# Barn advice/ new barn?



## Harriet_and_Hens (Apr 26, 2015)

Hello! I don't have any goats yet, so I am a complete newb, but we are trying to put together the best shelter for the spring. I was thinking about this one from the Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Handy-Ho...t-x-12-ft-Wood-Storage-Shed-18631-8/202205311

It is a 8x12 wood shed. I know I will need to add additional supports to doors/ additional Windows, but has anyone used one of these pre-fab shed buildings? I wanted to stay away from a metal building bc we have a large one, and it retains A LOT of moisture. We recently built a 10x 10 plywood chicken coop, and while it is better on moisture, at the end of the day I feel it may be cheaper to buy a pre cut pre fab one.

I am open to thoughts/ suggestions


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That would be fine. I would do a dirt floor. Depends on how many goats you plan to own.


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## thekibblegoddess (Dec 13, 2014)

Dirt floors are the way to go. And remember, however much space you think you need for the goats, double that because you ARE going to get more than you think. And add just as much space for their feed, equipment, and a milkstand. Even if you're not milking the goats, you need one to trim feet and such. I didn't allow enough room to store hay, after all, I have only 2 goats, and boy, do i regret that. And interior supports need to be sunk 3' in the ground AND set in concrete because some goats never grow up enough to quit ricocheting off the walls! "I built the barn too big," said no one ever.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

When we built our buck barn last year we looked into some of those pre-made sheds. In the end we calculated that it was cheaper for us to just build our own shed, because of all the reinforcing a pre-fab shed was going to need. (It's really windy where we live.) We made our shed a 10x10 with a sloped roof and dirt floor. I've only got 2 goats in there right now so that's more space than they need, but it's ready for whatever we could want to do in the future. I think we ended up spending around $1000 on it, and then 5 days or so of work. In the end it's far more stable than the pre-fab sheds, and we custom-designed it to match the slope of the land so we didn't have to level the ground before building it.


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## Harriet_and_Hens (Apr 26, 2015)

Great! Thanks so much! I agree that it can't be too big! My husband seems to have big dreams, so now I think we will just try to build it. I think we will go with 10x 12 or even 10x14 due to the area we are building. Thank again! I love looking at all the amazing barns people build on here!


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## Harriet_and_Hens (Apr 26, 2015)

UPDATE: For those of you who are thinking of building your barn instead of buying a pre-fab one --> DO IT! We ended up building one 8x16, and it is so great! There is a 4ft milking room, and also a 4x4 kidding stall (which I am currently using to separate kids at night). We made it this size, so that we didn't have to do as many lumber cuts - you can just buy 8 and 16ft lumber.

It is definitely overkill for our 3 nigerians, but yes, I do plan on getting more, and now I'm thinking of how we'll be able to add on in the future. 

Thanks so much for all of you comments! We took your advice, and put it to good use!


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## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)




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