Instructions
Secure any permits required in your community for a new barn or stable construction. Most counties or municipalities require zoning and building permits for even the most rural of locations and will regulate set-backs, architecture, and other impacts on the environment and nearby property owners.
Determine the number and size of animals that will likely be housed in the barn and design any stalls accordingly. Individual, fully-enclosed stalls for animals will take up more interior space than rows of open sided stalls. But enclosed stalls offer the most comfort and safety for each animal as they tend to prevent breeding and fighting accidents.
Take the adult size of a given breed of horse or other large animal as it stands in front of a feeding trough and add a minimum of three feet to either side of the animal; this will provide safe clearance space for human attendants while the animal is feeding in any kind of stall. Crushing or pinning accidents happen when stalls are too narrow.
Plan for adequate ventilation for the stalls areas. Fresh air needs to be brought into the barn, circulated, and then expelled efficiently. Barns and stables should never be designed so "tight" that air becomes quickly stagnant. A largely "smell-free" barn is possible with adequate ventilation equipment and regular maintenance.
Design flooring that is sensitive to the animals' needs, especially in stall areas. Horses, for example, should not spend long hours standing on concrete or other hard surfaces. Floors in stall areas should be covered with a soft, deep "carpeting" of wood shavings or straw. Central corridors and passageways can be covered with wood or hard paving as desired.
Include plenty of strategically located floor drains near stall areas. You must be able to wash down passageways and stalls to remove dust, urine and other waste materials. Drains should properly direct waste water away from the barn and into a septic or other wastewater system.
Introduce safety and emergency equipment and systems early in the design process. Fire and smoke detection and alerting equipment is vital. Firefighting equipment, like commercially-size fire extinguishers, should be located throughout the barn. Emergency lights during power outages are smart as well. At least three exits should be planned, each large enough for a horse or other stock animal to use for escape during a fire. These exits should open out, not in, to prevent obstructions during evacuations.
Plan for a nice "tack room" or storage room for saddles, bridles, blankets, and other riding and husbandry equipment. A heated tack room with running water and a toilet, and with places for riders to sit down and rest or socialize, is especially nice. If you intend to breed horses for profit or pleasure, a cozy tack room is a godsend on long nights for fouling during winter.
Make the exterior of your new barn or stable fit the character of your house or other outbuildings. Orient your barn so it makes for the nicest "picture" on your property but take advantage of sun and wind patterns for energy conservation purposes too.
How to Design a Barn or Stable
A comfortable and safe barn or stable is tremendously important not only to the health and welfare of the animals housed in the barn, but for the humans who care for barn animals. Modern conveniences can now be designed into barns and stables to make them very productive and a valuable asset to animal management and property values.