Horse barn ideas...

[Fuddy1952]

I'm having a horse barn built by same company who built my garage. Steel pole building. Similar to first photo, 2 story 36x36, top hay mow. Four stalls but two horses.
I'm building it behind the garage, about 15 ft. in back with walkway connecting them, water and electric.
I'm down to two choices which is my dilemma/input. Since it's hilly, either bring in tons of dirt or it could be graded down and have three poured concrete walls.
Now the dilemma...
.....All above ground it would have drive through center breezeway, four stalls one a tack room. I would have to make a lift up into hay mow. Walkway from garage to barn goes into tack room. Overhang sheds either side 12x36 each for tractor & equipment.
.....Second idea is excavate down 8ft (highest part, opposite corner is at ground level). Poured concrete 3 walls. Front facing away from garage. Upper hay mow would have a very slight up dirt/gravel ramp to doors. So an easy hay mow trailer entrance. The upper half barn on top of concrete walls. This would look similar to my neighbors two level garage. Also shown are pictures of area.
What's best choice? I'm thinking concrete would be cooler in summer, warmer in winter for horses. Drive in hay mow would be great. All above ground I'm thinking would be less expensive to build, garage walk through would go into stall area not hay mow. I'll remove that old wire fence either way. Thanks!

 

[ThirdMan]

I will be in a similar position of choices soon. I would think above ground first idea would be less expensive. I can see that the tack room/stalls on the same level as your house would be good. if you go down 3 concrete walls on the stable level might seem oppressive and confined.

 

[ustmd]

I could see the advantage of the drive in for hay and for temperature moderation. Aside from price, my only other concern would be moisture issues for the parts below grade.


No matter which you choose, bucking hay still sucks.....

 

[QRTRHRS]

I could see the advantage of the drive in for hay and for temperature moderation. Aside from price, my only other concern would be moisture issues for the parts below grade.


No matter which you choose, bucking hay still sucks.....

What he said... A previous barn was built on a slope so that the front of the barn to the back dropped about two or three feet. The hay mow was maybe eight feet high at the front of the barn so that is where the hay was unloaded.

The top goes off easy but as your work your way to the bottom it means lifting and tossing the bales higher and higher or perhaps using a ladder to get them up one at a time.

You can use a hay elevator of course but what to do with it when not in use? A simple "skeleton" elevator can be stood up vertically and tied off but the electric motor on one of these is pretty heavy. Anything on wheels needs to be stored somewhere.

My choice would be ground or dock level or better and safer from a fire point of view would be a separate building.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Make your stalls in a manner that you can back a tractor in, drop a blade and drag them out.
Whether you use wood shavings, stall your horse daily, let them have free roam and rarely stall them, etc.
make those stalls so you have very little to rake/muck/pitchfork out.
I use round bales but I set them on end and peel them off. Going up (above the trailer) with square bales sucks but if offloading them and stacking them on grade it’s not as bad.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Today the contractor was here with an excavator and concrete guy. Right now we're in the planning stage.
Stalls 12x12x12ft (12 ft to bottom of 2x12 joists) tongue and groove plywood floor above. Then that up 12ft to rafters, I'm guessing but 12-4 pitch I think...then cupola.
So plenty of ventilation. Concrete walls the hay mow ramp side solid up to double doors. The other two concrete walls partially above ground, actually a fair amount, so windows with bars, and door for winter. Front several windows. Hay mow trap doors above stalls for hay,feed into mangers. Summer they can be left open. It will have lots of shade from great big oaks.

I will be in a similar position of choices soon. I would think above ground first idea would be less expensive. I can see that the tack room/stalls on the same level as your house would be good. if you go down 3 concrete walls on the stable level might seem oppressive and confined.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Ask your insurance company first. You may pay a lot more insurance when storing hay in the barn rather than a separate building, or they may not want to insure the barn at all. Old barns are grandfathered in; new barns are not.

I think you were in my barn thread also. Similar issues with hilly ground!

That's a handsome barn!

 

[Fuddy1952]

What he said... A previous barn was built on a slope so that the front of the barn to the back dropped about two or three feet. The hay mow was maybe eight feet high at the front of the barn so that is where the hay was unloaded.

The top goes off easy but as your work your way to the bottom it means lifting and tossing the bales higher and higher or perhaps using a ladder to get them up one at a time.

You can use a hay elevator of course but what to do with it when not in use? A simple "skeleton" elevator can be stood up vertically and tied off but the electric motor on one of these is pretty heavy. Anything on wheels needs to be stored somewhere.

My choice would be ground or dock level or better and safer from a fire point of view would be a separate building.

I love lifting heavy stuff...always have. I have lots of stuff around here, ladders, etc.
Neighbors all around me some square some round bale. Growing up with horses we had a sickle bar for Farmall, raked into wind rows, then I would pitchfork into wagon. We never had a bailer. We got up about 10 acres which seemed o.k. for his 2-3 horses over winter.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Oh thanks so much...great suggestions.
I actually have a complete sprinkler system I could plumb in which is a thought. My guess is they would be somehow loaded with antifreeze?

 

[Birdhunter1]

Typically sprinkler systems are dry not wet, meaning they are charged with a non flame feeding compressed gas (CO2 for instance) and there is a valve back in a heated space that is water on one side and a charge of compressed gas on the other side.
The compressed gas is what keeps the valve shut and the water from flowing, when a detector head breaks due to heat the gas blows, pressure drops and water flows.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

More thoughts. A barn that nice, it's expensive storage for a couple of tons of hay that really just need the rain kept off. A metal carport style building does the trick and I just priced Carolina Carports and you can get a quite large one (around 40 x 20) for less than $4k. So if I was going to have a two-story barn, I'd want the ramp so I could tractor in about a week's worth of hay from the storage building, then cut a hatch above each horse's hay bin so you can just drop the hay in. You can also store all of your grain there. I would also put in large PVC pipes running down to the feed bins so I could also drop in their grain. Plus you can store some of the large array of equipment one has on a horse farm, or even use part as a workshop. Earth-berming certainly has advantages in terms of reducing temperature changes, but then horses aren't really sensitive to temp changes. And you will lose light and ventilation, no way around that IMO.

I personally like a one-story barn. (confession: I used to ride professionally) I learned to hate the large "horse complex" type barns; after a few years, so dusty! and impossible to clean. Just me, but I like a barn to be clean, open, airy, dry and sunny. I like for a horse to have two ways to look out, back and front, and ideally a little private back paddock for each stall, so they can run in and out a bit. And on horrible weather days they can go out without ruining your fields.

YMMV

 

[Fuddy1952]

Typically sprinkler systems are dry not wet, meaning they are charged with a non flame feeding compressed gas (CO2 for instance) and there is a valve back in a heated space that is water on one side and a charge of compressed gas on the other side.
The compressed gas is what keeps the valve shut and the water from flowing, when a detector head breaks due to heat the gas blows, pressure drops and water flows.

Mine is very old, new in a case, 12 sprinkler heads with a lead link which melts opening valve. Probably from 40s-50s...may be a waste of time fooling with.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Now I'm leaning toward girl who HAS a tractor' s idea...a separate hay shed. Barn would still have a loft probably, not a hay mow. I'm thinking it would save money, be cleaner, safer.

 

[rd_macgregor]

There are some advantages to having a barn with a hay loft, eg, convenience, lower total land footprint, but the drawbacks are numerous. Not only is the fire hazard greater, but the barn tends to be dustier, with is a nuisance and a potential health hazard for the horses, too. Your planned building should be big enough for four stalls and a tack room and still have room for several days worth of forage...brought over from a separate mass storage area, like Girl... suggested. I also think it is likely easier to ventilate a free-standing barn than one that is built into a hillside (eg a bank barn)...and good air ventilation is a critical concern with horses.
I think it is going on ten years that my wife and daughter have been planning a new horse barn, so I've been exposed to all the pro and con arguments...I don't think it will ever really get done, though!

 

[Fuddy1952]

There are some advantages to having a barn with a hay loft, eg, convenience, lower total land footprint, but the drawbacks are numerous. Not only is the fire hazard greater, but the barn tends to be dustier, with is a nuisance and a potential health hazard for the horses, too. Your planned building should be big enough for four stalls and a tack room and still have room for several days worth of forage...brought over from a separate mass storage area, like Girl... suggested. I also think it is likely easier to ventilate a free-standing barn than one that is built into a hillside (eg a bank barn)...and good air ventilation is a critical concern with horses.
I think it is going on ten years that my wife and daughter have been planning a new horse barn, so I've been exposed to all the pro and con arguments...I don't think it will ever really get done, though!

Thanks so much...but ten years? Dad's horse barn we built years ago is still there, Dad passed years ago. It was very simple, just 12x48 with about 6ft overhang in front.

 

[zzvyb6]

Hay above the stalls is good use of storage space and good insulation. A small elevator is all it takes, but your hay supplier will prefer easy access to the loading area. AND, hay stored above horses in a barn can go bad because the animals give off A LOT of moisture in cold weather.

4 stalls and potential for feeding yours and boarders means 8 month's supply of hay is a calculation you need to make unless your supplier delivers in winter. I do my own hay baling so I plan on 500 bales in storage.

With 2 horses and 4 stalls, cleanup is easy because you can trade off stalls during cleaning. Stall floors need to be clay (not concrete and you should plan on a drain in them of some type. Guess what that is for.

Bedding with shavings means storage for it. Two of the stalls should have outside doors besides the main alley for paddock access.

Electrical outlets and stall lights outside each stall door and outlets for farrier and vet use at several places in the main aisle.

Drive thru main aisle absolutely.

Outside hydrants and electrical at them too for tank heaters.

I'd also suggest you consider making the stall walls replaceable because the critters will rub, chew, bite, kick and destroy your barn after a few years and it may look nice outside but look awful inside. Split boards and exposed nails and screws will tear open skin on horses, boarders and kids.

I don't think fire control is needed. No smoking, no flammable storage, good electrical service, no lawnmower or tractor storage, and good manners in the barn should be even idiot proof. Lightning is the only concern. Your trees ought to help. Fire from damp hay is preventable: don't accept delivery, don't pack bales loose in the mow and don't open bales in the mow. They can start getting hot when they get oxygen.

Good outside lighting is handy too. Unloading a horse trailer at night is no fun in the dark.

I also have a mow elevator upstairs. Its horizontal so bales going up and down can travel to my storage stations. Motor runs both ways.

Yes I know all about cell phones, etc. But having a landline wire in there somewhere may come in handy someday, too. I'd also shove in an ethernet cable for a router access point and security camera use. Wireless signals are often weakened by whatever your walls and structure are made of. Just have a large conduit provision for now if you have stopped laughing already.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I agree on the cables. Easier now than later, even if it's just an empty 3" plastic conduit line.