelope is expensive and ugly. Total missed opportunity: ~$1,200 in conduit that would have saved $6,000+ later.
Pull conduit for everything you might want in 5 years. The cost during rough-in is negligible.
Total avoidable cost: ~$19,100. Every one of these mistakes happened because the mechanical and envelope strategy wasn't locked in before the slab was poured. That's why the IronField checklist exists — to catch these decisions at the planning stage, not during remediation.
Plan Before You Pour
Use the same planning framework behind the original IronField build.
Continue Planning Your Build
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