bank barn floor plans

[gypsymare]

[QUOTE=AKB;7366434]
I am thinking 24x36 may be too small to get all of the benefits of a bank barn. The downstairs should be cool in the summer and much warmer than the outdoors in the winter. You are going to want a good sized feed and storage room, as no one wants to have to drag feed and hay in twice a day. If you can make it 36x48, I think you will be happier.[/QUOTE]

I’d love to go larger… unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to be in the budget to go that big. Without that 36’ depth it’s hard to go with a good center aisle layout which is why I started the thread to get layout ideas.

I’m still waiting to get back a quote from Precise. A ballpark idea would be very helpful!

[gypsymare]

Let me also add that my horses would not be living in the barn. They are out 24/7 with a very cool area in the summer that is heavily woody, breezy and down by the steam, and a big run-in to shelter them in the winter. It would be primarily for separation at feeding time, layups and most importantly, having a dry place for bathing, tacking up and storing tack and hay so I don’t want to spend a lot of money on space that is rarely used.

[AKB]

You may think that your horses are not going to spend much time in the bank barn, but you may be wrong. My daughter has a big run in shed and nice pasture in Maryland. All summer, the horses congregate in the bank barm. It is cool, dark, and there are no bugs; much nicer than the run in. She has a run in area in the bank barn, next to the stalls. It is well used.

[Bluey]

I was thinking, I have not seen tiny bank barns, most are rather large.

For the little you want in a barn, the extra cost of a bank barn over standard building seems that it would be very expensive, without any more space covered.

The principle of bank barns is that you need more room than the slope gives you for a larger barn, that is why make it two tiers.

At 36’ x 24’, you should be able to find a flat place to accommodate those dimensions most anywhere with very little dirt work, at a much cheaper cost then trying to build on two levels and needing to contain the dirt and moisture back on part of the lower one.

More to consider.

[gypsymare]

But f I do a 36x24 regular barn I have no where to store round bales so I would need a second building or larger foot print. A 36x24 bank barn gives me a nice, tall 36x30 storage barn on top of it. Unfortunately, I don’t have any flat space that isn’t flood plain. Even my house is banked!

The land:

Red dot is the run in, purple dot is where I’d like the barn. Red lines are the property borders, blue is water and marsh. The NE corner is also steep but slopes the opposite way down to the stream.

Looking from the porch, my driveway runs along the fence line in front of the run in then swings up the hill. The small tree by the gate is near to where I would like the barn and would allow trucks coming up the driveway to pull almost straight up to the back of the barn without braving the nasty steep curve that leads up to the house. The area behind the long narrow paddock the horses are in is the stream. The property extends out of view into the woods where it starts getting flatter in the corner there is a spring that makes the ground pretty swampy.

Decisions, decisions! Keep the pros and cons coming. The more information the better. Thank you!

This barn is right down the street from me:
http://www.precisebuildings.com/build/view/restoration/37
The base looks to be about 12x24. Comically small but functional. The size of the top part of a bank barn makes them look much larger than they are. The last one I boarded in was maybe 30’ deep which doesn’t sound like much, but in stature it was a massive building because of the 6’ fore bay and height and size of the upper part.

Another friend of mine has a beautiful and functional small bank barn in Missouri of an unusual style. The short side is into the bank. The overhang side was converted into a kennel area by the previous owner so not very useful at the moment.

[Bluey]

I see your point, you are really building a larger barn, but over a smaller footprint, counting that you will have an upstairs for storage.

If you only have stalls on the down side of the lower part, the aisle against the earth wall, you can go shorter on the width and put more stalls and tack room, etc. on that open side, or if you are curving there, use that for a wider aisle effect, as in a partial bank barn, the other part a two structure one.

Will be interesting to see what you come up with.
Be sure to take many pictures from before and after.

[AKB]

I would try to put the barn a little closer to the house if you can. A barn is a wonderful place for teenagers to drink, smoke, and party. Ideally, you and your dogs should be able to clearly see the barn from your house. Also, you want to be close to the barn so trudging out to feed at 6am, in the dark and cold, doesn’t seem so bad.

[merrygoround]

In the dairy industry ban barns went out of fashion when they realized how important ventilation was.

Just something to keep in mind,and something that with modern technology should not be a problem

[gypsymare]

[QUOTE=merrygoround;7368919]
In the dairy industry ban barns went out of fashion when they realized how important ventilation was.

Just something to keep in mind,and something that with modern technology should not be a problem[/QUOTE]
Good point and something I was thinking about but not sure how to best accomplish. Although we always have a breeze here and having a layout that encourages air flow would be a start.

[gypsymare]

[QUOTE=AKB;7368557]
I would try to put the barn a little closer to the house if you can. A barn is a wonderful place for teenagers to drink, smoke, and party. Ideally, you and your dogs should be able to clearly see the barn from your house. Also, you want to be close to the barn so trudging out to feed at 6am, in the dark and cold, doesn’t seem so bad.[/QUOTE]

Great points! I chose that location for several reasons. It is in my largest field where the horses spend most of the summer and right next to the paddock that is a sacrifice area in winter and schooling area when dry enough. I have another half acre paddock on the other side of the house that I can use for short rotations off the big one but it gets eaten down fast. There could be an option in the future to buy the one acre field nearest to the house that cuts into the property so far. Without it we have 8.2 acres.

It is downwind of the house and not near to any neighbors homes. We have some zoning regs that require a barn to be in the “back” of the property. Also, we’re only zoned for a “private stable”. It’s zoned conservation, not AG. While I’m sure they grant waivers, property stand offs leave this location as pretty much the closest place we could put a barn. :mad:

My driveway curves upward and is very steep at the curve. Anything closer to the house would be harder to access for hay deliveries, vet, farrier, etc. Our 4wd tractor could not make it up that curve several times this winter. It’s a doozy!

I would like to keep the area inside of the driveway fairly open as the front yard. The back is only about 20’ deep behind the house. I may put up some temporary fencing to section it off for grazing once we have a driveway hate put up and the perimeter fence completely secure.

Straight line distance it isn’t too far. It really isn’t a big property.

[AKB]

It sounds like you have put a lot of good thought into the barn. If you are worried about ventilation, you can add windows. My daughter’s barn windows are sealed closed so the barn is only open on the one side. There seems to be plenty of ventilation, but the barn is a little larger than what you plan.

[gypsymare]

I was going to put louvered vents around the top part and hopefully doors on 3 sides on the bottom if I can get a floorplan to allow for it.

I love the louvers… Very common detail around here.

Love the cupolas on this one too:

I would like to have one large 12’ door out the front and at least a man door on one side and a Dutch door on the other to allow for some cross ventilation. I’ll have to see where I can put windows and doors one I fugue out the floor plan!

[spacytracy]

Search on here for garage mahal to see ours.
Nm found it
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?341111-Pros-and-cons-of-building-bank-barns
Post 17 has pics

[Anjou]

[QUOTE=wildlifer;7343079]
I have noticed that the old bank barns are common up north (PA and NY). However, I wonder about them for horse friendly use as far as building one new. I have seen one new one built here that is a really neat design and I love, but…

ANYTHING here (and I know MD gets hot and humid too) that is in a bank/basement/garage type environment collects a ton of moisture. Hay molds almost instantly. A good friend has some bank storage below/on the side of her house. She learned the hard way, only tractor and equipment go in there, no perishables, blech.

In my anecdotal opinion – fine for things like tractors, equipment, etc. Hay, feed, and horses? I’ve not lived in MD, but have lived in VA for 4 years and here for almost 10 and I would not like the reduced air flow.

YMMV. :D[/QUOTE]

I realize this thread is old, but I feel compelled to set the record straight with regards to bank barns being dark and damp. A properly designed and constructed bank barn is neither dark nor damp. That being said, there are countless bank barns that were not built to address the ventilation and drainage problems that bank barns are susceptible to.

[Anjou]

[QUOTE=AKB;7366434]
I am thinking 24x36 may be too small to get all of the benefits of a bank barn. The downstairs should be cool in the summer and much warmer than the outdoors in the winter. You are going to want a good sized feed and storage room, as no one wants to have to drag feed and hay in twice a day. If you can make it 36x48, I think you will be happier.[/QUOTE]

HUH? The benefits of a bank barn, presuming that the animals are in the lower level and the hay is above, are not dependent on the barn’s size.

(1) Earth coverage of up to 50% of the exterior walls moderates the temperature.

(2) Multi-level, drive-in access.

(3) Ability to gravity-feed hay/grain to the animals below.

(4) Insulative value of hay moderates the temperature of the lower level (if directly above).

(5) Double (or triple) the square footage in a given area of land (economy of space).

(6) Ability to economically utilize sloped or hilly land.