Unlimited access >

Tips for building barn in mountainous high snow load area?

So my husband and I are planning a cross-country move from Ontario to BC. The area we’re moving to in BC is in the mountains and has very high annual snowfall. I would love to hear from other snowy mountain dwellers, as I feel as though there will be different considerations in designing and building the barn and paddocks than back East. I’m thinking I will need a couple of sacrifice paddocks I can blow snow out of for winters? Obviously the roof will need to be designed to deal with the snow load, but do we want the snow to slide off the entire roof, or put up snow brakes?
So many questions! Hoping for some good advice from others who deal with crazy amounts of snow. :slight_smile:

Also in BC here, not huge amounts of snow here, but some that stays all winter here, cold weather. Our snow slides off the roof of run in sheds and arena when it gets 6 to 8 inches deep. If you have a heavier snow load than us, the weight of the snow if it stays on the roof becomes a problem. Better to see it on the ground than staying on the roof. We lose a lot of snow simply though evaporation, solid to gas directly, in winter sunny days. In cold weather, horses are best to be outdoors together to move and run together at will, to remain sound, healthy, and warm. No blankets normally needed. Horses do well in dry cold, far better than wet cold. If you are semi remote, bedding for stalls is not often available, other than wood pellets, which have to be dampened to expand, then freeze solid by morning, so not really workable. Don’t bother building stalls. Communal run in sheds work fine with a dirt floor, horses usually find their own favourite sleeping areas out under some trees. If you are heading north, set up for use of round bales not small squares. Not a lot of people doing small squares any more. PM me where you are going, if you like. If you are nearby or if we are on your route, happy to meet you and help out any way we can. We made the move north 14 years ago. There’s a learning curve.

3 Likes

Thanks, Nancy! Yeah, we’re a bit remote. West Kootenays. Close to town, but there doesn’t seem to be a ton of equestrian infrastructure compared to what I’m used to. :slight_smile:
I will likely still have to do stalls for certain times, as my gelding is a total princess and loses his mind over bugs. Completely. He’s turned out all summer in full armour - fly sheet, fly boots, and fly mask. Sigh. But there seem to be way less bugs here in summer, so hopefully he will be a happy guy, in which case, OUT they go!!!

And - our annual snowfall is about 12 feet. And it mostly stays all winter.

1 Like

12’ is a lot of snow load if it stays all season. I would be sure to talk to someone who is used to the local conditions when designing your structure. A structural engineer would be a good idea.

1 Like

My old boarding barn was really nice for winter. It’s a Morton building, and one long side is stalls with a solid ceiling on top of them, and the fronts are full square tube gates that swing out. The hay is stored above the stalls and was dropped down daily through gaps in the back. The front of the barn had a tack and feed room built in like a little building, fully enclosed and there was a frost-free hydrant next to that. The rest was arena, with some shavings storage in the back. It was nice because when it was nasty outside, once you were in the barn you didn’t need to leave for anything, could ride and do chores and everything, and turn horses out for a bit of a romp without having to go outside either.

3 Likes

The local building inspector will tell you how to build your barn and roof. You want that snow to slide, but not in front of doors. Remember that. Good luck!

Thank you. To clarify, I’m less worried about that (local builders and engineers know how to deal with the snow loads) and more about designing so there’s a place for all the snow to go, ease of clearing, potentially having to clear paths for the horses in the paddocks, etc.

1 Like

Right.
In my case the stalls have paddocks attached and those paddocks are on the side where the snow is coming off the roof. It is typically not a problem because for us the amount of snow at any given time is not enough to be a problem and we designed the paddocks to accommodate the tractor for scraping it out.

Other areas we do as you stated earlier, we use the snow blower to toss the snow to areas that horses do not need to go. Complete with manure piles, flying thru the air.

1 Like

Ok, perfect, thanks for this. It rather confirms what I was thinking.

Hi there, this is an old post, but if you still need building tips for snow, I can tell you what I learned. I am also in the west Kootenays. For sure you don’t want to stop the snow from sliding off your roof- in heavy snow years it can collapse your roof. Send me a private message if you want to chat!

1 Like