Insider Tips For Building Horse Barn

INSIDER TIPS FOR BUILDING A HORSE BARN You've spent countless hours planning every detail. Poring over books, plans, online articles and Pinterest. FINALLY the time has come to realize your life-long dream of having your horses "at home." You know exactly what you want and you can easily envision yourself walking out your back door and enjoying your horses in your very own barn - perfect in every detail. Everyone happy, healthy and safe. But exactly how do you get there? Building a horse barn on your property can suddenly seem like an overwhelming and complex task. Use these tips to break the project down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Armed with some basic horse barn building essentials you'll be able to organize your thoughts and create a barn that is safe and healthy for your horses AND convenient and easy to work in and around for you. Taking the time to do your homework and educate yourself about the process will pay off. Your horses will thank you! BEFORE YOU DIG... GET YOUR PERMITS IN ORDER. Requirements vary greatly depending on local zoning laws. At best, nothing will be required of you. At most, you may be required to submit detailed, stamped architectural drawings. Most of the time, it's something in between. Check local regulations regarding building permits, inspections and site prep requirements. A good barn builder or horse barn manufacturer may be able to help. APPROVED LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION! Pick the BEST spot and "strike a pose".. Logistics Every step counts when taking care of horses and doing barn chores. Plan the barn location to be near pasture and turn-out areas, manure pile, etc. Locate the barn close enough to your living space so you don't need to pack a lunch to get there but far enough away to discourage barn pests from moving in with you! OASSUME THE POSITION Horse barns with a south-facing orientation take full advantage of the sun's natural light and warming benefits. If possible, limit the surface area of the barn with a full western exposure. This will help keep the barn cooler in summer. Pay attention to the direction of prevailing winds and situate the barn accordingly to minimize the effects of driving rain, snow or other incoming weather systems. O HIGH, DRY AND WELL-DRAINED means fewer problems with mud and potential flooding TREES ACCESS TO THE ROAD C and other landscape features can provide shade and wind breaks. Or, they Make it easy for horse trailers, hay delivery or anyone else that may need to be removed to make room for the barn. may stop by to see you or the horses! WATER AND ELECTRICAL SOURCES O should be nearby to save money on running pipe and wire. SELECT THE BEST BARN BUILDER/MANUFACTURER You may have found the best barn in the world but if the company that's going to build it for you is unqualified or inexperienced you could end up with nothing but heartache. Friends don't let friends build their barn Carpentry and construction experience doesn't necessarily equal "horse sense." You wouldn't ask a brain surgeon to perform a root canal would you? Similarly, you may know someone who's an excellent carpenter but that doesn't mean he's familiar with the needs of horses or building a stable. Don't put your horses or your friendship at risk. Hire a professional. "Old Reliable" is not as dreary as it may sound. A good builder reliably returns your calls and emails, gives written quotes, suggests customization options, provides references and may even be able to help with the permitting process. Develop a comfortable working partnership with your barn builder/manufacturer. He should answer all your questions and be there when you need him... before, 320 during and after the barn is built! Going the Extra Mile There's service and then there's Service! Building a horse barn is a significant investment of time and money. And, the well-being of your horses is at stake. While you certainly want to get the best horse barn for the money, choosing a barn builder that provides you an excellent experience from the first shovel-full of dirt to the last nail in the final roof shingle is money well spent. Make sure you feel comfortable with the barn builder you choose. He should be there with you every step of the way to answer all your questions, accommodate your requests and changes and be available to you 1 year, 5 years or 10 years after the job is finished. You should feel that he cares about the well-being of your horses almost as much as you do. BUILD YOUR PERFECT BARN Consider barn type, materials and construction. Wood or Metal? Prefab or Stick Built? Poor choices in these basic construction elements may lead to more main- tenance than you bargained for or having to replace parts of the barn that you ex- pected should last forever. Worse yet, cheap materials or shoddy workmanship could result in an injury to your horse. METAL POLE BARN PROS CONS Costs less per square foot Industrial, garage-like appearance Minimal site prep Metal has sharp edges, can rust Lower maintenance Repairs or modifications could be difficult. WOOD POLE BARNS PROS CONS Adds value to property: Quality, traditional appearance, longevity Higher cost per square foot Wood has natural insulating properties Maintenance? Repainting/staining may for heat AND sound be needed Extremely stable structure Requires more site prep You don't need to be a structural engineer to build a horse barn What about a prefab or modular horse barn? Delivered as one or two pre-built sections, a prefab wooden horse barn but you may want to know what questions to ask your horse barn builder or manufacturer. looks and feels like a traditional wooden Construction specs may vary depending on where you live. Will your barn meet the requirements? Ask your barn builder or horse barn yet costs, on average, about 30% LESS than building a barn from the ground up. manufacturer about it. ? What is the snow load or wind rating on the barn? A prefabricated horse barn is highly customizable and can be built to your specifications. Typical lead time is only about 3 weeks from time of order. 2 How will the barn be secured to the ground or barn foundation? When the barn is delivered to your property it can be ready to use within a few hours. (Larger, center-aisle modular barns with lofts may take 1-3 days.) * Is there a warranty on the building or any of the materials used? Consider the size. The size of the barn you build obviously depends on how many horses you intend to stable. That's easy - 4 Once built, prefab horse barns are virtually indistinguishable from stick-built barns. Same wood. Same horses equals 4 stalls. Breed, gender, turn-out, availability of pasture and how you'll be using your horses are also factors that should help you determine how big those stalls - and barn - shingles. Same hardware. Same standard construction specs. And, these barns come with a warranty! should be. Don't forget your storage needs. Where will you keep your tack? Hay and feed? Farm equipment? Do you want a loft? What's the secret? Raw materials are stored and construction is done entirely INDOORS using efficient assembly line techniques. This ensures consistent standards of quality and reduced costs. Production delays due to inclement weather or unfavorable on-site Or, would ground level storage for hay make more sense? Proper planning in the initial stages means you won't have to worry about expansion in a year or two. Even if you currently only have 1 or 2 horses, it's likely you may end up with 1 or 2 more. If your budget will allow, invest in extra space today. It's surprisingly affordable to do and definitely a better option than trying to build on in a year or two. Few barn owners complain that they have too much space! conditions are practically eliminated. Your modular barn manufacturer builds, delivers and sets up your horse barn. A totally quality controlled process that couldn't be easier for anyone wanting to keep their own horses in their own barn. WHAT'S INSIDE Be clear with your chosen horse barn builder or barn manufacturer about what features are "standard" and what you'll need to pay extra for. Common sense would suggest that those things that differentiate a HORSE barn from any other structures should be part of The Package. These important elements ensure your horses' SAFETY and comfort. Your barn builder should be familiar with the unique needs of horses. O STALL PARTITONS Just like stalls doors, partitions must be sturdy enough to withstand kicking, pawing, rubbing, leaning and chewing. If the partitions between stalls are not solid (to the ceiling) the bars that separate your horses MUST be close enough together so a horse can't get his hoof caught between them and high enough that a horse can't get over them OR injure himself trying. STALL DOOR Sliding or hinged. Make sure all hardware is "horse-proof" and the doors can withstand kicking, pawing, rubbing, leaning and chewing. STALL WINDOW provides light and fresh air. Must have metal bars so horses can't break glass or get injured trying to go through the window opening. VENTILATION O If the barn design and your chosen location doesn't naturally promote fresh air flow, add more doors, more windows KICKBOARDS O A "MUST" in all stalls. and vents. O UP, DOWN AND SIDEWAYS Make sure stalls (and stall doors) have appropriate clearance. Horse people know horses can do crazy, unexpected things sometimes. You want to do all you can to make sure your horse can get in and out of the stall with ease and move around comfortably when inside. BARN RAISING SHOULD NOT BE A "HAIR RAISING" EXPERIENCE! Does the price of your barn include delivery and installation? Sounds like an obvious question but make sure a driver won't show up at your house some day and drop off a "kit" for you to put up on your own. Make sure your contractor has easy access to your site for his crew and heavy equipment. Find out if your builder will be preparing the site / barn foundation as part of the job or if it's your responsibility to have it ready before he gets there. Building crew: Keep in mind, if you're having your horse barn "stick built" you may have a rather large crew show up at your property. And, they may be there for quite some time. When checking references on your chosen barn builder, ask for feedback on the construction crew. Did they build the barn in a timely, professional and consistent manner? Or, did they show up for a day or two then disappear, trash and dis- carded scrap materials in their wake, leaving the job unfinished? Remember the advantage of a modular or prefab barn is that it IN- CLUDES the delivery of the modular sections AND a crew to assemble them. Your barn will be ready to use within one to three days of deliv- ery. Since the crew works for the barn manufacturer you can be as- sured they will finish the job quickly and professionally and leave your property looking as good as before they arrived. Instead of 5 to 7 workmen showing up to build your barn, a smaller prefab barn is deliv- ered and set up by ONE person. For larger, modular models the crew is typically only 2 or 3 carpenters who join the prefab sections and add the finishing touches to the prebuilt modules. Final note: Manufacturers of prefab and modular barns will also offer you the option to have your barn built on-site if the location you've chosen for your barn is not accessible for large delivery trucks with a horse barn in tow! If this is your choice, know that your barn was most likely built completely INSIDE the manufacturer's shop with materials that were store under the same roof. Everything completely protected from the elements during the entire construction process. A small, effi- cient and highly skilled crew will re-assemble your barn on-site in a fraction of the time it would take to "stick-build" a "traditional" horse barn from the ground up. MOVING DAY MOVE IN! After a few weeks, days or even hours - depending on which horse barn type you choose - it's time to bring in your horses and start taking your equine partnership to a whole new level. One that's become possible simply by bringing them HOME! COPYRIGHT 2014 HORIZONSTRUCTURES.COM | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED