# New Construction Barn ideas-Classic Equine reviews



## Riverdalehorse (Jun 22, 2016)

Hello, we have launched our barn building project and I am looking for reviews and feedback on Classic Equine stall doors, exterior doors are what we are looking at. Also interested in any suggestions on things you wish you had in your barn or would do differently during a build. We are in Nebraska so have cold winters and hot summers. Our barn will be small, 3 stalls, office, tack room and feed/storage area.

Thanks for your advice!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Things I wish for, know I would like, and have friends wishing they had done it a little differently...
If a center aisle inside make it wider, wider, wider.
Wide enough you can drive a truck through it, a tractor pulling a yard-cart.
Don't scrimp on stall size. Don't be ridiculous either to big, but if horses of average size need at least a 10'x12' stall to rest in lying down.
Put electrical outlets outside of every single stall...several where you have cross-ties. Safer to not ever need a extension cord when working with horses.
Plan on outlets at either end of the barn...you just never know what you might need it for...
Put any and all electrical in rodent proof metal conduit so "no-chewing"...
Plan carefully what kind of lighting you will be using and the placement of that lighting.
Put your water in the middle of the barn, not the end. Also warmer on a inside wall than exterior end of the barn. 
Install water faucets outside either end of the barn too and have inside line shut-offs.
Less hose to drag around and keep thawed in winter cold...a deep frost-free hydrant needed at a minimum.
A outlet near the hydrant, properly wired so if you need you can run heat tape to keep that upper hydrant thawed.
Lots of large windows for cross ventilation. 
Doors either end that can be left open for fresh air but able to be secured with a barrier to keep an escapee inside or out as appropriate.
Insulated tack room so you can heat or cool if your climate makes that a must. A solid wall/roof system to keep it cleaner and hopefully no vermin visit and chew your tack.
Insulated roof if using metal so quieter, warmer or cooler depending upon months of the year. Insulated also keeps the noise from a hard falling rain bearable to your ears!!
Make your feed storage area as rodent free, mouse, snake free as you can. Make a "cage" environment to protect your feed.

For me, I_ really_ wish I had made one more stall.
I have enough stalls for my horses, but it sure would be nice to have a spare one to trade-off or use for when uh-oh happens and you need one.

Just some of my ideas...
Happy barn building!!
:runninghorse2:....


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

horselovinguy said:


> Put your water in the middle of the barn, not the end. Also warmer on a inside wall than exterior end of the barn.
> Install water faucets outside either end of the barn too and have inside line shut-offs.
> Less hose to drag around and keep thawed in winter cold...a deep frost-free hydrant needed at a minimum.


All great ideas. I did want to add something to the above water comments.

Plumbing brings its own issues, especially with potential freezing in the winter - barns are typically unheated and uninsulated (unlike homes). Adding dedicated plumbing can also have a big impact on a budget.

I'm currently building a barn. I have one existing frost-free spigot outside the structure, near an entrance. For several reasons, I did not want to run additional dedicated plumbing inside the barn. The original plan was to use the existing spigot and carry water buckets as needed.

Then I saw a setup in another barn which gave me an idea. My idea is still in the planning stages and hasn't been fully though through.

I am thinking of running pex (flexible plastic plumbing pipe) through the barn. A network of tubing would be installed running to valves positioned above the water bucket in each stall. 

This would all run back to the existing spigot with a standard hose connection. When I need water to the stalls, I would connect the "hose" and turn the water on. Each stall (or other internal spigot) would have its own valve for on/off.

When winter rolls around, I simply disconnect from the outdoor spigot and open the inside valves. Running the pex from the ceiling down will allow the entire system to drain and eliminate freezing.

A very easy and inexpensive DIY project.


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## Riverdalehorse (Jun 22, 2016)

Thank you very much for all of these ideas and suggestions. Some were in our plans but hearing others confirm makes you always feel better. Thanks again for the thoughts and guidance!


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Here are a couple of things that I have learned.... 
Be sure your outside doors have covers... Sliding doors freeze shut in ice storms.

Any little bit of water left in a hose connection freezes, and since everything these days is made o plastic, they shatter. I have had no success with any connections, so I am not running water to my stalls. I will continue using a hose that I can drain completely, and store inside , if needed.

Step in tack storage with sliding doors is much more efficient than a room. Less wasted space, and fewer steps!


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

greentree said:


> Here are a couple of things that I have learned....
> Be sure your outside doors have covers... Sliding doors freeze shut in ice storms.


Could you give more detail on what you mean by "covers?" The barn I am building now has sliding doors and we get pretty rough winters.



> Any little bit of water left in a hose connection freezes, and since everything these days is made o plastic, they shatter. I have had no success with any connections, so I am not running water to my stalls. I will continue using a hose that I can drain completely, and store inside , if needed.


Very true about freezing. Then again, filling and carrying water buckets in cold weather is not much fun (isn't much fun at any temperature).

You might want to take a look at PEX. It is easy to work with and has some "give." I'm sure you can break it if left full of water and frozen. A little water won't be a problem (I know from experience - we had a frozen line inside the house last winter). It is not like PVC or copper that bursts much more easily.

Here is the concept I came up with. By simply disconnection the standard garden hose from the spigot, you can drain the entire system by opening the valves. Install the feed line near the ceiling. Gravity does all the work. Any residual water left in the line wouldn't harm the pex. If you want to really go to town, simply hook up and air compressor on the spigot side and blow the entire system out.

On the plus side, you can fill a water bucket any time of year by simply turning the valve above each bucket. 

For a 2-stall setup as outlined in my diagram, cost is under $75. The big cost items are three ball valves at $8-9 each. It's the type of thing that just about anyone can install themselves in a typical barn - you are not tapping into any plumbing lines and all the pex can run in exposed areas.











> Step in tack storage with sliding doors is much more efficient than a room. Less wasted space, and fewer steps!


What do you mean by "step in?" More room is always a good thing, but don't sliders usually take up the same (or more) space as a standard door?... you lose all wall space where the door slides (unless you have pocket doors). You also can't hang things on both sides of a slider. Maybe I misunderstand your concept.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

The pex sounds interesting, but my plumber advised against plumbing the barn with the concrete aisle, because our local inspector does not like it mixed with electricity... Please don't ask me to explain, lol, that is just what I remember him saying....

On the tack closet, my idea came from a tv tour of Clinton Anderson's barn, with those awesome millionaire flipping doors. The tack is on the back of the doors... I know from previous tack rooms that I am too lazy to wedge through a door and put a saddle in a room when I am just going to get it back out after I rinse that horse off(I work multiple horses) , so I always wind up with a rack in the aisle. 
I did reach in closets in my house remodel, so I decided that would work in the barn, similar to Clinton's doors. I had 24 feet to work with, and we made them the depth plus a few inches of the largest western saddle. I put my freestanding multiple saddle racks in 2 doors, and the bridle racks in one.
I did the se thing on the carriage side for harnesses. Just take the tack off, and put it on the rack. 

On the barn doors, I am trying to get an awning built over it. My barn builder is no longer building barns, and he is Amish....not within buggy distance! The snow and ice blow up against the doors, and collect there, freezing them shut for days. Because my aisles are concrete, and I have a concrete apron, the doors have a track to slide in, and that collects the freezing rain....


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

*Taz....*
I read your description of the draining water pipe made from PEX...
Sounds great but you won't get the last bit out no matter what you do unless it is air compressor blown out like done on lawn sprinkler systems...
I think that is very time consuming every time you fill buckets a few times a day....
It isn't a great amount of water that creates issue...it is a drop or two that obstruct the valve ball. 
That valve is what allows water flow or stoppage...a small piece of ice can disrupt your whole system or flood you out.
In winter I would disconnect that system of piping and _only_ drag a hose you can then drag out and drain off or take inside your garage or basement so it not freeze.
Horses _don't _enjoy dealing with buckets of ice chunks in winter time that come from water hoses or pipes...

*Greentree*... 
What about adding a small "lean-to" overhang off your barn?
It could be the door width and extend out a few feet to also give you a covered area so rain or snow has less chance of blowing in either...
Kind of thinking something like this..._http://garages-n-more.com/wp-content/gallery/residential/mar-5-07-076.jpg
_I hope that link works cause I can picture it in my mind but sure can't describe it...
:runninghorse2:....


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## avjudge (Feb 1, 2011)

horselovinguy said:


> *Greentree*...
> What about adding a small "lean-to" overhang off your barn?


The neighbors' barn we used for a few years (late 70s thru mid 80s) had an overhang - it protected the track, and diverted drips outward from the door. I've attached a picture - hope it shows. 

I don't know how much it affected snow blowing in if the door was open or snow buildup at the base of the door when it was closed. Since the door hung from its track with clearance beneath (a foot or so off to the side, an inch or 2 in front of the door), I don't remember a problem opening or closing in snow, but I'm not sure if there would have been in any case, because of the way the door faced (SSE) and the hillside that cupped around it, blocking the wind.

I have wondered (idly) if the overhang was original or there it was installed in response to a problem. It kind of looks like an afterthought to me. Since well before my lifetime (1962 - picture is 1978, barn looks much the same today, though I & my sister no longer do!) the barn has had little use and few changes. But it was built in the late 19th century for a gentleman farmer's horses and I believe heavily used for at least a few decades into the 20th century.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

horselovinguy said:


> I read your description of the draining water pipe made from PEX...
> Sounds great but you won't get the last bit out no matter what you do unless it is air compressor blown out like done on lawn sprinkler systems...
> I think that is very time consuming every time you fill buckets a few times a day....
> It isn't a great amount of water that creates issue...it is a drop or two that obstruct the valve ball.
> ...


Understood. The pex piping is not a winter watering solution, per se. It is simply a convenient way to fill buckets. It excels in a cold weather context simply because it can be disconnected and drained easily. During the winter, it would probably be easier to drag a hose around to fill buckets - depending on your exact situation.

Then again, the pex solution is pretty much the same thing - a removable hose that is tacked to the wall. It simply eliminates the dragging to each bucket part. If the interior of your barn is below freezing, you wouldn't leave the pex filled with water any more than you would leave a hose filled with water.


Yes, you could use a compressor to blow out the system, but that is not necessary. When you blow out a sprinkler system, you don't get all the water out. Gravity prevents that - there will always be _some_ small amount of water sitting at the low points in the pipe. The layout I described is set up the opposite - gravity will get out as much water as an air compressor on any decent sized lawn irrigation system. Sex can also handle water in the system.

It;s the difference between connecting a hose and going bucket to bucket to fill things up VS connecting a hose and opening the valve to fill the buckets. Your point is well taken as the pex layout may not be ideal in frozen conditions. However, it makes life easier during the other 9 months of the year. The point is that the "disconnect and drain" capability along with ease of DIY installation makes it much more practical than a dedicated plumbing system attached to a fixed water supply.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Of course, if only it were so simple...
We wrapped the porch around from the west Side to the north side, ending close to the door. Extending that drops below the door and makes the opening too low for the tractor, and there is no room for support posts on the concrete sloped apron. 
There is not enough clearance to go above the porch.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

OK green.... :think::think::think:

_A oversized rain gutter installed over the door???

_I think the really large ones are about 5" - 6" wide....can be sloped and go into a barrel or down a downspout and away from the door area so less chance of icy conditions...
or....
You could use a rain gutter turned upside down and slipped over the door track so the frame and roller track are out of the weather elements...

I've run out of ideas...
:runninghorse2:...


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I would like to have cute fabric awning over it ...if only I could afford that....


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