It’s every equestrian’s dream: a horse barn to call your own, right on your property! And a pole barn kit is the way to make it happen. Customizable, affordable and easier to build than other structures, horse barn kits are one of the easiest ways to give your horse a place to call its own.
Planning a perfect horse barn can be easy, provided you know what to consider. Read on to learn more about horse barn kits and how to plan yours!
Getting Started with Your Horse Barn Kit
Assess the Size You Need
Pole barns come in vast range of sizes. Our kits start at 24’x24’ and go all the way to 70’x120’ – and everything in between. That gives you a lot of room to find a horse barn kit that will be ideal for your homestead.
Choosing the right size for your barn means considering everything you want the barn to offer. Simple horse barns can just be shelters, but for the dedicated equestrian, it makes sense to investigate expanding your barn to have an interior suited for keeping your horse or horses happy and healthy!
If you have several horses, you’ll want to make sure your barn has enough room for stalls. A good starting place for the average horse is around 12’x12’ space for each stall. However, if you have a Clydesdale or another large horse breed, you’ll need to plan for a bit more space.
For those who want their horse barn to more than just a basic shelter, it’s important to think about the space it will take for additional rooms. One of the best benefits of a pole barn is how easy it is to customize the interior with all the open space available. Take advantage of it! It’s surprisingly easy to make use of available space in a barn, but adding more space down the road is another story.
Research Local Zoning Laws
While you’re planning what type of horse barn kit will work for you, it’s critical to spend some time researching your local zoning laws. While all structures have unique laws and guidelines surrounding their construction, barns for animals like horses can include special provisions.
These can cover anything from where your barn can be built to how large it can be and even how the horses are allowed to be kept inside!
Horse Barn Kit Essentials
Natural Lighting
Basking in natural sunlight is important for horses just as much as it is for people. Just like us, horses need the ultraviolet rays from the sun to create Vitamin D. Unlike us, however, their need is greater – which means they need even more sun than we do.
Likewise, a horse’s circadian rhythm is critical for their health. Everything from daily life to breeding can be affected by circadian rhythm issues. Natural sunlight helps promote a healthy rhythm!
Adding natural light to a horse barn kit is easy. Adding options like pole barn windows or Dutch doors can go a long way to creating a beautiful, naturally well-lit barn that your horses will love to call home.
Ventilation
Equally as important as natural lighting in a horse barn kit is ventilation and air flow. Any home for animals needs to have ventilation in mind when it comes to construction and on-going maintenance. Planning for great ventilation avoids a lot of issues:
- Reduced odor
- Avoids mold growth and other humidity issues
- Improves horse’s respiratory health
- Avoids illnesses in horses and caretakers
The easiest way to improve ventilation is incorporating more openings through windows or doors, which conveniently helps with lighting too! However, DIY Pole Barns’ kits can have additional ventilation options added to further improve air quality in your barn.
Lastly, don’t underestimate the value of powered ventilation options like fans. Not only can these help regulate the air quality in the barn and keep air flowing, they’re useful for regulating temperature. In the sweltering days of summer, a little extra breeze can go a long way!
Tack Room
Planning for a tack room with your horse barn kit is a fantastic idea to expand a shelter into a full equestrian building. They’re not necessary, but most equestrians will agree that a tack room helps simplify life when it comes to storing and maintaining equipment for their horses.
Remember to include the tack room in your air quality planning. Leather equipment is resilient, but susceptible to issues with humidity. Keeping your tack room environment clean and clear can save you time and money down the road!
Wash Stall
A horse wash stall is one of the best additions you can make to your horse barn. It gives you flexibility to groom your horses even when the weather isn’t cooperating.
If your horse barn kit will have room for multiple stalls, you can simply add one additional stall with a few modifications. Hanging full walls that are moisture-resistant and finishing the floor with concrete and a drain is all that’s needed. For added comfort, you can find rubber mats that allow moisture to seep out into the drain.
Storage
Lastly, you’ll always want to think of leaving some extra room for storage. This could be anything from hay storage to additional tools or equipment that may not belong in a tack room.
The easiest way to know if you’ll have the room you need is to look at your current space and compare to what you’re building. If you have a small storage room of tools and equipment, use that as the baseline for planning how much extra room you’ll want in your new horse barn kit. The beauty of designing your own pole barn is that you can create the space you need!
Are Pole Barn Kits Good for Horse Barns?
Absolutely! Horse owners looking for the best horse barns have a lot of choices in front of them. Pole barns are just one style of construction, but we think they fit the bill perfectly:
Horse Pole Barns Mean Flexible Space
Any type of building can be large, but pole barns are spacious on the inside at any scale. That’s because the structure is held up by several poles instead of load-bearing walls like some other types of construction. When it comes to creating a horse stable, a pole barn delivers the most interior space no matter the size of the barn you go with.
Preparing the interior floor plan is something that you should be able to do without restriction. Whether you have 1 horse or 10, post frame construction is a fantastic way to get a high-quality horse barn with everything you need.
Custom-Built for Your Needs
DIY Pole Barns doesn’t just mean do-it-yourself, we also tell our customers that it means design-it-yourself. No two horse barn designs will be the same, because your dream horse barn will reflect the specific needs you have. That can range from decoration to core options like lean-tos or how many windows you want to install.
A custom horse barn is easiest to design with our instant cost estimator tool – you can enjoy
Cost Efficiency Is Key
Owning a horse or horses is expensive – but worth every penny! However, that means you’re likely to be budget-conscious when it comes to imagining the horse barn of your dreams. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be a dream!
DIY Pole Barns sources its materials from suppliers who offer the best-in-class cost to quality ratio. You’ll be able to get a barn constructed of durable materials ready to last decades without having to pay a premium.
On top of the unique savings we can provide, pole barns are generally more cost-effective than other types of construction. Why? Because of what you don’t need! Other building types rely on solid concrete foundations from corner to corner. Pole barns don’t. Likewise, with just a handful of poles (depending on the scale of your building) acting as the primary support, there’s a lot less material needed to keep a pole barn standing for years to come. It all adds up to less money, so you can focus your budget on your beautiful horses.
Common Questions About Horse Barns
How Much Are Horse Barns?
Like any pole barn, horse barns can range in price depending on the size and features that you are looking for. Any barns from DIY can start as low as a few thousand dollars, or you can customize the perfect horse barn fit for a sizable stable full of horses. When considering the price, it is important to take into account the features that you desire as well as the size that you need.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to get everything all at once. Many of our customers, down the line, decide to make upgrades to their pole barns once they realize how often they use them. Additions to a barn structure can be pretty easy, especially if it involves interior design, thanks to all that open space!
Can Horse Stalls Have Concrete Floors?
Horse stalls with concrete floors are becoming more popular, as they are easier to clean and maintain than those with dirt floors. However, there are a few things to consider before making the switch to concrete.
One is the cost. Concrete is more expensive than dirt, so you’ll need to factor that into your budget. Another is the hardness of the concrete. Some horses may find it uncomfortable to stand on, so you’ll want to test it out with your horse before making the switch.
If you plan to do a concrete floor for your barn, we recommend making that decision early in the process. That way you can get a good estimate for the additional cost of concrete, as well as planning that phase of building. Additionally, for your horses’ sake, you’ll want to look at additions that improve their comfort like mats. These don’t detract from the ease of cleaning that many horse owners look for with concrete floors, but they will keep your horses happy and healthy.
Should a Horse Barn Be Insulated?
Horses are susceptible to cold weather, so many owners choose to insulate their barns. There are several factors to consider when deciding whether or not to insulate, such as the cost of insulation, the climate, and the type of horse.
If you live in an area with cold winters, it is probably worth the investment to insulate the barn to keep your horse comfortable. We offer insulation choices with our instant quote tool, so you can get an idea upfront of what normal insulation will cost. During the building process, you can even supplement the build with additional insulation options as necessary.
Should I Heat My Horse Barn?
Some barn owners choose to heat their barns in order to provide their horses with a comfortable environment, while others find that the extra expense is not worth the benefit. Like insulation, heating a horse barn comes down to the health of your horses. If you live in a particularly cold part of the United States, you may want to look at what heating options are available.
That said, horses are resilient towards cold weather, so heating your barn may also just be a decision of comfort for you. Heating specific rooms like the tack room or storage rooms to keep equipment safe from extreme temperatures is a popular option.
Find Your Perfect Pole Barn Today – Get an Instant Quote Online!
Do you have questions about pole barns? Call our knowledgeable staff at (937) 547-9100. If you’re ready to build your pole barn, lock in a quote with DIY Pole Barns using our Instant Quote tool!
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