Barn building questions?

[BornToRide]

I'm not building a barn anytime soon, it's at least a few years down the road. But I had some questions about it...

1.What type of ground or foundation do you need? Asphalt? Dirt? What is the best kind? If asphalt is the choice, would it be necessary to get stall mats?

2. Should all the ground be 100% level? How should you set it up so that it could drain?

3.Last but definitely not least- COST? Say if I wanted a solid ten horse barn with a tack room, feed room, and 18 ft. aisle. (I don't know much about what types of wood or anything...so ballpark answers are fine like I said, it's years down the road and I'll definitely do my research.

Thanks!

-BTR

[Sirita_88]

I'm not building a barn anytime soon, it's at least a few years down the road. But I had some questions about it...

1.What type of ground or foundation do you need? Asphalt? Dirt? What is the best kind? If asphalt is the choice, would it be necessary to get stall mats?

Our barn is a clay foundation, and it worked really well, it was dusty though. We eventually had concrete put in. But I have heard that asphalt is better for thier hooves. I believe you would still need stall mats, asphalt can be rough, and i am sure a pawing horse could do a lot of damage to themselves and the asphalt w/out a mat.

2. Should all the ground be 100% level? How should you set it up so that it could drain?

Depends on your plans. The cement in the wash/grooming stalls is angeled towards the drains, and our center asile is higher in the middle for drainage. Some people like a little angle to their stalls so that it drains one way, but I prefer it level. When it was a dirt floor it was all level, no problems with it. However, we had to cut into a little hill, so it is imporatant to figure out drainage around the barn.

3.Last but definitely not least- COST? Say if I wanted a solid ten horse barn with a tack room, feed room, and 18 ft. aisle. (I don't know much about what types of wood or anything...so ballpark answers are fine like I said, it's years down the road and I'll definitely do my research.



Well... it depends on what kind of barn you want. A RCA would probably be your best bet with an 18 ft asile. Trusses are going to be the biggest problem if you don't want an RCA. The longer the truss the more the cost. So, width is wayy more expensive than length.

IDK the price of your barn, but we have a 38X 50 barn (5 stalls, 2 grooming/wash stalls, tack room, feed/some hay, and shavings storage) and it cost us about $7,000 to do by ourselves (had a grader come in) then the cement was extra, of course.

[Sonseeahray's_girl]

1.What type of ground or foundation do you need? Asphalt? Dirt? What is the best kind? If asphalt is the choice, would it be necessary to get stall mats?

If you're going to have any kind of foundation other than dirt, make sure it's laid properly. That means digging down and ensuring the right base, otherwise, when the frost comes, you'll have awful heaving and your walls will end up all screwy, plus your doors, including stall doors, won't close right

We have an asphalt foundation, and we will still be installing mats. Personal preference for horse comfort, plus if the mats are damaged it's a lot cheaper to replace them than get the asphalt resurfaced.

2. Should all the ground be 100% level? How should you set it up so that it could drain?

The foundation of your barn should be slightly higher than the surrounding ground, as you want water draining away from your foundation and the wood frame/siding (if you have wood siding). In the stalls, if you have a perfectly flat surface, make sure there's somewhere for water/moisture to drain to, especially if you use concrete or asphalt as your base.

3.Last but definitely not least- COST? Say if I wanted a solid ten horse barn with a tack room, feed room, and 18 ft. aisle. (I don't know much about what types of wood or anything...so ballpark answers are fine like I said, it's years down the road and I'll definitely do my research.

It's really hard to quote a cost estimate, since it all depends on how you build, what materials you choose, whether you do the work yourself, the pricing of materials in your area, how picky you are regarding quality, etc etc. For OUR barn that we're currently building (60'x32', 8 stalls, tack room, feed room) we're looking at around $15k give or take, by the time we're all said and done. But that's with the foundation already pretty much in place, and a LOT of $$ worth of free stuff that we've accumulated over the last while while planning the barn. As an example, the resurfacing of the asphalt pad was worth about $2200 in materials alone, but we got a deal on it because the guy owed us a favour. The wood we're getting at a super low cost because we are buying it from a backwoods mill who'se also a friend. If we'd bought it anywhere else, our lumber prices would double. We're getting the metal u-channel for our stall fronts/walls at cost, the metal bars for the stall fronts for free, the glass for the windows for free, etc. The galvanized roofing that we're buying straight from the local building store (best price in town) is going to run us around $3200. BUT we're also not cutting any corners in our workmanship, since we want this barn to last a long time, long enough for the next generation in our family to enjoy. I'm sure you could build it cheaper if you did a less-quality job, or didn't put metal on your stall fronts, etc.

I think that for the average person to build what we're building, without the freebies/deals, they'd be looking at closer to $25k, and that's IF they did the work themselves. I cannot give you an estimate on labour, since we've always done everything ourselves, but I know it isn't cheap!

[pippy]

Wow Sirita- you built all that for 7K- that is darn good!
We just built a 27 x 54 3 sided that cost 5k.

Keep in mind that cost will vary from responses here based on your location- if you need frost footings it will cost more then say some locations down south where there is no need for frost footings. If you need a roof that can bear a snow load will cost more then one that doesn't.

Also, prices for building materials vary year to year depending on many things.
When we had a quote for our colored tin roof 12 months prior to building for a 27 x 54 it was $1500 one year later when we actually built it and needed to purchase it, the cost was up to $2700 because metal prices jumped through the roof. So, we waited a while and prices came back down but not to where it had been originally, we ended up paying $2000 for the tin in the end. Wish I would of had some more foresight and had ordered it when prices where lower.
And, don't forget even once the actual building is in place, you have to pay for an electrician to come in. You could do it yourself but your ins. may not cover it if you do. We are still waiting for our electrician to come in and we are looking at a quote of 2K for the wiring, but I expect in the end will be more then the quote, it usually is
Also, cost to have water line to the building, I can not remember what we paid for that, I think a few hundred dollars..and that was just to get a water jack next to it, we still need to have that guy come back and run the line from the water jack to the horse area where the ritchie will be. We had stacked all our hay ontop of where that will go so rather then moving it all, we will wait for spring and have that trenched through, but ours is open and a dirt floor so not a big deal, in the mean time, I will have to lug buckets from the faucet in the tack room to the horse's heated buckets...
Don't get discouraged, but keep a realistic eye on all the costs because it sure does add up fast!

[redboy]

Originally Posted by BornToRide

I'm not building a barn anytime soon, it's at least a few years down the road. But I had some questions about it...

1.What type of ground or foundation do you need? Asphalt? Dirt? What is the best kind? If asphalt is the choice, would it be necessary to get stall mats?

2. Should all the ground be 100% level? How should you set it up so that it could drain?

3.Last but definitely not least- COST? Say if I wanted a solid ten horse barn with a tack room, feed room, and 18 ft. aisle. (I don't know much about what types of wood or anything...so ballpark answers are fine like I said, it's years down the road and I'll definitely do my research.

Thanks!

-BTR

Everyone has offered you really great suggestions, and, it comes 'tested', as much has been backed up from their personal experiences.
I built my barn in 'stages', as to what I could afford, as time went on.
I'm perfectly happy with my 'set up', but everyone will tell you they would do some things differently if they were to go back and do it again.
Some of my 'issues' had less to do with what I desired, and more to do with what I could afford at the time
(I had to hire out for all my building, etc.), as well,
I encountered 'issues' with the county when it came to our zoning, etc.
I built my barn during the land 'Boom' and county officials had everyone under the microscope, therefore, I did less than I wanted in the beginning, just to avoid another 'survey' of the land, or too much unwanted attention.
I would suggest that you find the 'type' barn you'd like first, as Sirita suggested.
Then, call different building companies and get estimates.
They will also let you know what you will need to do within your area for permits, etc.
It's a very good idea to know what is allowed where you live thereby avoiding costly mistakes, or down time when building.
Also, they can advise you as to other buildings they have built (gives you a chance to see their work), their suggestions for foundations, locations, etc.
Rely on your professionals since you will be paying them, or if you chose to do it yourself, at least you have 'picked their brains' for advice and info.
Good luck, and keep us posted on your decisions and progress.

[shortbusgeek]

We're currently researching various options to build a barn as well, so I'd be happy to share what I've found thus far. Keep in mind we're trying to go as eco friendly as we can, as we're opening an organic / eco friendly boarding / riding stable, starting off with probably 18 stalls, which we'll double to 36 as soon as we can justify it financially.

1. Foundation - I'd go with concrete for the aisle, and probably leave dirt in the stalls with a surrounding of concrete along the outside of the barn to keep water drainage away from the inside of the stall. To take that a step further, I'd go with environmentally friendly concrete - the stuff made with ash from coal power plants - fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag, etc. We'll either be using stall mats, which we'll try and find some made from recycled rubber - tires, etc. - or we'll go with Werm. There'll be shavings on top of that, so it shouldn't be too hard on their hooves or uncomfortable to lay in.

2. We'll have our wash racks slightly angled towards the back, where we'll have a drain. We'll either have mats or Werm installed in the wash racks as well.

3. Costs - fluctuate and are variable and dependent on you. Period. You can build it yourself for next to nothing if you're a good scavenger and don't mind doing a lot of calling around. (Look for houses / other structures that are going to be torn down and ask if you can scavenge some of the wood or other materials from them during the process in exchange for signing a waiver / release of liability.) If you're looking at purchasing the materials and building it yourself, material costs will vary in the next several years, so there's really not a good way to say what a wood or metal structure would cost in a x number of years. It also depends on your material preferences, and if you want to build a really nice looking barn from a kit or if you want something custom or whatever. I've found barn kits out there for a bit over $200k that would be nowhere near enough for us, but I could also call family members that are builders and have what we need built pretty reasonably as well.

We're looking at building one or two apartments into the barn as living quarters as well though for a caretaker and trainer, and have a few other requirements that we're looking to meet such as energy efficiency geothermal or other hvac options), solar power, water sources (plus heating), etc. So I've still got another 6 months ahead of me as far as research goes. But like I said, every situation is different - build what you want the first time - don't have any regrets ten years later saying "I wish I had done this instead".