anyone built or own their own stables - advice please!

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4whitesocks

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sorry this is likely to be quite long so feel free to turn away now!

OK bought house over the summer on .75 of an acre (.5 behind the house). Bought another .75 behind that from the farmer....turning behind house + extra into 2 small paddocks plus teeny yard...will also lease some local grazing
can't afford block built stables so buying a steel shed, girders support main structure, blocked up to eye level, roof & remainder of sides steel - will partition 1/3 into 1 10x12 & 1 12x14 stable (one for my boyo & one for field ornament/companion - TBC), will have room to store round bale(s) plus feed, potentially put trailer in if going away out of sight. Shed will be behind the house, not visible from road about half way between house & boundary fence (has to be for access etc.)
Questions/thoughts -
1. dung heap - to side of shed or further way? hopefully farmer will empty for me so thinking big enough to take a digger shovel but not much bigger
2. concrete yard - how much? - don't want to take up too much valuable grazing space - will have sheltered area inside for grooming, washing tacking up etc but will need something to drive up on with trailer etc. - how much more do I really need?
3. Open one side with block built within or closed all round with big sliding door & just block partitions? (more expensive to close off but warmer/more sheltered?
4. close off the area with post & rail & a gate to bring neds in....leave it open (close off feed/haylage)....electric fence & tape it?

Anything else i need to consider (planning not an issue due to size & type, it's far enough from neighbours & away from any water sources)....

would really appreciate any experience anyone has if you've built your own..

Thanks
 
we built our own, have 2 stables and tackroom/feed room, with a concrete yard which will eventually be fenced in,muck heap is a bit away from yard, with easy access to be emptyed etc.. got some pics somewhere... love having a decent size concrete area, fab for shoeing, feet washing etc, great to have somewhere to get away from the mud
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Agree with madhector about decent size yard. We have 3 looseboxes in a line & had a 40'x36' yard built. This means that one horse can be tied up on the yard & there is plenty of room to go past with other horse/wheelbarrow etc.
The amount of grazing you have is so minimal that you will get more benefit from a bigger yard in the winter. I had friends who just put a 4' strip outside their stables to preserve as much grass as poss, but they regretted it.
Hope this helps!
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The first stables my father built were from a metal shipping container and everyone involved said never again! It was freezing cold in the winter, boiling hot in the summer, and condensation used to form on the roof so they had to wear TO rugs when stabled because it 'rained' inside the container. We eventually spent a lot of time and money fitting a huge wooden roof on top the metal roof and cutting 30 vents in the metal with an angle grinder. We do still use the stables but it's definitely not something I woud consider again.

The next lot of stables we built were wooden and have been fantastic. A friend had moved into a new house and they were dismatnled stables rotting away in the barn so we rescued the fronts and built around them. We have also built 4 stables completely from scratch, I could find out how much it cost if you like (was done on a very tight budget!)

Concrete wise I would go for more than you think. If you make it fairly large and fence it then you will have a dry area in the winter and can yard them if necessary.
 
Agree about having as much hard standing/ concrete as possible, you always need more than you think! It is expensive, but in the long run you won't regret it- so get as much as you can afford! I would also fence/ gate off the yard, then you will have an all weather turnout area for very wet winter weather. I left our stables open on to the paddock- but wish I hadn't, as big lad is a pain when you'er mucking out etc.....he likes to 'help'.
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We put hardcore down to our stables, and although it has settled and had to be topped up, it makes a good 'drive' for access.
I think you decision about the stables needs to be decided by the weather where you are! Ventilation is soo important that if the stables were in a sheltered area, i would be happy to have them open, as it were, and just rug up well if it's cold. There was an artile ages ago about some seriously flash dressage yard, and their stables (monarch type) were all in an open sided barn. Obviousally if it's really windy where you are, then you will need to close them in, as driving rain is never fun
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With regard to muck heap, if you going to get it shifted regulary then have it as close as possible- I wouldn't mind it at the side of the stables, so long as it was going often- and i think the trailer option is a good idea.
 
Thanks a million for your really helpful replies

Trailer idea is bloomin brilliant - and hadn't considered that angle on the size of the yard re a winter 'stretch your legs' area...we are very exposed & pretty windy (this winter has been anyway so probably best to have 4 sides not 3)... think might site the shed in the middle of the strip & then concrete as far as my access gate - share a laneway with farmer....laneway has been 'hard-cored' at some stage so should be okay to tow on...

had considered wooden stables but as there is so much trailer stealing over here was attracted by the thoughts of being able to put it out of sight & having one compact, lockable unit (obviously not locking it with neddies in it but you know what I mean)

Do you have to dig much of a foundation to lay a concrete yard (i.e. will there be much to dispose of?)
 
on my yard we have a muck heap next to a barn, in the barn small areas for cows..... please read on

to theese cows we feed the muck, this may sound cruel however i think they rather like the taste if you had cows you wouldnt have to pay the nice farmer to come and take it away and you could start breeding and sell beef at local markets and things like that this would be an extra income and help with your muck!!!
 
You will have to compy with current building regulations so the depth of foundations will be pre-defined. You will have quite a lot of spoil however if this is soil then a local farmer will probably allow you to put it on tge edge of one of his fields prior to being ploughed in at the end of the growing season. You are best off having good foundations put in otherwise you will only get cracking of the concrete at a later stage and movements of the stables.

It is best to have this all done properly with evidence of this by taking phographs as the work progresses and all the reports from the building inspector so that if you sell up you have got it all at hand.
 
We didn't need building regs, something to do with it being so far from a road etc I seem to remember; we dug out about 2feet I think, then layed loads of hardcore, which was compressed, then about 8'' of concrete (I am estimating this from memory, but remember OH followimng standard building reg advice)- this was our 'foundations' for the stables though so had to be solid.
If the area is not load bareing i.e just use for standing the horses on, I think you could get away with alot less digging out.
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our building regs are less strict than in the UK & as it's classed as agricultural building in an agricultural area there are 6 or 7 rules you have to abide by but don't need official planning permissions as it were - guy who's going to build it does a lot of farm building & is pretty straight (actually my YOs brother) so reckon he'll keep me on teh straight & narrow. I have a drop from one 'mini'paddock' to the next - my percolation for the septic tank is under the raised bit, in what is now part of the back garden so could use some of what is dug out to make that into a slope rather than a drop...might not be feasible but will investigate.

Farmer have bought the land from owns all land surrounding us & keeps cattle...not sure he'd fancy feeding them horse manure though!
 
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