Should You Work With An Equine Architect?

November 16, 2021

Although it is an expensive service, the selection of an equine architect is just as crucial as choosing the right contractor.

An architects’ benefits are immeasurable as the thoughtful planning will save you time, resources, and headache in the long run.

An experienced equine architect will help with your barns's aesthetics, but will simultaneously help ensure that your barn is functional. Reputable equine architects will help you think about your barn site’s location, the surrounding topography, climate, and other details. All of these factors will add up to make a significant difference in your barn’s day-to-day ease of operations.

Once you speak to an architect, do make sure to communicate your vision, your requirements, and your budget. As is the case with anything, the more honest you are upfront, the easier the process will be at the end. It is easy for yourself or the architect to get carried away without having proper discussions of your barn’s vision, your budget, your horses’ breeds, and how you see the barn’s function.

While we do recommend clients to work with an architect if their budget allows – there are times when an architect is not required. For example, your project’s simplicity may not require an architect’s involvement. Another example is if your project’s overall budget doesn't fit the architect's fees. A third example is when a client will have a discussion with an architect and realize that they want a simple, pre-fabricated barn. In this case, you simply don’t need an architect.

An architect involvement is truly dependent on your barn’s purpose and estimated budget. No two barn projects are the same. For example, we can work with a client who wants to build a 18-stall barn with an indoor arena, office, laundry room, wash bay area, tack room, and a client lounge. For their stabling, they’d like European stall fronts, Dutch Doors, shutter windows, and rubber pavers as flooring. The conversation will inevitably lead to a quotation when a client asks, “what will something like this cost?”

The true answer is that such a project could cost anywhere from $150,000 to $3,000,000. The first amount could be a more utilitarian barn. The latter (or somewhere in-between) is where the projects budget is well spent with a preliminary conceptual drawing. For a project with a latter project, an architect can come into provide a farm site masterplan, structural conceptual drawings, and help you truly sculpt your vision into a reality.

If you do choose to hire a reputable equine architect, it will entail a project where you are surrounded by the right team. This entire process will help you look at the project’s reality along with your ultimate vision. This means that it puts you in touch with people to approach project’s lead time, budget, and scale with a real view of your facility’s vision.

At American Stalls, we have experience in working alongside and serving some of the nation's leading equine architects. Please kindly feel free to reach out to our team if you may need any recommendations. One of our Project Managers would also be more than happy to help answer any questions and further explain the process. Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.

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