# Opinion on shelter



## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

We're in the process of obtaining a horse from a neighbor and are looking at various housing solutions for him. One neighbor (who is a builder by trade) gave us a quote on building us a basic lean to type shelter that is about 10X12, but could be larger if we wanted. Today, we went out into Amish country looking at the various pre-made shelters, lean to's, barns, etc. We found a bunch that we liked, but they were all about twice the cost of what my neighbor can make us (or more - but they were really nice, don't get me wrong). One thing we found was a place that also sold carports. They said they can come out and put us up an 18X21 carport, fully enclosed on the sides and the back, for about a 1/4th of what my neighbor offered to build us a basic 10X12 shelter for. Now, it would be made of aluminum with metal sides, no kickboards, etc. My question becomes this - in the opinion of the people on here, would that be a feasible, practical, and economical way to go? My only concern would be if it would be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter (since it would basically be metal construction). We can always partition it off, put up livestock paneling on the front to keep it enclosed, put up wooden walls/kick boards on the inside, maybe do some insulation, etc. We may be coming into some money in the very near future, so we may just end up getting a nice professionally built barn put up anyway. However, if that falls through, we're looking at more economical housing for now as a backup plan.

What do you guys think? See the attached pick to give you an idea, only the sides would be fully enclosed (top to bottom) and the back would be enclosed as well (top to bottom).


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

IMO, it would be fine. The barn I used to work at was all metal. The owner did have it lined with wooden walls (boards). He put wooden stall fronts in and also had an outside window for each horse to give better air circulation.


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## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

charlicata said:


> IMO, it would be fine. The barn I used to work at was all metal. The owner did have it lined with wooden walls (boards). He put wooden stall fronts in and also had an outside window for each horse to give better air circulation.


Yeah, we were thinking about putting up a wall somewhere in the middle so that the bedding area would be enclosed, but still allow access in/out of the bedding area. We thought about putting up a livestock panel at the front (entrance) so that we can close it off when needed. We also thought about putting up wood paneling for the walls and maybe some insulation. Sort of like the one pictured below, but it would be significantly larger/wider.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

You might want to run the numbers including all the modifications you are going to do to the carport building. After you add wood kick boards inside and out (you do not want them kicking thru the metal on the outside either) I am guessing you will find that it will not be cheaper.

Other than the modifications needed I think it will make a just fine shelter. It will be a little loud if it rains, but the horses will get used to that.


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## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> You might want to run the numbers including all the modifications you are going to do to the carport building. After you add wood kick boards inside and out (you do not want them kicking thru the metal on the outside either) I am guessing you will find that it will not be cheaper.
> 
> Other than the modifications needed I think it will make a just fine shelter. It will be a little loud if it rains, but the horses will get used to that.


Well, I'll give you some numbers and these prices are what we're seeing from all of the local builders/supply places and most online places:

Neighbor is willing to build us a 10X10 - 10X12 lean to type shelter for around $2400 (includes parts and labor).

I can buy a ready made 10X10 shelter from one of the local Amish places out here for around $2300. 10X12's aren't that much more.

I can buy a ready made, really nice, 12X18 barn (separate stall, windows, tack room, etc.) from the same Amish place (looked at them today) for $4500 delivered and placed on our property. This is what we really want and will get if the money I'm supposed to be coming into materializes in the next few months.

I can get the 18X21 carport delivered and installed (including the sides all enclosed) for $1005.00. Spending a few hundred bucks more for some wood to line the inside of it and maybe build a small wall would still keep the cost of the carport "barn" significantly lower than any of the other pre-made structures we've been looking at. It would also be considerably larger and give the horse more room to move around. I can buy livestock panels out here for under $75 to make a front gate with.

The biggest concern I have with the carport design is simply the temperature issue. If the overall consensus is that this type of structure really won't cause any temperature issues, we'll probably go with that to get us started and we can always get something nicer down the road. Some of the ready made barns we looked at today have aluminum or low gauge metal siding on them too (along with the roofs in some cases), so maybe it's not so much of an issue. I just don't want him freezing to death in winter or boiling during the summer. Many of the things I've read about shelters say that it's preferable NOT to have the horses kept in metal buildings, but I think the carport style would offer plenty of ventilation and with some minor interior work, I think we could get if insulated fairly inexpensively. There are many companies that sell products similar to this and they seem to be in wide use in many countries outside the U.S.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

tattoogunman said:


> The biggest concern I have with the carport design is simply the temperature issue. If the overall consensus is that this type of structure really won't cause any temperature issues, we'll probably go with that to get us started and we can always get something nicer down the road. Some of the ready made barns we looked at today have aluminum or low gauge metal siding on them too (along with the roofs in some cases), so maybe it's not so much of an issue. I just don't want him freezing to death in winter or boiling during the summer. Many of the things I've read about shelters say that it's preferable NOT to have the horses kept in metal buildings, but I think the carport style would offer plenty of ventilation and with some minor interior work, I think we could get if insulated fairly inexpensively. There are many companies that sell products similar to this and they seem to be in wide use in many countries outside the U.S.


I know folks that did exactly what you are thinking of. They all seemed to have very good ventilation and never felt any hotter than any other barn I've been in, even when it's been in the high 90s.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Have you priced 3/4" pressure treated plywood to make the kick walls? It is probably not as cheap as you think it is. And you need to line the inside and the outside. It will be cheaper than the vet bill to fix a horse that kicks at a bug and puts his hoof thru the metal sides and cuts lots of things in his leg and will never be sound again.

With an open structure I do not think there will be much difference between the temperature inside vs outside. 

With the metal roof with no insulation it will be loud.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Darn, too late to edit.

Looked up what 3/4" pressure treated plywood is in my neck of the woods (lumbar prices vary greatly from area to area).

Rough guestimate of $35 per sheet of plywood. 

Providing you have the ability to attach pieces where ever you want (so you can attach partial sheets) doing just the inside of a 18'x21' building will be 9 sheets of plywood. That works out to $315. If you do both the inside and outside that is $630. Add attachment boards (because you are going to have to add something to attach the kick boards too, there is not enough support pieces there to attach to) and your cheaper building with kick boards added will probably cost you an additional $900 above and beyond what the building itself costs.


Not trying to discourage you from the car port idea. I have seen many people use them and they do work fine. I just do not want you having to spend lots of money you were not expecting to spend once the thing is dropped on site.


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## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

Nah, I factored in the wood. Even at around $900 or so, it would still bring the carport in at under $2000. Once I hit the $2K mark though, I can get that ready made 10X10 or 10X12 for a few hundred more and that already has the kick boards, etc. - I just want him to have more room than that if we can help it. My neighbor can usually get stuff cheaper since he's a contractor/builder. There are also Amish sawmills out here that have stuff a bit cheaper and he gets some of his stuff there as well. The horse we are looking at doesn't have a history of kicking or anything, he's really mellow. My 3 year old can walk him around on his lead, ride him, feed him, etc. That's not saying that he may not at some point, so don't get me wrong. Ideally, we want the barn that we found, it's just a matter of the up front cost to put everything up. That's why we're thinking about this just to get this off the ground and then improve on it down the road. 

I had a bunch of insurance money that we were going to use, but then both of our cars broke down at the same time and there went the insurance money  We had enough for the barn, fence, etc. Oh well....


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

The barn that I was in didn't have plywood on the walls other than in the tack and feed rooms. He used regular pressure treated boards screwed horizontally with about an eighth of an inch between them to 2x4's (like regular wall framing). The initial cost will be more than doing the plywood, but easier and cheaper to replace if anything happens. As far as the windows, he used small storm windows at about head heighth. 

When we get a place where I can actually keep my two, instead of keeping them on another farm, I'll probably go the same route. I personally prefer the metal over the wood because of the maintenance level. 

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR DECISION!!!!


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

tattoogunman said:


> The horse we are looking at doesn't have a history of kicking or anything, he's really mellow.


Head pounding on desk. :-(

Do you really think it takes a history of kicking to make a horse kick at a bug and kick thru something?


And yes, you can use any type of pressure treated board. 3/4" plywood is nice because it is easy to put up in sheets and it is very tough stuff. Dimensional lumber would work also. I am not sure which would be cheaper.


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## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

Many of the pics I've seen online have similar set ups, they just used plywood along the inside. Not saying it's the preferred way to go, but it's a budget way to go to get us started.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

It is your horse and your vet bill.

I am sure we can find lots of pictures on line (on this very forum even) with horses tied to a barbed wire fence. :wink:


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

tattoogunman said:


> Many of the pics I've seen online have similar set ups, they just used plywood along the inside. Not saying it's the preferred way to go, but it's a budget way to go to get us started.


Maybe plywood on the surface but hopefully something more solid underneath!


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## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> Head pounding on desk. :-(
> 
> Do you really think it takes a history of kicking to make a horse kick at a bug and kick thru something?
> 
> ...


Now c'mon, if you are going to quote me in order to chastise me, quote the whole thing. Read what I wrote:

The horse we are looking at doesn't have a history of kicking or anything, he's really mellow. My 3 year old can walk him around on his lead, ride him, feed him, etc. *That's not saying that he may not at some point, so don't get me wrong.* 

I'm well aware of the possibility that he'll do it at some point :wink:


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Good point MLS. The metal siding will be fine if there is a solid wall behind it so the horse can not kick thru it. (Not a piece of plywood six inches away from it.)


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## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> It is your horse and your vet bill.
> 
> I am sure we can find lots of pictures on line (on this very forum even) with horses tied to a barbed wire fence. :wink:


That's hardly a fair comparison - I can find pics of horses cut up for dog meat too, that doesn't mean I'm getting a horse to make into dog meat. Researching various shelter options online is viable since I'm trying to get an idea as to what various people out there do to solve their housing problems who can't afford to go out and get a $20,000 (or more) barn built. That's one of the reasons why I found this board. I have the horses welfare in mind, that's why I'm trying to get him the largest housing option that I can currently afford. I'd rather put him in the 18X21 carport with some minor modifications instead of a 10X10 box for the same price. I have no problem lining the thing with wood, I thought that had been established. Like you said, I'm not eager to have home vet visits right off the bat because he kicked through the wall


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

tattoogunman said:


> That's hardly a fair comparison


Have you seen first hand what a horse's leg looks like after it kicked through a metal barn wall?


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## tattoogunman (May 23, 2010)

mls said:


> Have you seen first hand what a horse's leg looks like after it kicked through a metal barn wall?



Yes, we get it, horses can kick through things. You know that, I know that, everyone on here probably knows that, what is your point? Where have I said anything on here where I said this horse will absolutely NOT kick through anything? I said he doesn't have a history of doing it, that doesn't mean that he won't at some point - go back and read since you've already quoted me once. I also just told you we don't want to incur expensive vet visits off the bat due to leg injuries. I've also established that we had planned on lining it with wood to prevent these things, so again, what's your point? What's next? You want to post up some pics of leg injuries? Go ahead, it's off topic at this point. The point of this thread was to get opinions on the carport as a shelter option and any recommendations people may have had (such as lining it with wood for example). If certain injuries can occur as a result of a proposed building solution, I'm interested in hearing about it (the kicking thing was relevant several posts ago, but not now). I'm not interested in having a personal debate over horse neglect or injury with you OK? You want to do that, you can email me your concerns or start your own thread. 

If anyone else on here has anything constructive to say with regards to my original question(s), I'm still interested in hearing them. 

Thanks!


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