While we help clients with many new barn projects, we also routinely help clients renovate their existing barns. Renovations come in all shapes and sizes. Similar to our homes, it's not necessary to do a full renovation of every component within the barn.
Some clients choose to overhaul the entire barn from top to bottom. Other clients will complete a renovation in multiple phases – going from horse stall flooring, interior barn lighting, and eventually making their way to horse stalls and fencing.
In this article, we would like to explore ways to add significant value to your barn renovation. In this article, we define "value" as delivering refreshed elegance, improved safety, and improved day-to-day user experience. We would like to explore five products that will deliver this value to your renovation – and also show you how they provided value to past renovations. Let's dive in!
1 – Sliding Horse Stall Doors
While hinged European Horse Stall Fronts are one of our most popular options, it's no surprise that Sliding Horse Stalls tend to be the most popular among older barns. Sliding Horse Stalls are functional since they slide along your stall front – providing a huge space saving feature. When built right, these stall fronts can be incredibly safe for large equestrian facilities. In this case, safety is defined by the ability to safely turn in and turn out your horses with minimal latch handling. It is also defined by the ability to quickly open horse stall fronts in the event of a fire emergency.
Older barns will tend to have horse stall doors that might show their age. Whether you are looking for just a new Sliding Stall Door or a brand new Sliding Stall Front System, we have just the perfect product for your renovation. Below is an example of a 4-stall barn renovation we did for a client in Middleburg, Virginia.
This family purchased a new property with an existing barn onsite. The barn included Stall Gates and an open design. Our client, however, wanted to spruce up the interior. We then helped build custom Sliding Horse Stall Doors to replace the existing Stall Gates. Our Stall Doors features a V-Shaped Yoke top to allow socialization. We then included a mesh bottom to promote airflow and improved visibility into the stall. The finishing touch included HVH lumber plates on the center and bottom.
Another striking example is our project for West Virginia University's equine studies barn. In this project, we helped build custom Horse Stall Doors, Grillwork, and Barn Doors. For this particular portion, it is truly incredible to see the before and after with the addition of our Stall Doors, new Grillwork, and fresh paint.
The next example is a 58-stall barn renovation we completed in Rancho Santa Fe, California for Arroyo Del Mar. This facility is home to Steffen Peters and Shannon Peters. In this renovation, we worked with this world class dressage facility to overhaul the entire barn – everything from the horse stalls to the wash stalls to lighting and more. However, here is another example of a Sliding Horse Stall renovation.
In this horse stall renovation, we replaced the older Sliding Horse Stalls which were problematic to slide. The older horse stalls were also beginning to show their age with rust and other degradation. We then custom built Sliding Horse Stall Fronts with a beautiful V-Shaped Yoke that provides more elegance. We then finished each horse stall with a custom dark bronze powder finish to provide that wow factor.
2 – Rubber Pavers
Our Rubber Pavers are another fantastic way to truly transform the look and feel of your barn. Many of our clients will begin their renovations in phases spanning multiple months and years. Rubber Pavers are a great way to add a sophisticated look to your barn's center aisle and cross breezeways.
They also add an unbelievable amount of comfort to tired feet. It is a day-and-night difference compared to standing all day on concrete versus our Rubber Pavers. Lastly, we equestrians understand the need for safe and secure footing both in our arenas and barn. In the barn's case, our Rubber Pavers feature a high coefficient of grip – allowing superior traction during wet conditions. The above photos show our black Rubber Pavers (1-3/4" thick) in a barn project in South Carolina.
3 – Exterior Barn Dutch Doors or Sliding Paddock Doors
When we work with clients, we like to focus on promoting airflow, sunlight, and socialization. These three elements make for a healthier barn environment and happier horses. Many older barn builds will feature no Dutch Doors - or any exterior barn doors for that matter. If they do happen to have exterior horse stall doors, they then have smaller than desired door widths. In either case, both situations are less than ideal.
Our clients routinely add functionality and style to their barn exteriors by adding our exterior barn door components. Our Dutch Door (left above photo) splits in the middle to allow the top door to remain open during pleasant weather. This function allows your horse the ability to get fresh air and also decrease overall boredom associated with stall rest. Our Sliding Paddock Doors (right above photo) are another great option for clients who would rather prefer a sliding door as opposed to a Dutch Door.
4 – Barn Lighting
Similar to our homes' interior lighting and exterior accent lighting, the right lighting can do wonders for our barns. Older barns might have lighting fixtures that do not project enough illumination. This lack of light can be a safety hazard for riders - whether that is in a barn aisle or somewhere outside the barn. We offer custom built Gooseneck Lamps and light fixtures that provide large radiuses for light.
The above lighting is for the renovation at Arroyo Del Mar. This featured our Original Gooseneck Lamp with a beautiful bronze porcelain enamel finish. These fixtures provide ample lighting while providing renewed elegance for this renovation project. Our custom lighting really provides a beautiful finishing touch to this 58-stall barn renovation. Just look at this evening shot of this aisle!
5 – HDPE Fencing
Last but not least, we'd like to cover fencing. While we offer our HDPE fencing for your farm's perimeter and paddocks, we recommend to also consider it for your exterior stalls. Exterior horse stall runs attached to your interior horse stalls are a fantastic way to increase your horse's total stalling area. Well designed runs provide your horse with the flexibility to enjoy their stall rest outside instead of an interior horse stall.
Our HDPE Fencing is exceptionally safe and is available in 3-rail, 4-rail, 5-rail, and even 6-rail configurations. These customizable rail configurations allow you the utmost security for your horse's specific behaviors and needs. The construction and materials also ensure a safe material that is forgiving upon impact. Our HDPE Fencing is yet another great product to consider during a renovation that is complete in phases.
We hope that this article has helped provide ideas for your upcoming barn renovation. Do you have any questions on this post or simply need help with your barn project? You can reach us at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957 8255. We look forward to assisting you!
