Addition to garage...

[Fuddy1952]

I have a 2 story garage, main section is 40x60. I want a horse barn, and equipment & hay storage.
It's rained almost every day, the contractor I paid a deposit but he's months behind.
Then I had an idea. Front of main section has an overhang, so I thought why not simply add similar one to back.
Pictures show front, then back three windows are upstairs. Back has a 4ft x 4ft drop embankment, but yesterday talking to contractor we said put in a concrete wall, concrete top. Then out about 24ft. so 50x24, two stalls one end with doors, large sliding door other end. Then I could even have another step down (ground slopes down, but not steep) then open shed. Gravel...but sand in two stalls.
I already have water and electric right there, plus a walk through door from inside garage, and then a few steps down.
To me it seems like a great idea and should save money rather than building a separate building.
It was a little dangerous today...ground was soupy but I dug up a couple fairly big tree stumps. It made a mess but that's 99% of the enjoyment.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a 2 story garage, main section is 40x60. I want a horse barn, and equipment & hay storage.
It's rained almost every day, the contractor I paid a deposit but he's months behind.
Then I had an idea. Front of main section has an overhang, so I thought why not simply add similar one to back.
Pictures show front, then back three windows are upstairs. Back has a 4ft x 4ft drop embankment, but yesterday talking to contractor we said put in a concrete wall, concrete top. Then out about 24ft. so 50x24, two stalls one end with doors, large sliding door other end. Then I could even have another step down (ground slopes down, but not steep) then open shed. Gravel...but sand in two stalls.
I already have water and electric right there, plus a walk through door from inside garage, and then a few steps down.
To me it seems like a great idea and should save money rather than building a separate building.

From everything that I've ever learned, you don't want to store hay with anything else, especially next to your home.

Last year I know of two barns that burned down because of hay fires. I have no idea how common they are, but the simple fact that it happens all the time is enough for me to never want to store my hay anywhere close to anything else.

Horses and other animals will create a smell in their area. I would not want that close to my house. My horse barn is about 150 feet from my house. It's close enough to get to and do chores every day, but far enough away that you don't smell anything. Fly's also love the horses, and a never ending, losing battle that I don't want any closer to my house then it is.

It's not always cheaper adding on to an existing house. While there is some savings on using existing walls, the tying them together can easily equal that expense, and/or cost more. Especially if there is anything that has to be modified to the existing houses roof line.

Nothing is cheaper then a rectangular shaped wood pole barn with a metal roof and walls.

I've personally changed my mind on where to put my buildings several times. My original plan has been totally scrapped and now I'm leaning towards three buildings to keep hay separate from everything else, livestock in another area, and then equipment and tools in another building. It's going to be more work, but not really much more money considering the cost per square foot doesn't change significantly by having three buildings instead of one.

 

[Fuddy1952]

From everything that I've ever learned, you don't want to store hay with anything else, especially next to your home.

Last year I know of two barns that burned down because of hay fires. I have no idea how common they are, but the simple fact that it happens all the time is enough for me to never want to store my hay anywhere close to anything else.

Horses and other animals will create a smell in their area. I would not want that close to my house. My horse barn is about 150 feet from my house. It's close enough to get to and do chores every day, but far enough away that you don't smell anything. Fly's also love the horses, and a never ending, losing battle that I don't want any closer to my house then it is.

It's not always cheaper adding on to an existing house. While there is some savings on using existing walls, the tying them together can easily equal that expense, and/or cost more. Especially if there is anything that has to be modified to the existing houses roof line.

Nothing is cheaper then a rectangular shaped wood pole barn with a metal roof and walls.

I've personally changed my mind on where to put my buildings several times. My original plan has been totally scrapped and now I'm leaning towards three buildings to keep hay separate from everything else, livestock in another area, and then equipment and tools in another building. It's going to be more work, but not really much more money considering the cost per square foot doesn't change significantly by having three buildings instead of one.

I'm confused?!?
My garage isn't anywhere close to the house?!?

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I have a 2 story garage, main section is 40x60. I want a horse barn, and equipment & hay storage.
It's rained almost every day, the contractor I paid a deposit but he's months behind.
Then I had an idea. Front of main section has an overhang, so I thought why not simply add similar one to back.
Pictures show front, then back three windows are upstairs. Back has a 4ft x 4ft drop embankment, but yesterday talking to contractor we said put in a concrete wall, concrete top. Then out about 24ft. so 50x24, two stalls one end with doors, large sliding door other end. Then I could even have another step down (ground slopes down, but not steep) then open shed. Gravel...but sand in two stalls.
I already have water and electric right there, plus a walk through door from inside garage, and then a few steps down.
To me it seems like a great idea and should save money rather than building a separate building.
It was a little dangerous today...ground was soupy but I dug up a couple fairly big tree stumps. It made a mess but that's 99% of the enjoyment.View attachment 588600View attachment 588601View attachment 588602View attachment 588603View attachment 588604View attachment 588605

All right. You thought you would get away with it...hiding that '55 Chevy back there in the dark. Let's see some pics of that baby...and I might show my '59! Aw, what the hey!!

 

[drssg]

From everything that I've ever learned, you don't want to store hay with anything else, especially next to your home.

Last year I know of two barns that burned down because of hay fires. ...

A completely separate building for hay storage does sound like a good safety precaution, but I don’t know anyone who went to that extreme.

During the initial curing process, hay generates some heat. If the hay is baled too wet, it can start a fire. Properly baled hay isn’t a problem, or you can buy hay that is already cured out to avoid the uncertainty.

 

[Fuddy1952]

The garage,barn,shed,etc. is several 100ft. away from house.
Hay will be stored on pallets on gravel within a steel walled area.
That was my idea it would be garage (90'x60' overall now), then stable/equipment area behind it (steel walled off +concrete...gravel floor, sand in stables, 50'x24', a steel wall, then a shed overhang in front of that, 50'x24'. Hay under roof stacked out of the weather should be fine. For 2-3 horses it wouldn't be that much hay.
Years ago my neighbor's barn almost caught fire, someone saw smoke...but it's a wood barn, hay tightly packed in upstairs mow. Hay was put up wet. They had to separate the bales and throw the smoldering ones outside.
40 years ago my wife kept her horse in a wood barn and it almost burned from the girls piling up their horse manure in one part of the barn.
I was looking for ideas...I believe it will work out fine. I'll have a compost well away from there, keep stables clean.