# Anyone have a barn like this?



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I checked out something similar when I was building. I liked the large span & the light. The cost seemed reasonable until you figured in the cost of the concrete footings/foundation required to keep it from blowing away. I've been in some of those buildings & they are loud with rain but so is a non-insulated metal roof. I've read reviews where some snow can build up & when it slides off it makes a terrible noise also.
They have a tightening system that needs tending & I know I wouldn't remember to do it.
There have also been reports of collapse.
I chickened out & went with a pole barn.

The main thing besides the hidden cost was there is no way to insulate it. I don't have a heated barn but insulation keeps it warmer & cooler than a tent like structure.

I drive past one often that still looks great after many years but it only holds equipment, not animals.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Yes, I have similar concerns. We may well go with a pole barn as well, but I thought I'd check. 

I should specify that these structures come in two types: the single arch and the truss arch. The latter is actually an engineered building and is guaranteed to withstand our winters (which are brutal!!!). The single arch are more common, but I think those are best suited for temporary use or to store equipment/hay in. The trusses would be more costly, but it would be crazy to take the chance on those single arch buildings.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

I don't have experience with them as a barn, but I managed an aquatic center that was in a building exactly like that! As someone mentioned, it was noisy when it rained and the snow sliding off did indeed make quite a noise (though better it slide off than stay on and collapse!). There was also some flapping in the wind (where I lived was the wind surfing capitol of the continental us, so always windy). That building was the double truss. I was in a single arch type once and it was constantly dripping. Not sure if this would be an issue in a non-pool setting or not, but it was constant and annoying in that case.

Maintenance-wise it was pretty simple. We would do a walk-around once monthly and check the tension cables. It was rare for any to need tightening, even with our constant wind shaking things all the time.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Doesn't look much different than a *temporary* car garage....
Not so easy to assemble stalls against a exterior wall with it being vinyl....
I know some who had them _{car garage}_ in a moderate cold and snowfall climate...the vinyl can and did sag under snow weight. Made a thundering crash sound when the snow load slid off and then the snow melt flooded inside with a thaw.
They also dripped terribly, were darn cold inside and could get drafty {at least the ones I was in}.
On top of that, again car garages I was in, depending upon sun strength they can sun-rot, mildew and split in less time than that warranty covers.... read that warranty small print *very carefully!!*
They are_ not_ cheap and _not _a forever structure so to me not cost effective. 
Pole barns are more expensive to put up, yes, but once done..._you're done._

As a riding arena, sure it would be workable, as the actual barn..._.think not._

_jmo..._


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I don't think these are comparable to a car garage horeslovinguy - that said, I'm pretty sure I don't want one.


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## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

I know a few people in our area who have had these barns and if you don't keep the tension just so on them, they do collapse. They require regular maintenance. Last winter I know of 4 that collapsed and 1 this winter that just passed. 

They are VERY loud when raining and snow sliding off.

That said, we are still considering one for an indoor arena but leaning more towards a steel building because the maintenance required and details for keeping the warranty valid for the fabric structures are pretty intense.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

We have one on our farm. I wasn't in the planning stage when it was installed. I love it!! The cover, evidently, has a long warranty.









The footing is a mix of sand, shredded rubber and a sodium chloride to absorb moisture to keep dust down.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I wouldn't use it as a barn. We had an indoor like this and the cover blew off and was whipping around. Then once that came off the walls the two solid wall ends were exposed, obviously not very aerodynamic! If the front wall collapsed it would have fallen on one of the barns. It was a very scary night! I couldn't imaging if horses were INSIDE of this building!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

I think the snow in the east is too heavy and wet to want to chance something like that.
I've seen plenty of small ones here but they are easily cleaned off and tightened by 2 people.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

SueNH said:


> I think the snow in the east is too heavy and wet to want to chance something like that.
> I've seen plenty of small ones here but they are easily cleaned off and tightened by 2 people.


There are plenty of these in Ontario, so heavy wet snow must not be a huge issue. This barn/indoor belongs to a friend of mine and the cover has withstood a number of years of huge snow loads.


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## Winkler Structures (Jun 9, 2015)

Hello! I am from Winkler Structures and I am here to clear up a few things in this post. What I will be talking about will be purely facts and I'll try my best to give all the information I can regarding everyone's concerns. 

Please keep in mind that there are many different manufactures for these structures and not all of them are held to the same quality standards as Winkler Structures (Click for our qualifications)

We are rated the highest quality in the entire industry and it's something we pride ourselves on. It's not unlike buying a vehicle - don't compare the quality and price of our Mercedes luxury car to that of our competitors Ford/Chevy/Dodge economy family car. 



Acadianartist said:


> Equestrian - Winkler StructuresWinkler Structures
> 
> I'm curious about these. We are going to build in the next year and while I like the look of a traditional wooden barn, they are expensive (we haven't ruled it out, but are just checking out other options). A few people in my area have them and seem happy with them and it was actually the barn owner where my daughter currently rides who suggested them. They are engineered for the appropriate snow load and come with a 15 yr warranty. Tons of natural light.
> 
> Anyone have experience with them?


Natural light is a HUGE benefit to our structures, you can expect to cut your utility bill by about 60-70% depending on how much evening/night riding you do. Not mentioned is that our buildings are 10 degrees cooler in the summer and 10 degrees warmer in the winter. It's great for keeping your riders comfortable.



natisha said:


> There have also been reports of collapse.
> 
> ...there is no way to insulate it. I don't have a heated barn but insulation keeps it warmer & cooler than a tent like structure.
> 
> I drive past one often that still looks great after many years but it only holds equipment, not animals.


To cover some of your points:
-Winkler Structures hasn't had a structural collapse since our inception. We refuse to sell under engineered buildings. Again, we stick out from our competition with quality and engineering. All buildings are erected with site specific engineering, qualified engineers, and inspected by an authorized dealer after the installation.

-We offer very effective insulation packages, something else that our competitors haven't mastered yet. We also use a very technologically advanced fabric that traps heat in the barn during winter and prevents it from entering in the summer. Even without insulation packages, our structures are comfortable all year around.

-Our structures are designed and manufactured in Winkler Manitoba Canada. We understand full well what extreme weather is like. (We experience below -40 every winter and +40 during the summer)




Acadianartist said:


> I should specify that these structures come in two types: the single arch and the truss arch. The latter is actually an engineered building and is guaranteed to withstand our winters (which are brutal!!!). The single arch are more common, but I think those are best suited for temporary use or to store equipment/hay in. The trusses would be more costly, but it would be crazy to take the chance on those single arch buildings.


We would refuse to sell a single tube structure if people or animals were going to be inside it in your climate. Engineered Truss Structure would be your only option if you purchased from us. Safety is #1



horselovinguy said:


> Doesn't look much different than a *temporary* car garage....
> Not so easy to assemble stalls against a exterior wall with it being vinyl....
> I know some who had them _{car garage}_ in a moderate cold and snowfall climate...the vinyl can and did sag under snow weight....
> They also dripped terribly, were darn cold inside and could get drafty {at least the ones I was in}.
> ...


You are comparing our structures to a cheap knock off, here are some points:

-We do not use vinyl, it's not strong enough for our purpose and cannot be engineered. We use a very advanced polyethylene material from a world leader in that industry; Intertape Polymer Group (IPG - Intertape Polymer Group). Our material is 12oz/ sq. yard in weight and is very heavy and it will not sag, even during extreme load conditions. 

-Our fabric is 100% immune to UV damage and comes with a 15 year warranty. We have structures still standing without ANY damage from the sun after 20+ years and the material is more resistant to UV damage than the shingles on your house.

-Using a Winkler design you should have ZERO condensation on the inside of the building. With airflow kept in mind, we install proper ventilation to avoid this issue completely.

-The majority of our riding arena's are building on wood pony walls which makes mounting stalls a breeze. (I will include some pictures in the next post)

-Ask anyone who has a Winkler.. Our buildings ARE a "forever" structure 



NBEventer said:


> I know a few people in our area who have had these barns and if you don't keep the tension just so on them, they do collapse. They require regular maintenance. Last winter I know of 4 that collapsed and 1 this winter that just passed.
> 
> That said, we are still considering one for an indoor arena but leaning more towards a steel building because the maintenance required and details for keeping the warranty valid for the fabric structures are pretty intense.


There are two very important points here that separate us from the lower end buildings on the market.

1. Our structures require very little maintenance, on average maybe 1-2 hours PER YEAR (once in fall and once in spring) just to check the tension straps. Most of the time this is simply an inspection and no tightening is required after the 2nd year. And again, our structures don't fall down...


2. Warranty requirements: I understand fully what you are talking about. Some of our competitors have a 6 page warranty agreement full of loop holes. Winkler Structures has a very plain, single page warranty agreement that actually helps the customer instead of listing ways that we can deny it. If the damage to your cover was caused by misrepresentation of the fabric or manufacturers defect, I guarantee you will receive warranty. 



SlideStop said:


> I wouldn't use it as a barn. We had an indoor like this and the cover blew off and was whipping around. Then once that came off the walls the two solid wall ends were exposed, obviously not very aerodynamic! If the front wall collapsed it would have fallen on one of the barns. It was a very scary night! I couldn't imaging if horses were INSIDE of this building!!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I'm sorry for the bad experience that you have had with one of our competitors and assure you that this would not be the case with one of ours. We have reports of entire farms being destoryed by storms and tornados and our building was the only thing left standing. They are engineered for 150-200km/h wind loads, the highest snow loads in the world, and immune to most weather events including hail, heavy wet snow, and wind.

If anyone has any questions please feel confident in posting here, PMing me, or emailing me at [email protected]

Please visit the Equestrian Section on our new website for more details. I will be putting some pictures in the next post to show some examples of what our buildings are capable of!


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

I suppose. With the big ones you have the money to have somebody come tighten it and not wait for a truck full of boys from the logging job down the road to drive by so you can flag them over for help.

The small garage sized ones clean off easily with a pool noodle or two threaded through a rope. Person on each side of the garage and the snow is brushed off that way.

Too many noodles required for an indoor. 

The light is sure nice.


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## Winkler Structures (Jun 9, 2015)

Competition Riding











Stall Barn Connected to Riding Arena



































Stalls mounted directly to the truss uprights











Casual Riding Arena


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Thank you for clearing that up Derek! I was hoping to hear from people who actually have an engineered truss Winkler structure, but clearly there are a lot of facsimiles out there and people confuse these with cheap temporary structures.


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## Winkler Structures (Jun 9, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> Thank you for clearing that up Derek! I was hoping to hear from people who actually have an engineered truss Winkler structure, but clearly there are a lot of facsimiles out there and people confuse these with cheap temporary structures.


No problem at all! Contact me privately if you would like to be connected with our local dealer in your area. 

Have a great day!


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