Happy 2019! New Year = New Goals

New Year = New Goals

Happy 2019!!!! All of the Christmas decorations are put away, and the house (and stalls) are clean. So all that is left to do is plan for the upcoming year. And I do have a big plan for 2019. Well, lots of big plans actually. But the biggest of the big is, I want a new barn. I want a REAL barn.

This is something that has been in the works for as long as I have lived in my home. I have always wanted a real barn. You know, the kind where I can put my horses away in stalls, and tuck them in for the night. Or keep them protected from the wind and snow during the winter.

And I have made lots of improvements to the structure we currently have. My horsey space has evolved a lot since we moved here in 2006. But it has never been a real barn, in my opinion.

Build A Barn Or Move

And I have wanted this so bad, we have even thought to move to a property that already has a real barn. Unfortunately the cost of moving is just too much. Real estate process are so high where we live, if I wanted to have a real barn on a chunk of property, it would cost over $650,000. And that is just not in our budget. And while the barn might be great, it isn’t exactly what I want, or the house sucks, or there is no backyard, or trees.

Instead of moving, we have decided to update and upgrade our property by having a barn built where we already live. It just makes more sense to build a barn, even if it costs $45,000 to build, it will increase out current property value, and not stack an extra $300,000 of debt onto our shoulders. And we get to improve the property we already love, and the biggest bonus, no packing and moving!

I mean we have already built an awesome arena, we have miles and miles of trails right off the back of our property, and we love our home. No reason to move away from what we have already improved to the point of making us happy, right?

Making Barn Plans

So now the fun process, picking out what I want. This is the easy part, sort of. Figuring out exactly what I want my new barn to have in order to make the most of the space I have.

Stalls

First, there must be 2 stalls for my boys. And I want the stalls to be roomy. So the stalls will be 12 x 12 in size. This should be big enough for the ponies. And having them be able to be completely inside is peace of mind for me.

I know I want it to have a center aisle. After having my riding lessons last year, I found that I love the center aisle.

Tack Room

And a real tack room is a must. I have my cute little red barn, which acts as my feed room and tack room, and storage all combined into one place. But it’s separate from the barn where the horses live. And I don’t like that. Plus, it gets dusty in there. So my saddles, bridles, and well everything gets really dusty. Having a sealed room, with a door to keep tack and grooming stuff away from the dust is a big deal for me.

Feed Room

And a dedicated feed room, or area is important too. I would like to be able to store more than 2 weeks of hay, so if I find hay at a good price, I can stock up. Right now we currently have 3 pallets lined up where we store our hay. While I am grateful for this, it isn’t a lot of space. So having space to hold at least a ton of hay is important.

And of course, space for my grain and supplements as well.

Running Water And Electricity

This should be right under having stalls in order of importance. Have a water spicket in the barn is a necessity, as is electricity. Running extension cords, and hoses out to my horses is such a chore. And if I am going to have a barn built, I am going to make sure to factor in the cost for a water spicket as well as having electricity in the barn.

I know this will be an added expense, but the time it saves over the years will be worth it.

Barn Type

There are so many choices when it comes to building a barn. And thankfully, we live in an area where there are LOTS of builders to choose from.

I am also lucky that as far as my HOA is concerned, I can build as large of a barn as I like! But the caveat to that is, I am only allowed to have 2 outbuildings. So that means my little red barn, and my current lean-to barn must go. The logistics of getting rid of these two structures is a little daunting to me. But we will figure it out when the real barn building begins. It will be weird to have the little red barn gone, but if I have a nice big barn to replace it, I will figure out how to make it happen. Anybody want to buy a little red barn and haul it away?

But that is a little bit down the road to worry about, right now I just need to decide what type of barn I want. And I think I have decided that I want the RCA or raised center aisle style barn. I like the way it looks, and I really like the floorplan of this barn. It gives me everything I want and need in a barn.

It has a nice floor plan, a center aisle, 2 stalls for my horses, a feed room and tack room, and a spot for storage. And everything is under one roof, I really like that.

Barn Cost

Now I don’t know about you but finding the cost of the perfect barn has been challenging. Since I am just in the planning phase right now, I really don’t want to be bombarded with calls and emails from sales people about the barn. I just went through this when we bought my car, and a month later, I still have daily calls, and emails from dealerships, even though I told them I wasn’t interested.

But thankfully, I stumbled across this…..

Yes, a barn a little bigger than the one I want to build and the cost is $36,900.00 This is the materials only, and does not include the actual building of the barn, but it helps me to determine beforehand, what I need to start budgeting for the barn. And this is a special price right now and expires at the end of January. I don’t think I will be ready to commit by January 31, 2019, but the regular price isn’t that much more. And it gives me an idea of what it is going to cost.

I love finding things like this! Then I don’t feel blind in searching out a price for something I want to buy (or build).

From what I have been finding, MD barns are great barns. They last forever, the stalls are kick proof, and they are easy to keep clean. They even have the fancy-schmanzy stall fronts if you want to get really fancy. But honestly, I will be happy with having real stalls for my horses that are safe and keep them indoors for when the weather gets bad.

And from what I have been reading, the barn goes up pretty fast. Like built in a week fast. I think my horses can ‘suffer’ for a week while their new home is being built.

How To Pay For A New Barn

So now that I have a rough estimate of what it is going to cost, I have to figure out how to pay for it. No, I haven’t won the lottery, yet, so I don’t have an extra $45,000 lying around to pay cash for my barn. However, I do have a skill that can help cover the expense. Building horse jumps. Yes, it is going to be a lot of jumps. And yes, it is going to be a lot of work. But the end result will be soooo worth it!

If I build 50 sets of horse jumps that give me a profit of $1,000 per set, I have the majority of my barn paid for. That is what I am planning on doing. I have already planned out the sets of jumps I will build:

• Set of 3 complete jumps $900.00
• Set of 4 complete jumps $1500.00
• Set of 7 complete jumps (3 verticals, 2 oxers) $2500.00

And then Craigslist the sets. Usually when I post even 1 ad on Craigslist, it generates about 6 additional orders. So by starting this plan in January, and running different ads through May, I think I will have enough sales to make my dream barn a reality. So, if you live in the Denver metro area, and you are looking to buy some jumps, keep a look out for my ads when I put them on Craigslist!

And if I fall short of my goal, MD Barns does have a financing option. But I would rather not go that route. I would rather have the money (or most of it) up front before I sign on the dotted line. Like I have said many times, I can justify anything. This new barn costs about as much as a fancy new car. And since I don’t like fancy cars, I can spend that money on a barn. How is that for a justification? And that doesn’t even count in the fact of the value it will add to our property, and the happiness it will provide me, and my horses.

Time will tell, but that is my plan, and my big goal for 2019. Hopefully by July, I will be able to share photos with you of me sitting in front of my new barn, heels kicked up and loving my real barn.

So here is to a new year, and a new goal! How about you? Do you have any big goals or plans for the new year? You know they say that if you write it down, you are more likely to achieve your goals. So why not share your goals with me be leaving a comment? I would love to know what your goals are for 2019 and encourage you on your way to those goals. Share your goals down below! And here is to a very happy, healthy, and goal achieving 2019 for all of us!