Need help with horse barns and set up

[SummerUntamed]

I recently lost my home in the CA wildfires and instead of rebuilding, I have an opportunity to buy about 15 acres and bring my horses home for the first time ever. I really need help with choosing a barn and how to configure it. The property currently has a crappy mare motel that I plan to tear down and sell. In its place, I would love my DREAM barn. I really want a wood barn but due to high fire danger, I am going to have to go metal.

I need at least 3 stalls 12x14 or 12x16, tack room and grooming stall. So essentially a 4 stall. I know MD has great barn plans but are there any others? Do most of the prefab places offer to put it together? If not, I have a contractor to do it.

I have so many questions but I will start with one. Do we pour the concrete for the stall portion too or leave the stalls and add DG and other material and cover with mats? I plan to have large runs off the stalls. I attached a picture of what I like. I would like a partial overhang off the outside of the stalls as well.

Thanks and any advice is appreciated.

[TCA_Arabians]

We built our barn in SoCal in 2002. It is solid steel. Built by FCP. I understand that Blue Horizon builds similar. To say that I love it is an understatement. It’s a 10-stall plus tack room. Stalls are 12x12 and one 12x16. Tack room is wood paneled and enclosed floor to ceiling. I had an 8:1 pitch for the roof. We get snow. Added bonus is that the high pitch allows air to circulate in summer. Each stall has a front and back door. The addition that really makes it for me is the 12-foot overhang on three sides. It runs the length of the barn. You can groom and do farrier work on the worst of days. You can also sit under that overhang out of the sun. We wanted it on four sides but the engineers said the roof couldn’t take the stress. If I had a do-over I’d have expanded the stalls to accommodate an extra support for additional overhang.

The barn is sited facing the south. In winter the sun shines right into the stalls and helps to keep it warmer. Corrals are off of each stall. The turnout is behind the individual stalls. Horses can go out and in as desired.

You don’t mention hay storage or additional space for supplies, shavings, etc. I’d add space for that too. I’d also think about a solid concrete floor for hay, etc. Helps to keep the rats/squirrels from burrowing up.

The permit process took the longest. After that was done - the barn went up in a couple of days. They brought it in on long-beds in large sections. You have various options for doors/windows/feeders/etc. Basically, you can design it.

Do check all your local zoning regs. There are requirements for how far from a neighbor’s property, dwelling units, fire access, drainage for natural runoffs, the list goes on and on. You want an easy access drive for trucks and trailers.

FCP handled all the sub-contractors. The pad grader was an idiot. His contract would have charged extra for any rock over 3’. I lined that puppy right out of the contract. Those big rocks now form a retaining wall along the front driveway by the house at no extra charge. He also left a significant drop-off behind the corrals. We had to bring in another grader to finish off that work. We were done with the idiot. We did not use DG for the pad. We used dirt. Our vet told us DG can cause colic. It’s fine under stall mats. We actually did soil tests on a few properties we looked at. Keep in mind there’s dirt and then there’s dirt. Read up on it.

Each stall has concrete on four sides and dirt/mats as the floor. The concrete is critical to keep water out. FCP handled that and all assembly. They will build your corral fencing. The vertical posts sit on a concrete square. That leaves the center post dangling in the air unless you add another concrete pad for it. I use pipe sleeves to compensate for that. But, it was really a design error they should have caught. I also would have added a wider roof cap to prevent sideways rain from blowing in.

Do learn the direction your worst storms come in from. Here it’s the WSW. The barn is sited away from that and the overhang protects them further.

When we built it in 2002 the barn was about $55k. Electrical and water were extra. We did not have automatic waterers put in. You can’t monitor your horses intake… they freeze in winter… and, worst of all, the horses play with them and you have a flooded stall. We prefer buckets. That’s just us. I did get an updated quote for insurance last year. It’s now about $10k per stall. Steel costs have significantly increased. I prefer steel to other alloys.

You can also choose your color. Ours is a very, pale blue-grey in tone. Roof is a steel color that reflects the color of the sky. I love this barn. It’s built! Maintenance is almost zero aside from washing it occasionally. If I knew how to load pictures here I’d send you some. FCP also guarantees their work.

Very sorry to read of your loss in the fires. It’s been truly terrible here. I just went through changing insurance companies. Mine pulled out of CA. Insuring the barn for fire and EQ has been a pain. I do have an EQ policy but I’m going to look around for better coverage. Best of luck with your planning. It can be frustrating and you need to stay on top of every phase of it. We have more snow coming in today. I know when we feed tonight - we’ll be under that overhang and well out of it. Hope I’ve helped a bit. Feel free to ask more questions. Hah!

[clanter]

TCA another point is the increased Calif state regulations on contractors and thier diesel equipment… there have been many who just gave up there moved to Texas… it was going to cost them $25k per piece of equipment to update

You may want to have the your barn reappraised as it might be much more than the one hundred thousand or so you think to rebuild

By the way DG ? is that decomposed granite?

[TCA_Arabians]

Well Clanter - some folks may have left. There are still a lot of folks left. I did get my updated appraisal/estimate from the builder … with all the amenities. It was the price of steel that attributed to most of the cost increase. (btw… did you know more folks are moving here from Texas than v.v. - that surprised me.) I believe the current tariff changes have also contributed to steel costs. I don’t know how by how much.

Yes, DG is decomposed granite. There’s a very large wash here that comes down from the mountains. The property adjacent to it have mostly DG is the main soil. We avoided that area.

[mvp]

OP, the couple of things I can think of:

Do not pour concrete under the stalls. I have worked on that and can feel it. I know the horses can. If I were going to keep any of the horses who live in these stalls long term, I’d go with crushed rock, wetted and tamped absolutely flat and some kind of stall mats over that.

Site the barn so that the prevailing winds blow down the aisle. Figure out which season you are building for. Being in California, chances are that your building has to do the most work keeping horses and people cool in the summer rather than warm in the winter. To me, that means you want to maximize ventilation.

Consider insulating the roof, or at least putting a moisture barrier in there if you will build with metal. You don’t want to get dripped on all winter.

Walk around in an MD barn (or one of the company you choose). I believe they have a showroom of some sort on I-5, North of Sacramento somewhere. Go see and feel the quality for yourself. IIRC, they have some standard stall latches that are a really bad design-- at best, it will take two hands to close and latch the door (one hand with a glove off to use a snap). At worst, (when the stall door or something else gets bent), it will be a complete PITA to latch it each time. I have worked in a barn that was this way. Not what I’d pay for, especially if this is your “dream barn” and especially with the price of steel making your bill go up.

[gradytb]

I built a new 3-stall horse barn two years ago in July and chose Morton Buildings to do it. I looked around at 5 different barn companies, but I needed someone that would do the whole thing. I didn’t want to hire several different folks to do building, stalls, etc. I wanted metal in here South/Central Texas. I was building on an existing concrete slab. I LOVE my barn. I’d rather have concrete under stall mats, just personally, because I don’t have to maintain it, I can haul the mats out and pressure wash them and the floors if needed, and nobody digs holes.

I have 3 12x14 stalls, a 10x14 feed room and 10x14 wash rack with hot water. Had it built as a shedrow with an 18’ aisle, so it is completely open to the east, and our prevailing wind is SE. The big doors on the north and south end I can slide closed for winter storms which come out of the N, NW, and NE. Each stall has a light, fan and heavy rubber stall mats (from Ramm fencing—super customer service) and a dutch window to open out the back. Everything about the construction that Morton did is perfect for horses. Wood framing and trusses, 2 skylights, the stalls, stall fronts, latches, everything works great. In fact, my horses are free to come and go pretty much 24x7 and they PREFER to hang in the barn during the day! Be sure to have lighting installed on both sides of any aisle and the wash rack so that you don’t have shadows from installing lights down the middle of an aisle. With Morton, I used my own plumber and electrician, but they can refer you to people if you don’t have them. I can’t speak highly enough of my barn and Morton’s service. The barn went up super quickly, the crews were great and they worked their butts off. no such thing as “coffee breaks”! They were awesome.

[SummerUntamed]

@TCA Arabians

We built our barn in SoCal in 2002. It is solid steel. Built by FCP. I understand that Blue Horizon builds similar. To say that I love it is an understatement. It’s a 10-stall plus tack room. Stalls are 12x12 and one 12x16. Tack room is wood paneled and enclosed floor to ceiling. I had an 8:1 pitch for the roof. We get snow. Added bonus is that the high pitch allows air to circulate in summer. Each stall has a front and back door. The addition that really makes it for me is the 12-foot overhang on three sides. It runs the length of the barn. You can groom and do farrier work on the worst of days. You can also sit under that overhang out of the sun. We wanted it on four sides but the engineers said the roof couldn’t take the stress. If I had a do-over I’d have expanded the stalls to accommodate an extra support for additional overhang.

The barn is sited facing the south. In winter the sun shines right into the stalls and helps to keep it warmer. Corrals are off of each stall. The turnout is behind the individual stalls. Horses can go out and in as desired.

You don’t mention hay storage or additional space for supplies, shavings, etc. I’d add space for that too. I’d also think about a solid concrete floor for hay, etc. Helps to keep the rats/squirrels from burrowing up.

The permit process took the longest. After that was done - the barn went up in a couple of days. They brought it in on long-beds in large sections. You have various options for doors/windows/feeders/etc. Basically, you can design it.

Do check all your local zoning regs. There are requirements for how far from a neighbor’s property, dwelling units, fire access, drainage for natural runoffs, the list goes on and on. You want an easy access drive for trucks and trailers.

FCP handled all the sub-contractors. The pad grader was an idiot. His contract would have charged extra for any rock over 3’. I lined that puppy right out of the contract. Those big rocks now form a retaining wall along the front driveway by the house at no extra charge. He also left a significant drop-off behind the corrals. We had to bring in another grader to finish off that work. We were done with the idiot. We did not use DG for the pad. We used dirt. Our vet told us DG can cause colic. It’s fine under stall mats. We actually did soil tests on a few properties we looked at. Keep in mind there’s dirt and then there’s dirt. Read up on it.

Each stall has concrete on four sides and dirt/mats as the floor. The concrete is critical to keep water out. FCP handled that and all assembly. They will build your corral fencing. The vertical posts sit on a concrete square. That leaves the center post dangling in the air unless you add another concrete pad for it. I use pipe sleeves to compensate for that. But, it was really a design error they should have caught. I also would have added a wider roof cap to prevent sideways rain from blowing in.

Do learn the direction your worst storms come in from. Here it’s the WSW. The barn is sited away from that and the overhang protects them further.

When we built it in 2002 the barn was about $55k. Electrical and water were extra. We did not have automatic waterers put in. You can’t monitor your horses intake… they freeze in winter… and, worst of all, the horses play with them and you have a flooded stall. We prefer buckets. That’s just us. I did get an updated quote for insurance last year. It’s now about $10k per stall. Steel costs have significantly increased. I prefer steel to other alloys.

You can also choose your color. Ours is a very, pale blue-grey in tone. Roof is a steel color that reflects the color of the sky. I love this barn. It’s built! Maintenance is almost zero aside from washing it occasionally. If I knew how to load pictures here I’d send you some. FCP also guarantees their work.

Very sorry to read of your loss in the fires. It’s been truly terrible here. I just went through changing insurance companies. Mine pulled out of CA. Insuring the barn for fire and EQ has been a pain. I do have an EQ policy but I’m going to look around for better coverage. Best of luck with your planning. It can be frustrating and you need to stay on top of every phase of it. We have more snow coming in today. I know when we feed tonight - we’ll be under that overhang and well out of it. Hope I’ve helped a bit. Feel free to ask more questions. Hah!

Thank you for your valuable feedback!

[SummerUntamed]

Thank you all for the information! I have a lot to research and plan.

[Miss_Motivation]

FCP and MD are the two big pre-fab barn companies in CA and both very good. A lot depends on your sub-contractors too. Castlebrook are simpler barns with tongue and groove wood inside channels versus the metal/plywood/foam/metal sandwich walls of the first two.

Concrete footings work great to support the walls then open space for the stall itself. Concrete aisles are nice but get them roughed up. Custom stall and aisle mats are your friends!

A good barn company can offer you tons of great ideas about location and setup. If you’re on a budget, used nice barns come in the market more often than you might think-Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace- that can save you a ton of money if you buy right and find a great installer. (Hint: Big barn companies often use subs that can take down and put up a used barn in a few days… IF you’ve got your site ready!)

I’ve bought two new barns, two used barns, remodeled one and several other ranch buildings, all in SoCal. Feel free to message me if you have any questions or want to come see my 60-horse every-possible-barn-configuration setup. I’ve made ALL the mistakes!

[TheJenners]

I will say to go ahead and put concrete under the stall mats. Easier in the long run, plus possible resale.

[Palm_Beach]

@TheJenners

I will say to go ahead and put concrete under the stall mats. Easier in the long run, plus possible resale.

I agree with this. The mats will counteract the hardness of the concrete, plus, you can powerwash the crap out of the barn (literally) and not have a mess. Your mats will stay in place much better because they are being laid over a much more uniform base.

[YankeeLawyer]

@TheJenners

I will say to go ahead and put concrete under the stall mats. Easier in the long run, plus possible resale.

Agreed. We just completed a new barn and have concrete in the stalls (and aisle). The stalls have rubber mats. Stall mattresses are also an option if you want more cushioning. I have had blue stone in other barns (stalls) and would not use it again.

[4horses]

You will want to store your hay in a separate building from the barn to reduce fire risk.

Consider an air conditioned tack room.

Bathrooms for guests? My friend added a bathroom that was attached to the outside of her house but with no inside access. That way boarders could use the bathroom without entering her house or disturbing her.

​​​​​​My dream barn would have pasture directly behind the stalls- one pasture per stall. This allows for easy turn out. I saw a broodmare barn that had a pie shaped property with the barn in the middle. Every 2 stalls opened up to a 7 to 10 acre pasture.

Consider whether you want solid stalls or not. I have a friend with a barn made of open corrals. She can blow one of those drum fans down the entire barn- in my opinion that is much better than having solid stalls with individual fans- the air circulation is much better. If you don’t like metal panels,you could do the same with wood rails.

Would you like a concrete barn? Probably the coolest building material for hot weather - hurricane and fire proof, except the roof. I loved the last barn i saw like that.

What about room for storing your horse trailer, tractor, or lawn mower?

​​​

[4horses]

I have a Morton Barn too! They did a great job except i wanted regular stall doors and they installed sliding doors. But i have not had any problems with the doors yet. Sliding doors can get sticky with time, bent, or difficult to latch. So far so good.

[TCA_Arabians]

I have found the trick with sliding doors is to keep the slide area free of debris. I have an old, practically nothing there broom that fits the track perfectly. I also use silicone spray (not WD40) if the wheels seem to be sticking. 20 years with no real problems.

The only problem we did have was one mare was a barn–banger in season. She actually torqued the steel bolts on her sliding door. FCP gave me a ridiculous quote to repair it. Blue Horizon was about a third of the cost. I had extra bolts put in the upper assembly to prevent it from happening again. Then I discovered the ‘copper pipe sleeve solution’ and put those in her water bucket. No more banging and she was quite comfortable with her seasons.

[mvp]

@TCA Arabians

I have found the trick with sliding doors is to keep the slide area free of debris. I have an old, practically nothing there broom that fits the track perfectly. I also use silicone spray (not WD40) if the wheels seem to be sticking. 20 years with no real problems.

The only problem we did have was one mare was a barn–banger in season. She actually torqued the steel bolts on her sliding door. FCP gave me a ridiculous quote to repair it. Blue Horizon was about a third of the cost. I had extra bolts put in the upper assembly to prevent it from happening again. Then I discovered the ‘copper pipe sleeve solution’ and put those in her water bucket. No more banging and she was quite comfortable with her seasons.

Ooh… what is the copper pipe sleeve solution?

[TCA_Arabians]

mvp - An old farrier of ours told us that an old horsemen’s trick was to put a bag of copper pennies in a bag in the water bucket of a mare having problems with her season. She was an incessant barn-banger. I purchased copper, pipe sleeves and dropped a couple into her bucket. The difference was night & day for her. I’d buy a new one every couple of months or so. They sell them at hardware stores.

[mvp]

No way. I’ll try it. Thank you!