A property we are looking at has a mobile home that has been gutted and was used as a car storage garage and if we get this property, I’d like to turn it in to a shed row kind of barn.
The floors are wood but structurally sound that the “garage” held 4-5 full size classic cars at any given time. The floor is probably about around 12-18" off of the ground so cars could be driven into it.
So, my question is about the floors. Since the floors are level and strong (plywood with supports under it) how could I safely turn this into a barn without pouring concrete? The ceiling is low so I’m trying not to build up too much and lose headroom. My tallest horses are 16.3.
Thanks for any suggestions!
I’d be very concerned about the integrity of the walls. A horse could easily kick through a mobile home wall. As for the floors, urine and water are going to eventually rot those out. And even though the floors can hold cars being driven slowly into and out of it, I’d double check that the foundation is solid enough for horses to play tackle football inside. Just like when hauling horses - you have to account for the fact that horses are not “stable loads” and they move around, sometimes quite violently. I wouldn’t want them to shake the home off of the foundation. I’ve seen horses move huge run in sheds several feet without much effort.
The walls were stripped so there is only a frame basically. I wish I could link a picture but I don’t have one. Basically the roof and floor are there, the supports are there it no real walls. Someone Removed siding and wiring so it is basically a skeleton if that makes sense. There are no walls, just supports and some leftover insulation. We would basically have to put up walls and siding.
It’s still structurally sound so it would be easy to convert, just concerned about the floors. I’m not sure if there is anything under them, like gravel or dirt mounds. I just know the owner said when he converted it, be put supports every 6" I believe.
We have someone up the road that appears to have done this. I personally would not. The subflooring in mobile homes is either going to plywood or particle board. Neither is acceptable for supporting the weight of a horse, and neither will hold up for long with the moisture from urine and manure. I would be extremely leery of having my horses on an elevated floor that wasn’t at least to the standard of what’s in my horse trailer - pressure treated pine 2X8’s.
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We have someone up the road that appears to have done this. I personally would not. The subflooring in mobile homes is either going to plywood or particle board. Neither is acceptable for supporting the weight of a horse, and neither will hold up for long with the moisture from urine and manure. I would be extremely leery of having my horses on an elevated floor that wasn’t at least to the standard of what’s in my horse trailer - pressure treated pine 2X8’s.[/QUOTE]
This.
Could you remove the plywood floor and backfill between the supports with stonedust? Level and compact it, then add mats on top if you wish. Proceed with caution–who knows what’s living under the floorboards!
- What kind of foundation system is it on?
- Is it anchored/have footings/is it legally on the property?
- I’d be careful to have the integrity of the building inspected.
I’d think you’d be better off buying a shedrow and using it for other storage, if it is legally on the property.
That’s probably what I am going to do…after calculating costs, it would be smarter to use it as a feed and tack room. Maybe I’ll just make part of it into a grooming stall and just buy a shed row.
You could add a lean to off one side for the stalls and use the mobile for storage. This way, if the hay and grain were in the mobile you could have feed windows into the stalls to make feeding easy. I would also be a good place for a tack room.
I agree to use it for storage only.
While you could build a lean-to, I wouldn’t want my horses gnawing or scratching themselves on the siding, and kick-throughs would still be a danger. You could build a run-in or shedrow barn up against it, but I’d want a wall in between, and I’d want it free-standing in case you later want to remove the mobile home.
Is the mobile home still wired for heat and lighting? If so, check that all wiring and the furnace are safe – older mobiles sometimes have aluminum wiring, which is a huge fire risk. It is also wise to get a dehumidifier, as mobile homes don’t typically have great air flow. Be sure to watch for mold.
Be aware that vermin will try to come in through any plumbing and the tiniest of openings.
All our old barns in washington had wood floors. As long as the floors are strong there is no reason you can’t just put shavings right over the top.
That being said, I would worry about the walls, as others have said, and also things like improper insulation for being exposed to large temperature swings or moisture.
