Horse Lifestyle on Steroids - Barndo Delights and Best Laid Plans

Everything does not always go to plan when it comes to horse property development. As I've learned, and many other equine owners have too.

Willowview Hill Farm North

When you buy a piece of open land to begin building your horse farm there are many options to choose from to accommodate the housing needs of  horses and humans. Like many other equine aficionados I was hit with the brilliant idea of combining the two types of housing for what was to originally be our second farm WVHN (Willowview Hill Farm North) designated for our horse breeding business. 

 

Horse-breeding at WVHN have transpired...

As my husband and I explored the possibilities for the thoughtful development of the south-facing open tillable fields, we determined a multi-use building (now commonly referred to as a Barndo) was the answer. 

Our design was slightly different to some, in that it wasn't a total condominium second level style human living space set above stabling below. Instead our structure would be fronted with a two level human housing structure, with the stabling running out behind it with an airy two story height.

We located an architect and engineer and after a frustratingly long period they executed the design and the sets of plans finally arrived. Off we went all abuzz to the local Building Inspector to gain permits and approval for the build. 

BUT a major mix up occurred as to intended use, and the all wooden structure was determined not sufficient for public/commercial use and steel rafters/trusses were supposedly required. This use was not our intention, it was to be a private facility. Something was evidently lost in translation. The Building Inspector later admitted to us he was reading the wrong book!

But, nonetheless, as a result of this error these Barndo plans were shelved. Or rather rolled up and tossed aside. It all ended up just as well. 

During this time we had weekended at the property in our 'trainers' RV, (a rather lovely new motorhome we had recently purchased that we used to commute to Florida each year for our dressage training). During these visits where we hauled horses back and forth and built paddocks, finished up stabling and a barn bathroom and office, we had already come to love the Upstate land of our intended 2nd farm location so much, we decided to move to it full-time and to sell off the WVHS property.

With a family of 5, including three teenage children, we figured we might prefer a residence plus a horse barn as this was to be the main home, rather than building a combo unit after all. 

A decision I might add, I do not regret overall. However, I do wish we'd built the multi-use structure and lived in it while we built the house rather than spending two years with the teens living the 39' Class A motor home on the property. 

Upstate winters are no joke especially at the elevation where the property is sited in the Catskill Mountains. And RV's are simply not built to handle it. Much fun was had navigating it all I have to say. A daily use of a hairdryer to defrost bathroom taps; a cold daily walk in a bathrobe to and from the barn to use a larger shower than the RV offered, that we had sensibly built in the barn bathroom; and an extra large propane tank attached to the RV that required frequent fill-up for heat and cooking needs, where the delivery driver was always given a fried egg on a roll sandwich and a hot coffee to keep him warm in the snow while he completed the operation. 

Winter fun!

 

And options for local houses to rent during the construction time were shall we say, 'limited' and we would not have been on site for the build. 

Being on site to receive and to keep building supplies secured ultimately became very necessary as we actually ended up also building the house ourselves with our own four hands too. 

This was due to the fact that no local builders could be found to complete the construction of the house. Every time we sent our plans out for quote they'd come back with the builder saying there was either an element they didn't know how to build, like a staircase or balcony so would not be included (sounded a bit silly), or could not manage the timeline (2 years out maybe i.e. they didn't want the job it was too big for most) or finally the last straw when a contractor that we decided to go with quoted one price and then when we got to contract signing they elevated the pricing significantly saying, "I misspoke." All very funny looking back at it. 

We are very happy we built it ourselves and it has been a fabulous journey. Not without its ups and downs of course. But that's a whole other story. Suffice to say the Building Inspector told us it was the house to be in neighborhood wise if a hurricane struck, because we had overbuilt all aspects. And that, he told us, was his only issue with it. A fine compliment of which we are quite proud.

 

Building the house was a family affair at times..but mostly just hubbie and I

Before all this transpired we had reached out to the company that had already constructed our new indoor arena, and we had quickly contracted them to build us a separate matching horse barn. 

Meantime my husband learned a very complicated CAD program and began designing the house. We were not keen to waste time with another long wait using engineers and architect. Armed with some first hand construction experience over the years having constructed several horse barns with our own four hands quite literally at our first farm, we were confident we could complete the plans. We commissioned some guidance from an engineer that we located in Cooperstown, NY, a wonderful older gentleman, and hubbie spent a solid 3 months working at the dining room table drafting the house plans. Between of course running another business, riding/training/breeding horses and caring for the needs of the two-legged members of the family. Quite the challenge, and looking back, I don't know how we managed it.

This all occurred over two decades ago, and building materials and options for Barndominium buys have come a long way since then. The full on Barndo lifestyle is unquestionably a horse lover's lifestyle on steroids. It would have been perfect for us in the above situation. Especially as time was of the essence for moving the kids through High Schools and today we could have simply ordered one up and had it delivered in less time than those original plans took us to attain. 

A modular style Barndominium purchase would have seen us all set up and ready to go in a matter of days following delivery, and with a multitude of choices for style, sizes and designs, we could have crafted it to complement the existing indoor arena in color and materials. 

Perhaps later we could have used it as staff quarters, guest house needs, adult kid and family space or even Airbnb'd it or rented it out. Or as it turned out, it would have been useful to offer to my elderly Mom as a space of her own following the loss of my father.

But, the modular Barndo wasn't available then. And the reality is that though the RV cost then as much as a Barndo would today, the choice we made was one that seemed our best option at the time. The value of the RV of course declined precipitously after purchasing it new, where the Barndo would of course increased in value. Oh well. Too late now.

The delights of Barndo living are clearly widely embraced by horse folks, and the designs have come a long, long way from the historic use of Hunting Boxes or prior centuries when it was a necessity to live alongside animals for their security and warmth. 

To-day's Barndominiums offer a versatility and lifestyle all its own, and it's well worth taking a look.

 

Horizon Structures delivers modular barndominiums nationwide