looking at building my own barn, HELP PLEASE!!!

[hallauer5]

Hi I am in TN and am looking to build my own barn. There are so many tools out there I really don't know where to start. I am looking at 6 to 12 stalls, possibly. I would like to have an office/sitting room 2 wash stalls and 4 cross ties. I just need some help I don't even know where to start!! I am also looking at putting in an arena, big enough to have jumps in. I would like to have a cross country course, but that will come much later. Any info would be great!! Thank you all!!!

[Bluey]

You could drive around your area, see where they have barns you like and try to talk to the owners about your needs.
Someone will know who builds what you like and is reliable and good to do what they say they will do.

Above all, don't do anything at all without a contract with every little detail in there first.
The better companies will present you with one, but it will be in their favor, so run it by a real estate attorney, to be sure you are getting a fair deal.

I have a friend that is a contract specialist attorney and he has some hairraising tales.
Best money spent up front with someone that will be on your side.

It would help all if you had a more specific idea of what you want, draw some plans.

[WBLover]

Agreed with what Bluey said, and I highly recommend Cherry Hill's video "Your Horse Barn: Planning, Designing, Building". I rented it from Netflix and I'm sure you could find it on Amazon.

It was two discs and is quite long, but covered everything from site planning to designing to building to finishing the inside, and was very helpful in helping me decide on a lot of things, and educating me about the best way to do things and all the available options.

I called several contractors in the area and asked them for quotes, and if I could see barns that they had completed and talk to the owners. If they were willing to do that, then they probably did a good job.

I ended up using the contractor who built my house, and probably ended up with a higher quality built barn than necessary, but it's better to be overbuilt than underbuilt!

[2DogsFarm]

Dot the I's and cross the T's and everyone walks away happier :yes:

For planning my barn I made a drawing on graph paper and played with the layout until I was satisifed.
But I also took the advice of the barnbuilder and excavator re: changes to the site.

Once you have a contract be certain to read & reread it & check things off as the work progresses.
I forgot to read my contract after the initial draft and ended up without the cupolas I had discussed with the salesman but did not notice were not included in the final (signed) copy of the plans.
Adding them aftermarket was cost prohibitive, so my barn/arena remain cupola-less.

Cherry Hill's books are good too. Lots of thoughtful & practical advice.

Above all: plan for your convenience and the horses' comfort
*orient buildings so prevailing winds & weather are buffered
*make turnout as easy as possible
*ditto for cleaning stalls and feeding

Think about barns you've boarded or worked in - what worked, what didn't, what you would do differently & why.

Relax and take your time - this is a big investment and should pay off in terms of your enjoyment for many years.
Haste not only makes Waste, but big bald patches where you pull out hair!

[hitchinmygetalong]

Where to start? Well, set a budget, first and foremost. It's so much fun to dream of oak paneling and rubber footing, but then when you get the bill :eek:.

Make a list of "would love to have" items and then number them, with #1 being the most desired thing. That will help you think it out a bit. I'm a huge proponent of lists!

Have fun!

[Saidapal]

Agree with driving around and asking about barns you like.

I found my builder at the feed store. Asked who they recommended and I have a beautiful 4 stall barn with tack/feed room. They also knew who NOT to have build since they heard a bunch of horror stories. I think word of mouth is the best way to find a good builder.

Good luck!

[dmalbone]

BUDGET!!!! ...and realize that everything will cost twice as much and twice as long as you imagined. :) We made a list of our must haves and would likes and realized that it wasn't close to possible lol! To get a realistic idea though I had to contact about EVERY builder in the area to get rough quotes on a bare bones barn. We figured out that we needed 2 stalls asap and the potential for 4, dutch doors to run-in, and overhangs, and that was most important. We were on a tight budget so I contacted everyone to figure out how much this would cost approximately and narrowed it down from there. I got quotes literally TENS of thousands apart for the same pole barn. I found in MANY cases you are paying for the name. The barn is starting construction on Friday and it's being SO trying and frustrating just up until this point. We severely underestimated excavation, general building materials for the stalls, etc. So we ended up with a barn that was in our budget but are spending way more than we were planning on other things... and having to cut out. We will be using a water hose from the house to the barn for instance this first year lol! But... we're ending up with what we need and it HAS BEEN fun during the process (I do just have to keep reminding myself of that...).

Basically, what helped me the most was getting rough quotes based on what I thought I needed and narrowing down from there. I knew that with 4 stalls I needed certain sizes, found the most economical sizes/prices (the same sq. footage of a barn can be priced very differently depending on dimensions). Drawing and sketching really was necessary to work out ideas.

Don't be afraid to haggle prices. In this economy don't be afraid to tell them you have a FIRM budget and will not go higher than that. i.e. "so and so told me they could do this barn for 12k... can you beat that?"

[Bluey]

When you study bids, be sure they compare on the same specifications.

The better builders are generally better because they have available the better subcontractors/tradesmen, so you get better work done, done right and on time, best anyone may.
That is better if a little more costly than half done work from a cheap builder and his less able help, where each subcontractor has to manage around not quite right work.

[saddleup]

When I was planning my barn I did as Bluey suggested and just stopped and asked people the names of their barn builders, and if they'd use them again. I found every single person was happy to talk about their barns, and I got a lot of good information. I took photos of their barns and started a binder with contact info and their suggestions.

I had a hard time visualizing space from a floor plan, but when I could see the difference between a 12 foot aisle and a 16 foot aisle, for instance, it made that type of decision much easier.

[WBLover]

dmalbone, I hope you are someplace warm or else this winter that hose is going to FREEZE and you'll be carrying buckets of water from your house to the barn like I had to do!! ;)

[dmalbone]

dmalbone, I hope you are someplace warm or else this winter that hose is going to FREEZE and you'll be carrying buckets of water from your house to the barn like I had to do!! ;)

Bwahaha. Nope, we'll be carrying buckets I'm sure!! :D Luckily the barn is about 150' from the house and I only have 2 horses. My husband can manage for one winter. :winkgrin:

[2DogsFarm]

dmalbone: you can save yourself some work if you drain the hose after each use and leave it somewhere warmer than outside or at least above freezing - like a basement.
Kinda messy, but beats the alternative

My barn is about 250' from the house and when we had an electrical outage in January and I was forced to carry buckets it got old very fast!

When you do get a frostfree hydrant inside the barn make certain you invest in a heat tape to wrap it with.
Don't ask me how I learned this.....

[Bluey]

Hi I am in TN and am looking to build my own barn. There are so many tools out there I really don't know where to start. I am looking at 6 to 12 stalls, possibly. I would like to have an office/sitting room 2 wash stalls and 4 cross ties. I just need some help I don't even know where to start!! I am also looking at putting in an arena, big enough to have jumps in. I would like to have a cross country course, but that will come much later. Any info would be great!! Thank you all!!!

You realize that you have most on COTH wishing they were in your shoes.
Building a barn, for horse people, is the highlight of all things horse.:cool:

Any concrete plans yet?

[dmalbone]

dmalbone: you can save yourself some work if you drain the hose after each use and leave it somewhere warmer than outside or at least above freezing - like a basement.
Kinda messy, but beats the alternative

My barn is about 250' from the house and when we had an electrical outage in January and I was forced to carry buckets it got old very fast!

When you do get a frostfree hydrant inside the barn make certain you invest in a heat tape to wrap it with.
Don't ask me how I learned this.....
Thanks! Our garage is heated and there is actually a hydrant in there... I think the garage might have been added on later. Regardless, that's actually the closest place to the barn so we'll see how it goes!!