Horses and Barns: History in the Making
As you can imagine, horses and barns share a long friendship that has persisted for centuries. In those days, however, most barns were constructed from wooden components. Wooden planks were easy to come by at the time, after all. These wooden structures were used for a wide variety of purposes. From housing horses to storing hay and feed supplies, they’re such a prevalent sight across the US that they’ve become the go-to symbol of rural Americana.
In modern times these buildings are now often constructed from cold, hard steel. And thanks to technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, these versatile buildings are one of the most affordable construction types on the market.
So, if you’ve been mulling over purchasing a metal horse barn, you’re on the right track! Below, we’ll dive deeper into horse barns and how to find the right one for your needs.
Essential Things to Consider When Buying Your Metal Barn
Purchasing any building is a massive undertaking that deserves a significant amount of research and attention. There are several things you’ll need to keep in mind to ensure that you get the right metal barn for your needs.
Let’s take a look at these steps:
1. Choose an appropriate build site.
Since these structures are just as permanent as any home or stick-built structure, the location of your metal horse barn is essential! Therefore, you’ll want to choose a building site above any natural water runoff and ensure that it’s appropriately graded and clear of any debris or vegetation.
2. Be mindful of restrictions.
Most localities will require any permanent structure to be fully permitted and appropriately zoned. As such, you’ll want to carefully work with your local building inspectors to determine which permits you’ll require.
3. Proximity to your home.
Depending on your needs, you’ll want to choose a site close enough to your home to allow you to keep an eye on things but far enough away that your work doesn’t interfere with your home life.
4. The direction of your barn.
Believe it or not, the direction in which you construct your building matters. For example, building your structure in a clearing that faces the sun can result in higher daytime temperatures. Having a comprehensive grasp of this will allow you to choose the most reasonable position for your building.
5. Utility accessibility.
If you intend for your horse barn to be wired for electricity, you’ll want to choose a location near available utilities. Failing to do so can cost you tons of time and money.
6. Road accessibility.
Farm buildings need easy access if they’re in regular use. Whether for residential or commercial purposes, you’ll need to ensure that your metal horse barn is easily accessible in any weather.
7. Waste management concerns.
Owning and caring for horses can be a dirty job. And since cleaning stalls and removing waste is such a big part of the process, you’ll want to think ahead of how you plan to accomplish that. After all, no one wants to walk through manure to get to your horse barn, not even your horses.
Design Consideration for Your Horse Barn
When you purchase a metal horse barn or one of our metal horse barn kits, you’ll have a wide selection of design possibilities to choose from. So many, in fact that it can be a bit confusing. But never fear! We’ve listed some of the most critical design aspects you’ll want to keep in mind:
1. Building Size
How big of a structure do you need? How many horses will you need to house? How will you design your building’s footprint? Will it have a tack room or cleaning facilities? A good grasp of your size requirements is a crucial part of the design process.
2. Roofing
Another vital part of the process will be to pick the right roofing system for your needs. You’ll be able to choose between the following:
• A-Frame Roofs
This option is a great choice that closely resembles the roof you’d see on a traditional home. You can’t go wrong with an A-frame roof with overhanging awnings, a sharp peak, and horizontal paneling!
• Vertical Roofs
The cream of the crop in terms of protection, a vertical roofing system takes the features of an A-frame and combines them with vertical paneling. This design feat allows snow, leaf fall, and any debris that might land on your roof to fall away easily. As a result, your roof will need minimal maintenance.
3. Lighting
You’ll want to decide whether to wire your building for electricity or design it with ample windows and skylight paneling to allow plenty of natural light in. This will keep your horses comfortable and will make working in your barn easier.
4. Ventilation
All enclosed buildings need plenty of ventilation. This can be achieved by designing your structure with large open doors and windows. Or you can take a more active approach and design your farm building to include other ventilation methods like fans.
5. Flooring
Choosing the right flooring option for your horses is extremely important. After all, they’ll have to stand on this surface for extended amounts of time. Most horses prefer dirt or softer flooring surfaces such as clay, rubber, or wood.
6. Food Sources
Have you planned for how to store your animal’s food supplies? You can achieve this by designing a lean-to or enclosed side building that will give you plenty of square footage for storing hay bales.
Additional Tips for Your Farm
There are tons of ways that you can individually prep for your new metal horse barn. And while most might be evident at first glance, there are still several things you’ll want to keep in mind when purchasing your metal building.
1. Water Sources
To keep your horses properly watered and clean, you’ll want to design your barn near a good water source. You can even build your horse barn to include a cleaning room so that you’ll always have a space to wash down your four-legged friends.
2. Insulation
Despite being outdoors most of their lives, horses don’t like cold and hot weather any more than we humans do. That’s why it’s paramount to build your structure with proper insulation. This insulation will reduce moisture building and keep the internal temperature of your structure even all year round.
3. Expansion Capabilities
What are your needs going to be in the next decade? Everyone evolves, and your metal horse barn needs today might not be sufficient for tomorrow’s requirements. Luckily prefab metal buildings are designed with easy expansion in mind. This will allow you to construct additional rooms, lean-tos, and more.
Metal Garage Central is Your Destination for Metal Horse Barns of All Types
From small garages and metal building kits to enormous metal farmhouses, Metal Garage Central is proud to offer a wide range of custom metal buildings to suit any need or application. We’ve helped thousands of horse owners find the right structure for their needs, and we can help you, too!
Not only do we offer an extensive lineup that gives you plenty to choose from, but we also offer fantastic metal building prices and financing options that make owning a metal horse barn easy and affordable.
So, give us a call today at (980) 223-3072 and let our team of building experts show you all the ways you can design and customize your new metal horse barn!