Run in shed roof options

[K8ee]

I need to build/buy a run in shed for my mare. She is my only equine at the moment but I do want to get a donkey/mini for a companion later on so I need to accommodate another “body”. I have looked at the metal buildings and I could make it work, but I am reading some pretty crummy reviews on install time, lazy installers, poor workmanship, etc. So I am going to look at the cost of putting up a pole shed run in. My question here is the roof.

Metal is all around longer lasting and cheaper to put up. The question I have is the noise factor of a metal roof. At this time I have a 10x20 canopy for her that she appreciates as shade but when it rains, the little mare just spooks at the sound of the rain on the tarp. I do prefer metal roofing over shingles but dulling the noise of a hard rain is not gonna happen. I have a metal roof on my house and it can get quite loud.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

[K8ee]

@froglander

My “run-in” is a carport that I am slowly adding sides to. I am in Florida so protection from cold isn’t a big deal (although it can get windy). It did take some time to get it, but I’ve been quite happy with it.

That is exactly one of the plans I have in mind. I am in N.E. Ga and we can have some days where the temp gets to just above freezing and it rains. It will chill you to the bone but Luna is blanketed during those times As she is a rescue from a kill lot, I have no history on her so I am flying by the seat of my pants on what she is used to, etc. i.e. She is fine with cars and pickup trucks but tractors are another matter. She is learning that the riding mower is not going to eat her alive. She will let Charlie Barker totally take over her feed pan if I let him. Charlie is a 12 lb Chi/Jack Russell.

[crosscreeksh]

You can put/glue foam sheets of insulation in the roof after construction. That will muffle the sound.

[vineyridge]

If you don’t care if it doesn’t last for more than twenty years, you can use Ondura. They are supposed to have fixed earlier problems. You can get it at Lowe’s and Home Depot.
https://ondura.com/index.shtml

[avjudge]

Wow, hadn’t seen or heard of Onduline in decades.

We built a couple of run-in sheds (in northern NH) in the 1980s and put an Onduline roof on the 2nd (late '80s). Then the roll roofing failed on the first so we also put Onduline on that.

Both roofs are still there, still shedding water, after 25+ - nearly 30 - years. So even the older formulation can definitely last more than twenty years.

As I remember it, they were quite easy to install, and no metal roof noise in the rain!

[K8ee]

@vineyridge

If you don’t care if it doesn’t last for more than twenty years, you can use Ondura. They are supposed to have fixed earlier problems. You can get it at Lowe’s and Home Depot.
https://ondura.com/index.shtml

Thanks!! I will certainly look further into that. I was not aware of Ondura.

[K8ee]

@crosscreeksh

You can put/glue foam sheets of insulation in the roof after construction. That will muffle the sound.

I have considered that although I haven’t looked up the cost. It shouldn’t be much. That would also help with insulation properties. I can tell you that when the rain really gets to pouring, there is not much that will really muffle the sound of a metal roof.

[crosscreeksh]

So TRUE. Some horses “mind” and stand in the rain…others pay no attention to the rumble on the roof!!

[gumtree]

A shingle roof is going to be much quieter. The difference in cost between the 2 is nominal.

If the surface of the roof is 12X12 it will need four 12 foot metal sheets that cover 36" wide. 4 generic roof panels will cost around $35 each, plus the needed lumber (purlins) to attached it too. So, around $200+ for materials

A 12X12 is 144 sqft. Each “packet” of shingles covers 33.3 sqft. You would need 5 packs for around $30 per, $150. 5 sheets of OBS sheeting, at around $14 each $70, .$220 for materials.

It may take an extra hour+ of labor to install shingles. That shouldn’t be a deal breaker.

Yes, metal tends to last longer. But shingles will last 20+ years. Both can be subject to wind damage. Metal will get dented in a hail storm. Colored metal roof panels fade over time and or can rust depending on the quality. Some panels fade fast than others. .

Shingles can be easily painted with colored roof paint. So can metal but it tends to peal and can be a maintenance hassle.

A simple wood run-in is easy and cheap to build. For me the choice would be easy. I would use shingles.

[Bluey]

No one shingles horse barns or shed here.
We had one farm house with shingles and those didn’t last one year without needing repairs.
We have too much high winds and storms and hail that kills them.

Hail has to be very large to damage good quality metal roof.
We have never had one damaged even by baseball sized hail, but have heard of one place where hail did go thru a metal and plywood into someone’s bedroom.
That hail would have gone thru shingles also.
That same storm did tear up some metal structures and one piece hit and killed a horse.

Now, other places, maybe shingles are fine there.

[moving_to_dc]

@crosscreeksh

You can put/glue foam sheets of insulation in the roof after construction. That will muffle the sound.

The previous homeowner tried that with the metal roofed barn on the property. I don’t know what glue she used, what is left of it on the underside of the sheet metal looks pretty impressive… Apparently the heat of the sheet metal in the summer made all the foam panels fall down.

[moving_to_dc]

@vineyridge

If you don’t care if it doesn’t last for more than twenty years, you can use Ondura. They are supposed to have fixed earlier problems. You can get it at Lowe’s and Home Depot.
https://ondura.com/index.shtml

We have looked into Ondura in the past. The reason we did not use it was that you cannot order it cut-to-length. You are limited to what lengths/colors are on hand at your local big box store. We shopped for it at Lowe’s, Home Depot, 84 Lumber and other local privately owned stores. None of them would order it.

[Bluey]

You can also use sprayed foam insulation to dampen noise and it gives a good 20% drop in temperatures under it over plain metal.

[K8ee]

You almost never see shingles on an agricultural building here. In recent years there are more metal roofs showing up on houses. There certainly pros and cons to both. Thanks to all that shared their thoughts and experience on this…

[K8ee]

@moving to dc

The previous homeowner tried that with the metal roofed barn on the property. I don’t know what glue she used, what is left of it on the underside of the sheet metal looks pretty impressive… Apparently the heat of the sheet metal in the summer made all the foam panels fall down.

Most adhesives do respond to heat. One would need to find another way to secure styrofoam panels.

[gumtree]

If you give location and if you have to deal with extreme weather like Bluey that would cut down on choices. The vast majority of horse farm owners don’t have to deal with baseball size hail. The majority of home owners don’t have to worry about hail breaking through their roof into their bedroom.

I would assume if there is a strong possibility of that happen in a given location the building department,code would dictate what kind of roof can be installed.

I can say as someone who has built a lot of stuff, done a fair bit of roofing, metal and shingle. As I said above the difference in cost doesn’t make much difference. I don’t like the noise of metal roof in the houses I have lived in. I know people that put metal on their run-ins and wished they hadn’t. The horses don’t like the noise either.

There are a number of ways to “quite” a metal roof. But it adds $$$$ and is not that easy to do. It can also become a maintenance hassle. I’ve seen plenty of metal roofs in the Denver area that look like someone dropped a 1000 golf balls on them, dimpled from hail damage. The roof is still sound and doesn’t leak but looks like crap.

As to shingles and wind damage. Not all shingles are made the same. There are shingles made specifically for high wind areas. A friend of mine had a bunch blow off his house and it was found to be the roofer’s fault. They skimped on nails, improperly installed.

To each their own on this.

[K8ee]

Thanks, Gumtree. I am in N.E Georgia in the foot hills of the Appalachians. We don’t get a lot of hail and I don’t ever remember reports of any larger than golf ball. Now I personally like the metal roof on my house but I am no spring chicken and it’s a bit of a nostalgia thing for me. I doubt that my mare shares those feelings.

We can get a few tornadoes or high winds. Nothing like the midwest sees but we are not immune. I am still looking at overall cost and trying to get the biggest bang for my buck.

[Bluey]

Well, we have solid metal roofs that were put in there in 1947 and still look like new.

I doubt that shingled roofs put in there have not been re-roofed many, many times since then.

Plain metal roofs do make noise when it rains, but we never had horses not stay under them, most run to the sheds and barn overhangs when it starts raining, they like to stay dry, noise or not.

[K8ee]

Luna can be a silly thing. She is getting better about some things like my riding mower. On the other hand when a neighbors dog got into the pasture, barking and nipping at her heels, she had no idea she was suppose to run or kick at the dog. She just stood there dancing and licking her lips. The neighbor knew where the dog was and what it was doing, but he was making no attempt to retrieve the dog. I had very strong words for that man that I won’t repeat here.

The main reason that I am looking at a metal structure is that I can put up one of the better (vertical style) carports and enclose it later. This would give me a lot more building for the money and allow me room for mowers, tools. etc. My silly girl may just have to adapt.

[Charliezmom]

They do eventually get used to the sound of rain on the metal roof. My mares were fine with it from day one. My extra cautious/spooky gelding took a few months but he now stands inside his shed when it rains.

We went with a carport barn with the “vertical roof” and upgraded for snow and wind resistance. We don’t get much of either, but I figured it was well worth the cost. We used metal stall channels and then slid 2x6’s in to create stalls and walls. I work at barn that also used carports for pasture sheds, they added 4x4 wooden posts to each of the metal posts and then attached 2x6 boards to them.