When the time comes to build a new horse barn on your property, you’ll have a few crucial considerations. First, you will need to choose where to put the barn, how large to build it and many more decisions. One other essential option in this process is the material you will use to build the barn.
Today there’s two primary choices available, wood and metal, and both may give some great perks. In fact, although many iconic pictures of horse property contain wood barns, the barn marketplace has transformed to keep up with demand. For years, wood was the primary building material for barns, storing it in our memories as the “best” barn material. However, we can analyze the benefits and possible downsides of building a metal barn instead of a wood barn.
Why choose a metal barn over a wood barn?
Flexible Size and Design
Custom metal barn designs are entirely adjustable depending on your needs and budget. For example, maybe you have long-term ideas for your horse barns in the future. Metal horse barns can cost-effectively grow as your horse family grows. Unfortunately, wood structures do not give the same flexibility and are significantly more expensive.
Low Maintenance
Unlike metal barns, wood horse barns are not very weather-resistant over time. They are vulnerable to rotting, mold, warping, cracking, termite damage and other difficulties that will require a great deal of maintenance. You can also plan on painting and varnishing your wood horse barn every few years. This alone could tip the scales if you are considering a metal barn design.
Expandable
Metal horse barn designs help you create what you need or can afford right now without hindering your potential to grow in the future. Unfortunately, standard wood constructions cannot give the versatility of a metal horse barn.
You’re not sacrificing a safe or sturdy structure simply because it’s easily extendable. Metal and steel horse barn kits endure extreme weather. Our designs are so solid that we provide a 50-year structural warranty.
Weather and Fire-Resistant
One of the significant reasons to build or purchase a horse barn is to shelter horses from the weather and offer them a stable area for feeding and maintenance. Your barn offers a location where they may escape from the outdoors and feel comfortable even during harsh winter weather and through the heat waves of summer. It should also protect them from fire.
Wood may become damaged by water, but moisture management in metal buildings is easy to maintain and metal barns do not get damaged by water. Throughout years of water exposure, steel will exhibit little to no damage, whereas wood will break down and deteriorate.
Durable
Although wood has demonstrated its ability to stand up to Mother Nature, metal structures with steel trusses are significantly more robust. The straightforward span truss design ensures you won’t wind up in a claustrophobic environment. You’ll also love the absence of flat ceilings, which will provide more useable internal space. So go ahead and place a gambrel roof on your design for maximum effect.
This design establishes the primary interior frame convention that gives you the ability to complete the interior with doors and windows. You can even insulate with standard batt-style insulation.
Sustainable
While some horse owners will always select wood, there are many compelling reasons to go for metal horse barns. One of the most prominent arguments is sustainability; metal structures are today’s green construction alternative.
Why choose a wood barn over a metal barn?
Safe
Any exposed metal might hurt a horse if the animal kicks it or becomes entangled in it. For example, while placing kickboards on interior walls might protect horses where kicks are most prevalent, horses can suffer significant lacerations anywhere exposed metal is present. For safety reasons, a wood barn might be better than a metal barn. the point has to go-to wood.
Conclusion
Many horse owners become overwhelmed when choosing between horse metal barns and wood structures. Naturally, metal and wood are fundamentally different materials, and they have their pros and cons, which you must evaluate. However, there are additional critical variables to consider before picking, such as your budget, durability, strength and maintenance costs.
Although wood constructions are appealing, they may not give you the long-term benefits like steel buildings.
