Pole barn buildings are versatile and can be used as horse barns, agricultural buildings, and storage facilities for additional vehicles, such as sports cars, RVs, and even small planes or helicopters. Why should you choose this construction method? The buildings are sturdy, affordable, and customizable with all the features of a traditional building. Pole barns can even be built on unlevel ground, gravel or dirt.
Barns have been a feature of the American rural landscape for centuries, and the preservation of historic barns is encouraged. Did you know George Washington owned a round barn? Everyone assumes barns are rectangular, but in the 1880s circular barns were seen as progressive. Do you want a custom structure? Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing will use our expertise and experience to design and create the building you want.
What more do you need to know about pole barn buildings?
The Benefits of an Indoor Horse Arena
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports, otherwise known as Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), is the world governing body for jumping, dressage and para-dressage, eventing, driving and para-driving, endurance and vaulting. People that are passionate about these sports know the United States hosted FEI World Cup Finals for the last forty years. With such an active presence, participants have no doubt been using indoor horse facilities to practice for events. What other benefits would an indoor riding arena have?
Although horses have been roaming the prairies for longer than barns have existed and are quite resilient, they need a more controlled, comfortable environment to practice for long hours. Pole barn buildings have fewer thermal breaks due to their construction method, making them better insulated and ideal for an indoor horse arena. Indoor riding facilities are also practical when you want to avoid distractions present during the daytime and choose to ride at night. Sensitive horses requiring focused attention will feel more comfortable when they are alone in the arena at night and not influenced by the presence of other horses.
According to Premier Equestrian, a specialist footing supplier, horses need a consistent surface to work on as it makes them feel comfortable, leading to fewer injuries. At the last Olympic Games, the composition of the footing used for training and competition arenas consisted of top-quality sand mixed with approximately 1.5% of polyester textile fibers. The sand provides impact firmness and grip, while the fibers offer cushioning, responsiveness and elasticity, to promote optimal performances. A well-designed and constructed pole barn riding arena, with sufficient public facilities such as parking and toilets, can also be rented out for formal competitions or practice sessions.
Why Should You Invest In A Horse Barn?
The first question should actually be, why do you want to invest in a horse barn? Do you want to provide a safe environment to attend to horse health or protection against harsh Colorado weather conditions? Maybe you want to start a new business or need to expand existing facilities. For many horse owners the decision to build a barn is a practical one. Farms are busy places, whether they exercise racehorses or serve as a horse riding facility for amateurs, and owners want to keep everything they need for their horses in one space.
Horse barns include stalls, a tack room, a feed room, a wash bay, an equine infirmary, a foaling area, storage, and a rest room for grooms and attendants. On warmer days, one can wash horses in an outside stall, but in the harsh Colorado winter conditions, an indoor wash bay is a necessity. For practical reasons, it can also be used as a cleaning stall for tack and boots, and a grooming area.
To make this multi-purpose facility even more convenient, add sufficient storage space for the items used during grooming and cleaning. Mares tend to foal late at night or early in the morning, when it is dark, and they feel safe and comfortable. Unfortunately, humans do not feel equally comfortable when attending to a foaling in a paddock, making investing in a horse barn worthwhile. When stabling expensive racehorses, it makes sense to have a special stall where sick horses can be treated. Design easy-to-clean stalls that can be closed off from the rest, but ensure they have good lighting for the vet and an area for veterinary supplies.
How To Build The Perfect Horse Barn
Have you noticed when visiting horse barns, there is often a dog around? Maybe a barn dog could be one of the final requirements when building the perfect horse barn. Pole barns should be considered as the primary construction method when gathering horse barn ideas. Why? It is a post-frame building where the structure is built around widely-spaced posts or poles. The building is robust and sturdy, while the pole spacing design promotes enhanced ventilation, improved air quality, and increased comfort.
Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing understands that functionality such as water supply, manure disposal, feed storage, exercise space, loading and unloading access, and legal or other restrictions apply to horse stable design. What else should be considered when building a horse barn?
- Site choice. The site should be well-drained with easy connection to utilities and the driveway or road.
- Layout. Are you planning for more than four stalls? Put the tack and feed rooms in the middle so you will walk less.
- Stall size. Make the stalls big enough so horses don’t walk on soiled bedding the whole time and center the stall door in the aisle wall. Build stall walls flush with the ground to prevent bedding wastage.
- Aisle size. Design a wide aisle so equipment and horses move around easily and light enters from the doorways at both ends.
- Flooring. Cover concrete flooring with drainable rubber matting as it is easy to clean and gentle on the horses’ joints.
- Light. Increase natural light by placing windows and skylights in appropriate places. It is easier to work in, there are less flies, and it cuts down on the electricity bill.
- Ventilation. Air exchange rates for proper ventilation are based on the number of horses, barn size and insulation type. Consult with an expert for optimal barn ventilation.
- Temperature control. Good air flow is vital to a horse’s health, so barn insulation installed to control temperature must allow for proper air flow.
- Dust management. Limit dust by feeding hay on the ground instead of a manger or bag and store it in a separate building.
Galvanized Metal Vs Galvalume Metal
Should you use galvanized metal or galvalume metal for your pole barn structure? Both materials might seem the same, but their greatest difference lies in the manufacturing process. How are they made, and what differentiates them?
Galvanized metal. It is a corrugated sheet of carbon steel with a galvanized coating created by dipping the straight sheet in molten zinc. The zinc ions bond with the iron molecules in the steel to create a shiny, rust-resistant surface finish called galvanization. The corrugation design provides stability and strength to the sheets.
Galvalume metal. The manufacturing process of Galvalume is the same as galvanized metal, but aluminum and silicon are added to the zinc. The aluminum makes the product corrosion resistant, and the silicon helps the coating adhere to the underlying metal when it is rolled into a corrugated shape or cut. Galvalume offers better protection against rain, snow and ice but is not ideal for structures that house animals.
Does it matter which coating you choose? Are you planning to build a pole barn covered arena where appearance counts? Consider Galvalume metal. The protective coating offers optimal protection against fade and chalk while preserving the look of your building. When you use pole barn metal roofing and siding for your building, whether galvanized metal or Galvalume, you have a durable product that requires little maintenance. Is sustainability important to you? Pole barn metal roofing and siding is 100% recyclable at the end of its expected service life, which can be up to sixty years or more.
Why Should You Make Use of Custom Steel Fabrication?
Why would you want to use mass-produced entry gates to your property when you can have something one-of-a-kind? Do you have a design idea for hinges and handles unique to your horse barn and indoor horse arena? When you use custom steel fabrication from Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing, you stand out and have a product proudly made in the USA.
In our experience, many clients enjoy personalizing their property with artistic designs combined with functional solutions, whether signs, artwork, steel stalls, entry gates or cupolas. We pool our expertise, experience, quality materials, and fine workmanship to give our clients what only they can imagine.
Did you know cupolas, pronounced KYOO-pa-la, have a greater purpose than visual appeal? It serves as a ventilation system that draws warm, humid and smelly air from a barn or building while letting natural light spill into the vaulted ceiling. Have you ever been to Faneuil Hall in Boston, where abolitionists, labor unionists and women’s suffragists held meetings, debates and protests?
The cupola on this building is called a belvedere or widow’s walk and used to be in the center of the roof in 1742. To reach it, you have to climb narrow stairs, but fortunately, we now have remote control systems that allow owners to easily open and close cupola windows and louvers. Just imagine the amazing light display a cupola on your indoor events arena offers if light fixtures are added, especially when it is rented out at night. Not all metal fabrication companies make cupolas, but at Peak Pole Barns we combine artistry and steel to create fairly priced quality products.
What A Pole Barn Can Be Used For
Pole barns are ideal for horse barns and indoor horse arenas but can be used for many more commercial purposes. It also makes an excellent house with a separate or attached garage. One of the commercial uses one would not normally associate with pole barns is cold storage. As with other such buildings, it has to comply with industry specifications for access, ventilation and insulation. For example, it is recommended that a -16°F cold storage facility should have insulation with an R-value ranging from 42 to 48. A higher R-value can be used for the roof as it receives the hottest loads.
What type of pole barn buildings can Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing design and build for customers?
- Agricultural buildings to store farm equipment, livestock housing, milking sheds, and cow sheds.
- Crop storage
- Barn-style garages for all kinds of vehicles, including campers, trailers, RVs and trucks.
- Horse barns and indoor riding arenas
- All-purpose storage facilities
- RV, ATV, or Classic Car Storage
- Hangars for small planes or helicopters
- Residences
Do you want to build your home using a residential pole barn design but are not sure what it might look like? Did you know the metal sheeting used for pole barns is available in more than twenty colors? To see what the roof and siding of your new home might look like, use the online pole barn color visualizer.
Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing, Colorado Springs, are expert pole barn builders. Throughout Colorado, we design stables, residences, garages and more with our clients. We further source the materials and do the construction. Do you enjoy being unique and want a custom cupola or distinctive entry gates? Peak Pole Barns also offer steel fabrication services. Are you interested in adding pole barn buildings to your property? Contact Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing today.