Barns offer tremendous versatility for use due to the nature of their inherent size and their relative affordability when compared to other styles of commercial or larger buildings.
A large center-aisle bardominium with living spaces upstairs and a large overhang to protect horses and people.
A barn continues to offer a rich legacy as a building for all reasons and all seasons, and it also offers a cultural heritage linchpin that everyone can appreciate both now and in the future.
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Barns can offer living spaces for humans as well as horses and other livestock. The eco-friendly single footprint of the upward trending build, the Barndo or Barndominium, is a testament to the sincere interest folks have in enjoying a more rural lifestyle and perhaps simpler existence. This Upstairs Downstairs Living With Horses is a hot hit with horse owners, and its flexibility for multi-purpose use over time cannot be denied.
But what other uses can a barn design offer outside of its standard operating procedure, that of a shelter for horses and large animals or a combination living arrangement for horses and humans? Is a barn structure a good investment? Let’s take a look.
The Horse Barn Revisited
Homeowners that find themselves purchasing an existing barn structure as part of a new property buy, are often flummoxed as to what to do with the building. Similarly for horse folks who have aged out of owning horses but have enjoyed keeping horses home in their own backyard, they often find their once busy horse barn is now just left to sit. Perhaps their children have fled the nest or perhaps they themselves choose to hang up their spurs as their older horses pass on.
Unused barns become a safe haven for vermin and other wildlife. The once freshly bedded stalls sadly left empty of horses, now doomed to their new life as dusty storage spaces for old equipment, gardening paraphernalia or tools.
While TV shows like American Pickers, ( a show that I confess to having watched every episode to date that has taught me much) showcase ardent antique hunters combing the country far and wide sliding back barn doors hoping to discover valuable vintage cars, farm equipment relics, Americana antiquities and the like within the walls, in reality it’s unlikely that old barns will hide beneath their leaking roof or beside their decaying walls, much of import to the average bear.
If you inherit a barn that appears full of junk that could perhaps be recycled, consider calling a local company, one hopefully with some staff that have knowledge of valuation to come look at it before you have it hauled out and taken away.
Old farm equipment, cars, metal, aluminum, and memorabilia jars/churns/containers can all have some value in the right hands. Though be realistic, aside from any obvious contenders like an heirloom 1920’s auto under a moth-eaten dustcover, or a rusty old motorcycle or bicycle that an avid collector may like to rehabilitate, it’s unlikely there is much significant value in the accumulated items to the average person. Though old watering cans, buckets and containers can make great gardening containers and the creative souls among us can do great things with a pile of rusty horseshoes.
Derelict barns are a sad sight to behold. These barns from a bygone era that are left in various stages of decay are an increasingly common vista on the landscape as you traverse the countryside due to farmers being forced to retire from keeping livestock or cropping fields due to economic pressures. It is almost inevitable that vast tracts of land will go to housing development, and even noteworthy structures be torn down and their heritage lost.
But big barn or small, the barn can add true value to property value and can even be an income producing venue in the right hands. And building a fresh legacy starts with making a choice to select a high quality, sturdily built structure that will offer durability with low maintenance components that will provide longevity without too much attention.
It is increasingly common for modular horse barns to be bought specifically for use for other purposes. The ease of customizations; plentiful color option; array of building material choices; known timeframe for completion and almost ‘instant’ appearance all set up and ready for immediate use make them an attractive option. And don’t forget the sincerest stress-buster of all, the ‘to-the-penny’ price that is on offer at leading modular barn companies (replete with attractive financing options if required).
Agritourism and Business Uses
The rustic character of a barn lends itself to romantic uses such as wedding or other special event use. Rafters hung with Italian lights, swaths of billowing fabric dancing across beams and pillars decorated with flowers bring the warm wood ambience of a timber structure to life and add a beautiful backdrop to colorful tablescapes with plenty of room in the vast interior for a dance floor to be laid down.
Traditionally barns were sited close to the road for ease of access. This handy and high-profile location makes them ideal for agritourism purposes such as market stands for garden produce, or active manufacturing processes such as breweries, cideries and wineries with tasting rooms incorporated for sales boosts.
Barns also make good woodworking and craft spaces. A popular use for barns of all shapes, sizes and ages is as an antique shop. This is not surprising when you consider the practicality of their large access doors. And their huge interior spaces which can make fabulous showrooms, offering heavy duty beams as superb places to hang antiques and the high walls that offer lots of shelf room for bigger object d’art or wall art. Barns also make great spaces for furniture outlets and a myriad of other working showrooms, including museums for larger items. For example, in England, the prestige auto brand Aston Martin’s museum can be found in a rural barn.
Renovate and Reboot The Barn
If a barn is in disrepair it can be relatively straightforward to renovate the structure to its former glory, if the basic supporting frame members have integrity and the foundation is still solid.
While complete barn roof replacement can be expensive due to the usually extensive square footage, a barn roof style is usually very straightforward to repair as it is usually designed without gulleys and channels and other architectural complications caused by dormer style windows and chimneys that need to be worked around. Many barns have zero guttering systems either, though adding one may be a sound idea especially if the structure is being renovated for living space.
A barn roof’s significant surface area can be a boon when used as an out of the way location where solar panels can be installed (given the structural members will support the weight), or skylights can be added for natural light to save on energy costs, and the height of a barn can often be tall enough to accommodate two story division.
Barn Styles, Size and Substance
In today’s marketplace modular barn styles come in a huge array of options. Limited only by your imagination and inspired by extensive resources that are shared online, the opportunity to own the perfectly designed barn for your own particular preference and use is very much on the table. Truly, a barn couldn’t be simpler to acquire.
Mixed use barns for the two types of horsepower, equid and mechanical varieties, are a favorite method to combine fit, form and purpose of a barn for everyday use.
The Barndominium is history revisited. Everything old becomes new again for some of the same reasons it has and likely will always be, a part of history.
Business use of a barn for the forward-thinking entrepreneur is as extensive in options as the shapes, sizes and styles of barns you can find available for purchase at a few taps on your preferred electronic device.
A barn continues to offer a rich legacy as a building for all reasons and all seasons. It offers a cultural heritage linchpin that everyone can appreciate both now and in the future. Stewardship of the land offers an opportunity to take barn design and development to a new level.
Why not step up and help reinvent its purpose and muster all its advantages.
About Horizon Structures: One horse or twenty, there’s one thing all horse owners have in common…the need to provide safe and secure shelter for their equine partners. At Horizon Structures, we combine expert craftsmanship, top-of-the-line materials and smart “horse-friendly” design to create a full line of sheds and barns that any horse owner can feel confident is the right choice for their horses’ stabling needs.
All wood. Amish Made. Most of our buildings are shipped 100% pre-built and ready for same-day use. Larger barns are a modular construction and can be ready for your horses in less than a week. All our barn packages include everything you need –
Horizon Structures also sells chicken coops, equine hay feeders, greenhouses, dog kennels, 1 and 2 car garages, storage sheds and outdoor living structures and playsets.
Headquartered in South-Central Pennsylvania, Horizon Structures, LLC is owned by Dave Zook. Dave was raised in the Amish tradition and grew up working in the family-owned shed business. He started Horizon Structures in 2001 in response to an ever-increasing customer demand for high quality, affordable horse barns.
For additional information about the company or their product line, please visit their website at https://www.horizonstructures.com
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