by Stacy Rothberg Rolfe
The three girls we built this DIY barn for, were so neglected when the Humane Society’s Animal Cruelty Task Force took ownership of them, we could not look the other way. However, our main barn is home to 17 rescue minis, a barn full I might add. So we had no choice but to put together a makeshift barn, that has actually taken the public quite by storm, I must say.
We wanted something that would blend with our existing barn yet, didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg. We purchased a storage shed and had it customized with windows and (12x16) dutch doors on front and back. We insulated it on our own and added plywood at the bottom and drywall up top to save on expenses. Then we painted the inside and added the molding and shutters.
The second biggest expense was adding electricity. We have three ceiling fans with lights inside, lights on the front and security lights on the back. We added a Nest camera inside the stall, outside angled from our hay barn to see any activity on the front area and one in their back paddock.
We cleared the grass in the back, trimmed up branches from the trees and added drainage before putting in sand footing.
We also added hay nets, feeders and a place to hang their halters inside. We had left over stall mattresses from our main barn that we used and covered with tarp. If we find this won’t do the job well, we will replace with a rubber mat over the mattresses. The ramp that came with the storage shed was an added bonus and we covered it with rubber mats -screwed down- to help keep them from slipping going in or out.
My daughter and I learned a lot about DYI for this project as we tried our best to keep the costs down.
These little mares, ‘the girls’ as we call them, are very special to us. The stories of where they have come from would break your heart and then, make it sing afterwards. They are thriving under good care and love.
DIY Cutest Barn Ever