Tack Room construction commences--what can you not do without??

[Pony_Fixer]

Hahaha. Got it. The room could EASILY have an outgoing drain the feeds into the area the gutters drain behind the barn. Thank you for this excellent idea!

[Mango20]

My tack room is extremely low-tech, but my favorite thing in it is its dedicated toolbox/tools. It’s so nice to have what I need right there, instead of backtracking to the house to get it, then maybe forgetting to return it and not being able to find it in the garage next time. I actually have three sets of basic tools that I try not to intermingle: 1. the barn, 2. the garage, 3. inside the house. The garage also gets all the specialty tools that may need to be used in the other two places, but if I need a hammer, screw driver, wrenches, wire cutters, etc, there’s always one nearby.

[RedHorses]

You’re welcome!

[frugalannie]

In the sink with a functioning drain: if you aren’t running the outflow to a dry well but instead leaving it to drain on the surface be sure to cover the end with hardware cloth (1/4" metal mesh) or it’ll become a critter highway. We put a dryer vent cover on the outflow of our wash stall which works too. Just depends on your final configuration. (Water pressure opens it to drain but it stays closed the rest of the time.)
Have fun planning your new space!

[Pony_Fixer]

It’s like every post reply has a little pearl!! This is so exciting. I fell asleep thinking of what color to paint the inside (white is clean and neat, but so easily dirty. My barn is a beautiful weathered grey, so I might go with a grey shade).

I will probably not put anything in permanently until I have fretted, overanalyzed, made decisions, and then changed my mind 50 times. Hahaha. The only think I know for sure is where to put the feed and how I want that set up. In reality, this is a low dollar, low tech project. But after finally realizing the dream of my own farm and my horses at home (but basically just having an open shell of a barn), the tack room has been my most looked-forward-to project.

[Fibonacci]

>>>There will not be water in the tack room. The hydrant is very close to the room however. I thought hard about this, but it would require so much tearing up to plumb it, and I just don’t think it’s a “need”. Feel free to try to change my mind.<<<

Best advice I got when building my barn? “It’s easier to carry a flashlight than a full bucket of water”. If you must choose between electricity and water, choose water. and hang a harness hook over your new sink.

[Pony_Fixer]

@Fibonacci

>>>There will not be water in the tack room. The hydrant is very close to the room however. I thought hard about this, but it would require so much tearing up to plumb it, and I just don’t think it’s a “need”. Feel free to try to change my mind.<<<

Best advice I got when building my barn? “It’s easier to carry a flashlight than a full bucket of water”. If you must choose between electricity and water, choose water. and hang a harness hook over your new sink.

I appreciate your sentiment, and if I was building from scratch this barn would be fully plumbed. But I’m working with what I already have. However the barn is already fully electric, so adding a few more outlets and lights is a pittance of cost and minimal extra work. However, digging up the entirety of the front of my barn to add/reroute plumbing is not only super costly but messy and inconvenient. I can always run a hose from the hydrant into the room (although it will of course be cold water.). The hydrant is roughly 13’ from where the front wall will be, and 22’ tops from where the back wall will be–it’s really close. I have a hose that runs behind the barn to the wash stall and I just attach it to the hydrant for the 15 min I’m washing a horse. In between I re-coil it and hang it on the side of the barn just out of sight.

I mean, in a perfect world I’d have hot and cold water, a bathroom, washer and dryer, concrete flooring, and maybe even a skylight, tongue-n-groove fancy paneling, beautiful cabinetry and fancy fixtures. In reality I have a very limited budget and am really the only person in the family who will use this room.

[Lucassb]

@Pony Fixer

So many great ideas. Thank you all.

A cat door is a must and already on the list (just didn’t put it in my original post). The cat is a champion hunter, and that was/is his purpose. We have had no large or small vermin since I got him this spring. Prior to that we had mice, possum, and skunk on the regular. He’s meal fed BID, so there won’t be food sitting out to attract anyone (I hope!).

A restroom and sink with hot running water is indeed a luxury. But it’s just me (I’m my own vet, so it’s just the farrier every 6 weeks) and the house is not far. (Also I have no problem using a stall to pee in a pinch.) I hope to get an on-demand water heater for the wash stall at some point and then I’ll also have hot water a few steps away. For now, the hot pot will need to be sufficient.

@Lucassb, what is an inverter? I do already own a small dehumidifier. I love the chandelier in your tack room and the beadboard really classes it up too. I don’t think that would be too expensive of an upgrade so I’m going to look into that! My ceiling may not be high enough for a chandelier, but I’m gonna see what I can cook up.

I have a cat entry into my tackroom too - it was properly trimmed out by the nice carpenter who did the finish work in the tack room Gotta love those awesome mousers!! And thanks for the kind comments. My tackroom was in my head for years before I actually built it and I really enjoy it.

An inverter (also sometimes called a mini split) looks kind of like a sleeker version of an air conditioner, but goes into the wall instead of a window. (Mine is up high to be out of the way.) I control it with a remote and it provides both heat and cooling. Awesome little product!!

[KyrieNZ]

Good to see that you have a fridge. I LOVE mine. Useful for medications, molasses, and carrots

[Taxi]

@Pony Fixer

I went years without being on these boards, and lately it seems I have a lot to ask/say. 😉

My tack/feed room will be built in the next few weeks. I have a pole barn type of barn, so we’re making a room within the barn, dimensions are roughly 15 feet wide, by 9 feet deep. I don’t have budget for fancy, but I want it to be very user friendly. Here’s for sure what I have covered:

• Raised floor (so any rain that does get into the barn does not get into the room). I have this on the hay side and it works great.
• Insulated walls and ceilings. There will be a ceiling at probably 8', also insulated. Due to the shape of my barn, this will give me some storage over the tack room.
• Combo heater/AC (like in hotel rooms). Mostly I just want to keep the mold down in the summer and have a non-freezing room in winter for the barn cat.
• Multiple electrical outlets, exact locations TBD. Overhead lighting.
• A refrigerator (thinking one of the smaller "full" size ones. Right now all I have down there is a dorm sized tiny cube fridge).
• Shelving above the feed bins for buckets, meds/supplements, etc.
• Obviously it will be appointed with saddle/bridle racks, storage for saddle pads, meds, etc. I think hooks for wet blankets and bars for dry but not clean blankets will be on the outside wall of the room, considering this time of year they will be in constant use/rotation.
• There will not be water in the tack room. The hydrant is very close to the room however. I thought hard about this, but it would require so much tearing up to plumb it, and I just don't think it's a "need". Feel free to try to change my mind. I have considered a cabinet/counter top that could be converted into a sink later if needed, because counter top space is always nice

I also would love to hear if you have ways that you set it up inside that work or don't work. Right now I think the door will be on the right side when facing it, with the feed bins/shelves along that right side wall. Saddle and bridle racks long the wall with the door. The rest I have no idea!!

And…go!

ok))