Horizon Structures Presents Series: Best Spend Areas For Your Barn Building Bucks By Nikki Alvin-Smith

For Immediate Release:
June 20th, 2025

Horizon Structures LLC, Atglen, PA
Media Contact: NAS@NikkiAlvinSmithStudio.com
Tel: 607 434 4470
https://www.HorizonStructures.com

Photos are available on request

Horizon Structures Presents Series: Best Spend Areas For Your Barn Building Bucks

By Nikki Alvin-Smith

A new barn build comes with plenty of options and opportunities for customization. Along with those choices comes a whirlwind of decision-making and sometimes figuring out just where to spend the barn building bucks can be difficult.

There are areas in any structural design where money can be saved and then there are features where skimping and scraping by or treading conservatively spend-wise will come back to haunt the building owner. Overlooking certain construction factors can actually cost you money down the road in addition to making barn maintenance and horse care miserable experiences.

Here is some helpful advice on where to pay special attention in your new barn specifications both in what you ultimately select and how you compare barn constructions plans when shopping.

Use A Top to Bottom Overview

While your new barn will begin life looking shiny and new, fresh and fabulous, the durability of the surface finishes matter just as much as the grade and quality of the lumber used in the framing and substructure of the building and the level of craftsmanship and hardware quality used to put it all together.

Raise The Roof – Quality

There are many choices in roof materials and a huge array of colors to choose from to top your creation. Don’t be tempted to go for the less expensive shorter lifespan shingles or lesser quality metal sheathing. Or to overlook the overhang distance for soffits and gable ends or weather-shielding above sliding doors.

Remember metal roofs have a longer lifespan than shingle roofs overall. But both are available with good lifespans and warranties. However, a metal roof will likely cost more as an initial outlay.

Metal roofing that is pre-painted before rolling and cutting for use is generally more durable than one that is sprayed after cutting. There are a lot of options on the market and be certain to check both the gauge, paint application, and the design. A larger gauge does not necessarily translate into a better roofing material.

Check the warranties for each product as these are sometimes much less inclusive or enforceable on off-brand products and can be ambiguously written.

Roof repairs are not only costly and difficult to manage due to the height and pitch of the roof, but any water leakage to any structure can do significant damage over a short period of time.

Low-Maintenance Siding Pays Its Way

It’s easy to think that a wood siding without staining or painting will gray to an antique luster that is attractive and sits well naturally in the environment. The reality however is that unprotected wood, especially a softwood like pine or fir, will be subjected to insect, chemical/atmospheric pollutant and weather damage.

There are great products for staining available that offer warranties as long as 15 years, but of course the better the product and the warranty the more expensive the staining product will be. It is important with any paint or stain application that the ambient temperature and level of humidity are optimized at time of application. The method of application can also impact longevity of the protection provided. Thus a factory-applied coating is a more durable option that an on-site added application.

Galvalume is an example of a commonly used metal for siding and roofing. It is a steel sheet that has an electrolytically applied coating of a combination of zinc and aluminum.

Metal-siding is a popular choice for horse barns but be careful to protect both the interior and exterior sides of metal from access by horses. An errant kick from an exuberant horse that lands through a metal skin on a building can cause serious injuries to the horse.

Low-maintenance materials exist outside of the metal and wood world in the form of modern variations. Some popular examples are LP Smartside or LP Techshield.

Better quality product lines are obviously going to be a bit more expensive than their lesser counterparts but paying a bit more now can pay dividends later with less labor cost and material expenses for repairs.

A River Runs Through It

Don’t skimp on water management on the building site or the structure itself. Roofs shedding water or snow/ice can make barn life miserable with flooded stalls, watery walkways and messy entry points to the barn.

Drainage ditching, guttering and downspouts all keep water where it needs to be – out of the barn. All smart moves to avoid water intrusion to the structure. Standing water can also damage flooring, negatively impact pillar support substructures and over time cause even pressure-treated wood to rot.

Sizing Up The Situation

It’s not only important to review stall square footage, wall heights, stall wall designs and aisleway sizes. It’s also essential that entry doors to all areas are big enough and designed well-enough to be straightforward and safe for use on a daily basis for horses, their human handlers, and for equipment access.

Here are some important door safety facts you should consider.

The Base – More Than A Foundation

Once you have reviewed your siting options on the property to set your barn it is fundamental to the overall well-being of your horse barn that the structure’s footprint plus an extended apron area around the barn is properly prepared for construction.

It is tempting to cut costs on the amounts/depths of aggregates used, the time/labor costs to have heavy machinery compact and accurately level the base and drainage to be installed. Don’t! Everything that is detailed in the site plans exists for a very specific reason, and shortcuts in the site preparation will almost certainly come back to cause problems with the barn later.

Issues caused by subpar site preparation may be immediately apparent, such as stuck sliding doors or windows or puddles of water surrounding the barn. But it won’t take long for temperature changes to start heaving the ground that can cause ill-prepared concrete floors to crack or subsidence or freeze-thaw to occur resulting in failure of the integrity of the barn’s foundation or support.

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Feel free to contact Nikki Alvin-Smith for further information and high-res photos.

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 about a week. All our barn packages include everything you need to move your horses right in

Horizon Structures also sells chicken coops, equine hay feeders, greenhouses, dog kennels.

You can also find garages, sheds and outdoor living sets available at Horizon’s sister company Stoltzfus Structures.

Headquartered in South-Central Pennsylvania, Horizon Structures, LLC was founded 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. Over the years, the company has grown and now has several build shops located throughout the US enabling them to service customers nationwide.

For additional information about the company or their product line, please visit their website at https://www.horizonstructures.com

Please visit https://www.horseinakiltmedia.com/to learn more about her affordable services.