DIY Window Grills?

[SugarCubes]

My barn has dutch doors opening to private runs. I just realized that while I had bars put on to cover the windows from the inside of the stalls, I failed to remember I need to cover the windows from the OUTSIDE too…oops (good thing the horses aren’t home yet!)

It’s going to cost nearly 1K to order the same grills for the outside as I have on the inside, but I remember searching on here and seeing some people that made their own window grills for next to nothing. Any DIY tips for me?

Here are the windows to give you an idea of what I will need

[HPFarmette]

I have attached sheets of plexiglass but it didn’t work well. I am thinking of using hardware cloth.

[SugarCubes]

[QUOTE=HPFarmette;8377849]
I have attached sheets of plexiglass but it didn’t work well. I am thinking of using hardware cloth.[/QUOTE]

I had to look up what hardware cloth is, it may work, but would be impossible to clean the window without taking it down first. And I wonder how transparent it is? Ideally, I don’t want to block the light from coming through.

[Hermein]

I don’t understand your goal. Do you want the grills for aesthetics? Safety? Insulation? Where are your windows going to be placed in relation to possible flying hooves?

[Scarlet_Gilia]

I wonder if a safety window film would be strong enough?

[hosspuller]

A solution with a few “IF” s

If the inside bars can be mounted on the windows.
If the windows will swing out to the wall

Then, when the horses are outside, swing the windows open and latch them to the wall. The inside bars are now outside, protecting the glass.

[clanter]

expanded metal would work, comes in 4ft by 8ft sheets… the low end cost would be in $20 range… various primary metals and grades drive cost

just an example, this tuff is available everywhere

http://www.mcnichols.com/products/expanded

[Hilary]

The bars on my stall doors are made of aluminum conduit tubing. Bought it at home depot, cut them to length and inserted them in the door frames. Fraction of the cost of custom door grates.

It would be fairly easy to build little frames to attach to the outsides of your windows.

[airhorse]

Outside not going to be as easy or pretty as inside as you have no jamb to mount to.

[SugarCubes]

[QUOTE=Hermein;8378610]
I don’t understand your goal. Do you want the grills for aesthetics? Safety? Insulation? Where are your windows going to be placed in relation to possible flying hooves?[/QUOTE]

Safety…windows are directly beside the dutch doors in each horse’s paddock. I’m not a fan of exposed glass being anywhere within reach of a horse!

Thanks for the rest of the ideas, guys!

[NancyM]

We made stall bars by cutting rebar to the correct length, and drilling holes in a 2X4 laid flat on the underneath, putting the bars in the holes, then another drilled 2X4 on the top. Place the bars quite close together (max 2" apart?) so that a hoof can not go through the space between bars. Cheap, quick, easy to do. Looks fine too!