Contructing a stable yard...but on a budget?

[loulabelle]

Hi,
I am just after a bit of advice on those of you who have been lucky enough to build your own stable yard from scratch.
The farmer who I rent my field from has kindly agreed to put a concrete slab down for me to be able to build stables and storage barns I do have to finance the materials for the build myself tho (long standing agreement in place for the fields so I’m not worried about doing the work then being kicked off before anyone asks lol).
I’m in desperate need of stables as all mine are currently field kept and as much as its easier than them being stable kept and they all cope well I would love the option to stable all 5 of them especially with these harsh weather conditions we keep having...as it also means my field wont get as wrecked as it wont be being grazed 24/7.
Whilst this is great news (and am at the advantage that my husband is a builder) I am now looking into prices of materials etc....I don’t want to spend a fortune on DIY stable kits as I just don’t have that sort of money to spend.
So my question is.... is it achievable on a budget? Obviously it can be worked on over the summer/autumn and they don’t have to be erected all at the same time but eventually I would like 6 stables in total aswell as a couple of storage barns
Also how were your stables constructed, I’m guessing that there would need to be brick work at the base so they are water tight but can they be successfully constructed of wood on top of that to save on costs....and what is the most cost effective material to use for the roof?
Also which kind of layouts did you find most practical...I currently have 2 horses at the min ranging from 13.1hh to 16hh (and still growing as she is only 2)
My next mission once this is complete will be trying to let me put in a school haha

 

[*hic*]

You need to find out what will be acceptable to the planners first. As for doing them on a budget I had a friend who built a very neat and tidy yard from excess pallets he was asked to take away from his work premises!

 

[Polos Mum]

If on a rented place I'd be tempted with moveable field shelters - that can be sold if the farmer changes his mind, you could get them 1 at a time to help with budget. Also would be simple from a planning perspective - the farmer will need planning for the base (and he may be able to get it easily using agricultural planning rules - but the building would need further planning considerations.

We built a 7 stable, 1 feed room plus large hay barn american barn style building for ours and we found breeze block was far cheaper than wood - and it will take less maintenance/ damage from the horses. If you OH is a builder then I'd be really tempted to look at this as he could do all the work himself over time easily rather than have to learn complex joinery.
Corregated plastic sheets on the roof would be cheap and let light in but need to be well fixed if you're in a windy spot.

 

[loulabelle]

You need to find out what will be acceptable to the planners first. As for doing them on a budget I had a friend who built a very neat and tidy yard from excess pallets he was asked to take away from his work premises!

Can planning dictate what materials need to be used?
What a nice cheap way of doing it

 

[JillA]

Can planning dictate what materials need to be used?
What a nice cheap way of doing it

Yes, they can impose all kinds of conditions, so that it blends in and isn't an eyesore. That's if it is a permanent structure, and presumably the farmer is getting change of use consent for the concrete base?

 

[Polos Mum]

Absolutely planning can dictate what materials, how many stables, layout, colour paint, even lenght of overhang! etc etc. can be a big pain - call your local planning office and arrange for a visit from your local planning officer who will come out to the site, meet you can chat through what is usually acceptable to them and what is not. They do these visits for free as it stops them wasting time looking at applications that fail.

Might be just worth checking with your farmer that he is going through proper planning for the concrete base tho before you allert the council to his plans!!!!!

 

[loulabelle]

If on a rented place I'd be tempted with moveable field shelters - that can be sold if the farmer changes his mind, you could get them 1 at a time to help with budget. Also would be simple from a planning perspective - the farmer will need planning for the base (and he may be able to get it easily using agricultural planning rules - but the building would need further planning considerations.

We built a 7 stable, 1 feed room plus large hay barn american barn style building for ours and we found breeze block was far cheaper than wood - and it will take less maintenance/ damage from the horses. If you OH is a builder then I'd be really tempted to look at this as he could do all the work himself over time easily rather than have to learn complex joinery.
Corregated plastic sheets on the roof would be cheap and let light in but need to be well fixed if you're in a windy spot.

Our farmer said he will deal with all the planning side
Hubby can do a bit of everything so his looking at it as a bit of a project...keeps him out from under my feet haha

 

[loulabelle]

Absolutely planning can dictate what materials, how many stables, layout, colour paint, even lenght of overhang! etc etc. can be a big pain - call your local planning office and arrange for a visit from your local planning officer who will come out to the site, meet you can chat through what is usually acceptable to them and what is not. They do these visits for free as it stops them wasting time looking at applications that fail.

Might be just worth checking with your farmer that he is going through proper planning for the concrete base tho before you allert the council to his plans!!!!!

Farmers already agreed to deal witht the planning side

 

[poiuytrewq]

Oh Lucky you!
I did construct my own little yard the summer before last. We don't have concrete as that would have been too expensive and my land lady is lovely but not as generous as yours!
We laid thick scalpings which at first wasn't great being big lumps but after 6 months they broke down and compacted so sort of hard standing area.
First I bought a set of two wooden stables on skids, this was my biggest expense but they can of course be moved if we ever leave the current land. Then off the side of one stable using telegraph poles for the corners we constructed another bay but open fronted which houses hay and bedding etc.
In a similar way 4 poles, corrugated metal sheets for roofing and wood panels.
Also added two garden sheds for storage (but I was on serious budget!)
The only thing id change is the home made stable needs a better overhang and definitely a concrete floor as although the stable floors and level and have well fitting mats when the fields flood as they have recently its seeped up though the floors and soaked the beds.
We have also fitted solar lights which are brilliant.
Have fun!

 

[Polos Mum]

Farmers already agreed to deal witht the planning side

That's great, I'd still casually let him know you're considering getting the planning officer out for a chat as my local farmers 'dealing with it' is often to ignore the stupid council rules he doesn't agree with - fine if he's happy to dig up the concrete if planning object but you don't want to spend your cash unless you know it's there for the long term.

Entertaining case recently where a guy built a house inside an large metal agricultural barn to get round planning - can't have been nice inside with no windows! Council are making him pull down the whole thing!!!

 

[*hic*]

You might want to keep an eye on the local planning portal then because IIRC equestrian use is outwith the 28 day notice rules and you don't really want to be paying out for stables to find they are only for agricultural use. I do stand to be corrected on this though

 

[loulabelle]

Oh geez.... My farmer has recently done the same with another field so I'm guessing he'll know all the rules but I will speak to him

 

[OWLIE185]

You will be extremely lucky to get planning permission by September if my experiences in North Hertfordshire are anything to go buy. They are also very strict on the materials used for the stables and roofing. If the fields are used for horses then you will also need planning permission for change of use from agriculture to equestrian.

 

[Polos Mum]

I find planning really varies local council by local council, I put in my own hand drawn application for a barn much bigger than we wanted, expecting a long negotiation and to settle on what I actually wanted in the first place - they said build what you like!!!!!!
Other than private use no restrictions at all - I was very supprised. I chanced my arm and asked about building a house - (given the uglyness of a 26m by 12m concrete block on a pure greenfield site they had approved!) but that was a no no, anything for horses is fine as they have to live in the countryside but people can live in towns (I kid you not this was the answer!)

A few months later friends of mine 6 miles down the road in another local council area applied for stables, had a nightmare only allowed 4 stables as they had 5 acres (even though in process of buying more ) not allowed brick, not allowed american barn etc etc.

No logic or fairness to the process at all - just luck of the draw whether you get a horse friendly person or not

 

[LynH]

I'm just about to build a small yard and had to submit plans of the exact layout and am now in the process of supplying samples of all materials being used including the concrete, fence rails and posts and all materials used in the stables. They have imposed several conditions re colour and where exactly the fencing goes and it can take weeks for them to get round to looking at the samples. They also don't return the samples so I've had to fork out for extra posts, rails and window to send to them. I'm also extending our house but they haven't asked for any material samples for that just everything related to the horses.
If the farmer has already applied for permission you can check that and the application for the other field by searching the planning portal by address. At least the application for the other field should give you an indication of what they will approve.

 

[Polos Mum]

LynH - I had forgotten that - when I applied for planning for our school I put post and rail in the description of the outside - they asked me for a photo of what I ment !! Ha ha ha ha how many people in a planning office couldn't work that one out (we live in very rural Lincolnshire not Notting hill!), but I duely took a photo and sent it in - and the application was approved
Can't imagine what they would have done I've I'd have turned up with actual rails