Problems with Horse Barn Kits

At first glance, horse barn kits seem like the perfect way to get the custom structure you need at a great price. After all, barn kits promise the lowest price point since you’re just buying the plans and materials, providing the labor yourself. In practice though, they cost far more, cause huge problems, and often never get finished.

At J&N Structures we build modular horse barns that homeowners all over the country love. We’ve seen horse barn kit projects go wrong time and time again – and we’re sharing the drawbacks that make them a bad fit for most equine enthusiasts, ranchers, business owners and more.

Horse Stable Kit Downsides

When you buy a barn or horse stable kit, you get the materials and basic blueprints of how to put them together. You then need to work on building the structure yourself or arranging for one or more contractors to do the job. As many people discover, there are many downsides that make the project harder and more expensive.

1. Most People Don’t Have the Skills – Building a multi-stall horse barn requires far more expertise than most people have. Building a barn is much more complicated than putting together a shed or pavilion. You have to be concerned about setting up the foundation, electrical wiring, doing the roofing and the siding and setting up the frame. Most people quickly realize how hard figuring this out on their can be.
2. Higher Material Markups – While the bottom-line price you’ll pay for a horse barn kit will be less than a full barn, it doesn’t mean you’re getting a deal. Since horse stable kit companies only make money selling the materials, they need to mark them up far higher to stay in business. If you were to compare the material price of a kit company and a full barn builder, you’d realize just how much kits are marked up. If cost is a concern, learn more about designing an affordable horse barn.
3. Having to Work with One or More Contractors – After realizing that they need help, most horse stable kit customers start looking for contractors to help the finish the project. Right off the bat, brining in professional assistance eats into the savings you were looking for. Plus, you’ll often need to work with multiple different specialists, leaving you spending tons of money and serving double duty as a project manager. Not only is the project almost assured to be completed late, but it also likely will be way over budget.
4. Issues with Storing Materials – When you work with a turnkey barn builder like J&N Structures, you get a finished barn installed exactly where you need. When you buy a kit, you just get materials. Storing those materials can lead to problems. Without proper construction storage, your kit materials can become damaged by sitting out in the elements while you’re arranging the build.
5. Less Custom Options – Most horse barn kit sellers offer a few standard models that you can chose from. After all, their business model entails selling in bulk to make their margins. This can be a serious problem when you are trying to meet particular needs and have a unique sense of style you want to express. A custom barn builder like J&N allows you to create a fully unique barn style, interior floor plan, and one- of-a-kind look.

See our project gallery and get inspired.

We hope this provided clarity on the downside of horse stable kits you don’t always hear about. If you want us to build a fully custom barn for you, we’d love to have a conversation.

Get Started Building with J&N Structures

When you work with us, you don’t just get a horse stable kit, you get a full finished project. If you’d rather have one team take everything rather that trusting a horse barn kit, we’d love to help. Our craftsmen build your entire barn in our USA workshops and then your local dealers will assemble it on your property. This modular building style truly is the best way to get an unbeatable price on the finished barn you need.

The first step is finding your nearest local expert who will walk you through the entire process. Enter your zip code right here to find your nearest professional.