Mini barn build

[CDennyRun]

My wife and I have two horses, and the property we bought didn't have a barn. I've never built a barn, so I have just been doing this to the best of my logic. I decided to go with a pole barn style 22'x22', not including the 16" overhang, and used all pressure treated lumber. 6x6's for the main posts, accept for the two middle posts on the lean-to (4x6's). It's pretty darn sturdy, and I'm totally thrilled with how it's turning out. I'm going to add 3/4" plywood to the walls so the horses don't beat it up too bad.

The stalls are 10'Wx12'D with a 16" space inbetween, and the lean-to is 10'x22', which will be for hay storage. It should hold almost enough for the year, considering we have a few acres to pasture.

Just wanted to share my mini barn build. I'll post pics as I go!

 

[mossdown]

Hey CDennyRun, That looks like a marvelous build. I have built storage sheds before but I have never built a mini barn before and I am in need of one out back. With these great build pics I think I am able to try my hand at it also. Thanks a million.

 

[FreshRouteFarm]

Your barn is looking great. Nice work!

 

[KevT]

Very nice!!! I am doing about the same thing on the fence line between pastures. I will admit that mine are not quite as nice. Putting gates on the front and back so it can be used from either field. Why the 16" spacer between? Be careful of using plywood on the inside, if your horses crib at all, the glue on most plywood is not good for them, and if they kick, plywood wont break free and will cause large vet bills if their foot gets stuck in it. I have found 1x8's with a spacer between work better and only need to go 4 to 5 ft tall

I like the name of "Mini Barn", around here we call them Run-in's, Ya know us southerners just put stuff up so the critters can run in from the rain.

Again, very nice, very solid build

 

[CDennyRun]

Hey CDennyRun, That looks like a marvelous build. I have built storage sheds before but I have never built a mini barn before and I am in need of one out back. With these great build pics I think I am able to try my hand at it also. Thanks a million.

You bet! It's been a lot of fun. Good luck with yours. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[CDennyRun]

Thanks for the input KevT. Vet bills are the last thing I need right now! In my county there is a 120sq ft max on buildings without having to issue a permit. That's why I went with two 10x12's with separate lean-to's. The 16" gap just bought me a little more space, as I won't be putting up a divider between the two buildings. Until we can completely get rid of the bull weed on our property, I don't want any county inspectors on my land. They'll deem our property a wetland, and we won't be able to build ANYTHING! It's really lame the way they do things around here. They'll find a frog, and now you can't have horses on your own dang property. Cows for some reason are okay though....

 

[hosspuller]

If you are going to let the horses into the barn.... put 2x6s at hip height on the inside of the posts to keep the horses from pushing the walls out. Then get some metal edging to protect the top edge of those 2x6's from the beavers. Horses are a pain & a lot of work to keep... :mur:

 

[CDennyRun]

If you are going to let the horses into the barn.... put 2x6s at hip height on the inside of the posts to keep the horses from pushing the walls out. Then get some metal edging to protect the top edge of those 2x6's from the beavers. Horses are a pain & a lot of work to keep... :mur:

Yup, I was planning on putting up 3/4" plywood for protecting the walls, but I like the 2x8 idea better. Have you tried that "No Chew" spray? I've heard good things about it, but never tried it myself. And yes, horses can be pretty destructive! Ha ha

 

[KevT]

Sorry to hear of your restrictions, at least here if it is for AG use only, then no permit is required. I am sitting here laughing and shaking my head, you have frogs and we have Gopher Turtles. Trust me, I hear you.

If you read the labels you will see that a lot of them are cayenne pepper. And one would think they would work... I have a Haflinger gelding that goes around licking it off, then the mare chews. I ended up using drip edge like what you put on a roof. This is the same mare that backs up to a t-post and starts to bend it then turns around and steps on them till they are flat on the ground for no other reason than to show me she can. Haflingers are the "Jack Russells" of horse breeds, you either love them or hate them.

 

[CDennyRun]

Oh wow, I've never heard of gopher turtles! I had to google it. So our county doesn't require permits for AG buildings either....... but horses are excluded! It's totally *** of nine. Not to mention very frustrating. It sometimes feels like they're trying to eliminate hobby farms.

My wife and I got a kick out of your horse antics! Ha ha. They are truly funny creatures! And thanks for the info on the No Bite. I'll be adding angle iron to the tops for sure.