How to Build a Better Fence or Barn

Barns

• 1

  Choose the site for your barn carefully. The position of your barn should be an easy distance from the house without being too close for constant unwanted odors to permeate your living space.

• 2

  Determine the primary use of your barn and plan accordingly. If your barn is primarily for the housing of animals, like horses, goats or sheep, design the biggest part of your barn with roomy stalls, places for feed and hay and a water source. For barns that will also be used as a workshop, leave plenty of space for power tools, supplies and a work bench.

• 3

  Design your barn with the lay of the land in mind. Once you’ve determined what your barn will be used for and drawn a preliminary design, use the structure of the site to finalize your plans. Barns built against a small hill can have three levels, with the lowest level serving as a walkout basement for tractor and large tool storage. Barns on a flat piece of land will primarily have two floors: one for livestock and workshop and the second for hay and feed storage. Use natural materials like stones from your property whenever possible to enhance the appearance of the foundation of your barn.

• 4

  Choose building materials based on weather conditions in your area over a period of time. If your barn is in a rainy climate, consider erecting an aluminum barn with baked-on enamel paint. These barns hole up well in moist climates. For areas with long winters, consider a wooden barn that won’t succumb to rust.

• 5

  Determine what types of accessories you need for your barn based on its primary use. If you live in a colder climate and your barn will be used as a workshop, consider installing a heating system. Choose a concrete floor if you live in a wet climate and your barn will be used for housing livestock. Provide a water source for your barn and install a utility sink to make clean up easy. Install electricity so the barn can be easily used at any time of day.

Fences

• 6

  Construct fences based on the primary use of the fence. If the fences are for pasture land where animals graze, use barbed wire fences or wire fences with barbs at the top. This discourages animals from pushing up against the fence and causing damage.

• 7

  Use wood for fences for animal paddocks near livestock barns. Wooden fences with deeply dug posts are easy to keep in repair simply by removing old boards and replacing when necessary rather than installing a completely new fence.

• 8

  Check posts regularly for signs of movement or rotting. The strength of your posts determines the strength and overall quality of your fence, so take the time to check and replace posts that are showing wear.

• 9

  Install gates of sturdy steel at entryways and between pastures for animal control. Base the gauge of the steel gates you choose on the types of livestock you are working with. Higher-gauge steel gives greater strength against large livestock like cows or horses, while lower-gauge steel is appropriate for tame livestock with animal paddocks. Consider adding automatic gate openers for areas of large pasture land. Automatic gate openers provide ease of use when driving through pastures to check on and feed livestock.

• 10

  Check all municipal codes before constructing your fences to find out what the required depth is for post-hole digging in your area. This is largely determined by the frost line in your zone. Digging your post hole to the correct depth will not only produce a stronger fence, it will keep you from getting cited by your local government.