DIY Barn Stalls

Barn stalls provide enclosed areas within a barn for livestock, much like a bedroom for a horse or other large animal. The stalls are commonly built of wood with metal grills on the upper portions of some walls to provide ventilation. They often have dirt floors to promote drainage, but can have cement floors. A stall built to accommodate a 1,000 pound horse would also accommodate other large animals including cattle and mules. While smaller animals such as sheep or goats could be housed in smaller stalls they also can be housed in bigger enclosures. Building a stall requires common carpentry skills and tools.

Things You'll Need

  • 4-by-4 posts, 3 per stall
  • Post hole digger
  • Masonry drill with 1/2-inch bit
  • 1/2-inch steel rod
  • 2-by-6 rough-cut treated lumber
  • Steel grates
  • Sliding door track
  • Stall latch
  • 3-inch strap hinges
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Lay out the stalls within the barn. Outline 12-by-12-foot stalls for standard riding horses, cattle or mules, 16-by-16-foot stalls for draft horses or mules, and 8-by-8-foot stalls for miniature horses, goats or sheep.

    • 2

      Set 4-by-4 posts at the corners of the planned stalls and for the sides of the gates; most times the front of that stall will have three posts and one of the corner posts will serve as one side of the gate. Dig post holes 3 feet deep if the barn has a dirt floor. Drill 1/2-inch holes in concrete floors with a masonry drill and insert a 1/2-inch rod into the concrete. Drill a 1/2-inch hole in the bottom of the post and set it over the rod. The corner post should line up with a wall stud in the barn's exterior wall.

    • 3

      Nail rough-cut, treated 2-by-6 lumber between the wall stud and the post if the exterior wall studs are exposed. Nail a piece of 2-by-6 lumber vertically to a wall stud in a finished wall with 16d nails before adding horizontal boards. Place boards horizontally on edge, one board directly above the one below it, creating a solid wall at least 48 inches tall. Build all three walls in this manner leaving space for a gate or door between the gate posts closest to the center of the barn.

    • 4

      Place metal grills or grates on top of the wood walls. Use grills with at least 1 inch steel or iron rods placed no further apart than 4 inches, so they will be strong enough to keep the horse from bending the rods and close enough together that an animal won't get its nose stuck. Design the wall so the combined height of the solid wall and metal grill is at least 7 1/2 feet.

    • 5

      Build the door with a solid wood bottom and grill-work top similar to the stall walls. Build a rectangular frame of 2-by-6 boards two inches shorter and four inches wider than the door opening to allow for clearance. Cut the four pieces of lumber needed and nail together at the corners using 16d nails. Cover the bottom portion of the door frame with the same rough-cut 2-by-6 lumber used for the stall walls. Attach 3-inch strap hinges to a piece of grill work cut to fit the top opening of the gate. Fasten the hinge to the door frame using 1 1/2-inch screws. Add a latch to the hinged grill and to the gate.

    • 6

      Install hanging sliding door rollers on the top of the door. Place a 2-by-6 board across the top of the three posts on the front of the stall. Nail the board in place with 16d nails. Attach a sliding door track to the board. Place the rollers in the track.