Building a new barn advice please?

My dad is talking about putting a really small barn in at one of our houses we own right up the road from us. He just lost his job (he works at chrysler :I ) but we are looking to cut costs on boarding. It would be a small barn built for mine and my friends horse. We have the land but any advice??Building a new barn advice please?
There are any number of places where you can get already created plans and blueprints for a barn. You might want to start with something like that so that you have a plan and the end result is a good barn.Building a new barn advice please?
Build the barn bigger than you now need, you can always rent the stalls out for extra income. Build a good hay loft above the stalls. Put hay racks in every stall on one corner, cut a hole above it in the hay loft so you can put the hay in from the top. Put water pipes in front of the stalls so you don't have to tote water, or automatic waters in the stalls.Build a separate tack and feed room to keep your tack away from the barn mice that will come, build a large feed box for your feed with a tight cover to help keep out the mice. Build the dirt floor up in each stall at least 8 inches, you are going to eveventually remove some of it cleaning the stalls. Hinge the whole front wall of the stall so it opens for easier cleaning, perhaps with a small tractor or bobcat, makes clcleaningtall a lot faster and easier.
I absolutely agree to build the barn bigger than you think you need right now. However, first and foremost, make sure that the site you build your barn on is high enough off the ground so there is no danger of flooding in the winter. Just as in real estate, it's location, location, location.





If you live in a mild climate, consider a shed row barn to save expense. These have an open side with an overhang. It will give your horse a nice shady place to hang out in the summer, too.





Consider the type of flooring you want. Dirt is OK, but I prefer to add several inches of crushed gravel to help with drainage. On top of this, I strongly recommend the use of stall mats for support, comfort of your horse's legs and ease of cleaning.





Some people prefer concrete in their tack/feed rooms to help keep the rodents out. I have a wood floor in my tack room - you can even lay linoleum or peel-and-stick tile if you want to be fancy.





My feed room has crushed gravel with stall mats on top to help with cleanup. I use large metal trash cans with lids for my grain. You can also add a bungee cord across the top to add security to keep the lid on.





Decide if you want to hang buckets for water or have automatic waterers. There are pros and cons to each. Make sure you lay the pipe for the water before you build the barn.





Hay racks, etc. are a personal choice. Some people prefer to feed hay on the ground. Others put it in hay nets. Or you can buy inexpensive metal hay racks for either the corner or for a wall. For feed, I put an eye hook into the wall and used a double end clip to attach a bucket. Or you can use something called a ';bucket buddy'; available at most tack stores.





Are you going to have electricity in the barn? Seriously consider this. My first year I had to wrap my horse's abscessed hoof at night with a flashlight in my mouth.





Consider doors and windows for your horse - there are lots of different options. But having 2 doors or a door and a window allows for cross ventilation in the summer.





Last, but not least, research which way the storms come in the winter for your area. I moved to the West Coast and when I built my barn, all the horse magazines said to leave the south side open and close up the north side to protect from winter storms. Well, the West Coast is the only place where the storms typically come from the south and we get a nice breeze in the summer from the north. So I had to wall up the south side of my shed row and open up with doors the north side.





While your dad is building the barn, here's a link to some ';prefab'; barns that will give you some design ideas. When you visit these sites, also look at their ';shelter'; options. That might be all you need.