- 1). Check local ordinances governing construction and types of buildings permitted on your property. Obtain building permits, if necessary. Choose a location that is level and has firm soil, and where water will drain away from your barn.
- 2). Sketch a barn plan on graph paper. Erase and revise until satisfied. For safety and utility, a standard stall size is 12 by 12 feet, and the ceiling should be no less than 8 feet high, preferably taller. For a simple "shedrow" style of barn (not always suitable for colder climates), one row of stalls with a roof pitched rearward and doors directly to the exterior will suffice. For an enclosed barn, plan facing shedrows with a 12-foot aisle between and a peaked roof at the center. Plan windows or doors to provide plenty of ventilation.
- 3). Plot the posts based on your final sketch. Drive a stake into the ground for the first corner. Use the tape measure to determine the location of the other corners, and drive three more stakes. Tie string between the stakes as a plumb line. Measure from the corners and drive additional stakes flush with the plumb line to mark remaining framing poles, 6 feet apart.
- 4). Dig 30-inch-deep holes at each stake. Tamp 6 inches of gravel into the bottom of each hole for drainage. Setting the corners first, pour a concrete base in each hole and erect poles, bracing them upright until the cement has cured. String a new plumb line between the corners, to guide positioning of the remaining framing poles, and install them similarly.
- 5
Use prefabricated trusses to speed construction.Residential Construction image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.com
Fasten roofing stringers firmly between pole tops with pole-barn nails; they bear the weight of the trusses and roofing. Install trusses; you'll need one on each end of the barn, plus one (or more) in the center and spaced throughout, depending on your barn's length. Use poles, rope or other braces to support each truss while you're nailing it in place. Frame-nail 2-by-6 lumber across the completed truss structure, placing each board about 3 feet apart, for fastening the roof panels. - 6). Fasten roofing panels onto the 2-by-6 cross-boards of the roof structure. Overlap each slightly and caulk the gaps. Use a tin strip or ridge cap to cover the peak.
- 7). Fasten 2-by-4s with pole-barn nails between the barn's posts, to mount siding to. Arrange one row of boards near the ground, one in the middle and one at the top. Nail 4-by-8-foot siding to these boards with framing nails, to create walls. Install barn doors.
- 8
The walls of any stall should be at least four feet tall.horse2 image by Dagmara Czechowska from Fotolia.com
Build stalls with 2-by-6-inch T&G yellow pine as kickboards for each 12-by-12-foot box. Construct the kickboard walls at least 4 feet high; go higher between stalls or install prefabricated steel-bar dividers to allow for light and ventilation, while still keeping horses separated. Hang stall doors. - 9). Paint your barn, and stain stalls or other exposed wood for appearance and weatherproofing.
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