It's possible to build a barn that balances your dream barn with practical reality. Read more on choosing a site, function, accessories, get online resources and read lessons learned.
By Sarah Christie
When you decide to build a barn, combining your wish list with a dose of practical reality will result in a barn that brings you pleasure, saves you money and provides years of active use.
There are reasons why barns are traditionally painted red—they are the functional and metaphorical heart of any farm. Barns shelter cows and cats, horses and hay.
They evoke memories of exploration, discovery, safety and solace. Barns are the hub of summertime activity, and a warm oasis of winter quiet. They age more gracefully than houses or humans, and over time, they take on a persona all their own.
We instinctively relate to barns because like most Americans, barns work for a living. If you are fortunate enough to have an existing barn on your property, you may have toyed with the question of whether to remodel or replace it.
Then again, you might have unconsciously adjusted your needs and habits to fit the parameters of the barn.
Regardless of your approach, you are probably going to spend nearly as much time in the barn as you are in the house, so it makes sense to create a space that is functional, efficient and pleasing to work in. Only you can assess your true needs.
Are you more likely to get daily use out of a well-designed wash rack and rat-proof grain bins, or a wet bar with Dolby sound?
Combining your wish list with a dose of practical reality will result in a barn that brings you pleasure, saves you money and provides years of active use.
Consider wind direction, sun, runoff patterns
Of course, “location, location, location” is first and foremost. The structure itself may be elaborate or simple, but location is independent of design.
Horses smell wonderful, but that doesn’t mean you want to live directly downwind of their stalls. That flat area at the bottom of the hill may look inviting to build on, until it becomes a flood plain next winter.
Understanding the “micro-climate” of your site, i.e. the path of the sun, direction of the prevailing winds and runoff pattern during rainstorms, is essential to planning a barn that works.
Pay attention to the prevailing winds on the property. They probably change from morning to evening. With a little foresight, you can orient the stalls and/or breezeway to take advantage of airflow, keeping the barn well ventilated. This is critical for the respiratory health of your livestock, as well as your own comfort.
Siting the structure to take advantage of the morning sun and afternoon shade will make the building comfortable year-round. Avoiding natural drainages is environmentally and economically smart. Erosion control is a costly, never-ending battle. It’s better to give flowing water a wide berth when building.
Choosing what design works best for you depends on your location, budget and needs.
Barns perform three basic functions. They can house and shelter livestock, store feed and equipment, and provide a workspace for tinkering and repairs.
As such, they can be specialized or multiuse. Pole barns are the least expensive to build and are commonly designed for hay storage. But by enclosing one or more sides, they can easily accommodate equipment, tools and materials.
Livestock barns are most commonly designed for horses, but can be modified for goats, sheep or other stock. Barns that function more like a workshop can provide space for lumber milling, carpentry and mechanical repairs.
Old-style working barns typically blend one or more of these functions, although hay storage on large spreads frequently demands a dedicated structure (or two).
Today, numerous modular barn companies offer every conceivable configuration and style of barn imaginable. Barn builders can choose from Tudor, Kentucky classic, rustic, Spanish, Amish or basic shedrow designs, as well as exterior siding materials to fit any locale. Choosing what design works best for you depends on your location, budget and needs. If you are going to keep animals in your barn, consider the need for insulation and air circulation.
Residents of mountain states will probably prefer a design that allows them to close the barn against inclement weather in the winter. If aesthetics and resale value are high priorities, a raised center-aisle design makes a gracious statement and offers functionality that takes advantage of natural light and airflow. A gable roof option is more affordable, but still offers the advantages of a fully contained structure.
A courtyard layout evokes the ambiance of Spanish elegance, but it requires significantly more area than other designs. The possibilities are almost endless.
Collecting a clip file on barn designs, equipment, fencing, landscaping and accessories will help you mentally formulate that dream facility until it eventually materializes.
Your wish list will one day become a valuable resource guide when the time comes to build. But unless you have worked in a number of professional barns, it can be difficult to discern what is really useful, what is not, and what luxuries might actually be worth the cost.
With a little common sense, you can bridge the gap between the fantasy barn and the functional barn.
If money is not an obstacle, there is no limit to the amount of accessorizing that can be done to build a dream barn.
Using an architect specializing in barn design, it is possible to repeat architectural themes found in the home, and accommodate amenities such as a loft or apartment, office, intercom, sound system, video surveillance, trophy case, restrooms and entertainment areas.
For farm owners with show or racehorse facilities who entertain high-rolling clientele, these luxuries can actually qualify as requirements. A lounge area with a big screen TV is a perfectly reasonable feature if you need to let clients view videos of your sale prospects performing in world-class events.
But even the priciest barns share some common features with backyard versions.
Most builders do not have the luxury of unlimited funds. When budgeting for the new barn, keep in mind that you can always add more items later. But it is ultimately more cost-effective to build in as many features as you can afford up front, so the labor will be amortized over the entire job, as opposed to making a special installation call a year later. Some items you may be able to install yourself, with little more than a screwdriver and a drill.
If one can achieve the same results with less cost, fewer materials and less risk, then why not go low-tech? By most standards, the following items are essentially overkill.
Combining your wish list with a dose of practical reality will result in a barn that brings you pleasure, saves you money and provides years of active use. Whether you are building from scratch or revamping a grand old gentleman of a barn, planning, environmental sensitivity and a firm grasp of your material needs and economic limits will help guide you through the adventure.
—Sarah Christie