New barn exterior colors -advice needed

[anon55755751]

I am starting to talk to barn builders about putting a barn on my property. I know what I want/like for most functional questions such as layout. I get some indecision paralysis when it comes to stylistic/design things like exterior colors. Some questions I need to figure out - your opinions are welcome.

1. How to best coordinate with a red brick house (black roof and shutters)?
2. I’m drawn to the examples with white or ivory barns with I think dark grey roofs and trim - Not sure how much I’d regret that choice long term. Morton does wainscoting, so if I did a grey roof, I could do grey wainscoting (or possibly a facade). My gut reaction to black is that it’s too dark for trim, but I don’t know whether a grey roof would look bad with my house having a black roof.
3. Cross-bucks on aisle doors? Contrasting trim? I’m not doing dutch doors on the stalls.
4. Design details that are worth the extra $? Cupolas? Windows in aisle doors?
5. Exterior material preferences?

Layout will be 1-story, 4 stalls + tack and ample space for hay and bedding storage, also an overhang on one side for equipment/tractor storage. Some of that may be used for pasture shelter (TBD). I’ve been looking at Morton barns - I’m going to check out other companies/local builders too, but they were a pretty convenient place to start.

[carman_liz]

Hi! Barn colors you could really do anything, red is more traditional, the ONLY real advice i have for you is to do a white or light gray roof. I have a carport w 3 openings in the front so its all metal but i went with a white roof for heat bc its not shaded by trees or anything. Even on 95degree days this summer the building was cooler inside. The roof color makes a huge difference!!! Also get a vertical roof with a ridge vent going across to allow heat to escape and get gutters for sure. Happy barn building!!!

[HPFarmette]

Your climate is an important factor.

[CHT]

How close is your barn to the house?

What are the cost differences for building materials? We went with tin cladding on our barn/arena as it is low maintenance and cost effective. The roof is shiny metal…if I recall correctly part of the benefit of a shiny roof was that it would reflect heat and melt snow on the roof, and allow the snow to slide off…which is a factor here. The sides are a tan with medium green trim. We chose it because it is such a big building so we wanted something in somewhat natural colours that wouldn’t absorb too much heat.

Our friends on the other hand matched their barn to their house. Their buildings are much closer together so it did look good, but it greatly upped their building costs. They also did fancy cupolas and trims. Looked fantastic, but didn’t add function, but that was their priority (and they were happy to spend the money on it). Their barn was grey with black trim. They used the same roofing material on their barn as their house.

[anon55755751]

I am in MI, so winters are more extremes than summers - reflective roof is a good idea. Still trying to figure out cost differences between materials. I will pay (proportionally) more for lower maintenance - e.g. looking at something like Centaur/Ramm fencing options over wood.

It would be about 250 ft away, “corner to corner” from the house. That is an eyeball estimate. The house is set back ~300 ft and parallel to the road. The barn would have a separate shorter drive (maybe 80’). The drive to the house is lined with (young) trees, so there is some visual barrier until you get right up to the garage. The property line along the road is also tree-lined, so depending on the time of year, you mostly wouldn’t get a clear view of the barn, or the barn and house together. So, they do not need to look like a matched “unit”. The house is Georgian style, so I guess I’m aiming to hit a comparable level of formality, whether or not there’s any need to match colors.

There’s no shade on the site right now. I’d probably orient it with the aisle south-facing, but am considering rotating 45 or 90 degrees. I’d really like to put solar panels on the roof. Most of the wind is from the W or SW.

[2DogsFarm]

I went with colors for the barn that coordinated with the house.
Red brick house with dark brown shingled roof, tan barn with burgundy roof & sliding entry doors, burgundy crossbucks on Dutch doors that lead from stalls to paddock.
When I had to reshingle the house roof, I chose a dark red that works with the barn roof.

My advice is to get all options like cupolas, weathervane, windows in sliding doors, done with construction.
Aftermarket prices are steep.

[stb]

The cleanest, most cohesive look is to match your barn to your house. Barring that, I would at least make sure to coordinate colors.

[TheJenners]

My house is light grey with dark grey shingle. My barn is red with brown metal roof. The barn was here first, I contemplated matching the house but decided against it. They are ~200’ apart, no trees. It looks fine n dandy.

[Victorious]

I think classic will always look best. All white, no accent color or trim color with any extra money spent on bigger windows and maybe…if you can swing it…big wooden doors with large glass inserts. A classic look that will match literally any house. If the roof line is shallow, a cupola will add visual interest and if you put some windows in it, will also throw fun light patterns around your barn during the day. We have our cupola lit with an LED soft yellow on a timer that comes on at night and it is gorgeous. An extra detail that is worth the little bit extra it cost. Our horse barn does not have a cupola but it does have blue glass lightning rods(I don’t know what they are actually called) and it adds visual interest while referencing older barns in our area-also the midwest. But, TBH, I have probably spent decades dreaming up my barn so I am probably a bit obsessive about it!

[Victorious]

I meant to add that we also have silver standing seam roofs on our barns-also to mimc what would historically have been in our area.

[Bluey]

Our house has light grey-silverish standing seam, the barn a standard silver galvalume roof.

I asked for white walls and building manufacturer said, oh, pick another, any other, everyone wants white!
They build many commercial buildings and I guess white is standard for them.
So we ended with a very light tan with light but a bit darker tan trim.
Most other, brick, pipe fencing, is an off white/sandy color.
We even painted the really old quonset barn, that was silver, that off white/very light tan.

I think you should go with whatever colors you like.
No one driving by is going to care, it will look beautiful to them anyway.

[Jarpur]

We live in a much warmer climate than you do, and a heat -reflective roof was very important to us, along with not having dark exterior walls. There’s a silvery grey galvalume roof on the barn, which coordinates with the standing seam roof on the house. The exterior walls are light tan, with white trim.

It was important that the main color be something that wouldn’t show dirt too easily (ours is reddish), as well as stay relatively cool in hot weather, and kind of blend into the landscape, rather than stick out. So, more practical considerations guided our color selections, rather than a close match to our home. We’re content with our choice, although I might choose a non-white trim if doing it again.

[HungarianHippo]

If budget permits, I’d go with a cupola–they just look so nice and I love that idea of adding accent lighting up there. I have a traditional red barn which I love, and my gray house has dark red accents on the house that ties it together. In your case, I wouldn’t do red because it would be hard to match the color of the brick and I don’t think I’d like two different shades of red on the property. Personally I love the look of a white barn with black trim. You could put a painted barn quilt or similar decorative accent on the barn–something with lots of red-- to tie the buildings together visually.

For solar, take it from this renewable energy pro: you really must have a roof surface that faces due south for solar to have an acceptable payoff because any deviation from south will significantly sacrifice energy production. Also consider roof angle carefully: at your latitude you will want your panels set at a tilt angle of about 20 deg. And while you can set your panels at a slightly different angle than the underlying roof, you can only compensate a little, and anyway most people want the panels to lie flat on the roof for aesthetic reasons. So, if you’ll have a more shallow roof angle, your winter production will greatly suffer, and conversely, if more steep, then you’ll shortchange your summer energy production. Neither of which are deal killers, but just know that every kilowatt-hour you give up due to poor design makes the system more expensive (i.e. it’ll take longer to pay for itself). If you have space on the property, a ground-mount system would let you perfectly orient and angle your panels (and you could also do a racking system that allows you to adjust the tilt angle to maximize summer and winter production). In the more northern latitudes, this added cost of a tilting rack is often worth it.

[mvp]

@HPFarmette

Your climate is an important factor.

Once again for the folks in the back.

OP, you would do well to choose the right color and design details for your climate. Are you building this to stay cool in the summer or warm in the winter?

And while I probably would put a cupola in either building, I wouldn’t do one that didn’t have a shaft of at least 2’ x 2’ below it. I wouldn’t put one up there for looks; I would do it for ventilation.

[Bluey]

I would not just put one cupola, two or more would look better, I think?
One only looks so … lost up there, unless on a round barn.

Here are all kinds, you can get an idea what looks best to you:

cupola on horse barn

One small one for two stalls and under, for more, several smaller ones, in a bigger barn, bigger ones.

We have three in an 80’ long quonset barn, none in our covered arena.

Don’t forget weathervanes on cupolas.
Where they fit well, they finish them off nicely.

[PeteyPie]

I too like the idea of coordinating with the house. I would not only coordinate the colors but also the materials. Maybe put a little red brick which is the same as your house somewhere, even a small touch like a couple of planters flanking the barn door. I think black trim can look very sharp and tasteful as well.

Since you are drawn to the lighter-colored barns, you could do a black roof, black trim, and paint the doors the same color as your brick.

One thing I love is an attractive feature in the center of the gable end above the barn door, assuming that is the layout. A round window or large vintage light fixture looks great, or you could save money and pick an attractive large wreath to hang there.

[ElementFarm]

I’m also in the camp of matching house, barn, and outbuildings. A brick barn probably isn’t realistic, but like @PeteyPie said, using brick accents, and having the same color trim/roof as the house will tie the two buildings together. I think a white or ivory barn with black trim will look lovely.

Definitely spring for big windows in your aisle doors. And while you didn’t ask, have more outlets installed than you think you’ll need. And lots and lots of lights.

We look forward to pictures once the project begins!

[anon55755751]

I am pretty sure I know the answer to this, but what are everyone’s thoughts on building more barn than you “need”?

Building for 4, but may only ever have 2. I can also go way more minimal than my current design - have half the barn an open bay with dirt floor and no stalls, and the other half storage as currently planned. I like my horses out 24-7 if possible. If I have stalls I will use them but they aren’t necessary and I could always use the cost savings to do a better Outdoor Ring.

[JKTaLu]

I have an ivory barn with green trim and the previous owner spent extra to have cupolas etc installed. A few observations:

1. ivory shows dirt. I have never felt the need to power wash like I do now. I’m a phanatic about it.
2. I love the green accents and believe the accent color not only compliments the house but shows the property as a more cohesive thoughtful design. It would show very well if I were to ever sell. In my area, sadly horse properties don’t stay horse properties. Look” is important.
3. trim extras are not something I would have added but again it really sets off the look and feel of the barn.

My barn roof is shingled ($$$ ouch) or I would have gone with a lighter color on the roof.

and yes, always build wider than you need. Additions to length can be accomplished easier.

[EVneo]

My “analysis paralysis” is just as bad as yours - I’m terrible when it comes to color and design. I will say, if you can, add the windows on the aisle doors. I’m in Ohio (hey neighbor) and value every morsel of natural light I can get when everything is sealed up for winter. I put windows every place that I could!